AIMS expands IPMX certification with new encryption and compression profiles

This expansion signals IPMX's transition from a core transport specification to a complete ecosystem capable of handling secure, bandwidth-efficient commercial content. By codifying HKEP and HDCP handling, AIMS is addressing the strict content protection requirements of corporate and pro-AV environments that standard ST 2110 often lacks. This move directly challenges proprietary AV-over-IP silos by offering a standardized path for encrypted and compressed multi-vendor workflows. Strategic observers should monitor the August certification results for participation from major display and source manufacturers, as their adoption of the HKEP and PEP layers will determine IPMX's viability as a universal HDMI replacement.

The push toward IPMX certification reflects a strategic pivot in the AV-over-IP market toward 'ST 2110-lite' solutions that lower infrastructure costs. While SMPTE ST 2110 remains the benchmark for uncompressed broadcast production, it often requires 10 GbE or 25 GbE networks and complex Precision Time Protocol (PTP) grandmasters. Per industry analysis from May 2026, IPMX uses JPEG-XS or H.264/H.265 compression to fit high-quality 4K60 video onto standard 1 GbE switches, significantly reducing the total cost of ownership for non-broadcast internal facilities.

At Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026, the AIMS Alliance successfully demonstrated the first batch of 58 certified products, marking the shift from technical development to commercial deployment. Manufacturers like Matrox Video and Panasonic have recently expanded their portfolios with IPMX-ready encoders and KVM extenders to meet this demand. For instance, per NewscastStudio in June 2026, Matrox released the Maevex MGX Series, specifically targeting enterprise and medical environments by offering 4K60 distribution at one-twentieth the bitrate of traditional codecs.

The addition of security protocols like HKEP (Technical Recommendation TR-10-5) is the final hurdle for wide-scale enterprise adoption. Since most commercial sources—from media players to laptops—require HDCP compliance, an open standard without native copy protection cannot compete with proprietary solutions. By formalizing these encryption paths alongside AMWA NMOS-based control, AIMS is positioning IPMX as the unified bridge between the deterministic world of broadcast and the plug-and-play requirements of the Pro AV ecosystem.