Juniper Networks has announced a collaboration with Sony Professional Solutions Europe to deliver its switching technology to support Sony’s IP Live production solution.
According to the networking company, the solution enables broadcasters to capture and distribute live coverage of major sporting, cultural and political events globally. By leveraging Internet Protocol (IP) networks, IP Live is designed to solve the challenge of transporting massive volumes of rich-content data in real-time between outside broadcast locations and production studios in a cost-effective and reliable manner. Juniper’s open, interoperable technology aligns with Sony’s requirement to tailor open solutions to the exact needs of each customer.
Traditionally, to achieve the required reliability and low latency necessary for production-quality broadcasts, broadcasters have relied on serial digital interface (SDI) and coaxial cabling technology to transport live content from outside broadcasts to production studios, according to Juniper Networks. However, faster frame rates, dynamic ranges and higher resolutions of today’s rich content often make the cost of conventional cabling and hardware prohibitively expensive and cumbersome for many broadcasters. Sony is delivering a simple, smart and open architecture for building an automated and high-availability network compatible with Juniper’s technology. IP Live supports the transportation of quality high-definition (HD) and 4K (ultra HD) video, audio, synchronisation signals and control-data across an IP network through a single network cable.
“The modern broadcasting industry is going through a big transformation to deliver increasing volumes of high-quality live content in a highly scalable and cost-efficient manner. This requires a robust, open and proven platform that enables broadcasters to embrace the transformational benefits of IP technology. Juniper Networks’ technology solutions underpin Sony’s capability to make IP a game-changer for live production workflows,” said Masum Mir, Vice President, Product Management, Juniper Networks.
Sony and Juniper have also entered a unique partnership to provide IP Live production and training courses for the broadcast industry. The collaborative courses show participants how to build a viable IP network, control and manage settings for optimum performance throughout the network, and mitigate errors.
Paul Cameron, Senior Trainer, Proferssional AV Media, Sony Professional Solutions Europe, said, “IP technology enables a required change to workflows in the broadcast industry, with many broadcast engineers, technicians and operators needing an upgrade to their skills to meet the demands of tomorrow’s production environments. Our training program in collaboration with Juniper Networks ensures that our partners and customers are thoroughly educated to handle the transition to the benefits of open, IP-driven broadcast technology.”
