Move To IP Is Gaining Momentum – Study

According to new research by Futuresource Consulting, on behalf of Nevion, the use of IP within the broadcast environment is gaining momentum. So much so, that it has now been predicted that broadcasters are set to be using IP for live production by 2025.

For the study, VPs of technology and chief engineers from leading broadcasters in eight countries were interviewed, and asked about a specific workflow within their operations to understand how this nominated workflow is used, discover what the pain points are and to gain an insight into their opinions on IP within live production.

Some 41% of respondents said they had already started the transition to using IP in live production. This includes production types like the broadcasting of large set-piece events – such as the Olympic Games or World Cup (where in 100% of the identified workflows the transition had been started, regular large events, like festivals and weekly football matches (63%), and production of live, studio-based TV shows (33%). Just 7% of those interviewed said they had no plans to transition to IP in live production.

The research suggests that it will be huge set piece events and TV shows recorded as live that will lead the transition, with 50% of respondents anticipating the move in the next five years.

"IT equipment and software has been present within the broadcast industry for well over 15 years now, with file-based workflows used widely around the world. The last area holding out from the transition to IT based system and architectures is live production, the most precious but also most complex form of content production,” said Adam Cox, senior analyst, broadcast & professional video equipment, Futuresource.

"We may still be the in early days of the transition to IP across the whole production, but the trend is gathering pace," added Geir Bryn-Jensen, CEO, Nevion. "So while they're not replacing their SDI infrastructure wholesale in their facilities, the change is happening and the foundations for a migration to IP are being laid now."

The full findings can be found here.

www.nevion.com

(JP/MH)