The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) have formed a Joint Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM) to stimulate new business opportunities through the exchange of professional media across networks, exploiting affordable IT-based technology.

The Task Force will define a strategy to develop a packet-based network infrastructure for the professional media industry. To achieve this it will bring together manufacturers, broadcasters, standards bodies and trade associations with the objective to create, store, transfer and stream professional media.

The Task Force’s primary objective is to ensure interoperability in packet-based systems (networking, equipment and software) for professional media. This will mean defining an agile, on-demand, packet-based network infrastructure that supports a variety of distributed, automated, professional media (file- and stream-based) workflows for local, regional and global standards-based production, supporting any format, to reduce cost of ownership and content time-to-market.

The Task Force will take a leading role, coordinating the activities of its members and of constituent and allied organizations. It will adopt a three-phase approach to its Mission and Objectives, with each phase used as a gate for assessing whether sufficient progress has been made before advancing.

The three phases are:

1. Define the business-driven use cases and requirements
2. Define the framework and reference architecture
3. Define and coordinate tasks required to realize the output of phases 1 and 2

The JT-NM sprang from a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on 18-19 March, at Turner Broadcasting System, between representatives of the EBU, SMPTE, VSF and the Advanced Media Work Flow Association (AMWA), as well as business technologists from major media and manufacturing companies.

The meeting’s purpose was a user-directed, business-driven discussion about the use of packetized networks in professional media applications.

Dr Hans Hoffmann, EBU Head of Media Fundamentals and Production Technology, said that combining the forces of the EBU, SMPTE and VSF gave a clear, decisive signal to the industry.

He said: “The time is right to define technologies for an all-over networked production environment encompassing live and file-based content exchange. The findings of the Task Force and subsequent open systems standards will lead to a paradigm shift in how content is produced by broadcasters, with highly efficient and flexible production workflows and, ultimately, new business opportunities.”

About the SMPTE
The Oscar® and Emmy® Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), a professional membership association, is the worldwide leader in developing and providing motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. An internationally recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the broadband, broadcast, cinema, and IT disciplines. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 600 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines. SMPTE members include motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students from around the world. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join

About the VSF
Founded in 1997, the Video Services Forum (VSF) is an international association composed of service providers, users and manufacturers dedicated to interoperability, quality metrics and education for video networking technologies. The organization's activities include providing forums to identify issues involving the development, engineering, installation, testing and maintenance of video networking technologies; exchanging non-proprietary information to promote the development of video networking technology and to foster the resolution of issues common to the video services industry; promoting interoperability by contributing to and supporting development of standards by national and international standards bodies. www.videoservicesforum.org