Impressions from the JT-NM Tested event in Housten this year
IP-based broadcast production has long been a hype. Now it is becoming a reality with more and more equipment on the market. But users need interoperable standardized products they can trust. So IRT’s goal is to support the broadcasting market to develop and offer such IP-based products. The technologies required for this, e.g. SMPTE ST 2022, ST 2110 or AES67, are the result of intensive standardization work by organizations such as the SMPTE, the VSF and the AES, international bodies in which the IRT is an active member.
In the last years several interop events have taken place under the umbrella of the Joint Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM). Among other things, more than 60 leading manufacturers of the broadcasting industry met at FOX Networks Engineering and Operations in Houston in spring 2018. At this event, SMPTE ST 2110, ST 2059 (PTP for broadcasting), AES67 and NMOS devices were connected with each other to create a large all IP network. The technical effort and logistics of over 130 participants were enormous. IRT supported the event technically with configuration, measurement technology, analysis and troubleshooting. The findings of this and other events have contributed directly to the standardization as well as the developments of the manufacturers. One such result is the technical recommendation TR-05 “Essential Formats and Descriptions for Interoperability of SMPTE ST 2110-20 Video Signals” by the Video Services Forum (VSF).
In April 2019 JT-NM partnered with IRT and EBU to conduct initial standard baseline testing of products supporting SMPTE ST 2110 available on the market (as of NAB 2019). The JT-NM Tested program offers prospective purchasers of IP-based equipment greater, more documented insight into how vendor equipment aligns with the SMPTE ST 2110 and SMPTE ST 2059 standards. The JT-NM Tested Catalog documents the test procedures, test equipment and results of the JT-NM Tested event that was held in March, 2019 at the Fox Networks facility in The Woodlands, TX, USA. This program is not a certification program; rather it is a snapshot in time of how vendor equipment conforms to key parts of SMPTE standards, providing prospective purchasers and users with a reference as they begin their equipment evaluation and qualification process.
The JT-NM Tested Catalog with test results of over 70 products can be downloaded here: http://jt-nm.org/jt-nm_tested/