The growth of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) continues, as a further seven international companies opt for membership. Avid, Dejero, Ikegami, IntoPIX, Matrox, NEC, and TVU Networks have joined the ranks of the buying group in the last few weeks.
Avid is best known for its software-based, non-linear editing system for television and video. The platform provides the tools needed to create, manage, store, distribute, and monetize content.
“The smooth transition to IP is going to depend on customer confidence in the interoperability of equipment in the production and distribution chain,” Tim Claman, vice president of Platform and Solutions at Avid. “At Avid we’re fully committed to supporting standardization efforts that facilitate this interoperability, and AIMS is making a major impact in facilitating and accelerating that process.”
Dejero simplifies the remote acquisition, cloud management, and multiscreen distribution of professional live video over IP. The Ontario company’s LIVE+ platform is used by broadcasters, media organizations, and mobile production companies around the globe. CEO, Brian Cram, commented, “The transition to IP is clearly the next great technology shift in the broadcast industry. Dejero has always advocated for and is a firm believer in the adoption of open standards. We are excited to join and support the work being done by the AIMS community to encourage interoperability and accelerate this shift.”
Ikegami is a manufacturer of professional and broadcast television equipment, including television broadcast camera systems, monitors, video production and processing systems, and OB vehicles. The Japanese company was first to introduce a portable hand-held TV camera, in May 1962.
“Ikegami is proud to join the AIMS alliance today. We are eager to create a next generation broadcast eco-system with a belief that interoperability and open standards will ultimately benefit customers,” said Naoki Kashimura, director of the Board of Global Business Promotion at Ikegami. “As IP based solutions will play a key role, we see becoming a member of AIMS as truly beneficial because of the great enthusiasm of the community. Ikegami is also ready to contribute to move this exciting technology forward.”
Belgian based intoPIX offers the most compact, flexible and advanced image and video compression solutions dedicated to cinema, broadcast, production and post-production, pro-AV, video transmission and storage applications. “In joining AIMS, IntoPIX wants to contribute to the broadcasters’ transition towards a cost-effective and interoperable Live IP-based ecosystem, both in-studio and in remote production environments,” said CTO Gael Rouvroy.
Founded in 1976, Montreal headquartered Matrox has over 40 years of experience designing software and hardware solutions for graphics, video, and imaging/machine vision applications.
“As an OEM supplier of hardware and software tools to the broadcast industry, Matrox is highly aware of the importance of open standards in ensuring interoperability, and that has never been more true than today, navigating the transition from SDI to IP and cloud-based workflows,” senior director of sales and marketing, Alberto Cieri, comments. “We applaud the goals of AIMS and have designed our hardware and SDK to ensure our customers can easily support all emerging IP protocols from a single development effort.”
NEC Corporation is a global end-to-end broadcasting solutions provider with more than 80 years of industry experience behind it. Throughout that time it has supplied transmitters and studio solutions that meet worldwide broadcasting standards spanning more than one hundred countries. NEC’s activities within AIMS help to reinforce the company’s initiatives to promote the use of "Video over IP" and its contributions to IP based product and solution development.
TVU Networks provides IP-based video technology solutions that help transform broadcasters’ SDI-based operations – including acquisition, transmission, routing, distribution, and management – to an IP-based infrastructure. The company serves customers of all sizes in more than 80 countries in sectors including news broadcast, web streaming, law enforcement, sports, corporate, and government.
AIMS chairman Michael Cronk commented, “The rapid and accelerating expansion of AIMS membership is embracing of specialist companies and large corporations. All share the commitment to the highest standards of technological development and an open standards approach to an IP based future. We sincerely welcome them all.”
AIMS’ efforts are focused on promoting the adoption, standardization, development, and refinement of open protocols for media over IP, with an initial emphasis on VSF TR-03 and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6, and AES67. Broadcasters and other media companies are seeking to leverage IP to increase the flexibility of their networks, help streamline workflows and improve agility to better compete in a rapidly evolving ecosystem. Open standards are the key to protecting current investments and ensuring long-term interoperability.
Open standards work for the IP transition is already underway by the 77-member Video Services Forum (VSF), with the support of organizations such as SMPTE and the EBU. AIMS endorses the work of the VSF and will continue to lend support in the development of a standard approach to IP; more than 30 broadcast equipment suppliers and broadcasters were involved in the development of VSF TR-03 and companies are actively testing and validating it today.
AIMS provides specific guidance in its bylaws to its members and to the media industry via the AIMS Roadmap. The organization endorses an IP transition plan that includes support for SMPTE 2022-6, AES67, and VSF recommendations TR-03 and TR-04.
A number of solutions are already on the market to help media companies begin the transition by introducing IP components to an SDI workflow. The transition represents a significant investment and will not happen overnight. An open standards approach allows media companies to implement the technology over time and transition at the pace that makes sense for their businesses.
Membership in AIMS is available to all individuals and companies that support open standards and share a commitment to the group’s founding principles.
