NEWS & VIEWS
July 2018
11
Seek right technology
partners to accelerate
IP transition
Following a series of keynote speeches and
case study presentations, the IP Master Class
also staged a panel discussion entitled IP
integration in Asia-Pacific, and what broad-
casters need to do to build IP infrastructure.
Moderated by APB’s managing editor Shawn
Liew, the panel discussion explored the key
reasons why broadcasters in this region are
holding back their IP transition.
For Ideal Systems, the systems integrator
also has a live sports production division,
which provides equipment rental and full
turnkey live production services. Fintan Mc
Kiernan, CEO of Ideal Systems South-east
Asia, said: “We don’t talk about IP as the
future because it is already happening now
with deployments in the field. At Ideal, we are
using software-based production switchers
for national football games.
“For instance, we’ve done five different
sports events over the past weekend, and
all of them were done on IP with software-
based video switchers running on commer-
cial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.
“Certainly broadcast manufacturers are
bringing out new IP products, but what we
found was that some manufacturers claim
more than what IP does. Although we are
heavily involved in IP, I don’t think anybody
is building big IP facilities. And clearly in
Asia, South-east Asia especially, every broad-
caster’s facility is still SDI-based.”
Stressing the move to IP is beyond the
ability to deliver services broadcasters want
today was Richard Bayliss, director of systems
engineering, Asia-Pacific and Japan, Arista
Networks, who highlighted two drivers for
broadcasters to embark on the IP transi-
tion — the need to prepare broadcasters
for the next move from HD to 4K/Ultra HD
(UHD) and even 8K, and empowering them
with the flexibility they can have in their
infrastructure.
He also cited some challenges the Arista
team encountered when working on the NEP
Australia project, and elaborated: “There’s
still some uncertainty and risks from a tech-
nical perspective as the NEP project started
two years ago, before the SMPTE ST 2110
standard was ratified.
“The project involves reaching out to the
entire community.
“One of the things we learnt is that you
have to take the first step in experimenting
and testing these new technologies, and start
learning from real-world experiences.”
Mardhiah Nasir, project director at Integ-
riti Padu, the systems integrator behind the
‘In an IP infrastructure, broadcasters
have to manage different signals while
managing processing and conversion’
11
8
vice-president of sales, Embrionix.
He said: “In an IP infrastructure,
broadcasters have to manage many
different signals, from SDI and IP to
compressed, while managing process-
ing and conversion. To address these issues
and simplifying workflows, Embrionix is
bringing its emSFP (small form-factor plug-
gable), which can be directly plugged into
an IP network.”
Embrionix’s SDI to IP emSFP-Gateway
family provides multiple interfaces to bridge
SDI signals into IP. The modules are based on
an SFP+ that can either be installed inside
a 10GbE IP switch, or inside a third-party
equipment with SFP cages. Furthermore,
the emSFP-Gateway can be installed directly
inside IP commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)
switches, thus allowing the COTS equipment
to integrate sources with SDI or IP formats.
Describing the emSFP as a processing
device that provides more than gateway
functionalities, Pare highlighted that the
device could also be used for monitoring
4K/Ultra HD (UHD). He explained: “There is
no monitor in the market right now where
users can have IP directly transmitted into
the monitor. Moreover, monitoring 4K/UHD
requires a lot of bandwidth for multiview-
ers. Using an emSFP enables broadcasters
to reduce the bandwidth directly at
source.”
Additionally, other processes that
can be managed via t