Broadcast Pix Joins ASPEN Community To Develop MPEG-Based Transport Protocol

With ASPEN (defined in SMPTE RDD 37), video, audio, and metadata can be treated as individual streams for maximum flexibility, and ultra-low latency makes it ideal for transport, production, and playout in broadcast facilities. ASPEN works with existing SMPTE standards (i.e., SMPTE ST 302 and ST 2038) to satisfy the real world requirements of an IP-centric facility, and has a framework designed to support future video formats.

Evertz first demonstrated ASPEN at the 2015 NAB Show, and the ASPEN Community was founded five months later at IBC2015. The ASPEN Community was formed to share information between end-users and manufacturers in an effort for interoperability to simplify the transition from SDI to IP-based workflows.

“MPEG-2 is widely deployed throughout the industry. ASPEN leverages that proven technology to deliver a flexible transport format for high-quality video with very low latency,” said Kevin Prince, president and CEO of Broadcast Pix. “ASPEN aligns perfectly with our low latency technology necessary for contribution-level live production. We are proud to be part of this transition to IP-based production environments and to explore the unique flexibility ASPEN brings to the merger of video, data, and control that Broadcast Pix solutions have been delivering.”

ASPEN Technology
ASPEN (Adaptive Sample Picture ENcapsulation) was developed to meet the real world requirements of an IP-centric facility while leveraging proven MPEG2-TS standards, ASPEN offers a robust format for encapsulating uncompressed Ultra HD/3G/HD/SD over MPEG-2 transport streams (TS). When combined with existing SMPTE standards such as SMPTE ST 302 (audio over TS), SMPTE ST 2038 (ancillary data over TS) and the SMPTE 2022 family of IP standards, ASPEN provides broadcasters with a flexible method of transporting video, audio, and data over scalable IP networks. Ultra low latency with independent video, audio and ancillary data flows also makes ASPEN ideal for use in production environments and work flows.

ASPEN has been submitted to SMPTE for publication as a Registered Disclosure Document (RDD 37) for the benefit of the broadcast and media industry. Evertz has been leading the IP revolution with global deployments of its Software Defined Video Networking (SDVN) solutions and ASPEN was developed to further support the industry's transition to IP. The development of ASPEN has been a collaborative effort of Evertz and many broadcast industry leaders.

•  ASPEN is a Standards-based method for transport of video, audio and associated metadata over IP networks
•  Open format that uses existing widely deployed MPEG-2 Transport Stream ecosystem
•  A framework to support new video formats in the future
•  Delivery of video, audio, and metadata to the network using IETF-standardized RTP/UDP/IP
•  Video, audio, and metadata can be treated as individual streams to provide maximum flexibility in a broadcast environment
•  Ultra low latency, ideal for production environments