TORONTO—The Technical Committee for the World Broadcasting Union has unanimously voted to endorse the European Broadcasting Union’s “Technology Pyramid for Media Nodes,” a guidance that spells out the basic steps needed to comply with the SMPTE-2110 standard for audio and video transport over IP.
Similar to the USDA’s “food pyramid,” which prioritized the types of foods recommended for daily consumption, the Technology Pyramid categorizes the minimum user requirements to build and manage an IP-based media facility.
Unlike the food pyramid, however, the Technology Pyramid categorizes the building elements for an IP-facility based on current availability of technologies and the need for future standards work. Hence, media transport is at the top of the pyramid because it is the most widely available and developed standard, while security is at the bottom of the pyramid, characterizing that part of the standard as “rarely available.”
The WBU endorsed the EBU’s use of the pyramid to illustrate the current status of SMPTE-2110, adding that many aspects of the standard related to configuration, discovery and security remain unfinished.
“Broadcasters planning the move to new IP production facilities for Television or Radio should engage manufacturers with the Technology Pyramid for Media Nodes and ascertain their degree of compliance,” said Michael McEwen, Head, WBU Secretariat. “Further, the missing standards need to be completed as soon as possible so that broadcasters can make the important migration to IP with the required assurance.”
