Introduction
SMPTE 2110 is a suite of standards that describes how to send digital media over an IP network.
More on this here.
SMPTE 2110 compatibility is only available with the Aximmetry Broadcast Edition.
This article will explain how to set up in-, and outputs for SMTPE 2110.
We will use the term "board" interchangeably with the SMPTE 2110 capture card.
Aximmetry can function both as a receiver and as a sender for SMTPE 2110 signals, meaning you can use boards both for output and input (similarly to SDI, NDI, HDMI, etc.).
Preparation
Being a network protocol, SMPTE 2110 settings in Aximmetry are mostly regarding network settings, so before jumping into the setup in Aximmetry, please make sure that you have a complete understanding of your network with addresses, gateways, permissions, etc
The SMPTE network should always be a completely separate network from your normal LAN.
Startup Configuration
Start Aximmetry Composer.
In the Startup Configuration screen, select Manage Devices...
From Video Out, select SMPTE 2110
IMPORTANT: Even though SMPTE 2110 is listed under the Video Out category, Aximmetry can act both as a sender and as a receiver for such signals.
Click Add...
The 2110 Board Config window will appear.
2110 Board Config
Selecting board (capture card)
Under Select board, you can select the SMPTE 2110 capture card you would like to use.
In our example, this is a Deltacast card.
You can manually enter the IP, Subnet mask and Gateway addresses into the corresponding fields.
Note: make sure to add an IP address that is unique on your subnet.
Use DHCP
This setting can be used if you have a DHCP server or router assigning addresses on your network.
Using DHCP won't let you manually set the network settings for the board, by graying out the fields.
Note: Aximmetry will display DHCP-allocated IP for the boards after you click Apply or OK of Manage Devices.
Multicast
If you would like to add the board to a multicast group, turn ON the Join multicast group setting.
You can set the address in the Multicast address field.
Note: by adding this address, the board will also become a recipient.
Click OK to accept the settings.
Inputs
The board we selected as an example only handles inputs, so if you select this card from the Boards list, you will see the list of interfaces appear only for inputs.
In this case, Aximmetry will act as a receiver.
For every input, you can define the port for Video, Audio, and Ancillary
For this, select the input you want to set up and click Edit... under the Inputs list, or double-click on the Input item.
Input Config
Input is simply the ID of the input in the Inputs list.
Listen on port
Aximmetry will use these ports to receive the signals.
Click OK to accept the settings.
Outputs
Let's see a different card with outputs only.
In this case, Aximmetry will be the sender.
Similarly as for the Inputs, in the Outputs field, you will find the outputs of the board.
To set up the Outputs, click Edit... under the Outputs list, or double-click on the Output item.
Output Config
Output is simply the ID of the output in the Outputs list.
Destination IP
The IP address you would like to send the video to. This can be the address of a machine or of a Multicast group as well.
Destination port
The port numbers you want to send the Video, Audio, and Ancillary streams to.
Source port
Define the source port numbers for sending the data streams for Video, Audio, and Ancillary.
This can be a useful feature if you want the receiver to filter streams by source ports.
SSRC
Synchronization Source Identifier
You can add an ID to the specific streams, which can be used later as another filter by the receiver.
Traffic shaping
Linear is used for linear distribution, where the packets in the stream are evenly distributed across the stream.
Gapped is used for distribution where the packets will only be sent when there are visible lines in the signal, and no packets will be sent during invisible lines (ancillary).
Aximmetry will not behave differently when changing between the options, you will have to set this according to the receiver of the signal.
This is an example of Linear and Gapped distribution when the signal is converted from SDI to STMPE 2110:
PTP
You can find the Precision Time Protocol configuration in PTP Settings...
You can define the Multicast address used by the PTP synchronization system in the Multicast address field.
You can also set a Domain for further filtering.
SMPTE 2110 will work without PTP as well.