Believe it or not, the industry has not ‘migrated to IP’, well not yet, not 100%, and maybe not quite 100% for a while. IP is an enabling technology. The flexibility and scalability of IP is allowing system designers to create ever more flexible infrastructure that gets best value out of facilities, equipment and people. IP has made the entire concept of remote production and multi-site distributed teams a workable practicality. IP allows traditional single purpose compute resources to be replaced with more flexible ‘cloud’ compute resources... and by ‘cloud’ I mean COTS computer hardware with CPU and GPU processing resource in a data center model that is usually owned ‘private cloud’ (on-prem or off-prem) and sometimes rented from hyper scaler ‘public cloud’ providers. But not all systems actually need the flexibility and scalability of IP – sometimes cost and simplicity are bigger factors.

Most of the system designers we talk to are seeking to create production infrastructure which delivers a combination of the familiarity, predictability and cost efficiency of SDI with the increased flexibility of IP networking, and increasingly, the integration of flexible data-center model compute resources. But there really is no ‘one size fits all’. Hybrid systems are becoming more popular, powerful, important, and simpler to integrate and operate than ever. IP connectivity brings sophisticated production and processing capabilities to and through the ‘cloud’ – and AI needs both data-center model COTS compute infrastructure and IP.

If you’re integrating or want to integrate the benefits of IP and the ‘cloud’ alongside SDI media production and distribution work and content flows, the following exhibitors can discuss the challenges and benefits and how they can help you within your budget.

Vendor Focus

At NAB 2025 Arkona (Booth N 307) will show their EasyIP system which offers a software suite of processing tools which utilize FPGA processing on their AT300 processing module. The AT300 can be loaded into a collection of modular frames that enable systems of various sizes and configurations to be assembled. The system is capable of very high density processing configurations and distributed software architecture. The versatile tool kit can be used to create all IP processing infrastructure or bridge between SDI and IP domains. At NAB they will show feature updates in a new V2.7 software release alongside new HUI functionality that opens up hands on physical control via third party control surfaces.

Blackmagic Design (Booth SL 216) For those seeking simplicity, ease of use and cost efficiency, over the last few years Blackmagic have applied their renowned capacity for achieving all three to bringing the world a new range of simple routing & distribution systems that are well suited to small production houses, flypacks and vans. Their portfolio of Videohub SDI rack switches and the IP based Ethernet Switch 360 variant, have rear panel connectivity and simple front panel controls. To accompany them there is a collection of little in line converter boxes that bridge between SDI & IP, and SDI & HDMI. These compact system products are of course woven from the same materials and design philosophy as their very well established and much larger ATEM switchers.

Cobalt Digital (Booth SL 5123) will show a new update to the PACIFIC 9992-ENC, their OpenGear card format MPEG-2/AVC/HEVC encoder, capable of handling up to four signals up to 1080p60, or one 4K signal. New for NAB 2025, PACIFIC now offers full support for ST 2110-20 (baseband) and an ST 2110-22 option for JPEG-XS video. Each of the four channels can be individually selected between SDI and ST 2110. In addition, support is included for full asynchronous operation (IPMX-compatible) or IPMX operation in the INDIGO 2110-DC-02 factory-installed option for SMPTE ST 2110.

PACIFIC now offers support for up to two essences of ST 2110-30 (audio); each essence can have up to 16 channels of audio, and the product offers the ability to mix and match channels. Support for asynchronous audio/video operation has been added as has support for ST 2110-40 (ancillary data). Dual SFP cages for ST 2022-7 seamless switching, supporting both 10Gb/s and 25Gb/s interfaces.

Evertz (Booth N 915). s you might expect from a company that has been in broadcast since 1966 Evertz have a very wide and deep technology portfolio. Focusing on the latest news releases from Evertz runs the risk of missing the point of what they do. They are a solid port of call if you are looking for robust technology and expert advice on most aspects of broadcast infrastructure. At NAB their focus is JPG XS. They are highlighting the addition of JPG XS to the RFK-ITXE-HW-DUO aimed at remote contribution. Evertz is also bringing JPEG XS to its NEXX processing and routing platform with the launch of the NEXX-IO-R1 module. This universal IO module offers JPEG XS encoding and decoding for any format and interface. A single NEXX-IO-R1 can support up to 32 JPEG XS encodes or decodes, providing a native all-in-one solution for routing, monitoring, and primary distribution.

The SCORPION Flexible Media Edge also gets a boost with the new MIO-BLADE-Z22-SFP Module, supporting six JPEG XS encodes or decodes per module, allowing Evertz to support up to 56 JPEG XS encodes or decodes in a 1RU form factor. This dual-slot module supports a variety of other application builds to further facilitate primary contribution-based requirements.

"With the continued focus for high-density JPEG XS offerings, we are expanding the capabilities and possibilities of our NEXX and SCORPION platforms," highlights Singh. "JPEG XS is a game-changer for IP-based video production, as it delivers the same quality as uncompressed video 3G, 4K and 8K with much lower bandwidth requirements and low latency while being color space agnostic and utilizing a small footprint. Our bulk MIO-BLADE-Z22-SFP offering significantly increases the density of Evertz’s previous generation offering, the ev670-X45-HW, MIO-BLADE-Z21.”

DekTec (Booth W 2943) are another veteran broadcast technology brand still producing highly regarded workhorse technology. At NAB DekTec will show their recently updated classic SDI stream monitoring application SDEye to support SMPTE 2110 video and audio streams. By combining DekTec’s DTA-2110 (10G) or DTA-2125 (25G) SmartNICs, optimized specifically for SMPTE 2110, with the powerful SdEye software, users can easily analyze, view, and listen to any uncompressed video and audio stream on their network. This is achieved by simply subscribing to the relevant multicast stream. The solution supports video formats ranging from SD to 4K at 60fps, and can display up to 16 audio channels per stream, providing a comprehensive and flexible monitoring solution for modern IP-based broadcast infrastructures.

