Making IP Networks for Broadcast Easier by Design
by John Henkel Director of Product Marketing at NETGEAR
As more broadcasters adopt IP workflows, particularly with SMPTE ST 2110 standards, they’re gaining flexibility, scalability, and the ability to move and manage media in ways that just weren’t possible with baseband. But those benefits come with new demands.
Working in an IP environment requires a different kind of knowledge: networking chops that many broadcast engineers weren’t expected to have a few years ago. Even in hybrid systems, where SDI and IP coexist, configuring and managing the network has become one of the biggest challenges in the modern broadcast infrastructure.
Simpler Tools for Complex Environments
While broadcast has been moving toward IP for years now, the tools to support that shift haven’t been keeping pace. For example, most network switches on the market were built for IT environments, not for media and production. They fail to accommodate the technical requirements of working with media in professional broadcast applications.
Clearly that has to change. Simple, but significant, capabilities and features need to be added to meet the needs of broadcast environments, such as adjustable fans and front- or rear-facing ports (depending on specific installation needs). Small details, yes, but in practice, they can take a lot of friction out of planning and setup.
Another improvement over IT-enterprise designs would be the implementation of profile-based configuration for common standards. So, instead of typing in all the parameters needed for Dante, for example, an engineer could just assign a profile to a port or group of ports across multiple switches — Dante, NDI, ST 2110 — and move on. A straightforward software-based configuration and control tool simplifies day-to-day management, reducing both the time and energy required. This also means configuration is consistent across the installation, eliminating missteps in setup.
Little Things That Make a Difference
In talking to engineers and getting feedback, we’ve uncovered additional features that make life easier. For example, colored LEDs on each port that match profile assignments make it easier to make and trace connections quickly, especially during live production. And secure power connectors and support for timing protocols like PTP and boundary clock mode, which are essential in broadcast environments working with ST 2110.
Individually, these features might not be considered a major benefit to broadcasters. But for engineers still becoming familiar with the intricacies of IP-based media workflows — or just interested in spending their time on other aspects of their work — they add up and make a substantive difference in getting infrastructure set up right and doing so quickly.
Support at Every Step
Network design support might not seem like an obvious service to expect from your switch vendor, but why not? The broadcast industry is in a huge transformational shift, with broadcast engineers trying to come up to speed on IP-based operations. Who better to offer help than the vendors who are IP experts? And once the design is determined, you should also expect ongoing support through deployment, as well as ongoing maintenance and support for growth and expansion. What a network design services team should do is work directly with integrators and engineers before a purchase to help spec the right switches, validate system designs, and make sure everything works together. And if something does go wrong once systems are set up, a support team should be available with the deep expertise and experience in IP-based networking for media to understand the issue and aid in successful resolution.
This level of support is particularly important given that broadcast infrastructure is necessarily different for every organization and use case. There is no one-size-fits-all solution
Ready to simplify your broadcast IP network?
Whether you’re planning a full ST 2110 deployment or integrating IP into a hybrid setup, the things you should be looking for from your IP switch vendor aren’t just price point issues, but the features that make it simple to implement in a broadcast environment (not just straight IT-enterprise features), and a support system that’s there for you from design to deployment, through to ongoing operations and expansion.
