The broadcast industry has spent the last decade navigating one of the most significant infrastructure shifts since the move from analog to digital video. Today, broadcasters, sports networks, production companies, and media organizations are increasingly embracing SMPTE ST 2110, IP transport, cloud workflows, remote production, and software-defined infrastructure. IP workflows offer flexibility, scalability, resource sharing, and remote production options. But this transition creates challenges: engineers must now manage network infrastructure, timing, redundancy, protocol conversion, and monitoring in ways traditional SDI never required. At NAB Show 2026, VidOvation spoke with Abe Abt, Senior Product Consultant at AJA Video Systems, about several new solutions designed to help broadcasters bridge traditional video workflows with modern IP infrastructures. The conversation highlighted three distinct products addressing different aspects of the industry's migration to IP: the new Bridge Live IP streaming platform, which focuses on IP-based streaming and format translation; the enhanced IP25-R SMPTE ST 2110 converter, which enables bidirectional conversion and monitoring between SDI/HDMI and ST 2110; and the OG-GEN10 openGear synchronization solution, which delivers timing and genlock capabilities within the openGear ecosystem. Together, these products reflect AJA's longstanding philosophy of making complex technology easier to deploy, operate, and troubleshoot. Why Broadcasters Need Practical IP Migration Tools The move toward IP video infrastructure is rarely a complete replacement project. Most facilities operate hybrid environments that combine SDI equipment, IP production systems, cloud workflows, streaming platforms, and legacy infrastructure. Production teams may need to: Connect SDI equipment to ST 2110 networks. Deliver low-latency contribution feeds between facilities. Create proxy streams for editors. Support cloud production workflows. Monitor IP sources on traditional displays. Transport video across public internet connections Maintain timing and synchronization across diverse infrastructures. This hybrid reality creates a pressing need for technology that seamlessly bridges formats, protocols, and workflows—empowering forward-thinking broadcasters to stay ahead of evolving demands. That vital requirement is at the heart of AJA's Bridge product family, purpose-built to keep broadcasters competitive in a rapidly changing landscape. Bridge Live IP Extends the Bridge Family into Native SMPTE ST 2110 Workflows AJA's Bridge product line was created to connect different video ecosystems, with each model tailored for specific workflow integration points, such as IP streaming or SDI-to-IP conversion. Previous products such as Bridge NDI 3G, Bridge Live 3G8, and Bridge Live 12G4 focused on converting and transporting signals between SDI and various IP-based formats. Those platforms helped organizations integrate NDI, streaming, contribution, and cloud workflows into existing broadcast environments. The new Bridge Live IP specifically expands this capability by directly supporting SMPTE ST 2110 environments, differentiating it from prior Bridge models, which focused on SDI-based IP conversions. Unlike earlier Bridge Live systems that use SDI interfaces, Bridge Live IP is designed for native IP connectivity. This platform offers dual 25 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces supporting SMPTE ST 2110 workflows and SMPTE ST 2022-7 seamless protection switching for network redundancy, setting it apart from legacy Bridge models. Bridge Live IP ingests uncompressed ST 2110 streams and converts them for contribution, monitoring, cloud, remote editing, and distribution. As facilities increasingly adopt ST 2110 as their internal production standard, there remains a need to efficiently move content beyond the local production network. Uncompressed video is ideal for production switching and facility transport, but many workflows require more bandwidth-efficient formats. Bridge Live IP serves as a dedicated translation layer specifically for converting ST 2110 video, audio, and metadata to formats suitable for varied production and distribution workflows, distinguishing its functional role within the Bridge family. Connecting ST 2110 Workflows to Real-World Distribution Requirements One of the key challenges facing broadcasters today is that not every workflow benefits from uncompressed video transport. A production facility may use ST 2110 internally while simultaneously supporting: Remote production Cloud production Remote editing Confidence monitoring Multi-site operations Disaster recovery workflows OTT distribution Internet contribution Bridge Live IP is designed to enable organizations to convert ST 2110 streams into formats optimized for remote, cloud, or distributed environments, clearly differentiating it from multi-interface general-purpose devices. The platform