Broadcast Beat Magazine 2018 NAB Show Edition | Page 85

Don’t Jump, Take the Stairs on Your Path to Virtualized Playout By Tom Gittins, CCO, Pebble Beach Systems The relative merits of IP, virtualization and the cloud continue to dominate broadcasters’ and vendors’ discussions and this year will be no exception. While the entire industry is debating the topic, the more developed markets are presenting a growing number of invitations for RFPs (Request for Proposal) and POCs (Proof of Concept). In these markets we’re seeing that no one wants to build an SDI-based system anymore, and that if they can possibly avoid doing so, they will. But whether IP is ready for all use cases is the big question for many, since SDI has, and continues to be, very good at delivering frame accurate signals to where they need to go. Too Soon? In particular, the market is still not convinced that virtualized playout solutions are ready to support every channel type, either from a technical or operational standpoint. However, they are certainly ready to support some, and I have no doubt that ulti- mately all channels will be played out this way. We frequently receive requests for POCs where we come into a facility, set up their channels using our technologies, and utilize networks and infrastructure that they may or may not provide. We can demon- strate that overall this technology approach does work, but also – crucially - where the current limits are. IP, virtualization and the cloud are coming, but the real question is more about the pace of adoption. How do broadcasters view the risks associated with changes in technol