10 December 2017
NEWS & VIEWS
IP takes centre stage in Asia
by josephine tan
HONG KONG / SINGAPORE – With an aim to address broadcasters ’ key concerns in making the transition to IP , APB and systems integrator Ideal Systems organised the Professional Media over IP : Building a future-proof media facility seminars in Hong Kong last month on November 3 , and in Singapore on November 6 .
Delivering the keynote speech at both seminars was Michel Proulx , media technologist and former CTO of Miranda Technologies , who pointed out four major drivers in replacing SDI with IP — the need to increase flexibility , to build a futureproof media facility and reduce cabling and infrastructure , while leveraging IT innovation and scale .
IP enables the pooling of resources , thus increasing flexibility and agility , Proulx stressed . “ Instead of having islands of routing equipment , operators are able to connect every single device to the IP routing fabric to have a pool of equipment that they can flexibly reassign from one studio to another , or from one area to another . This pooled resource model allows operators to have more flexibility because equipment can be shared more easily .
“ For instance , if resources were more flexible , it can be scaled up and scaled down as needed . Further more , resources can be dynamically re-configured to perform different functions when required .”
While the majority of broadcast stations around the globe are still delivering in HD , 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) and even 8K technologies have emerged , resulting in consumers ’ demands for higher resolution content to enhance the viewing experience . Therefore , it is crucial for broadcasters to futureproof their media facilities , and build a “ long-lasting ” facility that will be able to cater and adapt to broadcasters ’ longer-term plans in delivering beyond HD , he added .
More importantly , the implementation of IP enables broadcasters to leverage broadcast with IT technologies . Proulx explained : “ The IT industry is moving very quickly , and is driven by the development of data centres . These data centres are huge , and have massive networks containing terabytes of flow . Data centres are good models to drive the industry for the benefit of broadcast . It ’ s a fast-moving train ; hitching a ride onto it is beneficial for broadcasters .”
However , the move from SDI to IP is merely the first transition , he declared . “ The second transition , which is also a bigger transition playing in this media landscape , is moving from hardware-based , fixed-function solutions to software-based solutions . The benefits of moving to software is greater , as it will eventually lead to virtualisation and the cloud .”
Instead of having purpose-built hardware , he urged broadcasters to invest in hardware that will be compatible to work with generic computing platforms while recommending operators to install software-based solutions within these systems wherever possible .
Sharing his experience on a project he has been working with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ( CBC )/ Radio-Canada , he said : “ The broadcaster is building a new facility in Montreal that hosts radio , TV and Web . The main driver in building this new facility is agility because the business in delivering TV is changing rapidly — we do not know what the business will be like in 10 years , or even five years from now . Hence , CBC decided to build the new facility fully IP-based , and we ’ re targeting to have as many software-based components as possible .”
In a media facility such as the CBC ’ s , which will be fully IP- and software-based , Proulx added that the operator is able to scale operations accordingly to their needs . For instance , the operator is able to run several over-the-top ( OTT ) channels , or launch channels for a particular period of time during a special event . “ Combining IP and software , broadcasters will be able to have a facility that is more agile and better equipped in managing the next wave of technology change ,” he said .
Despite the advancements IP might bring forth , Proulx also revealed some of the reasons slowing down the speed of transition in the industry .
In his keynote speech , Michel Proulx pointed out four major drivers in replacing SDI with IP — the need to increase flexibility , to build a futureproof media facility and reduce cabling and infrastructure , while leveraging IT innovation and scale .
Firstly , the standards for IP transportation are yet to be fully ratified . Based on the current state of the SMPTE ST 2110 specification , only the SMPTE ST 2110-10 , 2110- 20 and 2110-30 — which are designed for system , uncompressed active video and uncompressed PCM ( pulse-code modulation ) audio , respectively — have been approved . Other standards within the SMPTE ST 2110 specification — such as 2110-21 for video packet spacing , 2110-31 for AES3 transport on IP , and 2110-40 for ancillary data — are still in development .
The second factor , according to Proulx , is higher system complexity . He elaborated : “ The difference between configuring a studio that is based on SDI to another studio that is designed based on IP , I ’ d say it ’ s more complex on the IP side . This is due to the degree of maturity — IP is still young and therefore more complex .”
And when it comes to cost , IP is not less expensive today , Proulx confessed . “ The IP exercise is not about saving money ; it ’ s about future-proofing and agility . The need to be agile will come from business pressure , and the change in how TV is being consumed .
“ For a big facility like the CBC , it is not practical for us to build in SDI , particularly if the broadcaster would like to do 4K / UHD in the future . Despite the truth that IP is not cheaper today , will it get cheaper with time ? Yes , but it ’ s not inexpensive today .”
The last factor hindering the transition to IP is missing knowledge and skillsets among broadcast engineers , and broadcasters need to solve this rapidly in order to stay ahead in this transition , he stressed .
“ IP transition is inevitable . In the long term , IP is the way forward , as the benefits are important and as software-based devices become more common ,” said Proulx in his closing remarks . “ However , if broadcasters could afford to wait , I would recommend to wait for a year or two as the technology and solutions might not be fully matured today .
“ Having said that , the next piece of advice is — wait to do a big project , but start doing small experimental projects such as a sandbox or a studio . It is time to start training and learning these new technologies . Broadcast engineers and vendors support teams — everyone needs to step on this as quickly as possible .”
The seminar was followed by presentations by Arista Networks , Dejero and Embrionix , where the companies shared some of their customers ’ success stories .
Representing Arista Networks at the IP seminar in Hong Kong was Raymond Lai , solutions architect , who shared the company ’ s recent collaboration with NEP Australia , a provider of outsourced broadcast production solutions .
As NEP Australia wanted to create a multi-client , multi-user yet centralised environment , Arista Networks was tasked to installed a core network infrastructure at NEP ’ s new Andrews Hubs , which connects 29 sports arenas to a “ fully redundant , IP-based network ”. Four new all-IP 4K / UHD outside broadcast ( OB ) trucks and seven legacy SDI trucks , enhanced with new IP layers , also complement the two production hubs , which are located in Sydney and Melbourne .
The infrastructure was designed and built based on SMPTE ST 2022-6 and SMPTE ST 2022-7 standards , as SMPTE ST 2110 was not certified yet at the point of system design , said Lai . “ However , NEP Australia foresees that IP will be the trend going forward , thus they designed the infrastructure with the capability to be upgraded to SMPTE ST 2110 .
“ To support SMPTE ST 2110 , NEP Australia installed redundant
The Professional Media over IP : Building a future-proof media facility seminar was held in Hong Kong on November 3 . The event was attended by broadcasters , pay-TV operators and media service providers around the South-eastern China region , as well as key personnels from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers ( SMPTE ) -HK Section .