Video Over IP – What Does it Mean?

IPAnother great contribution from our very own Paul Turner!

Video over IP

Everywhere you turn right now, you’ll run into the term “Video over IP”. The problem with the term is that it means different things to different people, which can make information sharing a little difficult. I thought it might be good to discuss the different interpretations of the term, so you can decide what you think it means, and be prepared when someone else uses it in another context.

IP stands for “Internet Protocol”, and IP is the backbone for how the internet and most any network delivers data.  However, in our industry, most people associate Video-over-IP as either:

  1. Live video “signals” being pushed over Ethernet as a replacement for baseband SDI.
  2. File-based media that has been created or captured and is then transferred between systems, over a network, as individual frames, clips or programs.

Pushing live video signals around via Ethernet (for example, using SMPTE 2022) is still a new concept for many, while file-based workflows are pretty much the norm for acquisition and all media workflows that follow.  I mention this only because I think we owe it to ourselves to clarify which of the two we’re talking about when we mention “Video-over-IP” as they are quite different.

How Do we Handle it All?

For file-based workflows, many content creators and owners continue to be inundated by the sheer volume and complexity of video media files that must be processed.  There’s never enough storage, and due to the variety of formats and qualities, it can stretch resources to the breaking point. As such, companies struggle to find a way to best utilize available resources whether they are human or computer based.  I’m sure we agree that humans and computers should definitely stick to what they are best at.  Computers are great at performing mundane repetitive tasks, but they need to have a clear set of instructions.  Humans are great at creating those instructions, creating templates and work orders, and doing final QC.IP

Until fairly recently, it could be argued that software and hardware based system were underutilized when it came to really lifting the burden of these complex file-based workflows.  Systems and processes were siloed, disconnected, and required too much human intervention to keep the media pipeline flowing.  Thankfully, that’s all in the past now.  Modern file-based cameras now record rich metadata, which in turn allows automated systems to make intelligent decisions for how to handle the media. Enterprise video platforms like Telestream Vantage can fully automate processes from ingest all the way to the delivery of multi-format assets with little to no human intervention required.  Files can be ingested automatically and video editors can seamlessly add content knowing that it will end up in the right place and in the right formats for distribution.

How Can Telestream Help?

Since its beginnings, Telestream has been a pioneer of file-based video-over-IP workflows.  Solving the challenges of moving, transforming, and exchanging multi-format media across standard IT networks.  We’ve helped transition media companies from simple transcoding and process islands to fully automated and consolidated file-based media factories.  Thankfully, it’s now easier than ever to embrace file-based workflows, and even generate new revenue opportunities for your media.

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