Intelligence for the media & entertainment industry
SUPPLEMENT
AUDIO AND VIDEO MONITORING FOR IP NETWORKS
ADDRESSING THE IP FOR AUDIO A
udio should not add to your worries when making the transition to IP and operational processes should not be compromised. Rather, the transition to IP should allow for new efficiencies that can be implemented in ways that are both intuitive and familiar. Whilst the transition to IP is certainly allowing for new efficiencies in operation, and for new business models, it is by no means a guarantee of increased revenues. So, as ever, the expectation remains for customers to do more with less, and to reach more and more consumers across multiple platforms with the same or fewer staff. A key challenge for any audio solution is to create and present an operational experience that is both simple and intuitive, regardless of the method being used to carry audio throughout a broadcast facility. The transition to IP infrastructures, coupled with the need to do more with less, only serves to increase the importance of being able to address this challenge. At the very least, operators needing to manage and monitor audio within
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an IP infrastructure need a set of quick and easy-to-use controls, made available by a friendly and intuitive control interface that will allow them to monitor and manipulate audio in the same manner that they have grown used to when working in traditional SDI environments. When considering an IP audio monitoring device, its basic functionality, such as the need to display audio levels, present audio metadata, support Dolby audio formats and to monitor audio loudness, remains much the same as when using an audio monitoring device to monitor audio presented as an SDI, AES, MADI or Analogue source. Similarly, the very nature of the tasks an operator will need to perform remain all too familiar. Does the audio meet the required standards for audio levels and audio loudness? Is the audio in the correct format – mono, stereo, surround? In the case of a multi-lingual feed, are the correct languages present and on the correct audio channels? Are audio channels in phase? Is the audio in sync with the video? And of course, is the audio free of noise, distortion and audible artefacts? n
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WHY IP IP technology has rigorously followed Moore’s law which states that computer processing power doubles approximately every two years
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n the 1990s, when television first did SDI, standard definition video was at 270 Mbit/s, which doesn’t sound like much these days. But back then, IP systems only could pass 1 to 10 Mbit/s. So, the television industry has had to develop its own standards and chipsets. Today, IP can easily handle uncompressed digital video, and 10 Gbit/s, 25 Gbit/s, and even 100 Gbit/s nodes in standard switches can be bought economically. Right now, the rate of ‘bandwidth per port’ progress being demonstrated by the IT industry is far outstripping those made available by the broadcast industry using the Serial Digital Interface. Those manufacturers who have been traditionally responsible for the manufacturing of SDI infrastructure are now being challenged by the bandwidth on offer by
COTS switches from IT manufacturers. The SMPTE 2022-6 standard has already allowed early adopters to deploy IP infrastructures and to begin realising the benefits of doing so, whilst the more recent arrival of the SMPTE 2110 suite of standards is now making the adoption of IP infrastructures an even more attractive proposition for those requiring an essencebased approach. Whilst the primary purpose of TSL’s audio monitors is clearly to monitor audio, our customers have told us that they also value the ability to monitor video as part of our audio monitoring offering. As well as providing confidence monitoring, the ability to monitor video is clearly vital when an operator needs to check for issues such as lip-sync. n
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SUPPLEMENT
ST-2022-6 VS I
t’s all very well proposing that we climb on board and take advantage of increasing port speeds, but understanding the industry standards is paramount when considering using IP to carry uncompressed video and audio. With ST-2022-6, just over 76 per cent of the original SD-SDI signal is active video. The rest is auxiliary data and TRS (Timing Reference Signals). ST-2110 removes TRS and its associated blanking to save bandwidth and uses PTP (Precision Timing Protocol) as the basis of timing. As IP is format agnostic, ST-2110 has the potential to deliver boundless opportunities - for example, video could be processed in the studio at the same time HDR metadata is processed in the public Cloud. ST-2110 also allows for more intelligent and economic use of bandwidth across a network. For example, there’s little point in having an audio console subscribe to multiple 1.5 Gbit/s HD video streams using SMPTE ST-2022-6 when all it needs are 2110-30 audio streams. For many customers, particularly those involved in production and live production, SMPTE ST-2110 offers clear benefits over ST-2022-6. However, not everybody is involved in production or live production and so for those customers, continuing to use SMPTE ST-2022-6 going forward may well prove preferable.