supports encoding, decoding, transcoding, and transport with industry standards such as: SRT HLS NDI JPEG XS JPEG 2000 MPEG transport workflows Streaming delivery formats This flexibility allows engineers to build workflows around operational requirements rather than forcing every application to use a single transport protocol. The result is a platform that unifies multiple video ecosystems within a single workflow architecture. Accelerating Software Innovation Through Comprimato Integration Another significant announcement discussed during the interview was AJA's acquisition of Comprimato, the software company behind much of the advanced encoding and transcoding technology used throughout the Bridge family. The acquisition marks AJA's first corporate acquisition and reflects the growing importance of software-defined infrastructure within modern broadcast environments. With video workflows shifting to software, owning the core stack lets AJA control development, optimization, and future features. For users, this guarantees that AJA is committed to rapidly advancing Bridge Live products and accelerating innovation across tomorrow’s IP and cloud-based workflows, ensuring you are always equipped with industry-leading solutions. The move strengthens AJA's position in areas such as: IP transport Media processing JPEG XS workflows JPEG 2000 workflows Cloud production Remote contribution Streaming infrastructure IP25-R Makes SMPTE ST 2110 Easier to Deploy and Monitor While Bridge Live IP focuses on media transport and conversion, the IP25-R addresses another important challenge: helping engineers work more effectively with SMPTE ST 2110 infrastructure. Initially introduced as a receiver platform, the IP25-R specializes in converting SMPTE ST 2110 signals into SDI and HDMI outputs, ensuring effective monitoring and integration with traditional displays—setting it apart from streaming and transport-focused solutions like Bridge Live IP. This capability is increasingly valuable because many production facilities have extensive investments in monitors, switchers, multiviewers, and displays that lack native ST 2110 interfaces. The IP25-R is a crucial catalyst, effortlessly integrating ST 2110 signals into existing environments and empowering production teams to unlock the full potential of their legacy investments. The system supports: SMPTE ST 2110 reception 12G-SDI output HDMI monitoring Dual 25 Gigabit network interfaces ST 2022-7 redundancy Out-of-band management and control Broadcasters can deploy the unit behind monitors, inside equipment racks, at production positions, or throughout facilities where visibility into IP sources is required. NAB 2026 Firmware Enhancements Expand the IP25-R Beyond Monitoring One of AJA's most significant NAB 2026 announcements was a major firmware update that transforms the IP25-R into a bidirectional workflow tool. With the update, users can switch the platform between receive and transmit modes. In receive mode, the system functions as originally designed, converting ST 2110 signals into SDI and HDMI outputs. In transmit mode, the platform accepts SDI inputs and converts them into SMPTE ST 2110 streams. This breakthrough dramatically expands deployment flexibility, enabling organizations to confidently adapt and excel as technology evolves. Organizations can now use the same hardware platform to: Introduce SDI sources into ST 2110 networks. Monitor IP sources Support hybrid SDI/IP facilities. Simplify migration projects Reduce equipment inventory For forward-thinking facilities migrating to IP, this powerful flexibility enables engineers to incrementally and strategically adopt ST 2110, while maximizing the value of current technology investments and positioning teams for future success. Built-In Troubleshooting Tools Reduce the Learning Curve of ST 2110 A key benefit of the IP25-R is simplified configuration and troubleshooting. Engineers entering the ST 2110 world often encounter technologies and concepts that differ significantly from traditional broadcast workflows, including: SDP files Multicast networking Packet analysis Network diagnostics Timing configuration AJA addresses many of these challenges through automation and integrated diagnostics. The platform automatically ingests SDP files and configures itself accordingly, reducing the amount of manual setup required. At the same time, engineers retain the ability to modify settings when customization is necessary. The IP25-R features integrated packet capture. Users can export PCAP files for network analysis with tools like Wireshark. This integrated approach provides engineers with indispensable visibility into network behavior, reducing troubleshooting time and giving you greater control. For engineers troubleshooting ST 2110 environments, having packet capture integrated directly into the workflow can significantly accelerate problem resolution. Integrated ST 2110 Test Signal Generation .
