At IBC2019, stand 8.B37, Embrionix will unveil a miniaturized J2K IP processing emSFP™ equipped with two J2K encoders and two J2K decoders. The new emSFP allows users to create a direct path from J2K to SMPTE ST 2110 for contribution feeds. By eliminating the need to convert incoming signals first to SDI and then to SMPTE ST 2110, the gateway empowers users to streamline signal flow in remote production applications while saving on power, space, and equipment costs.
“Our newest emSFP offers many benefits, ranging from J2K encoding/decoding capabilities to an innovative and incredibly compact SFP-based design,” said Renaud Lavoie, Embrionix president. “We look forward to showcasing this exciting new functionality at IBC2019, and we’re confident that visitors at our stand will quickly see the tremendous value it brings to handling J2K feeds.”
As with earlier additions to the emSFP product line, the emSFP with J2K-to-SMPTE ST 2110 functionality is based on a small form factor (SFP+) that can either be installed inside a standard 10GE or 25GE IP switch, inside third-party cages or inside the company’s emVIRTU all-IP processing platform. The software-defined emSFP can accept up to two independent J2K contribution feeds (in the format ST 2022-1/2, VSF TR-01) and run SMPTE ST 2110 encapsulation. The module features an extended buffer — up to 2 seconds per J2K feed — to support WAN applications. Fully COTS-oriented, it plugs quickly and easily into a switch for hassle-free installation.
The stage is set for the IP Showcase at IBC2019, an education and demonstration pavilion that highlights the benefits of a common set of IP standards and specifications for real-time professional media applications and the growing industry momentum for standards-based IP installations. For its fourth IBC appearance, the IP Showcase will emphasize two new areas: the emergence of open standards for AV-over-IP interoperability and the adoption of the JT-NM TR-1001-1, a set of specifications and guidance designed to make it possible for broadcasters to automate installation and eliminate complexity when deploying IP-based systems.
Pro AV Demonstrations
The IP Showcase will dedicate a demonstration area to highlighting real-world technology solutions for AV-over-IP interoperability based on the SMPTE ST 2110 suite. The display will reflect AIMS’ ongoing efforts and the latest progress in defining an open-standards approach for the pro AV industry’s migration to IP media.
“Now that standards-based IP technologies are seeing mass adoption and use in the broadcast and production communities, they’re beginning to transform the pro AV world — with the same promised benefits of greater interoperability and flexibility, reduced opex, and more streamlined operations,” said David Chiappini, chair of the AIMS Pro AV Working Group. “At IBC2019, we’ll be delivering a key message to pro AV attendees: that SMPTE ST 2110 and related technologies are real, proven open standards that drive maximum innovation, and they cover a wide gamut of features that pro AV professionals want and need. We’ll show that true interoperability is possible in a multivendor AV-over-IP environment using equipment that end users can buy today.”
JT-NM Tested
Also in the spotlight, JT-NM Tested will give visitors a firsthand look at vendors that have implemented the new JT-NM TR-1001-1 specification. Sponsored by the JT-NM and administered by the EBU and IRT — two top European technical bodies — the JT-NM Tested program conducts third-party testing of IP-capable equipment from a range of vendors, the results of which are published in a catalogue available online and at the IP Showcase.
The number of organizations participating in the JT-NM Tested program for TR-1001-1 demonstrates a rapid adoption of TR-1001-1 by vendors. While JT-NM Tested is not a certification program, it provides a snapshot in time of how vendor equipment aligns to key parts of SMPTE standards and JT-NM specifications, providing prospective purchasers and users with a reference as they begin the equipment evaluation and qualification process.
IP Showcase Future Zone
The Future Zone is a demonstration area focused on the latest advances in standards for IP-based broadcast operations. Leveraging the core standards as promoted by the AIMS roadmap — SMTPE ST 2110, AES67, and the newly added JT-NM TR-1001-1 — the Future Zone demonstrations will showcase three technologies that add higher-level functionality to the underlying standards dealing with the transport, connection, and routing of IP signals: AMWA NMOS IS-07 Event and Tally, NMOS IS-08 Audio Channel Mapping, and AMWA BCP-002 Grouping and BCP-003 NMOS API Security: Communications.
