Taking stock: Where we stand on the Road to IP ... and where we’re headed

IP promises to transform how broadcasters and other media companies use and access live video, audio, and data within production, playout and delivery workflows. The broadcast industry reached a crossroads when it faced the choice of pursuing a standards-based approach to IP or pursuing multiple alternatives and directions.

The industry chose the standards-based approach, uniting behind SMPTE ST 2110/ST 2059 and AES67. The result of this decision enables vendors and end users to focus on deployment and operational needs without the hurdle of technology chose and interoperability concerns.

Since IBC2016, the IP Showcase has been the harbinger of IP technology — the place people have gone during major industry trade shows to learn about the latest advancements on the road to all-IP infrastructure. As such, it has been instrumental in helping the industry to galvanise behind the standards-based approach to IP.

IBC2018 was the first IBC show since the publication of documents within the SMPTE ST 2110 Professional Media Over Managed IP Networks suite of standards, the foundational standards for essence-based transmission of video, audio, and metadata. Consequently, at this IP Showcase, we went from watching…