Update from the Standards Vice President

This month’s
Journal
focuses on IP-based systems, where IP stands for Internet protocol and not intellectual property. The move to IP is motivated by the need for business flexibility in making programs. The days of big, permanent infrastructures where the TV broadcasters’ studios were configured for a single show for months is a thing of the past. The drive for cost reduction and business agility means that making the best use of resources is the key. With IP, different signals can be placed on cabled infrastructure at different times of the day—ultrahigh-definition (UHD) productions at prime time, and then multiple HD programs, at other times. The workflows are moving from fixed, predetermined ways of working to software-defined switchable workflows that can be tailored or configured for a particular show or destination.