Industry Insights: How SMPTE 2110 is shaping broadcast facility design and development

The transition from traditional SDI workflows to IP-based infrastructures has been a hot topic in the broadcast industry, reshaping how facilities are designed, operated and integrated.

In this two-part Industry Insights roundtable series, we bring together vendors and suppliers to explore the impact of IP-based technologies, with a special focus on SMPTE 2110 standards.

This first installment examines how SMPTE 2110 has influenced broadcast facility development and operations, highlighting its role in enabling scalable, flexible and interoperable workflows. Participants share insights into the benefits of IP infrastructure, including increased efficiency and future-proofing capabilities, while addressing the challenges of transitioning from legacy systems. Key topics include operational advantages, implementation challenges and strategies for managing synchronization and security in IP-based environments.

Through this discussion, we aim to provide a comprehensive look at how broadcasters can navigate these changes to optimize their workflows, integrate new technologies and position themselves for future innovation.

Key takeaways from this Industry Insights roundtable

• SMPTE 2110 enables scalability and flexibility: IP infrastructures simplify routing, support high resolutions and enhance interoperability, paving the way for innovative workflows such as remote production.
• Operational efficiency has improved: SMPTE 2110 facilitates seamless content routing and dynamic resource sharing, enabling broadcasters to manage global teams effectively.
• Challenges include skill gaps and network complexity: Broadcasters face hurdles in training staff and managing intricate IP network designs, which require advanced technical expertise.
• Security is critical in IP workflows: Robust encryption, trust boundaries and SMPTE RP2129 guidelines are vital to safeguarding media networks against internal and external threats.
• Cost considerations include life cycle and incremental upgrades: IP equipment often has a shorter life cycle than SDI, necessitating frequent updates, while incremental implementation strategies can help manage costs and reduce sunk expenses.

How has SMPTE 2110 impacted broadcast facility development?

Andy Rayner, CTO, Appear: SMPTE 2110 has enabled broadcasters to fully embrace IP-based infrastructures, fostering flexible and scalable facility designs and development. Appear has responded to this shift with the X Platform enabling seamless support for uncompressed video streams, ensuring interoperability while reducing operational complexity.

Francesco Scartozzi, VP, sales and business development, broadcast and media group, Matrox Video: Now that we, as an industry, have gotten over the “difficulty” or “mystery” of how to install and integrate a SMPTE ST 2110 facility we are seeing broadcasters take advantage of ST 2110. Because we have acquired the knowledge, we now can take advantage of IP video, which is transforming broadcast facilities and giving rise to new applications such as large-scale video walls in-studio. This is because with ST 2110, video rasters can be anything from a few pixels to 32K x 32K and any aspect ratio.

Rick Seegull, SVP technology and business development, Riedel Communications: SMPTE ST 2110 has transformed broadcast facility development by enabling the shift from traditional SDI-based systems to fully IP-based infrastructures. This transition offers increased flexibility, scalability, and efficiency, allowing facilities to manage high-quality content across a network with fewer physical limitations. Additionally, SMPTE ST 2110 standardizes the transport of audio, video, and data, streamlining equipment integration and enabling more interoperable workflows, while also future-proofing facilities for emerging technologies like cloud production and remote workflows.

How has SMPTE 2110 impacted broadcast facility operation?

David Edwards, product manager, Net Insight: The use of SMPTE 2110 in broadcast workflows around a facility is often the unseen enabler of increased operational efficiency and flexibility around a broadcast facility. SMPTE 2110 allows high-quality content to be dynamically routed around a plant, with ease, at the click of a button. It allows content to be shared and processed across geographically dispersed sites almost instantaneously enabling global resources to work together for ultimate efficiency from creative teams.

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Colin Moran, VP of production products, LTN: SMPTE 2110 has had a transformative impact on broadcast facility development, primarily by shifting workflows from traditional SDI to IP-based operations. By enabling IP-based workflows, media companies are given the tools to adapt to evolving industry demands while maintaining quality and reliability. SMPTE 2110 also enables broadcasters to separate, manage, and route in-band and out-of-band metadata more efficiently, improving the capability and resilience of metadata transmission in complex, live, and remote production environments.

Tawfiq Rahman, VP, system design and engineering, Broadcast Management Group: SMPTE 2110 has had a profound impact on the operation of broadcast facilities, leading to significant improvements in efficiency, flexibility, scalability, and overall workflow. By shifting from traditional SDI systems to IP-based infrastructure, SMPTE 2110 has transformed how broadcasters manage media signals, interact with equipment, and deliver content.

Rick Seegull: SMPTE ST 2100 keeps audio, video, and metadata separate from the start, so there’s no need for embedders or de-embedders in the workflow. It makes things simpler by letting everything be handled through one gateway and a single protocol, so operators don’t have to juggle different control systems or technologies. It’s a more streamlined process that saves time and effort.

