IP Media Infrastructure—Opportunities, Observations, and Challenges

As guest editor, I specifically reached out to Gordon Castle for a contribution to this issue of the journal because it is important to hear from different voices as we work our way through the transition from the serial digital interface (SDI) to Internet Protocol (IP) systems. Rarely, if ever do we get to hear directly from the business/technology people who are making key decisions as we transition to IP. He has recent, direct relevant experience as one of the key decision-makers for a major refresh at a large live sports facility in Europe. He is a senior technical strategist with years of experience working both on the user side at Cable News Network (CNN) and later Eurosport and also on the vendor side at Ericsson. The views and opinions in this article are based on his years of experience, and the points he raises are ones that we, as media engineers and experts, should ponder, both with our employers and in society. Castle asks a number of questions in this article. He answers some of them but leaves others as open challenges. Perhaps, someone would like to tackle one or more of these in an upcoming issue of the journal?—Brad Gilmer, Guest Editor