AIMS adopts IS-04 spec
January 24, 2017
By Sanjeev Bhavnani
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has added the IS-04 specification to its roadmap. IS-04 will bring critical uniformity to the use of video, audio, and ancillary data on a network of devices. The specification is important because it defines how IP-enabled devices can discover each other and connect compatible IP streams as part of a workflow. Furthermore, IS-04 automates that process, making discovery and connection more fluid than in a conventional SDI environment.
AIMS exists to develop a practical, common upgrade path from SDI to IP using the standards, recommendations, and technologies that are already being studied. IS-04 will assist in that effort by providing a defined and agreed-upon method for devices to discover, register, and operate with one another as workflows change over time — whether those changes take place over years, months, days, or even hours.
“IS-04 provides the next level of interoperability beyond transporting data. By adding it to our roadmap, AIMS is not just advocating for protocols related to video, audio, and data transport, but for protocols that determine how multivendor solutions can create seamless interoperable environments,” said Michael Cronk, AIMS board chair. “The membership agreed that a common approach to managing discovery and registration was important, as such an approach provides a clearly defined way for SMPTE 2022-6- and SMPTE 2110-compliant devices to find and connect to each other. This allows us to leverage the benefits of IT and networking technologies to create a more flexible and scalable solution than conventional SDI routing systems will allow.”