What are the main advantages of IP-based infrastructure over traditional SDI setups?

Adam Salkin, senior solutions architect, Diversified: Scalability: Unlike SDI, router size is almost unlimited, no matter the resolution and frame rate. Flexibility: Signal flow in IP systems is defined in software and not locked down by wires.

David Edwards: SMPTE 2110 has the potential to simplify and streamline operations. The ability to dynamically route content with ease across an IP network increases operational flexibility and allows production teams to become more efficient. By orchestrating SMPTE 2110 equipment configurations, workflows can be up and running in moments.

Hartmut Opfermann, senior solutions architect, Qvest: An IP-based infrastructure is much more flexible than a traditional SDI infrastructure as signals can be made available across the entire fabric and are not confined to the location of the central router. Furthermore, any kind of signal can be transported over the same infrastructure. The bandwidth density and interface speeds of IP switches are much higher than those of traditional SDI routers.

Colin Moran: A specialized IP distribution network with multicast capabilities offers unmatched scalability, flexibility, and efficiency for modern broadcasting. It enables seamless feed switching, smarter blackout management, and localized viewing experiences with custom feeds and culturally relevant content that engage diverse audiences. Beyond content delivery, IP distribution enhances opportunities for targeted advertising, maximizing the value of live events and personalized viewer experiences.

Andy Rayner: IP-based infrastructures allow broadcasters to scale effortlessly, support higher resolutions like 4K and 8K, and embrace new media application approaches such as remote production workflows. Appear’s expertise in media processing and content delivery ensures our solutions deliver low-latency, high-quality streams, unlocking new possibilities for distributed workflows across any network.

Tawfiq Rahman: IP-based infrastructure offers several distinct advantages over traditional SDI (Serial Digital Interface) setups, transforming how broadcast facilities and media operations manage, transport, and process content.

Rick Seegull: The primary advantages of IP-based infrastructure, or distributed networked TDM solutions, over traditional SDI setups are smaller physical footprints, reduced cabling requirements, and greater flexibility. Distributed network or IP-based systems require less cabling because they enable shorter cable runs to edge devices and allow multiple signals to be transmitted over a single fiber, resulting in less weight and easier management. Additionally, distributed network and/or IP infrastructure offers enhanced scalability and adaptability, providing more room for growth and greater customization to meet changing needs.

What challenges do facilities face when transitioning to IP workflows?

Adam Salkin: Training of engineers and maintenance. There is no video patchbay; fault−finding requires in depth network knowledge. Signal flow is defined by orchestration software and not by wiring.

David Edwards: IP networks need to be designed with the needs of media in mind. Media streams cannot be interrupted. This often requires very high data rates and media-specific tools to ensure reliable content interchange and network robustness. A recent SMPTE recommended practice — SMPTE RP 2129 Trust Boundary embodies many elements of good IP networking and workflow design.

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Hartmut Opfermann: Everyone who is concerned with technical aspects of the broadcasting operations must learn new paradigms. For those working on the planning of the first new system in a facility this can be especially hard, because they don’t have the possibility to extensively experience a system first-hand but have to rely mostly on descriptions and reports of other people’s experiences.

Bill Robertson, VP of business development, Digital Alert Systems: Several vital elements broadcasters require cannot easily be incorporated into the IP air chain due to inherent design limitations or regulatory compliance. Notably, one of the most significant challenges is emergency alerting over the output signals, which mandates that each facility follow very specific rules that the FCC uses to ensure public safety. While the original rules were drafted well before the advent of IP workflows, the underlying requirements remain, and facilities must adopt their operations and equipment to work in the IP world.

Andy Rayner: Broadcasters face hurdles like integrating legacy systems, managing network complexity, solving new security issues, new standards education and challenges and ensuring interoperability across vendor solutions. Appear addresses these challenges by designing solutions with built-in media security measures, scalability and compatibility, reducing the complexity of content transport and conversion.

Tawfiq Rahman: While IP workflows offer significant advantages in terms of flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency, the transition requires careful planning, investment in new technologies, and a shift in organizational mindset.

Rick Seegull: Facilities face several challenges when transitioning to IP workflows, including the huge hurdle of the need for a completely new skillset, as staff must be proficient in both IP technology and IT methods. Transitioning to IP often necessitates a complete overhaul of the infrastructure, unless the facility already utilizes a distributed network solution, and this can involve upgrading switches, cabling, and ensuring that all devices are IP-compatible. Additionally, shifting from a traditional SDI setup to a networked IP system requires the adoption of new workflows and personnel with the expertise to manage and operate the updated system effectively.

How has the adoption of IP influenced equipment procurement for broadcasters?

