When we received the first few IP-based pieces of equipment in the EBU Technology & Innovation lab, we quickly realized how manual and tedious it was to get IP gear up and running compared to the good old SDI technology. For system architects building IP-based facilities, the extra complexity, labour and time required will quickly add up. It became clear that SMPTE ST 2110 transport was necessary but not sufficient to build and manage a large scale facility.
The Minimum User Requirements to Build and Manage an IP-Based Media Facility were formulated in EBU TECH 3371 and most recently updated in April 2023 (version 3). The Pyramid graphic is derived from, and forms part of, this document.
The Joint-Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM) – gathering the EBU, AMWA, SMPTE and VSF – has produced a corresponding technical recommendation that addresses a number of these user requirements.
Useful resources
- The JT-NM recommendation
- The Pyramid graphic for use in presentations
- A handy checklist for use at the tradeshows and when talking with vendors (updated to reflect version 3 of the Pyramid)
The Media Node Maturity Checklist (version: April 2023) is designed to aid discussions between customers and vendors and to help customers quickly assess the level of maturity and suitability of ST 2110-based production equipment for deployment.
Minimum user requirements regarding the ensemble of technologies that a Media Node needs to support to enable administrators to efficiently build, operate and maintain an IP architecture based on the SMPTE ST 2110 standards. This is version 3.0, which is a significant update of the publication.