Imagine Communications ships 5,000 Selenio Network Processors as IP workflows mature

The broad adoption of the SNP underscores the streaming industry's transition from rigid SDI infrastructure to flexible, software-defined IP networking. It provides a bridge for engineers to manage hybrid environments using COTS switches while preparing for full 100G/400G backbone integration. For the wider ecosystem, this signals a shift toward modular production where hardware is no longer fixed-function but dynamically redeployable across the distribution chain. Watch for further convergence as Imagine integrates more AI-assisted orchestration through its Magellan Control System in late 2026.

Imagine Communications has built a substantial installed base for the Selenio Network Processor across European public broadcasters and major production environments. At IBC2024, the company celebrated shipping its 4,000th SNP unit and announced the SNP-XL variant with double-density gateway capabilities, extending the platform's SDI flexibility and introducing a Master Control Lite personality that adds branding, live graphics, and full master control functionality for HD, UHD, and HDR workflows. By the time of the 5,000-unit milestone in June 2026, the platform had grown to more than 280 unique customers spanning broadcast studios, mobile production units, playout environments, sports venues, and inter-facility connectivity applications.

The SNP's role in large-scale national broadcaster migrations provides a concrete measure of ST 2110 adoption momentum. Rai, Italy's national public broadcaster, awarded Imagine Communications a three-year frame contract to deploy SNP as a core building block in its SDI-to-IP transition across master control rooms and production control rooms, with initial deployments at Rai's Turin MCR and a Rome facility. The contract covers gateway, conversion, multiviewing, and master control functions, with JPEG XS compression enabling low-latency inter-facility links including connections to outside broadcast vehicles. Rai's head of playout and network engineering, Stefano Marchetti, cited the platform's ability to support incremental migration without disrupting operations as a key selection factor, with the contract expected to span more than 25 locations nationwide.

The SNP's software-defined architecture distinguishes it from fixed-function processing hardware in the same category. Imagine has positioned the platform as entirely software-defined, meaning all new features can be licensed onto any SNP unit that has ever shipped, allowing operators to add JPEG XS transport, multiviewer personalities, or master control capabilities without replacing hardware. This approach reduces capital expenditure cycles for broadcasters managing hybrid SDI/IP environments, where the SNP can serve as an SDI-to-IP gateway today and be reconfigured for pure ST 2110 workflows as facilities complete their transitions. The platform's dual 100GbE QSFP28 interfaces support up to eight uncompressed UHD signals per direction, positioning it for 100G backbone environments already being deployed in major production facilities.