IP Showcase Theatre
In the IP Showcase Theatre, industry-leading vendors and broadcasters will offer an extensive schedule of educational presentations, panel discussions, and real-world case studies of IP video and audio for production and playout. An array of IP-based products that leverage the standards will also be on display, as well as many examples of real-world deployments from facilities around the world.
“With SMPTE ST 2110 as the foundational essence transport layer for IP systems, the broadcast industry was the first to unite around standards-based IP operations — and now the professional AV community is following suit. As a result, we’re seeing broader and more mainstream IP deployments that go beyond the groundbreaking work of the early adopters,” said Brad Gilmer, executive director of the IP Showcase. “For those reasons, the IP Showcase displays and theater provide a fantastic opportunity for both vendors and users to learn about standards, strategies, and solutions for making IP installation, maintenance, and security easier and more straightforward.”
The IP Showcase is sponsored by a consortium of industry partners including the Audio Engineering Society (AES), the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), and the Video Services Forum (VSF). Since making its debut at IBC2016, the IP Showcase has become an important event at major industry trade shows around the world and has helped the industry to galvanize behind the standards-based approach to IP.
The emFUSION-6 enables NEP UK to provide remote monitoring for multiple channels with multiple languages, special POV cameras, and remote sports commentary while maintaining remote control on every site during each event.
“The Embrionix emFUSION-6 has supported the host feed, live commentary, and special points of view for major sporting events since last February, and the miniaturized gateway delivered during the 12 world championship events covered already in the season, performing flawlessly with 100% signal availability at all times,” said Donald Begg, director of technology, NEP Major Events. “The talented and dedicated team at Embrionix worked with our own team of talented engineers in the U.K. and Australia, allowing us to successfully roll out this high-visibility media-over-IP project using state-of-the-art solutions. I have plans to use the Embrionix IP kit, including the new emVIRTU solution, on a number of high-profile projects on the horizon.”
The compact emFUSION gateway deployed by NEP is a versatile, stand-alone gateway designed for remote control applications. As an SDI-to/from-IP and IP-to-HDMI gateway with support for SD, HD, 3G, and HDMI, the software-defined gateway is ideal for remote broadcast production, interconnecting SDI signals to a SMPTE ST 2110 or SMPTE ST 2022 IP infrastructure via a single 25GE aggregation link or via dual links for (SMPTE ST 2022-7) hitless redundancy. Enabling a local network connection per site, embedded on 25GE links, the emFUSION-6 also helps NEP to minimize cabling. The Embrionix gateway supports up to eight channels of encapsulation/de-encapsulation. Black burst can be extracted from the PTP to synchronize cameras, and a local network connection can be dropped at any location.
“Embrionix is proud to supply NEP UK with the highest-quality IP solutions,” said Renaud Lavoie, president, Embrionix. “We’re excited to see innovators like NEP pushing the IP remote production envelope in a distributed manner.”
Embrionix has experienced significant year-over-year growth and widespread adoption of its IP-to-IP processing, gateway, and monitoring solutions with annual revenues growing over the past three years by 23%, 25%, and 29%, respectively.
“Our focus on miniaturization and on enabling deployment of processing directly in COTS hardware has allowed us to develop solutions that meet a wide variety of broadcasters’ current and future requirements,” said Renaud Lavoie, Embrionix president. “In addition to providing convenient, configurable processing and monitoring in the IP realm, our products are very compact, with a small power footprint, allowing users to lower opex with both space and energy savings.”
Embrionix pioneered use of the small form-factor pluggable (SFP) form factor for signal processing early in the company’s history and since has been granted 20 patents for its innovative technologies. By building miniaturized and field-updatable signal-processing technology into SFP modules that plug into commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) IP switch ports, the company brings its customers a unique combination of flexibility and functionality in solutions that reduce equipment count and costs. Customers including the CBC and the NEP Group have invested in IP gateways and processing solutions from Embrionix to support their leading-edge implementation of SMPTE ST 2110 for live applications.
“At Embrionix we are completely committed to IP,” added Lavoie. “We’re always looking at our customers’ current and future needs and providing versatile solutions that support their evolution in the IP realm.”
Embrionix will showcase its full range of products at IBC2019 (Hall 8, Stand B.37) with a host of new features and products for the SMPTE ST 2110 world.
