July 2018 NEWS & VIEWS 9
APB IP Master Class provides deeper insights into IP transition
BY JOSEPHINE TAN
SINGAPORE – Converting to IP is not just about replacing SDI ; instead , there is a “ bigger transition ” at play , emphasised Michel Proulx , media industry advisor and former CTO of Miranda Technologies .
Speaking as the keynote presenter at the APB IP Master Class held last month in Singapore , Proulx referred the “ bigger transition ” to the move from hardwarebased , fixed-function solutions towards software-based solutions . He explained : “ The software-defined world needs IP because the real deal of flexibility comes from software , which will allow fixed tools to be more agile . Moreover , 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 with generic computing platforms while recommending operators to install software-based solutions within these systems wherever possible . But in order for broadcasters to successfully transit to software-based solutions , Proulx continued , they will have to start replacing their SDI infrastructure with IP .
Entitled Real-time Media over IP inside a TV facility , the APB IP Master Class was organised in colla boration with systems integrator Ideal Systems , and was aimed at equipping engineers and technicians with new thought processes , and the relevant skills in making a successful transition to an IP infrastructure .
Proulx , who conducted a halfday workshop as part of the event , continued : “ What broadcasters get when moving into softwarebased solutions is a more universal and flexible tool . For instance , if resources were more flexible , it can be scaled up and down as needed . Furthermore , resources can be dynamically re-configured to perform different functions when required .”
Apart from increased flexibility , he identified three other key drivers in replacing SDI with IP : the ability to build a format-agnostic facility , reduce cable infrastructure , and leverage IT innovation and scale .
Proulx also provided a deeper insight into the SMPTE ST 2110 Professional Media Over Managed IP Networks suite of standards , which specifics the carriage , synchronisation and description of separate elementary essence streams over IP for real-time production , playout and other media applications .
To date , under the SMPTE ST 2110 specification , the SMPTE ST 2110-10 / -20 / -30 , 2110-21 and 2110-40 standards — which are designed for uncompressed video and audio streams , traffic shaping and delivery timing of uncompressed video and ancillary data , respectively — have been published .
SMPTE ST 2110-40 , which is published in May this year , specifically maps ancillary data packets into Real-Time Transport Protocol ( RTP ) packets that are transported via User Data Protocol / Internet
Protocol ( UDP / IP ), enabling those packets to be moved synchronously with associated video and audio essence streams .
Proulx did a comparison between SMPTE ST 2022-6 and 2110 , and commented : “ SMPTE ST 2022-6 is literally carrying SDI signals over IP as all signals are transmitted over one multi-cast RTP stream . On the other hand , SMPTE ST 2110 is able to transmit multicast streams for video , audio and metadata individually . Therefore , while SMPTE ST 2022-6 may be viable for playout , SMPTE ST 2110 will be an ideal standard for production and other applications where audio and video feeds need to be treated separately .”
Despite the advancements IP might bring forth , IP is not less expensive today , and is more complex due to the maturity of the technology , he highlighted . “ The content landscape is becoming more complex , and broadcasters have to now produce more content on a lot more platforms . Hence , the IP exercise is to empower broadcasters to do more functions with less equipment .”
Another factor hindering the transition to IP , according to Proulx , is missing knowledge and skill sets among broadcast engineers , and he urged broadcasters to equip their engineers with IT knowledge in order to stay ahead in this transition .
“ In the long term , IP is the way forward , as the benefits are
For the NEP Australia project , Arista Networks designed a core infrastructure model at NEP ’ s Andrews Hubs , which connects 29 sports venues to a “ fully redundant , IP-based network ”, explained Paul Druce , lead systems engineer , Australia and New Zealand , Arista Networks .
In his keynote speech , Michel Proulx said : “ The benefit of moving to software is greater , as it will eventually lead to virtualisation and the cloud . But in order for broadcasters to successfully transit to software-based solutions , they will have to start replacing their SDI infrastructure with IP .”
important and as software-based devices become more common ,” Proulx said . “ However , if broadcasters could afford to wait , I would recommend them to wait eight to 12 months as the technology and solutions are not fully matured today .”
Having said that , his next piece of advice is that , while waiting to do the “ big project ”, start with some small experimental ones . “ It is time to start training and learning these new technologies , because the only way to get that skill set is to start doing it ,” he concluded .
The session then adjourned for lunch , which was sponsored by AJA Video Systems , and returned with a series of case study presentations by Arista Networks , Media Prima , Dejero , Embrionix and Dell EMC , where the companies highlighted some real-world examples of IP deployment .
Representing Arista Networks was Paul Druce , lead systems engineer , Australia and New Zealand , who shared a case study of its customer , NEP Australia , the outside broadcast ( OB ) and broadcast facilities provider .
He said : “ The idea for NEP Australia to start an all-IP infrastructure approach was to be able to centralise manpower , thus saving the movement of people around the country . Going IP gives NEP Australia the ability to unify as much staff — and their functions — as possible .”
With the need to centralised production facilities , NEP Australia assigned Arista Networks to design a core infrastructure model at NEP ’ s Andrews Hubs , which connects 29 sports venues to a “ fully redundant , IP-based network ”.
Although the SMPTE ST 2110 standard has not been ratified yet at the point of system design , NEP Australia wanted the installation to be future-proofed as much as possible , and built the infrastructure with the capability to be upgraded to SMPTE ST 2110 , Druce added .
Having to support the delivery of live sports for Fox Sports Australia , NEP Australia chose to employ Arista Networks ’ 7500R platform . Designed for large virtualised and cloud networks , the Arista 7500R series modular switches combine 100GbE density with Internet scale table sizes , alongside the advanced EOS ( extensible operating system ) software that features network
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