InBroadcast - InShow Guide 2017 - 30

30

www.inbroadcast.com | IBC2017 InShow Guide | 15-19 September

Delivering High Speed
Connectivity Ahead
of Standardisation
Jean-François Nivart, CEO, Image Matters, details
how the Origami Ecosystem can help provide real-time
high-speed video processing...

T

ransitioning to IP is a complex
task full of unknown challenges
and problems. Even when SMPTE-2110
gains acceptance and is adopted, many
unknown problems will arise and
demand creative solutions.
Adopting IP in AV requires a
significant and profound change to
the mindset of both broadcast and
IT engineers. Fundamentally, we're
making a synchronous uncontested
video stream work on a shared,
asynchronous network. Broadcast
engineers must think in terms of
time division multiplexed packets,
and IT engineers must consider
packet prioritisation and accurate
synchronisation. These are new
concepts for both disciplines.
The quest for Commercial-Off-TheShelf (COTS) solutions causes further
problems as we seek solutions through
software and cloud. As we move
to UHD-1 (4K) and UHD-2 (8K) the
speed demands on systems increase
exponentially, and with current
computer
technology,
software
solutions just cannot process 8K realtime video fast enough.
Data must transfer in and out of
the computer with sufficient speed to
maintain data integrity. In cloud and
virtualised systems this is difficult,
especially with contested I/O and
hardware resource, and broadcasters
are starting to discover that dedicated
hardware solutions are still required.
However, development times for
hardware products take many months,
and even years to reach market. The
costs of research and development in
broadcasting are incredibly high and
we see a lack of hardware engineers
who can design circuits to the speeds
required by 8K.
Hybrid hardware and software
systems are the way forward as
they give us the speed to process
and transport high-speed 8K video
signals, with the flexibility software

offers to improve and upgrade designs
quickly. And more importantly, it
can adapt to every which way the
winds of standardisation are blowing,
effectively future proofing broadcast
facilities. Long development times can
be overcome using an off-the-shelf
solution such as Image Matters' FPGA
modules and Origami™ Ecosystem.
Centred around the Z-Ray interposer
connector - validated at 26Gbps/pin,
Image Matters provides hardware
real-time video processing in the
form of a Xilinx KINTEX® FPGA. Many
of the FPGA's input and output pins

are exposed to the user through the
Z-Ray, allowing them to build their
own interface PCB's safely, quickly
and efficiently.
As standards develop, and different
hardware connectivity is required, the
vendor can build a new PCB interface
card connecting directly to the Z-Ray.
Development times for the interface
PCB's is extremely quick as all the
high-speed hardware processing is
still performed by the FPGA module.
Image Matters provide standard
off-the-shelf modules such as the
B20 Xilinx KINTEX®, and B21 interface
Origami
B21 Carrier

carrier board with three SFP cages
to facilitate 8K-60p uncompressed
simultaneous video input and output.
With TICO compression libraries
available as IP-Cores, the Origami™
Ecosystem
delivers
powerful,
affordable, quick time to market for
manufacturers wanting to deliver
high-speed video connectivity to IP
systems.
Broadcasters
are
notoriously
slow at moving to innovative
technologies, partly because of their
risk averse nature. This is partly due
to the amount of money involved
in advertising, and partly due to
the cyclical nature of infrastructure
investment. A broadcaster who has
just rebuilt their studio infrastructure
with 3G-SDI will be loath to move to IP
without a compelling business case.
The justification will happen, but will
rely on consumers adopting 8K.
Early adopters are already bowled
over with the compelling improvement
8K delivers. Massive detail, high
dynamic range and expanded colour
gamut's are just a few of the reasons
viewers are moving to 8K screens.
Japan's NHK transmissions have
demonstrated there is a growing
market for 8K, and plans to broadcast
the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 8K. Many
believe Europe will jump straight from
HD to 8K, without bothering with 4K.
As 8K does not have an agreed
standard, change is inevitable over
the coming years. We can expect 8K
to use high-speed IP such as 40G or
100G. It is possible to route 8K-60p
or even 8K-120p video over SDI, but
this solution could easily use eight
12G-SDI cables, and eight inputs on
an SDI router per camera, or vision
mixer input. Light compression will
reduce the number of cables, and
some manufacturers will provide this,
further adding to the confusion and
connectivity mix for broadcasters.
Over
the
coming
years,
infrastructures will develop ahead of
standardisation leading to differing
types of connectivity and protocols.
Broadcasters will need solutions
to glue this array of connectivity
together to deliver high-speed video
at the highest quality and lowest
risk, and Image Matters' Origami
Ecosystem is ideally suited to provide
safe,
affordable,
customisable
interconnectivity between SDI and IP
systems whilst maintaining real-time
high-speed video processing.
www.image.matters.pro
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://image.matters.pro http://www.image.matters.pro
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of InBroadcast - InShow Guide 2017
