for 4K / UHD , he says .

But while 4K / UHD in movies has now reached a certain level of maturity , 4K / UHD live production is another matter . One of the most formidable barriers to the success of live 4K / UHD production is the bandwidth requirement , says Cox . Current deployments require the use of four synchronised 3G-SDI cables to transport video around facilities , but this is far from ideal for a variety of reasons , including reliability and cost , both of which stem from the simultaneous use of four cables for one video signal .

Although 10GigE IP networks offer comparable bandwidth to quad 3G-SDI networks or even the new 12G-SDI standard , the benefits of IP far outweigh those of the incumbent technology , says Cox .

Flexibility is a plus when it comes to live IP production . The flexibility of an IP network is derived from the fact that any part of the network can communicate to any other part . Instead of a point-to-point style like a traditional SDI architecture , an integrated IP network means that content can immediately be passed on to multiple stakeholders ( video servers , archive rights holders and the like ) that have access to the network and are not necessarily in the same geographic location , Cox concludes .

But while there is no firm verdict yet on which technology is best , would it be possible for broadcasters to work with both IP and SDI ? At this point , a hybrid solution is possible — and in time seems to be the best solution , says Magna Systems ’ Pegg .

“ Bidirectional video flow is possible with IP , but not SDI . Security in an IP-based environment is an issue that needs to be addressed . Cyber security issues can become a reality . These issues do not exist in an SDI environment , though internal sabotage is possible ,” he adds .

He adds that IP standards are evolving and manufacturers also see the need for open standards to maintain interoperability .

“ The introduction of SMPTE 2022-XX and VSF IR04 standards now bring uncompressed video and audio into the IP newsroom content acquisition and management environment ,” Pegg says . “ The enablers are the next-generation 25-50Gb high-speed , high-throughput network switches further increasing the appeal of IP infrastructure . IP reduces system complexity , drastically reduces the amount of cabling required and is bi-directional .”

On the other hand , SDI requires large power-hungry baseband routers commanding

large amounts of rack space to manage video and audio . “ It can only carry a single service per cable , therefore requiring lots of cabling infrastructure , complexity and cost ,” he adds .

But in the event that broadcasters do choose to go fully IP , how difficult will the transition process be ? “ Newsroom workflows are pretty much IP already . Migration also depends on existing acquisition formats , as well as multiple content acquisition formats , file-based and linear for storycentric workflows ,” says Pegg .

Magna Systems represents a number of technology providers that enable IP technology . These include Diva ( Oracle ) for archiving , TVU for newsgathering , Telestream for transcoding , Chyron Hego for graphics , and Pebble Beach for automation and playout , all of which offer IP workflow connectivity to a greater or lesser extent .

Pegg says : “ Careful consideration needs to be given to ingest management , scripts , news data feed , social media , graphics , video production and playout . Reliance on having producers could be side-effected with journalists managing more processes themselves .”

But as long as equipment is IP-readysupported , they should be able to migrate

— Barry Pegg , Magna Systems

easily . This is more on infrastructure than the newsroom workflow .

“ Migration is relatively straightforward , but needs to be done with much pre-planning and project-based roll-out . Acquisition formats can play a significant role in determining the migration possibility . A hybrid migration strategy may be required ,” Pegg concludes .