Sam Craig, VP, consulting, Diversified: The focus now is towards interoperability, scalability and integration with existing IT infrastructure. Broadcasters tend to invest in flexible, standards-based hardware and software that easily functions with existing systems, fostering vendor diversity and reducing the reliance on proprietary solutions.

Hartmut Opfermann: The main difference is in the shorter life cycle of IP equipment. The up side is that the life cycle is usually more clearly defined and reliable.

Bill Robertson: Being able to incorporate all the signals and control within a single cable and across a variety of areas is a huge win. Long gone are the days of having to snake specific cables from one room to another. With an IP interface, as long as you have a network connection, you can get the signal from the source to the destination.

Has the adoption been piecemeal? Or has it largely been driven by new facility builds?

Hartmut Opfermann: Different customers have different approaches and there were some new facility builds, but the majority are projects where only a part of the facility is changed to IP, at least in the first step. On the other hand, apart from Sandbox-Type deployments, you have to have a certain size of the project to justify the efforts it takes to move to IP and to gain relevant experience.

Rick Seegull: The adoption of IP-based solutions has been largely piecemeal, especially in facilities with existing infrastructure or space limitations. Full-scale IP implementation is more common at greenfield sites, where there are no legacy systems or infrastructure constraints. To ease the transition, many facilities opt for stepping-stone solutions, such as distributed network TDM systems, which offer the benefits of a networked setup without the full complexity of an all-IP system, bridging the gap between traditional SDI workflows and complete IP infrastructure.

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How do you ensure network security in IP-based broadcast environments?

David Edwards: Whilst preventing external attacks on media operations requires focus, media networks also need engineering to ensure that internal operations do not compromise operational resiliency. In a dynamic network, where IP connectivity delivers ultimate flexibility, it can be so easy to misconfigure media settings that could trigger a devastating self-inflicted impact across a media network. IP Media Trust Boundaries are now being employed to segment and protect IP media networks to ensure that only correctly configured flows can freely flow within or between media networks.

Andy Rayner: Appear ensures network security through its X Platform’s built-in IP media trust boundaries, which safeguard content with robust access control and encryption measures. These trust boundaries separate trusted and untrusted networks, supported by strong internal firewalls, ensuring a resilient system compliant with SMPTE RP2129 guidelines.

How do you handle synchronization challenges in IP-based environments?

Sam Craig: The implementation of PTP is imperative for accurate timing across systems, but effective buffer management, real-time monitoring tools, redundancy plans, and thorough testing and validation are crucial in handling synchronization challenges in IP-based environments.

Hartmut Opfermann: A robust precision time control (PTP) implementation is an important criterion for devices that we use or recommend. If legacy synchronization signals are required in a system, we recommend to separate the function to generate those onto different devices than the PTP Grandmaster function. Thoroughly testing corner cases (like equipment failure) helps to get an understanding of where the limits of a system are and how it behaves under non-normal circumstances.

Rob Moodey, manager of strategic partnerships, Matrox Video: In the SMPTE ST 2110 world, PTP is used to get a time alignment that reflects potentially variable delay in passing through network devices like switches — something we didn’t have to worry about in the SDI/coax scenario. A high-quality master timing leader device provides a reference time on the local network. Each network device en-route adds in its own propagation characteristics to the stream headers — meaning at any point in the network, an endpoint can work out how much time offset to apply to achieve synchronization with others (no separate house sync distribution signal path is needed). 

What are the cost considerations when upgrading to SMPTE 2110 and IP-based setups?

Sam Craig: Upgrading to IP-based setups requires careful consideration not only of the initial infrastructure investment, but also of integration costs and ongoing operational expenses. Also keep a keen eye on training and skill development, as staff may require training to operate and maintain IP-based systems effectively. Transitioning to network-based environments also increases exposure to cybersecurity risks, necessitating attentive investments into robust security measures.

Hartmut Opfermann: As most IP deployments are done in steps, an important cost consideration is how much to invest in the first step, to have a smooth transition into the next steps and not create too much sunk cost. This is especially true since predicting the next steps is challenging in some environments.

Rick Seegull: Upgrading to SMPTE 2110 and IP-based setups involves several cost considerations, including the need to replace equipment more frequently, as IP systems typically follow IT industry trends and require updates every three years rather than every 10 years with traditional equipment. The cost of acquiring SMPTE ST 2110-compatible equipment can also be significant, and IP networks require enhanced security measures due to their increased vulnerability to cyber threats. Finally, specialized training is necessary to ensure staff can effectively manage and maintain the new infrastructure.

What factors are broadcasters not thinking about with IP and SMPTE 2110?

Adam Salkin: Is the flexibility and scalability of 2110 a requirement for your system now and/or the future? Could the same results be achieved with SDI and fiber and point to point IP encode−decode? There is a lack of engineers with an in depth knowledge of both networking and the specific requirement of 2110.