IPMX’s progress is showing up in many places throughout the industry, including in 15 different stands at ISE 2023, where IPMX-ready products were on display. The level of industry interest and support felt like a milestone for the IPMX community.

As cool as this was to see, it’s within the trade associations and standards organizations that we go from IPMX-ready to a finished, open compatibility standard that people can implement into their products. One of the groups that have been extremely active in the IPMX community is the Video Services Forum (VSF). As evidence of this, we will see two more important milestones take place at two VSF-sponsored events in March.

At the VidTrans conference in Marina Del Rey, California, the IPMX Activity Group will demonstrate the results of their work on VSF Technical Recommendations TR-10-1, IPMX System Timing and Definitions, which is currently available to the public as a draft publication. In the demonstration, multiple implementations of IPMX work together in a mix of software and hardware devices. Multiple receivers and senders are connected to a network and controlled with an AV-over-IP NMOS switching application. Thanks to the work done in TR-10-1, the demonstration will show subframe latency between asynchronous sources and receivers, all without the use of PTP.

Dirty Hands

Immediately following VidTrans, a group of vendors will reconvene at the NFL’s facility in Los Angeles, where they are hosting IPMX’s first dirty hands event. In the standards community, a dirty hands event is where different manufacturers implementing a standard gather to test interoperability by following a test plan. Failure is expected at these events, which is where the dirty hands come in. Engineers use testing and analysis equipment to understand errors in their implementations, or gaps and ambiguities in the technical recommendations.

Depending upon the results of the dirty hands event, another iteration may take place, eventually resulting in an interoperability testing event, similar, or slightly modified for pro AV, to the JT-NM Tested program used in the broadcast industry. During this final event, manufacturers may not modify their implementations (clean hands only) and every aspect of the standard is tested extensively to ensure smooth operation in the Real World.

During the first IPMX dirty hands event, many of the details in TR 10-1 will be poured over. These tests include timing with and without PTP, as well as new video and audio modes that IPMX must support in both compressed and uncompressed workflows. In addition, the first test of interoperable HDCP over IPMX will take place, including the first time that the new HDCP Key Exchange Protocol (HKEP) will be put through its paces between multiple manufacturers. Finally, all of the new descriptions required by IPMX in both SDP files and NMOS resources are tested to ensure that controller applications can make connections reliably.

A tremendous amount of work needed to happen for a dirty hands event to have been possible, which is what makes this milestone so special. It means that the core documents for IPMX have neared completion and that their quality was enough to inspire multiple manufacturers to invest significant time and money to make implementations from those documents. With the advantage of past experience from the work creating ST 2022 and ST 2110 as a guide, the IPMX Activity Group expects to complete the first phase of the IPMX roadmap by the end of this year.

AVIXA released its standard Image System Contrast Ratio (ISCR). This standard defines acceptable minimum contrast ratios for AV presentation systems relative to their stated purpose or application.

“Presentation technology has fundamentally changed since the original PISCR (Projected Image System Contrast Ratio) standard was released,” said Jonathan Brawn, CTS, principal, Brawn Consulting, and co-chair of this standard’s task group. “Previously, while direct-view displays were a strong part of the industry, projection-based display technology still influenced the majority of large format installations at that time. Today, direct-view technologies like very large format LCD, LCD videowalls, and increasingly, dvLED have not only maintained being mainstream but are now the dominant technology in most instances. This drove a true need to update the original PISCR standard to reflect current technology.”

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This standard replaces the PISCR standard published in 2011, which applied to projection only. As direct-view displays became more prevalent, AVIXA assembled a task group to assess the technological characteristics of direct-view displays to determine whether the differences in technologies would affect how image system contrast was assessed.

The task group concluded that the measurement used in the original PISCR standard was equally appropriate for direct-view displays. However, the addition of sequential (also called full on/off or inter-frame) testing was deemed necessary to accurately characterize the image system’s contrast for any technology. Sequential testing enables AV professionals to effectively measure high-performance display technologies that can create high contrast ratios in a wider range of environments.

The new ISCR standard is designed to facilitate informed decision making for projector, screen, and direct-view display selection relative to location and stated purpose. Additionally, the metrics (the contrast ratios) and classifications (the viewing categories) in this standard may be used to establish design criteria for new systems. Requirements of this standard apply to:

• Planning and designing image system installations.
• Setting minimum and optimum contrast ratios relative to stated purposes.
• Testing and signing off on completed image system installations.
• Determining remedial solutions for a system not conforming with this standard or inadequate for the stated purpose.

The standard’s four contrast ratios are based on the following content viewing requirements:

• Passive Viewing
• Basic Decision Making
• Analytical Decision Making
• Full Motion Video

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“This standard helps our industry to address our customers’ needs,” said Justin Watts, CTS, senior AV design engineer, and co-chair of this standard’s task group. “In new systems, we can deliver a superior experience by providing display solutions that meet or exceed the performance requirements for the core applications we represent. It’s also a powerful tool for existing systems, where we can evaluate their performance and provide sometimes needed justification for updates, upgrades, or changes to environment to maximize investments.”

