Ross Video Announces Industry-first Virtualization Technology Demonstration @ IBC 2019

Ottawa, Canada, September 13^th 2019 – Virtualization technology is an increasingly hot topic in the world of broadcast and live production because of the efficiency and financial benefits it offers to content creators everywhere. Ross Video is therefore proud to announce a pioneering technology demonstration at IBC 2019 that sees Ross showcasing virtualized XPression graphics over IP.

In order to make this demonstration possible, Ross has partnered with VMware^® and Mellanox^® Technologies. Broadcast workloads present some unique challenges for virtualized platforms because of their need for high bandwidths, stringent timing and GPU acceleration. Ross Video has overcome these challenges and the latest generation of XPression Studio Flex is now supported on VMware vSphere 6.7, powered by Mellanox’s ConnectX^®-5 Ethernet Network Adapter (NIC) and Rivermax^TM media streaming library, and is being demonstrated on Ross Video’s booth with all the features you’d expect of any traditional live graphics solution:

• Video over IP using Mellanox ConnectX-5 NICs that are certified by the major server OEMs including Dell, Cisco and HPE.
  • SMPTE 2110 with narrow-sender profile packet pacing
  • Support for SMPTE 2022-7 redundancy in real-world use
  • NDI^®
• Sync via Precision Time Protocol with close to bare metal accuracy
• Fully virtualized GPU

Ross gratefully acknowledges the support of Mellanox Technologies, whose innovative ConnectX-5 NIC provides hardware-based packet pacing for ST2110-21 compliance and PTP physical clock. Mellanox’s Rivermax^TM streaming library features as part of the demonstration, enabling Ross to seamlessly utilize this COTS-standard Ethernet datacenter class NIC in a virtualized deployment as the video frame buffer. Running VMware^® vSphere over ConnectX-5 inbox drivers reduces the need for single-purpose products in the signal chain, and that means utilization goes up, redundancy gets cheaper and maintenance gets easier.

According to John Naylor, Technology Strategist at Ross Video, this demonstration marks an important step towards the virtualization of broadcast workflows. “Ross is at the leading-edge of virtualization technology and we’re really pushing the limits this year, demonstrating things that some commentators claimed could not be done. We’re very grateful for the invaluable support from VMware’s performance engineering team, and I know visitors to IBC are going to be excited at the future opportunities this demonstration opens up.”

To learn more visit Ross Video at booth C10, in hall 11 where VMware and Mellanox engineers will be present to answer questions during the “ask the experts” sessions every day at 2pm. Or visit us at 5pm on Saturday for a joint reception with VMware and Dell Technologies at the Ross Video booth.

Ross Video – High Impact, High Efficiency Production Solutions
Ross powers video productions for billions of global viewers daily with the industry’s widest range of high impact, high efficiency production solutions. Ross makes it easy to create compelling news, weather and sports broadcasts, engaging material for sports stadium screens, entertainment shows and rock concerts, educational institutions, legislative assemblies, corporate applications and inspiring content for houses of worship.

Ross solutions have impressed the audiences and marketing partners of NBC Sunday Night Football, Eurosport, BBC World, Google YouTube Space London and China’s eSports powerhouse VSPN. Ross delivers an unrivalled range of products and services comprising virtual studios, real-time motion graphics, cameras, robotic camera systems, production switchers, video servers, infrastructure and routers, social media management, newsroom systems and mobile live events.

Ross Video Media Contact:
Stuart G. Russell
Senior Communications Manager
Tel: +44 7827 019494
Fax: +1 613-652-4425
Email: srussell@rossvideo.com
Twitter: @ross_video
www.rossvideo.com