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IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME TO TRANSITION? ● Your business relies on attracting and retaining subscribers as well as advertising revenue. In order to be competitive, you must continually provide content in the highest quality available, which means being able to provide the best services to your subscriber base, which in turn may mean being able to provide content in new formats such as UHD, HDR, WCG and Virtual Reality. An IP infrastructure supporting ST-2022-6 and/ or ST-2110 can provide this technical agility without requiring ‘fork-lift’ infrastructure changes. ● You’re a speciality sport broadcaster, who needs to add extra channel capacity for the duration of a major sporting event. Not having to permanently expand your existing physical infrastructure would be a huge advantage. Using IP and moving some services to the Cloud could prove to be the most cost-effective route here. ● A regional news broadcaster has typically upgraded their technology every 10 to 20 years. From SD to HD and now to the prospect of UHD, the costs involved in adopting an IP infrastructure could far outweigh the benefits. n
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A BIT ABOUT CONTROL IN
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raditional SDI broadcast infrastructures place the router at the core of the plant which is then controlled using an external router control system, this is what the IT industry would typically call ‘Out of Band Control'. Early IP deployments maintained the concept of Out of Band Control but as the SDI router had now been replaced with an IT switch, Out of Band commands were instead issued directly to the broadcast devices connected to the switch, rather than the switch itself. Using IGMP, these ‘edge devices’ could then request
which flows they subscribed to, as directed by the Control System. Whilst the ST-2022-6 and ST-2110 standards are helping to ensure compatibility and interoperability between IP edge devices from different manufacturers, these standards do not address the control paradigm. This is where AMWA’s NMOS specifications are helping to address this very control paradigm with IS-04 allowing device discovery and registration, IS-05 providing device connection and management and not forgetting IS-07 for event and tally management. n
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SUPPLEMENT
ST-2022-6 & ST-2110 B
roadcasters require tools that have been specifically built to address the requirements of customers needing to monitor uncompressed SMPTE 2022-6 and SMPTE 2110 sources, equipped with 10Gig/E interfaces for direct connection into COTS IP fabrics, whilst retaining the following functionality, even when working with ST2022-6 and ST-2110 uncompressed IP sources: ● Video Confidence monitoring of ST-2022-6, ST- 2110 uncompressed IP and 3G/HD/SD-SDI sources directly on the front panel. ● Comprehensive Loudness Monitoring, complete with Histogram display. panel, including the MAC address of the PTP source. ● Full monitoring (including Metadata) of Dolby encoded sources (PAM2-IP only). As well as featuring 10Gig/E interfaces, the unit should also be equipped with Primary and Redundant 1Gig/E Dante/ AES67 ports, whilst also maintaining 3G/HD/SD-SDI, discrete AES and Analogue I/O connectivity, making it suitable for use in both IP and non-IP infrastructures and helping customers transition to IP with ease. Connection into ST-2022-6 and ST-2110 COTS IP networks should be made possible through the use of optional SFP+ modules, allowing customers looking to transition to IP to do so at a pace that suits them without having to replace their entire Audio Monitoring Unit.
GO BEYOND AUDIO MONITORING I n addition to removing the complexities of working within ST-2110 networks solutions should offer the following functionality that goes far beyond that expected from a typical audio monitoring unit: ● Packet Counters - rule out potential network issues when subscribing to ST-2022-6 and/or ST-2110 sources using an on-board packet counter. ● PTP Status - monitor PTP status directly from the front
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● Senders – Wide, Narrow and Narrow Linear senders can all be monitored. ● Essence Presets - store and recall your favourite ST-20226 and ST-2110 sources using a single button push on the front panel. ● Out-Put Routing - dedicated SDI Monitoring Outputs that allow SDI, ST-2022-6 and ST-2110 sources to be monitored externally. ● Manual Failover - Switch between COTS A and COTS B redundant networks with a single button push. n
“TSL Products’ commitment to supporting emerging IP standards such as AES-67, SMPTE 2022-6 and SMPTE 2110 gave us the confidence we needed in the PAM2-IP to provide the audio monitoring we required at RTL City. Additionally, knowing that we could deploy the PAM2-IP in our new all-IP infrastructure without being forced to change our operational workflows was fundamental to our purchase decision.” COSTAS COLOMBUS, DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS AND SUPPORT AT BCE LUXEMBOURG
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REAL-WORLD CCTV, CHINA China Central Television Network (CCTV) chose to purchase the PAM2-IP audio monitoring unit to assist with its coverage of the 2018 Winter Games being held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As the PAM2-IP offers a flexible and reliable audio and video monitoring solution capable of handling uncompressed SMPTE 2022-6 and SMPTE 2110 sources, CCTV installed it at its Beijing headquarters to better monitor the facility’s IP and 4K-based master control and live
ALL MOBILE VIDEO, USA All Mobile Video (AMV) has invested in TSL Products' advanced audio and video monitors to help with its growing TV production schedule. Now featuring seven IP-equipped, large-format trucks in the US, AMV's production fleet captures some of the most high-profile events on TV, such as the GRAMMY® Awards red carpet, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® induction ceremony and the Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop. "We use TSL's products in critical quality control positions in every production we do," said Ian Vysick, audio design specialist, All Mobile
production infrastructure. “It’s not easy to build a successful product, not to mention a successful and future-proofed product,” notes the outside production team at CCTV. “It requires that the manufacturer effectively understands the customers’ needs and balances this with technical changes occurring in broadcast environments. As IP becomes more widely adopted, we are confident that TSL Products will be able to support us with solutions that can accommodate these changes.” n
Video. "In our industry, the market and technology keep progressing, which means we have to keep moving forward as well to ensure we're delivering the best audio and video quality for our customers. Working with TSL is a guarantee that we're equipping our trucks with the best monitoring technology available." When AMV first deployed the PAM2 audio monitor eight years ago, Vysick was immediately impressed with the monitor's audio quality and ease-of-use. AMV has since added over 40 TSL audio units to its trucks, including the PAM2-IP. n
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IP Comes as Standard Our continued commitment to open standards means that our audio and control solutions will seamlessly support any infrastructure. Built on 30 years of global broadcast expertise. Seamless integration, from production to playout. Created in partnership with the world’s leading broadcasters. Purposely designed to future-proof facilities.
PAM2-IP
MPA1 Solo SDI
Virtual Panel
Full IP-Ready Chassis The only unit in the world capable of supporting full IP workflows, from ST 2022-6 and ST-2110 with PTP, to Ember+ interface for edge device control. Designed for the most demanding and mission critical environments. Confidence Monitoring Range SDI, MADI, Dante / AES67 Mix and Solo configurations at just 100mm deep. Includes Web GUI and designed for system-wide connectivity through SNMP. Advanced Broadcast Control Gain exclusive control over resources, streamline operations and automate key functions to improve efficiencies and maintain high level production values, no matter the complexity of the underlying system.
Contact our International Sales Team today to find out more: www.tslproducts.com E.VIII enquiries@tslproducts.com I T. +44 1628 564 610 | TVBEUROPE MAY 2019