Gateway to an IP UHD truck: More scalable, secure and agile software stacks By Birgit Heidsiek
Friday, March 15, 2019 - 15:20
Print This Story
At a recent open day for tpc Switzerland's new flagship UHD1 IP-based OB truck in Z rich, SVG Europe sat down with Imagine Communications' playout & networking solutions president Steve Reynolds. We talked about the development of the new truck, SMPTE standardisation and the new possibilities created by moving into the all-IP world.
How did the HD1 IP-based OB truck project start?
In the summer of 2016, there was an RFP that was circulated for a 24 camera UHD IP truck. The discussions between Imagine and tpc were conducted around the time of IBC in 2016. The decision was made to kick off a development project using the Imagine Selenio Network Processor as the gateway for the truck.
Steve Reynolds, Imagine Communications, president playout & networking solutions
Using our new SNP technology, tpc decided to move down this path of building a truck that has an all-IP core. In the OB van there are a couple of large Arista switches. Those switches are the switching core of the truck. There is no crosspoint router, there is no SDI router; it is just IP in the core of this truck and this is really the decision that tpc made back in 2016 that they were going to build this truck around that core.
Did that require new SMPTE standards?
One of the key milestones that we had to accomplish to get this truck on the road was the ratification of the SMPTE 2110 standards. Those standards had been in development for several years prior to getting the truck project going. In September 2017, the first set of the SMPTE specifications was ratified. That served as a milestone to make sure the technology that we were building this truck around was known to be mature. We were moving towards a public standard.
What kind of input did Alliance for IP Medis Solutions (AIMS) provide?
As a marketing alliance of companies that are building technology, we are looking for a framework and a common agreement about that set of standards to actually move things forward. Within the technical working group, we started out with SMPTE 2020-2 which was essentially SDI over IP. Then we extended the roadmap to include TR-O3, TR-O4 which were the technical references that did come out how to build with 2022 and ultimately what we define as 2110.
AIMS helped to move forward the ST 2010-10 process by working with the SMPTE, the Audio Engineering Society (AES), the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) to try to identify the places where there were gaps in the standard and then feed those back into the standards development organisations.
AIMS has helped to coordinate the interops and we have been doing this for almost three years. Coordinating the interops that get done before NAB and before IBC in order to qualify equipment. At those big trade show events, AIMS has c-ohosted an interop zone so that customers can come and look at the status of interoperability between all of the different members for video, for audio, for metadata and for the newer specifications that are coming up like IS-O4 and IS-O5 which do registration and discovery. We also work on IS-O8 which is new audio channel mapping specification that is coming out from AMWA.
Why were IS-04 and IS-05 not implemented in the UHD1 IP-based OB truck?
The design for this van is about two years old. We started this process within the summer of 2016 when the RFP was issued. All the new projects we are starting today are built around IS-O4 and IS-O5 to use that as a standard space way for doing registration. All the devices that come on the network register with an IS-O4 register are doing discovery and device control through IS-O5.
Where do you still see some more evolution?
The Joint Task Force for Network Media (JT-NM) just recently published the new specification TR 1001, a technical recommendation which actually describes a complete technology stack of how to implement IP and virtualized production. This is ST-2110, the top of the pyramid.
But the timing and sync, discovery and connection, all the configuration of monitoring and eventually a full security layer needs to get implemented as well. These are the kind of things that the companies inside of AIMS are now looking at. How do we move beyond just a media transport layer and start to move to a full system?
These are things that really don't have an equivalent in the SDI world. SDI was a physical connectivity specification. As we move more into IP, you are in a much more open environment.
First of all, it is an inherently networked environment, a packet-based network, which means we can addd functionality through software instead of having to redeploy hardware. But it also means we can start to adopt some of the software technics of other industries.
Security is a good example. There are a lot of security protocols and a lot of best practices around security that have been evolved for the banking industry and the healthcare industry.
What the broadcast industry needs to do is to take a look at those best practices and figure out how we want to leverage the rest of the world and bring some of this best practice into broadcast so that we can build more scalable, more secure and more agile software stacks.
Is the system ready for 8K?
