Boland Communications ST 2110 monitors eliminate external gateways for IP workflows

The shift toward all-IP infrastructure often introduces complexity through a proliferation of signal converters and gateway devices. By embedding ST 2110 inputs directly into the monitor hardware, Boland reduces the total cost of ownership and physical rack space required for high-density monitoring environments like master control rooms. This move aligns with a broader industry trend where hardware manufacturers are internalizing IP processing to lower latency and cabling overhead. As 25GbE becomes a standard for UHD transport, watch for how quickly competitors integrate similar native SFP28 support to maintain relevance in the IP-native production market.

The SMPTE ST 2110 standard continues to gain momentum as the foundational protocol for IP-based media transport, with monitor manufacturers racing to integrate native support. At IBC2026, Boland Communications joins a growing cohort of display vendors embedding ST 2110 directly into panel hardware, eliminating the need for external IP-to-SDI converters. Tech leaders from Fox, Hearst and ABC shared their different approaches to SMPTE 2110 migration in a TVNewsCheck webinar, confirming that the technology is ready to handle all of a broadcaster's routing needs but that investment decisions remain strongly tied to finances and the condition of existing HD-SDI infrastructure. This cautious adoption environment means monitor vendors like Boland must offer flexible configurations that accommodate facilities still in transitional hybrid states.

The business case for native ST 2110 integration is driven by the cost and complexity of external gateways in dense monitoring environments. Infrastructure vendors at the 2025 NAB Show showed a broad variety of new 2110-compliant products and reported strong growth in adjacent corporate, stadium and Pro AV markets, with hybrid SDI/IP support emerging as a key theme given the amount of legacy infrastructure still in place. Boland's approach of offering ST 2110 as an input option rather than a fixed configuration gives integrators flexibility to mix IP-native and legacy SDI sources during transitional periods. The company's super-narrow bezel 4K55HDR7SNB model targets video wall applications where seamless tiling and minimal cabling are critical for control room aesthetics and maintenance access.

On the technical side, 25GbE has emerged as the de facto transport layer for uncompressed UHD over ST 2110, replacing the 10GbE links that limited earlier IP deployments to HD or compressed UHD. Haivision's latest annual survey found that 50% of broadcasters were using a hybrid video infrastructure combining SDI, IP, and cloud technologies as of late 2024, compared to 44% a year earlier, while only 14% had moved to all-IP. That gradual migration pace means Boland's decision to use 25GbE SFP connections delivering UHD to two panels from a single fiber link addresses a real operational pain point: reducing the hardware footprint per monitor position during the multi-year transition window when facilities operate mixed SDI and IP environments simultaneously.