Double first for AIMS at NAB with Broadcast Solutions and EMG

Double first for AIMS at NAB with Broadcast Solutions and EMG

During the recent NAB Show, two major European based companies, Broadcast Solutions and Euro Media Group (EMG), joined AIMS (the Alliance for IP Media Solutions); respectively becoming the first International systems integrator and first technical service provider to join the alliance.

Broadcast Solutions is Europe’s biggest OB Van manufacturer and system integrator for broadcast facilities, DSNG’s, fixed up and downlink stations, and satcom on the move solutions. The company’s services encompass all fields of broadcasting technology; including video, audio, IP, control systems, digital signage, IPTV, satellite communications and innovative coach building.
 

Double first for AIMS at NAB with Broadcast Solutions and EMG

Rainer Kampe, CTO at Broadcast Solutions GmbH, signed the membership agreement on the AIMS booth at NAB, citing the “paramount importance, as an international and manufacturer independent system integrator, of offering future-proof solutions to our customers”, and of “promoting open standards in accordance with major trade organizations such as SMPTE, VSF or AES”.

The company’s CEO, Stefan Breder, stated, “We are very much looking forward to our membership at AIMS and to supporting the standardization process in the shift from SDI to IP. The development and acceptance of open standards in the IP realm is paramount to us, since it ensures the easy interoperability of different equipment in broadcast environments. To integrate all different kinds of equipment in projects is our daily business and we are pleased to contribute to the aim of AIMS.”

advertisment

Also signing the AIMS membership agreement during NAB, EMG CTO, Ronald Meyvisch said that his company was “proud to be the first technical service provider to join AIMS”, stating that the move towards IP based technical production solutions “is one of the biggest challenges that our industry is facing today”.
 

Double first for AIMS at NAB with Broadcast Solutions and EMG

EMG is Europe’s leading provider of broadcast facilities and services, active in seven countries across the continent. The group combines unique know-how and world-renowned expertise to master the entire value chain from image creation to distribution. With innovation at the heart of its strategy, EMG offers its customers unrivalled services to enrich and manage high value-added broadcast and internet content.

“Having an open standard is crucial to enable our industry to make the right and necessary investments and, via AIMS, we are able to have a strong voice in the future of the standards,” says Meyvisch. “EMG is excited about the new possibilities and workflows we will be able to offer to our customers thanks to an IP based virtualized infrastructure. To achieve this, broadcasters, manufacturers and service providers need to work together towards open standards and guaranteed interoperability between all vendors.”

advertisment

Commenting for AIMS, Chairman Michael Cronk said, "As the first International systems integrator and technical service provider, respectively, to join AIMS, Broadcast Solutions and EMG bring new insight and experience to our membership as we seek to foster the adoption of true standards in the migration to IP.  We are thrilled that these esteemed European broadcast industry companies have joined the alliance."

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.

advertisment

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.

advertisment

Membership in AIMS is available to all individuals and companies that support open standards and share a commitment to the group’s founding principles.
For more about the importance of open standards and interoperability in the broadcast and media industry, visit the alliance website at www.aimsalliance.org and download the Alliance for IP Media Solutions’ white paper “An Argument for Open IP Standards in the Media Industry.”