26
X-PLATFORM
July 2018
Start to make your way into the all-IP era
On a visit to
the APB booth
at Broadcast
Asia2018,
Matthew
Goldman,
president of
the Society of
Motion Picture
and Television
Engineers
(SMPTE), and
senior vice-
president of
technology,
TV and Media,
Ericsson, urged
broadcasters to
begin to look
at IP, even if
they are not
ready to make
a full transition
yet.
When the transition from analogue to
digital first started more than 30 years
ago, many broadcasters did not jump
on the digital bandwagon straight
away, said Matthew Goldman, presi-
dent of the Society of Motion Picture
and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and
senior vice-president of technology,
TV and Media, Ericsson.
Visiting the APB booth at
BroadcastAsia2018, he added: “What
happened then is repeating itself
where the IP transition is concerned.
We are at an early adoption stage,
and for many broadcasters who are
not doing anything beyond 1080p
right now, there is no rush for them
to move to IP.”
While acknowledging that
12G-SDI is currently able to handle
many of today’s broadcast workflows,
Goldman urged broadcasters to ask
themselves: “Where do I see myself
in the near future?”
He elaborated: “If you are intend-
ing to build a 12G-SDI plant now, are
you also planning to invest in IP in two
to three years? To realise software-
defined networks and virtualisation,
you need to move to IP. While this
transition can be more expensive to
implement now, this will not be the
case in two to three years’ time.”
One key development that is ex-
pected to provide a real boost to IP
adoption is the creation of the SMPTE
ST 2110 suite of standards, titled
Professional Media Over Managed
IP networks. The new standards suite
describes the carriage of video, audio
Adder Technology launches ALIF100T
to speed up IP migration in APAC
To support the transition to IP,
Adder Technology is now offer-
ing the ADDERLink Infinity 100T
(ALIF100T).
Complimenting Adder’s exist-
ing ADDERLink Infinity range with
a zero U option, the ALIF100T sim-
plifies the upgrading process of
keyboard, video and mouse (KVM)
systems from analogue to digital
while freeing up crucial rack space.
The transmitter is particularly
popular among operators who
are looking to update their current
solutions, but are hindered by lack
of space or the cost of redesigning
their infrastructure.
Loki Ong, vice-president of
sales, Asia-Pacific, Adder Tech
nology, told APB: “We showcased
the ALIF100T at BroadcastAsia2018
as this forms a part of our main
theme Take back your rack with
ALIF100T. This is a zero U form
factor transmitter with very low
power consumption.”
Designed as an IP-based,
USB-powered KVM transmitter,
the ALIF100T KVM transmitter can
either be plugged directly into any
computer, or hung from the back
of the source. Furthermore, the
transmitter can also be retrofit-
ted into existing infrastructure,
thus not taking up any unit space
if rack-mounted, according to
Adder.
“In Asia, the benefits of IP are
well understood, yet migration is
often hampered through lack of
space,” Ong added. “With news
that Japan will broadcast the 2020
Olympics in 8K, Asia is really wak-
ing up to the industry’s need for
change, and we are very excited
to see the market’s reaction to this
radical new product.”
The ALIF100T can also be in-
stalled in outside broadcast (OB)
trucks that have even less space
internally than larger data centres.
Moreover, the transmitter allows
broadcasts to link its OB units
together to create a streamlined
workspace from just one source.
This new ADDERLink transmit-
ter adds to the company’s existing
and ancillary data — all co-timed
and related to each other so that
everything can stay in sync — while
maintaining the flexibility to run on
generic IT infrastructure.
And even if you are not ready
to migrate to IP now, start learn-
ing about it, and understand what
it can do for you, Goldman sug-
gested. Another key aspect of the IP
transition, he added, is the training
required for broadcast engineers.
“Education is a key aspect in the IP
transition, and this is why initiatives
such as the IP Master Class, organised
by APB in Singapore a day before
BroadcastAsia2018, can create real
value for the industry.”
To read more about the APB IP
Master Class, turn to pages 9-12.
Left: Adder
Technology was
at Broadcast
Asia2018 to
highlight the
benefits of IP
over KVM.
Below: The
ALIF100T
(inset) is an
IP-based, USB-
powered KVM
transmitter that
can be plugged
directly into any
computer.
product range, and is compat-
ible with the ADDERLink Infinity
Manager (A.I.M.) and ADDERLink
Infinity receivers.
Ong concludes: “Retrofitting
high-performance KVM into en-
vironments designed around leg-
acy, outdated equipment is chal-
lenging and expensive, sometimes
requiring a complete redesign
includ-
ing recabling.
However, with the
new transmitter, businesses can
easily and cost-effectively take ad-
vantage of the ADDERLink Infinity
solution without this costly step.”