The system is perfect for 8K. The video standard that is part of ST-2110 is based on RFC 4175 which handles resolution up to 32K. The expandability of everything that we define is part of ST-2110. It just doesn't get us to 4K, it just doesn't get us to 8K. It keeps moving beyond that and it is all part of the future-proof model to make sure that the standard is capable of evolving for years.
There is no reason why the 8K production in Japan can't do it with ST-2110. We
North America Stories
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x
Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century
In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
26/04/2024
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & NEW YORK Mattel has announced a deal to launch its first three 24/7 free ad supported streaming (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung...
26/04/2024
PORTLAND, Maine Viewers here can now receive the NextGen TV signals of five local stations with the launch of ATSC 3.0 service from host station WPFO, which is ...
26/04/2024
TORONTO Rogers Communications has signed a 10-year agreement with Comcast to bring the latest Xfinity products and technology to Canadians....
26/04/2024
Calrec is very pleased to announce the benefits of its highly flexible approach to customer service has been recognized with a third award for the Argo range. T...
26/04/2024
New Adobe Photoshop with Advanced Generative Fill and Generate Image Brings New ...
26/04/2024
Trends And Takeaways From NAB Show 2024
Melanie Ciotti April 25, 2024
0 Comments
NAB's Eric Trabb (right) awards SNS with two NAB Show Product of ...
26/04/2024
Sony's Ci Media Cloud Keeps NHRA Moving
Brie Clayton April 25, 2024
0 Comments
Cloud-Based Media Asset Management and Collaboration Platform Accel...
26/04/2024
Capitol Broadcasting & Leadership Triangle Collaborate for Third Year
Capitol B...
26/04/2024
The staff at CBC Radio have been hard at work creating several new features for listeners and viewers. Several debuts are taking place this spring.
I have nev...
26/04/2024
NBA Playoffs 2024: ESPN Rolls Out Huge Production Operation for Busy First Round Tech deployments include miked on-field personnel, shot-distance tracking, AR g...
26/04/2024
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: ESPN Ops Team Navigates Both Sides of the Border With ...
26/04/2024
Behind the Scenes at the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit (Photo Gallery) After just the first round, the 2024 NFL Draft has already made quite an impression in Detroi...
26/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: Van Wagner Powers Onsite Entertainment Experience for Record Cro...
26/04/2024
MCine Mauritius is to use Qube Wire for all future DCP deliveries across their e...
26/04/2024
Powered by XPression, the world's fastest-growing real-time motion graphics engine, Raiden combines data gathering, processing, and visualization tools to t...
26/04/2024
By Craig Anderton
With this technique, when you play a standard 6-string electric guitar, you'll hear the rich, vibrant sound of a 12-string guitar. The pr...
25/04/2024
Sundance Institute Founder Robert Redford during a press conference at the 1996 ...
25/04/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12361 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-booth-2024-960x540-1.jpg/> Set against a vibrant backdrop of innovation and collaboratio...
25/04/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12356 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-mod-win-960x540-1.jpg/>NAB's Eric Trabb (right) awards SNS with two NAB Show Product...
25/04/2024
PHILADELPHIA Comcast beat earnings estimates in its Q1 2024 financial report, as streaming losses continued to decline and Peacock's paid subscribers spiked...
25/04/2024
SEATTLE The Seattle Kraken have inked new multi-year agreements with Tegna and Prime Video that will expand access to their games over broadcast stations and st...
25/04/2024
Cintel Scanner G3 HDR Restores Egypt's Cinema Treasures to Their Former Glo...
25/04/2024
Sinclair Broadcast Group said it named Kevin Coskren chief meteorologist at KTUL, its ABC affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma....
25/04/2024
The Business of TV News, a new one-day event featuring Martha Raddatz, Shannon Bream, Glenn Kirschner and other major figures in television news, happens at Hot...
25/04/2024
Conditions put on the proposed sale of WADL Detroit, to Mission Broadcasting have created a potential drama in the Motor City....
25/04/2024
TelevisaUnivision reported a $52 million loss in the first quarter, up from $3 m...
Gateway to an IP UHD truck: More scalable, secure and agile software stacks By Birgit Heidsiek 