In support of the many broadcasters still transitioning from traditional SDI to IP-based systems, the FOR-A® booth at IBC 2019 will include hybrid IP/SDI products, such as: the USF-10IP IP Gateway, the SOM-100 media orchestration platform, and the MBP-1000VS-IP video server.
FOR-A has an array of production switchers, video servers, processors and test signal generators that support both 12G-SDI/4K and 3G-SDI/HD resolution. The company is a proponent of 12G-SDI technology as an ideal format for sports and other 4K productions, because it offers reliability, ease of operation and industry-standard interfacing.
IBC 2019 will be held from September 13-17th at the RAI Amsterdam. FOR-A will exhibit in Hall 2, Stand A51.
One product that serves as a bridge between IP and baseband environments is FOR-A’s USF-10IP IP Gateway series. The USF-10IP series is a 10 GbE video-over-IP module series that offers high-quality conversion of any standard IP video format, including: SMPTE ST 2022-6/7 and SMPTE ST 2110. The unit also acts as a translator between SDI baseband and IP systems and is compatible with 4K UHD (2SI/SQD) and multi-format input/output video.
USF-10IP Series
Available modules offered in this series include: the USF-10IP, which converts between IP formats; the USF-10IPSDI6-FS, which comes standard with one 12G-SDI input and one output, 2SI/SQD conversion, and offers simultaneous conversion of up to six inputs/outputs selectable with six streams; and the USF-10IPSDI12-FS module, which also comes standard with one 12G-SDI input and one output, as well as 2SI/SQD conversion, and offers simultaneous conversion of up to six inputs and six outputs, selectable with twelve streams. The USF-10IPSDI-6-FS and the USF-10IPSDI12-FS offer a TICO encoder/decoder. With this encoder/decoder, 12G-SDI 4K UHD uncompressed images can be compressed to TICO and processed via 10GbE network.
An integrated baseband/IP control and monitoring system, the SOM-100 is also designed based on hierarchical architecture using Ember+ for a flexible system configuration to be used in a mixed SDI/IP environment. It delivers seamless interoperability between baseband and IP equipment and traffic management. The SOM-100 provides operation of a variety of video equipment such as SDI/IP/RS422 routers, multi viewers, video processors, tally devices and button panels, and monitored centrally from its GUI.
SOM-100 control and monitoring system
At IBC 2019, the MBP-1000VS-IP IP video server, the ESG-4200 test signal generator, the MFR-3000 routing switcher, the USF-10IP-SDI6-FS IP gateway, the MV-1220 multi viewer, the Media Links MD8600 video gateway and the MDX4090 IP video switcher & router are controlled by the SOM-100 in a SDI/IP hybrid system.
SDI and IP routing switchers are managed as one routing switcher in a virtual group. The SOM-100 can execute routing system control and process control, so that it supports collective operational changes of multiple pieces of equipment and executes time reservation. The system also features a web interface for easy access from multiple computers.
MBP-1000VS multi-channel video server
A 12G-SDI/IP multi-channel video server, the MBP-1000VS series is ideal for 4K editing environments, offering multi-input/output 4K and HD support and ingest, playout and 4K recording functionality. FOR-A is offering a range of MBP-1000VS interfaces for 12G-SDI or video over IP transmission, including 12G-SDI, 3G-SDI, and SFP+, to accommodate varying user needs for inputs/outputs and size of internal storage (SSD). The MBP-1000VS-IP includes a SFP+ port for 10 Gbps video over IP I/O. It supports up to eight-channel MPEG-2 codec or four-channel 4K XVAC™ codec and can switch channels from encoding to decoding as needed. Supported formats for video over IP include SMPTE ST 2022-6 and ST 2110.
Nevion will be dedicating its booth (1-B79) at IBC2019 to sharing real-life stories of the projects it has recently undertaken and how its solutions have been used to transform its customers’ workflows.
The “Architects of Virtualized Media Production” will be using real-world case studies and demo networks to explain the capabilities of its solutions and products. Nevion will also emphasize the importance of people, their expertise and experience, in ensuring the success of transformative solutions enabled by IP and virtualization.
Visitors to the Nevion stand will be able to find out about the newest features of VideoIPath, its comprehensive orchestration and SDN control system, which includes a new connect tool to simplify SMPTE ST 2110 element stream connections with support for grouping, shuffling and copying of element streams. VideoIPath now also has a new Kubernetes Docker architecture. This container-based architecture, designed for Cloud applications, automates deployment, scaling, and management of the system, which enables VideoIPath to handle even the largest broadcast facilities.
