IPMX Beyond Broadcast: Exploring New Use Cases in AV Integration

The broadcast and professional AV industries are no strangers to innovation, but one standard is reshaping how video, audio, and control signals are transmitted across networks: IPMX (Internet Protocol Media Experience). Originally designed to bring interoperability and low-latency video over IP to ProAV, IPMX is now extending its reach beyond traditional broadcast settings into domains like education, healthcare, enterprise communications, and more.

This article explores the expanding role of IPMX outside broadcasting, highlights key benefits, and provides engineering guidance for successful integration.

What is IPMX and How Does it Differ from ST 2110?

Before diving into use cases, let’s clarify what IPMX offers. Built upon the ST 2110 suite of standards from SMPTE, IPMX is designed to bring similar capabilities to ProAV environments. Unlike ST 2110, which is broadcast-focused and assumes a managed network, IPMX is tailored for more varied conditions:

• Support for compressed and uncompressed video
• Plug-and-play interoperability
• Synchronous timing and low-latency performance
• AES67 audio support
• RESTful API for control (NMOS IS-04/05)

Its openness and extensibility make it a versatile choice for AV integration in settings where traditional video-over-IP standards fall short.

Why IPMX is Gaining Momentum Beyond Broadcasting

Several market trends explain why system integrators and product companies are exploring IPMX outside classic studios:

• Need for flexible, scalable AV networks in conference rooms, auditoriums, and campuses
• Demand for low-latency collaboration tools for remote and hybrid work setups
• Growth of immersive learning and telemedicine requiring synchronized audio/video streams
• Push for open standards to reduce vendor lock-in in complex installations

Let’s explore specific industries where IPMX is showing real promise.

1. Education: Seamless AV Across Smart Classrooms

In modern educational environments, teachers and students need access to high-quality video feeds, real-time screen sharing, and remote participation.

How IPMX helps:

• Allows seamless AV distribution across classrooms via existing Ethernet infrastructure
• Enables synchronized video walls, interactive whiteboards, and student devices
• Supports centralized management and monitoring of devices and content

Key design tip: Ensure multicast support and QoS settings on school networks to handle simultaneous streams.

2. Healthcare: Enabling Real-Time Video in Critical Scenarios

Hospitals and surgical centers increasingly rely on real-time video for diagnostics, training, and robotic-assisted procedures. Latency and image quality are critical.

How IPMX helps:

• Offers visually lossless compression (e.g., JPEG XS) for high-resolution imaging
• Ensures low latency needed for live surgical guidance
• Supports encryption and access control through NMOS extensions

Key challenge: Network segmentation and cybersecurity must be addressed in medical settings.

3. Enterprise Collaboration: Unified Communications at Scale

With hybrid work becoming the norm, enterprises need more than basic videoconferencing.

How IPMX helps:

• Unifies AV control, video routing, and device management under one standard
• Scales from huddle rooms to large meeting halls
• Reduces reliance on proprietary AV-over-IP gear

Integration tip: Pair IPMX with a centralized control platform to streamline device discovery and updates.

4. Government & Defense: Secure, High-Quality Signal Distribution

Command centers and mission-critical facilities require synchronized data visualization and reliable video feeds.

How IPMX helps:

• Ensures frame-accurate signal alignment
• Supports multi-zone video walls and redundant signal paths
• Allows integration with secure networks and access control policies

Security consideration: Use NMOS IS-10 (authorization) and secure boot for hardware endpoints.

5. Museums and Digital Art Installations

Experiential environments like museums increasingly use AV to create immersive narratives.

How IPMX helps:

• Synchronizes visuals across displays in multi-room installations
• Supports dynamic control of lighting, audio, and video cues
• Accommodates both compressed and uncompressed sources

Design insight: For art installations, ensure support for wide color gamuts and HDR formats.

Comparison with Other AV-over-IP Standards

Long-tail Keywords and Answers

What makes IPMX better for smart classrooms than HDMI extenders?

HDMI extenders lack scalability and often introduce signal degradation over distance. IPMX uses standard IP infrastructure, supports multicast, and enables real-time control and monitoring, which are essential in distributed learning environments.

How can I integrate IPMX with existing AV control systems?

Use NMOS IS-04 (discovery) and IS-05 (connection management) APIs to bridge IPMX devices with your control systems. Many platforms already support these standards or offer middleware for easy integration.

Is IPMX suitable for encrypted or classified video streams?

Yes, when combined with NMOS IS-10 for authorization and additional AES encryption layers, IPMX can be deployed in sensitive environments like government and defense.
 

Engineering Considerations for IPMX Integration

• Multicast Routing: Ensure IGMP snooping and querier settings are properly configured
• Clock Synchronization: Use PTP (Precision Time Protocol) for tight A/V alignment
• Bandwidth Planning: Balance compressed vs. uncompressed streams based on use case
• Endpoint Discovery: Validate NMOS compliance across your vendor devices
• Firmware Management: Choose endpoints that support OTA updates and open API control

Final Thoughts

IPMX is no longer just a "future" protocol for ProAV. It’s a mature, standards-based technology that enables powerful AV-over-IP solutions across industries. Whether you’re modernizing a university, digitizing a hospital, or building flexible enterprise meeting spaces, IPMX offers the scalability, interoperability, and performance needed in 2025 and beyond.

Want help architecting your next IPMX-powered AV solution? Reach out to our engineering team at Promwad.