The Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) has launched a project that it hopes will deliver an industry wide framework for IP-based media systems.
The Networked Media Incubator (NMI) will look to establish open specifications for end-to-end identity, media transport, timing, discovery and registration, connection management and control.
NMI will also provide a practical vehicle for broadcasters, manufacturers, service providers and other parties to come together and test real world interoperability.
Jan Weigner, the chief technology officer at Cinegy, one of the partners involved in the project, said: “Preaching the future of software-defined television and IP is not enough. We need industry-backed open standards now without painting ourselves into another proprietary corner.”
NMIE will see the AMWA examine methods for exposing and interacting with compositions of media assets, such as during an edit or a delivery workflow, with the aim of helping to provide IP systems that preserve content identity and metadata from the camera through production systems and on to audiences and archive.
It is believed that this will allow media companies to define and maintain relationships between production assets, unlock new workflows and content formats, and deliver richer, customisable content across various platforms.
The project will build upon the work of the EBU/VSF/SMPTE Joint Task Force for Networked Media (JT-NM) by taking a practical approach to implement aspects of the JT-NM Reference Architecture model through clearly scoped inter-operation and development workshops, to enable participants to deliver tools suitable for an ‘Internet-first’ media industry.
The BBC will lead the initial phase of this work, alongside AMWA members Ericsson, SAM (formerly Quantel and Snell), Cinegy, Telestream, Dalet, EVS and Sony.
From the wider broadcast industry, arkona technologies, Axon, Barco Silex, InSync Technology, and Lawo have also agreed to participate.
Richard Cartwright, principal architect – software at SAM, said: “Participating in the AMWA’s Networked Media Incubator will demonstrate essential cross-vendor interoperability, providing our customers with a choice of best-of-breed products that can flex to meet their needs.”
JT-NM Reference Architecture
Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineering (SMPTE) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) have announced the release of the JT-NM Reference Architecture (RA) v1.0; a collection of models, best practices, and frameworks intended to facilitate interoperability in networked media systems using standard IT infrastructure.
In this first version, the RA focuses on three foundational frameworks. These frameworks provide the media industry with a common, interoperable approach to how devices and services are uniquely identified, discovered and how their capabilities are registered. The RA also provides a timing model supporting PTP and SMPTE 2059 standards.
The foundational frameworks are building blocks that will enable networked media to provide new workflow capabilities.