Imagine and Arista Team Up to Streamline ST 2110 IP Workflows

The transition to IP remains a significant technical hurdle for broadcasters due to the complexity of managing thousands of uncompressed flows. By abstracting network topology and bandwidth awareness through a unified API, this partnership reduces the operational friction of moving from SDI to COTS-based IP fabrics. As UHD and HDR become standard, the ability to dynamically reconfigure network footprints without manual link management is critical for facility scalability. Watch for similar deep integrations between broadcast controllers and IT-centric network services to become the default requirement for greenfield Tier 1 deployments. This shift signals a move away from bespoke broadcast hardware toward a software-defined ecosystem that prioritizes interoperability over proprietary lock-in.

The transition from traditional SDI to SMPTE ST 2110 remains a gradual process for much of the industry. Per a survey of 1,300 broadcast professionals by Haivision in April 2026, SDI still serves as the dominant production backbone in roughly 82% of operations worldwide. While large-scale broadcasters and professional sports venues are early adopters—notably Rai's selection of Imagine's Selenio Network Processor for its IP migration in February 2026—smaller local affiliates often stick with SDI or hybrid setups due to the high cost of high-capacity 100Gbps switches and the specialized IT knowledge required for Precision Time Protocol (PTP) timing.

Despite the slow pace of full replacement, the IP broadcast equipment market is expanding rapidly, projected to reach $1.68 billion by late 2025 with a 16.2% compound annual growth rate, according to The Business Research Company in July 2025. This growth is driven by the surge in remote production (REMI) and the distribution of high-bandwidth uncompressed 4K and 8K video, which often exceeds the physical limits of 12G-SDI cabling. Specialized software like Arista's Media Control Service is helping close the 'skills gap' by providing tools that make IP routing feel as predictable as the legacy point-to-point systems broadcast engineers have used for decades.

Competitive pressure is also mounting as other manufacturers level up their IP offerings. Per Key Code Media in July 2025, companies like Ross Video and Grass Valley have introduced 'hyper-converged' platforms that combine routing, multiviewing, and compositing in single-chassis IP units. Furthermore, the 2026 NAB Show highlighted a trend toward 'edge deployments' with products like Imagine’s SNP-XS, designed for mobile production units where rack space is limited but high-performance ST 2110 processing is required to interface with core facilities.