CEO Discusses NewTek NDI Open Standard for Video Over IP
If live production is part of what you do, you'll want to take a look at this discussion about the new NDI open standard technology developed by NewTek and its potential impact on live video production.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS--Just prior to the IBC Show in September, NewTek, a San Antonio, Texas-based provider of live TV production systems announced the introduction of NewTek NDI, a new open standard for live production IP workflows over Ethernet networks. Broadcast Engineering Extra recently spoke with NewTek CEO Dr. Andrew Cross to discuss the current state of video over IP, the standards involved and how NewTek NDI could impact the future of live video production.
BROADCAST ENGINEERING EXTRA: What are the biggest challenges currently for using IP for live production?
CROSS: First of all, there's so many pieces to an IP production, it's a bit hard to answer this with a one line answer. Obviously, you've got the file-based part of it. You've always got B-roll, you've always got titles, you've always got graphics, things like this. Those are probably using IP today, using centralized storage systems already. That part is probably fine.
It's the live video feeds part which is a challenge because I think this is something where there are no good standards. People are using SDI, they're using HDMI and maybe a few people are still using analog video of some kind. That is just something that's remarkably hard to do in IP today.
There are some solutions. You can buy boxes that convert in and out of IP, but you're going to fight those really hard because if you've got two different parts, you aren't guaranteed they're going to have the same latency; it's a mess. If you have some sources coming in in IP and some are not, how do you make sure they're in sync with each other? That's really a difficult problem at the moment.
BEE: Newtek NDI is an open source protocol for using IP and live production. Can you explain the genesis of this standard and why did you pursue this path?
CROSS: If you look at the standards that are out there, like SMPTE 2022-6 and the new TR03 standard, in large part what they are trying to do is take a traditional SDI feed and now put it pretty much one for one over IP. And the other real place where they differ...[continue to full article]
NewTek NDI and the Future of Video Over IP
NewTek CEO Dr. Andrew Cross discusses the company's new open standard for video over IP
TVTechnology blog By Tom Butts of Broadcast Engineering ExtraSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS--Just prior to the IBC Show in September, NewTek, a San Antonio, Texas-based provider of live TV production systems announced the introduction of NewTek NDI, a new open standard for live production IP workflows over Ethernet networks. Broadcast Engineering Extra recently spoke with NewTek CEO Dr. Andrew Cross to discuss the current state of video over IP, the standards involved and how NewTek NDI could impact the future of live video production.
BROADCAST ENGINEERING EXTRA: What are the biggest challenges currently for using IP for live production?
CROSS: First of all, there's so many pieces to an IP production, it's a bit hard to answer this with a one line answer. Obviously, you've got the file-based part of it. You've always got B-roll, you've always got titles, you've always got graphics, things like this. Those are probably using IP today, using centralized storage systems already. That part is probably fine.
It's the live video feeds part which is a challenge because I think this is something where there are no good standards. People are using SDI, they're using HDMI and maybe a few people are still using analog video of some kind. That is just something that's remarkably hard to do in IP today.
There are some solutions. You can buy boxes that convert in and out of IP, but you're going to fight those really hard because if you've got two different parts, you aren't guaranteed they're going to have the same latency; it's a mess. If you have some sources coming in in IP and some are not, how do you make sure they're in sync with each other? That's really a difficult problem at the moment.
BEE: Newtek NDI is an open source protocol for using IP and live production. Can you explain the genesis of this standard and why did you pursue this path?
CROSS: If you look at the standards that are out there, like SMPTE 2022-6 and the new TR03 standard, in large part what they are trying to do is take a traditional SDI feed and now put it pretty much one for one over IP. And the other real place where they differ...[continue to full article]
Leave a comment