To learn more, register for the webinar “Leveraging the AVIXA Image System Contrast Ratio (ISCR) Standard” led by Jonathan Brawn and Justin Watts taking place Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. ET.

Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and AVIXA have released their new standard Recommended Practice for Lighting Performance for Small to Medium Sized Videoconferencing Rooms (ANSI/IES/AVIXA RP-38-17).

Created by lighting experts from IES and videoconferencing experts from AVIXA, the standard is ANSI (American National Standards Institute) approved, demonstrating that the development procedures meet ANSI's essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus, and due process.

"Videoconferencing lighting has a great impact on the user experience," said Ann Brigida, AVIXA's senior director of standards. "AVIXA and IES share the goal of creating an environment that will enhance this form of communication. We are looking forward to working with IES again on guidance that will benefit both AV and lighting system outcomes."

This standard provides lighting parameters and performance criteria for small-to-medium-sized single-axis videoconferencing spaces defined as one set of video displays and cameras. Although the standard is written to consider at least three but no more than 25 primary seating locations, the principles can be applied to other applications as outlined.

The standard provides guidance to professionals involved in the design, construction, assessment, and support of videoconferencing environments. In addition to presenting performance criteria for the design and measurement/evaluation of room lighting, the standard provides guidance for other room design considerations, such as finishes (e.g., walls and shades, floor, ceiling, windows) and furniture.

RP-38-17 provides measurable lighting performance criteria so the system will:

• Offer minimum lighting performance requirements for optimum participant viewing of displays, presenter, and task area
• Optimize lighting for cameras, thereby improving the images transmitted to remote sites
• Enhance videoconference communication, comfort, and productivity.

Lighting and room design in new and existing spaces that use videoconferencing systems should be built, evaluated, and upgraded according to this performance standard.

"IES was pleased to partner with AVIXA to create ANSI/IES/AVIXA RP-38-17. Their contributions enhance the value of the standard by providing both expertise from their standards writing committee members and also by offering the perspective of end users. IES appreciates their contributions to make this standard a very useful document for designing lighting for small-to-medium-sized videoconferencing rooms," concluded Pat McGillicuddy, manager of IES standards development.

The Recommended Practice for Lighting Performance for Small to Medium Sized Videoconferencing Rooms standard, ANSI/IES/AVIXA RP-38-17, is available in pdf format from AVIXA at avixa.org/lightingVCstandard. AVIXA members can purchase the standard for $28; nonmembers can purchase the standard for $40.

SMPTE Fellow Thomas Bause Mason will be joining the staff as the society's new director of standards development. Howard Lukk, who is returning to his career in postproduction, will conclude his tenure as SMPTE director of engineering and standards in May, after assisting Bause Mason in transitioning to his new role.

"We're pleased to be welcoming Thomas to the SMPTE team as a staff member," said SMPTE executive director Barbara Lange. "Not only has he been deeply involved in the standards development process, including chairing several technical committees and study groups, but his IT background lends itself well to our ongoing need to be more software focused. Thomas has also been instrumental in the creation and delivery of standards-focused educational programming through our Virtual Classroom course offering. I am delighted to have Thomas onboard."

Bause Mason, formerly owner and managing director of Open Media Consulting, began his career in Cologne, Germany, as a computer programmer for automation software in the nuclear and automobile industries. Before his move to Los Angeles, Bause Mason worked at West German Television (WDR) and Cologne Broadcasting Center, where he led the quality control department. In Los Angeles, he became a postproduction consultant and then built and managed the encoding operations for Ascent Media. Joining NBCUniversal in 2005, he focused on emerging digital media technology, spending two years in London to support the company's international business. While at NBCUniversal, he was the company's lead on the Video Services Forum (VSF) TR-03/TR-04 and SMPTE ST 2110 standardization efforts.

"SMPTE has made great strides in enabling the industry to move forward into the future of media creation and consumption, and I look forward to working on SMPTE staff to keep up the pace of standards development," said Bause Mason. "The incredible evolution across our industry makes this an exciting and challenging time for media technologists, creatives, and other professionals, and I see an enormous opportunity for SMPTE in shaping new standards and in assisting the industry to leverage the possibilities of emerging technologies."

Throughout his career, Bause Mason has assisted industry organizations in the development of standards, technical recommendations, and study group reports, and he holds several patents relating to watermarking, 3D, and authentication, as well as metadata tagging. In his work to develop and promote standards for media and entertainment technology, Bause Mason has chaired the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) Media over IP (MoIP) Subcommittee; organized the MoIP Workshop, presented by the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), NABA, SMPTE, and VSF that promoted the use of SMPTE ST 2110; and chaired the SMPTE Studio Group on Flow Management in Professional Media Networks.

"Thomas has a profound understanding of the standards that guide our industry, and he has played a vital role in their development," said SMPTE Standards vice president Bruce Devlin. "We are fortunate to have him join the SMPTE staff and contribute his expertise to the Society's full spectrum of standards work."