Recently, our company has closely collaborated with Sony to successfully win the bid for the construction project of the Guangdong Radio and Television Station's Guangdong Satellite TV 4K Ultra HD channel broadcasting system (Section 5: Central Control IP System) by utilizing Sony's core IP network construction and SDN management system—VideoIPath. This milestone achievement not only highlights Oneband's outstanding strength in the field of audio and video system integration but also injects strong momentum into the development of ultra-high-definition technology in the broadcasting and television industry.
VideoIPathThe professional broadcast media orchestration platform is an important component of the "Networked Live" ecosystem, which consists of products, solutions, services, and partners. It focuses on the sharing and collaboration of IP-based networks and resources, aiming to truly enhance the production-level workflows in the broadcasting and television domain. It is widely applied in various production environments such as OB vans and studios, as well as in main control and broadcasting domains both domestically and internationally.
The upgrade of the main control system at Guangdong Radio and Television Station to the Sony VideoIPath marks the first application of the VideoIPath system in the field of broadcast control at provincial-level television stations in China.
According to the relevant planning and deployment of the Guangdong Radio and Television Station for ultra-high-definition construction: this project aims to build a safe, reliable, and high-quality 4K ultra-high-definition television broadcasting system for Guangdong Satellite TV. The principles are to ensure safety, guarantee quality, optimize processes, and reduce costs, achieving simultaneous broadcasting of 4K ultra-high-definition and high-definition on the Guangdong Satellite TV channel.
2024At the beginning of the year, as a core professional imaging product supplier, Sony has engaged in ongoing communication with its partner Beijing Oneband Communication Technology Co., Ltd. and the relevant technical departments of Guangdong Radio and Television Station. During this process, we gained an understanding of the station's project requirements: on the basis of ensuring the continuous 24/7 operation of the current HD IP system control system, there is a need to establish a new 4K ultra-high-definition IP management system that will ultimately take over the existing HD IP system completely.
The integration of the new system with the original system must ensure a nearly seamless connection and absolute reliability in terms of technical architecture, data interfaces, signal smoothness, and operational habits. Additionally, the new system needs to consider future access control for more signals from both the entire platform and external sources, as well as other expansion requirements.
Based on project requirements, Sony offers a comprehensive solution centered around the VideoIPath network construction and SDN management system: it takes into account the integration of both new and legacy systems, as well as the future system's need for flexible scalability, ultimately achieving the goal of true IP convergence and resource sharing. For the new system, it provides spine switch expansion while accommodating the integration of existing systems, fully considering future system access and supporting any complex network architecture. The system is designed with ample extensibility and growth potential.
Conventional SDN networks face challenges during scaling, as multi-phase systems are relatively isolated. Typically, only leaf switches are added, making it difficult to increase spine switches to expand the system's scale, and IP extension often has significant limitations. The VideoIPath system fully supports the scaling of leaf and spine switches as business grows, accommodating various types of network topologies, whether for horizontal or vertical business expansion, and ensuring comprehensive compatibility with heterogeneous networks resulting from changes in business environments over different periods.
Additionally, breaking away from the traditional management model that relies solely on switches for IGMP routing, VideoIPath truly realizes an active routing instruction issuance, achieving a fully controlled true SDN model. This enhances the security of managed routing and supports the free mixing of multi-brand and multi-series COTS switches, significantly improving the system's stability, reliability, security, and compatibility.
Starting from July 2024, with strong support from our partners, the Sony team conducted multiple product exchange demonstrations in Guangdong and built systems on-site for proof of concept (POC) trials. This allowed customers to intuitively understand the high performance and safety of Sony's professional systems and products, receiving positive recognition from various technical departments within the organization.
Sony is committed to providing cutting-edge technology and solutions in the production domain, while also offering key products and solutions in the control room sector to meet the ever-increasing demands of our customers. In the control room broadcasting system, Sony's applied products include the core VideoIPath SDN software for managing IP/SDI hybrid network architecture, the HDRC-4000 converter which provides industry-standard HDR conversion, BVM/PVM/LMD monitors for precise image quality monitoring, BRAVIA commercial displays for building secure and outstanding video walls, and the Virtuoso multifunction processor featuring IPG/audio-visual processing/UDC conversion/HEVC, JPEG-XS, JPEG2000, and TS codec functionalities.
This recent bid win signifies that Sony's VideoIPath-related products and solutions will soon be accepted, recognized, and utilized by more clients in core areas such as broadcasting studios, OB vans, and main control broadcasting, as well as in integrated media, sports live broadcasting, and large-scale events involving IP-based construction and network management. We sincerely look forward to continuously contributing to the development of ultra-high-definition initiatives in China!