Lawo (Booth N622).  As Lawo continue the rapid expansion of their HOME platform with the release of four new HOME Apps it is worth noting that over the last year they have continued to expand the power and capacity of their .egde hardware platform. Lawo describe .edge as a hyper-density SDI/IP conversion and routing platform and a viable replacement for traditional SDI routers, with high bandwidth IP interconnection and software defined flexibility. It is an extremely capable bridge between the worlds of SDI & IP and unites the two network protocols within the wider HOME, software first ecosystem.

Ross (Booth SL 206). As always Ross will announce their new product information in their keynote event the day before the show opens. Regardless of new announcements Ross have a pretty comprehensive portfolio of gateway products as part of their wider ecosystem. They are always busy bringing new products and ensuring that new features keep existing products on top of new technology trends. Over the last few months they have announced new NDI I/O modules for their Ultrix router platform and SDI over SRT within their OpenGear cards.

Matrox Video (Booth SL 4511) will be expanding its ConvertIP product line which with this new release now runs to eight different gateway products. Matrox ConvertIP is a series of ST 2110/IPMX baseband converters and encoders/decoders. ConvertIP converts SMPTE 2110 and IPMX IP signals to and from HDMI, HDBaseT™, or SDI, and can be configured to support uncompressed and compressed AV over IP signals. The latest addition to the line to be demonstrated at NAB is the Matrox ConvertIP SDM, an Intel® Smart Display Module (SDM) that supports ST 2110 and IPMX inputs, delivering near-zero-latency 4K video over IP while ensuring compatibility across diverse systems.

Matrox will also show Vion IP, a video gateway designed to facilitate moving from one IP video format to another. The first Matrox Video product to support NDI, Matrox Vion transcodes between NDI6, NDIHX3, IPMX, ST 2110, SRT, RTSP, and other formats and codecs for flexible routing workflows, including NDI over SRT, that boost productivity and enable new on-prem and cloud IP-to-IP workflows. With support for HEVC 4:2:0, 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 10 bit, and H264 codecs, plus optional SDI/HDMI inputs, SDI/HDMI I/O, the IP-to-IP video gateway is ideal for live production and collaboration applications. With flexible, low-latency multi-channel encoding, decoding, transcoding, and processing, the gateway handles color space conversions and changes to streaming protocols and bitrates. 

Meinberg (Booth SL 9616).  Long established as the go to source of impeccable timekeeping, Meinberg have been busy expanding and enhancing their highly regarded microSync product line. Meinberg have recently released two new hardware units: The first is the microSync TRX, a variation of the popular microSync^RX series, designed specifically for data center applications that require front panel control access from one side of the rack while ensuring that cable connections are well-hidden at the rear. The front of the microSync^TRX series focus is on clarity and simplicity - all that is visible is the OLED display, status LEDs, and the rotary controller for network configuration and status navigation. The second new model is the microSync^XS, a slimmed down unit for IP-based broadcasting & studio applications. The microSync^XS is a fully-featured GNSS-synchronized NTP & PTP time server. With two PTP-capable network ports operable either in time Transmitter or time Receiver mode, the microSync^XS is operable as a high-accuracy grandmaster, boundary clock or ordinary clock. The microSync^XS is also a powerful NTP server and programmable clock signal generator, capable of producing pulse-per-second, Word Clock and 10 MHz reference signals via three programmable pulse outputs. With full support for practically every published PTP profile, including the SMPTE 2059-2 Profile and AES67 Media Profile, the microSync^XS is well suited to use as a PTP Grandmaster solution for outside broadcasting vehicles and other situations where space is at a premium.

Meinberg also recently released meinbergOS 2024.12 which delivers a quite staggering array of new features including: integration of PTP Track Hound, support for PTPv1, new password security options, revised user permissions, the ability to limit NTP Server to initial synchronization time of day, several new event types, start configuration backup to USB storage, the alarm LED can now signal user-defined events, new options for disabling certain event types, an acknowledgment mechanism for monitored events, overhauled log functionality, optimized navigation between corresponding configuration and state pages, a pre-release version of "microShell" CLI Tool and a web interface rebuilt for improved performance.

Meinberg will also be hosting Ravenna as a partner on their Booth so a good opportunity to speak with Ravenna experts about their IP solution. 

Riedel (Booth N 1821) have a tradition of new product announcements on day one of the show, so time will tell if they have any surprises for us. Regardless of new announcements Riedel will demonstrate its MediorNet HorizoN distributed video infrastructures for routing, multiviewing and processing. It allows for hybrid solutions that combine the best of SDI & IP and support a smooth, incremental transition to IP workflows.

HorizoN houses 16 independent and individually configurable processing engines within a single rack unit, facilitating flexible processing while seamlessly bridging the gap between baseband and SMPTE ST 2110 IP infrastructures. The platform provides up to 128 SDI - IP gateways, up to 32 channels of SDR-HDR conversion and color correction, or up to 16 up/down/cross conversions and color corrections. SFP-based baseband video I/O completes the package, making HorizoN an extremely versatile solution capable of handling even the toughest challenges in a modern production environment. The system is controlled and configured by an app that brings the flexibility and simplicity of a software control to a distributed hardware ecosystem.

Other articles in this NAB 2025 'Show Focus' series:

The Broadcast Bridge will be at the NAB Show – in the West Hall on booth W 3932. Please come and see us and share your thoughts on what we do and what you would like to see from us in the coming year.