Brain4Net, Okno-TV: SDN Fabric for Media

SDN Fabric for Media is the complete solution for the television companies, television centers and professional studios.

On May 12, 2017 Brain4Net companies and OKHO-TB announced start of SDN Fabric for Media technology. The product is focused on on step-by-step upgrade of television production, transition to Ethernet technologies for transport of multimedia traffic and the concept of SDN for infrastructure management.

Advertizing SDN Fabric for Media, (2017)

The product will help the companies to increase performance, reducing cost values of media infrastructure and to correspond to the strategy of import substitution, to combine the network broadcasting equipment of several producers without the need for operational management of it.

At technological level of SDN Fabric for Media will provide transition from architecture of transport networks for transfer of video flows using the equipment on the basis of SDI matrixes (Serial Digital Interface), to service-oriented infrastructures on the basis of IP/Ethernet technologies and the principles of programmable networks (Software Defined Networking).

As a part of a product components:

• Bare-metal-switches with capacity of ports to 100 Gbps;
• B4N Controller - the B4N Service Platform component providing management of video traffic flows from sources of traffic (video cameras) to receivers.

Special service within a system provides 'seamless' switching encapsulating (the bearing IP/RTP) flows according to the existing standards ST 2022-6, ST 2022-7, AES67, TR-4 and perspective ST 2110, TR-03, NMOS-DRS. The service uses models which will be approved with models of AMWA international association (Advanced Media Workflow Association) and the NMOS specification (Networked Media Open Specifications). The ability to integrate with media gateways, time timing sources under PTPv2 protocol (Precision Time Protocol v2), and integration of a transport network with virtual services of processing of media content is provided in a product.

In the first release of SDN Fabric for Media are implemented:

• Creation of topology of a transport network of media production, automatic connection of switches, configuration of ports for connection of sources and receivers;
• Graphic display of network infrastructure, visualization of flows and loading of channels;
• Seamless switching of flows means of B4N Controller that allows to manage traffic flows by means of click of a mouse;
• Adding of sources/receivers, visualization of the table of switching;
• Possibility of balancing and reservation of traffic;
• The organization of management of a media gateway from the workstation.

Cooperation with the strong technology partner on behalf of the OKNO-TV system integrator allows us to develop focal solutions for the TV-industry, the most corresponding development strategies of the television companies and meeting the technical requirements imposed to solutions for transfer of uncompressed video in real time. The customer receives the complete solution implementing phased transition from a traditional television path to service-oriented model which will provide virtualization of a considerable part of technology process and will lead to radical reduction in cost of production. Oleg Shchapov, CEO of Brain4Net

Partners tested operability of technology architecture on the basis of the equipment Noviflow and LAWO, works on expansion of functionality are conducted.