Nevion will also showcase the latest updates to Nevion Virtuoso, its flagship software-defined media node, which now boasts the world’s first deployment of JPEG XS and was one of the first products in its category to test successfully for the SMPTE ST 2110 standard.
Nevion staff will also be on hand to talk about the company’s services, which are designed to help customers before, during and after the deployment of solutions. In particular, they will highlight Nevion’s Service Operation Center, which allows customers to outsource the monitoring and optimization of their network to Nevion – enabling them to concentrate on content creation.
The event will also be an opportunity for Nevion to highlight its new strategic partnership with Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Inc. (“Sony”), with the help of a joint remote production demo.
Geir Bryn-Jensen, CEO, Nevion, said: “So far, this year has been very successful for Nevion, with many new customer projects agreed and delivered and exciting developments in our products, including Nevion Virtuoso passing rigorous SMPTE ST 2110 qualification tests performed by the JT-NM. This has, of course, been topped off by the recently announced Sony partnership. IBC will be a great opportunity for us to elaborate on the details of our success, as well as our plans for the coming months, and to share our insights and expertise as the move to IP gathers pace.”
Nevion will also be hosting its annual pre-IBC event on Thursday 12 September at 2pm at Bimhuis, Amsterdam. The event will include presentations on real industry case studies from Nevion’s customers including Global Connect and tpc AG, as well as a panel discussion featuring representatives from the BBC, Sony and EBU.
Visit Nevion at booth 1-B79 at IBC2019 at RAI, Amsterdam 13-17 September.
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today released a significant update to the AIMS roadmap for a standards-based approach to applying IP technologies in broadcast operations. The latest roadmap includes an important addition: JT-NM TR-1001-1, also known as the JT-NM Tech Stack Part 1. Developed by the Joint Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM) to automate installation and eliminate complexity, JT-NM TR-1001-1 provides specifications and guidance designed to make SMPTE ST 2110-based systems easier to deploy and operate, leading to greater efficiencies for broadcasters.
The addition of the JT-NM Tech Stack Part 1 to the AIMS roadmap is the latest in a progression of IP-based standards that launched with SMPTE ST 2022-6, which established an SDI-over-IP baseline, then added AES67 for audio over IP, and followed with SMPTE ST 2110 for standardized transport of audio, video, and ANC. JT-NM TR-1001-1 enables the creation of network environments in which end users can take delivery of new equipment (compliant to the recommendation), connect it to their networks, and configure it for use with a minimum amount of human interaction. The JT-NM Tech Stack Part 1 summarizes relevant standards, specifications, and documents specific to additional constraints related to this domain of use.
JT-NM TR-1001-1 consists of four areas:
The network environment defines use of Precision Time Protocol (PTP) for time synchronization of IP flows in the network, DHCP for IP address assignment, LLDP for devices to identify themselves to the media network switches, and DNS-SD for service discovery when using AMWA NMOS IS-04.
Discovery and registration using AMWA NMOS IS-04 to discover compliant devices on a network and register them with a central registration server that will enable the control system(s) to know what devices are active and are compatible on the network.
Connection management using AMWA NMOS IS-05 to control switching between IP flows on the network.
System resource, specifying system-wide constants used by all devices on the network, such as PTP and IS-04.
At IBC2019 Sept. 13-17, the JT-NM Tech Stack Part 1 will be a highlight of the IP Showcase in Room E106/E107 at the RAI Amsterdam. Attendees will be able to learn more about TR-1001-1 and talk to experts about the capabilities it enables. In addition, the JT-NM Tested program will give visitors a firsthand look at vendors that have implemented aspects of the new JT-NM TR 1001-1 specification.
“The JT-NM Tech Stack Part 1 is a critical link in the continuum of standards that are easing the broadcast industry’s transition to IP operations. Now that the industry is seeing broader and more mainstream IP deployments, JT-NM TR 1001-1 will play a key role in making IP installation and operation easier and more straightforward,” said Andy Warman, board member, AIMS. “We’d like to encourage IBC2019 attendees to stop by the IP Showcase, where they can learn a lot more about the AIMS roadmap, including JT-NM TR 1001-1.”
