TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a younger, more diverse membership, and broader industry adoption of IP technologies
By Jenny Priestley
Published: March 10, 2025 Updated: March 12, 2025
TVBEurope's Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a younger, more diverse membership, and broader industry adoption of IP technologies
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Established in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, SMPTE has published more than 800 technical standards and related documents for broadcast, filmmaking, digital cinema, audio recording, information technology (IT), and medical imaging over the past 100+ years.
Appointed as the organisation's president in January, Richard Welsh is the latest in a long line of media technologists tasked with guiding SMPTE as it navigates the ongoing changes within the industry, including the move from hardware to software, and the rise of artificial intelligence.
Richars Welsh, president, SMPTE We're still very much an international standards development organisation, which is how we started, explains Welsh, but what I think is really cool about SMPTE is that over and above that we're a really amazing technology community, and it's all about developing talent and bringing the community together to learn from each other across all the different areas of technology that we're touching in media.
Welsh describes SMPTE's membership as a very broad umbrella open to broadcasters and vendors alike. A transport protocol like SMPTE ST 2110 is implemented by vendors, but it has to be architected by broadcasters, he explains. Both parties have to work together to do that because you don't use one piece of hardware that does everything.
Even before being appointed president, Welsh was involved in engaging new members not just in the United States or UK but around the world. One of SMPTE's biggest areas of expansion currently is in India, which Welsh hopes will become its own section within the SMPTE membership. Similarly, with the UK and Europe, we are seeing an increase in membership, he adds.
In the UK, currently the fastest-growing region in SMPTE, there's been a push to reach out to members outside of London with meetings and events taking place in Manchester and Leeds. This has been driven by members of SMPTE who volunteer to run the events. In each region, you have to find people who are enthused and active and can give time to it, and nurture that local community to bring it together, states Welsh.
He cites the events being held outside London as a good example of members who want to bring their local media technology community together, under the wider umbrella and resources of SMPTE. On a global level, the network is amazing. I want to see us build on that, and take advantage of the fact that we have these incredibly dedicated individuals who are putting their time and energy into SMPTE for the good of SMPTE and the good of the community. We need to recognise it and build on it. That's how we will increase our international activity and also make us feel more global. That's not to say we're not a global organisation. We absolutely are, but it can feel US-centric.
The future of 2110 SMPTE officially ratified 2110, its standard for video, audio and metadata over IP networks, in 2017. But, like any standard, it hasn't stood still since ratification. Not only is 2110 seeing adoption in traditional broadcast workflows, but the AV industry is finding uses for the standard as well. Welsh cites the Sphere in Las Vegas, which is using 2110 to sync all the servers for its 16K x 16K screen. It's the only protocol they could make work for such a complex and critical environment. You can't have any slip there, because it's going to immediately be a problem for the audience.
But while some broadcasters and venues are embracing 2110, full adoption across the broadcast industry remains slow. Adoption is always one of the challenges. You can write a standard, but it doesn't always go the way that everyone just starts using it, he admits. I guess the nervousness covers some real concerns around reliability, robustness and security effectively.
Asked what his message would be to broadcasters who are nervous about adopting IP, Welsh says he wanted to encourage them to get more involved with SMPTE and help make the standard fit their needs. If there are gaps, then help us make the standard better. If it's something more than that and there's a bigger conversation, again, SMPTE is a great place to have that, because we bring together all these different members of the community, the vendors, the content owners, even the creatives.
Another challenge for SMPTE is moving to a more modern way of developing, publishing and maintaining standards. 2110 is in what Welsh describes as a maintenance and development phase where it can be used but also evolve along with the industry. Any standard is going to keep developing. I think the way in which we develop them will also keep evolving.
It's not just standards that are evolving, the way viewers consume content is undergoing fundamental change, and then there's the rise of immersive technologies such as extended reality and virtual reality. With the likes of IPMX emerging as a standard for the AV industry, Welsh says there are opportunities where it and 2110 can exist side by side. They have 2110 embedded in there as a timing protocol along with PTP. I think evolving it towards these next-generation formats that effectively wil
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a younger, more diverse membership, and broader industry adoption of IP technologies
