What Is IPMX and How It Is Transforming the ProAV Market

If you work in professional AV and haven't heard of IPMX yet, that won’t last long. As of 2025, this open standard for AV-over-IP is finally making its way from lab demos and consortium meetings into shipping products and real-world installations. And it’s no minor update — IPMX has the potential to reshape how we build, scale, and manage audio-video systems.

In this article, we’ll break down what IPMX is, why it matters, how it differs from alternatives like NDI or proprietary protocols, and what it means for AV vendors, integrators, and tech companies developing IP-connected devices.

What Is IPMX?

IPMX stands for Internet Protocol Media Experience. It is a suite of open standards and specifications designed to enable seamless transmission of audio, video, metadata, and control over standard IP networks.

Built on top of SMPTE ST 2110 (the broadcast standard for uncompressed IP media), IPMX introduces AV-specific capabilities such as:

• HDMI input/output handling
• EDID and HDCP compatibility
• USB over IP
• Visually lossless compression (JPEG XS)
• Plug-and-play discovery and connection via NMOS
• Precision synchronization with PTP (IEEE 1588)

IPMX is being developed under the aegis of the AIMS Alliance and other key stakeholders in broadcast and AV. It’s not a single protocol — it’s a full ecosystem that brings together several standards to serve one purpose: unify AV-over-IP workflows without vendor lock-in.

Why 2025 Is the Year of IPMX

For years, the AV industry has known about IPMX — but adoption has been slow. That’s changing now. The reasons:

• The first commercial IPMX devices from multiple vendors are now shipping
• Integration with control systems is more stable thanks to NMOS IS-04 and IS-05
• JPEG XS compression has matured for FPGA and SoC implementations
• End-users are demanding open, secure, and future-proof alternatives to proprietary AV-over-IP stacks

In 2025, IPMX is no longer theoretical — it’s hitting the racks in conference centers, control rooms, hospitals, universities, and live events.

Core Technologies Behind IPMX

IPMX integrates multiple building blocks:

IPMX vs NDI vs Proprietary Protocols

So how does IPMX compare to NDI, Dante AV, or vendor-specific stacks?

While NDI is popular for streaming and production workflows, it doesn't offer the same HDMI and device metadata support as IPMX. Proprietary systems may offer tight integration, but they lock customers into one vendor’s ecosystem. IPMX offers a compelling balance: the flexibility of open tools with the features of enterprise AV.

Real-World Applications in 2025

Let’s take a look at where IPMX is being applied right now:

• Education: Universities and training centers are adopting IPMX for lecture capture, hybrid learning, and AV matrix routing between classrooms. With USB and EDID support, it simplifies integration with BYOD and interactive displays.
• Live Events and Entertainment: Live video switching and camera feeds require ultra-low latency and precise sync. IPMX delivers this on standard 1G/10G Ethernet, without proprietary gear.
• Government and Control Rooms: High reliability, security, and long product lifecycles are essential. IPMX’s open stack enables long-term interoperability and firmware updatability.
• Corporate AV and Conference Systems: AV-over-IP systems in boardrooms and meeting hubs are moving to IPMX to reduce complexity and maintenance. USB-over-IP support is key for hybrid conferencing setups.
• Medical Imaging and Broadcasting: High-resolution, lossless video transport with frame-accurate sync is needed for surgical imaging and live studio feeds. IPMX’s JPEG XS implementation delivers this with sub-frame latency.

For Vendors: How to Build IPMX-Ready Products

To support IPMX, device makers need to implement multiple features:

• ST 2110 Stack: Support for 2110-20 (video), 2110-30 (audio), and 2110-40 (metadata)
• NMOS APIs: Discovery (IS-04), connection management (IS-05), and authorization (IS-10)
• JPEG XS Codec: Either in software or FPGA/ASIC
• PTP Timing: Precision sync for deterministic routing
• EDID/HDCP/USB: Pass-through of HDMI device info and peripheral control
• Failover and Redundancy: Seamless switching between primary/backup streams

Promwad helps OEMs and system vendors develop such products faster with our FPGA/SoC design services, Linux and RTOS firmware, and hardware prototyping.

Integration Challenges to Expect

Even in 2025, IPMX integration isn’t fully plug-and-play. You’ll need to address:

• Clock domain and jitter handling in FPGA/SoC
• Compatibility with legacy HDMI/USB devices
• Multicast stream management in enterprise networks
• Automated configuration tools for end-users
• Firmware management and OTA updates

Working with experienced AV-over-IP developers makes this manageable. Promwad offers development support and test coverage to meet certification criteria.

The Role of Promwad in IPMX System Design

At Promwad, we’re already involved in:

• FPGA-based video transport with ST 2110 pipelines
• JPEG XS hardware blocks for Xilinx, Intel, and Lattice
• Embedded Linux builds with NMOS stack integration
• Custom IP cores for time sync, video capture, and USB over IP
• Full product design — from concept to certification

Whether you’re building encoders, decoders, multiviewers, or IP cameras, we help get your product to market faster with less integration risk.

Looking Ahead: The Future of IPMX

Here’s what to expect over the next 12–24 months:

• More chip vendors will support JPEG XS and NMOS-ready platforms
• Formal IPMX certification frameworks will stabilize
• Integration with other AV-over-IP ecosystems (NDI, Dante AV, ST 2110) will increase
• More vertical-specific solutions: medical, defense, industrial AV
• Higher resolutions (8K+) and richer color depths (HDR, Rec. 2020)
• Security standards for control plane and media encryption

As the stack matures, IPMX will become a default requirement in RFPs and system specs across sectors.

Conclusion

IPMX is no longer a buzzword — it’s a practical path forward for ProAV manufacturers and integrators who need openness, quality, and future readiness. By adopting IPMX, vendors gain the ability to deliver interoperable, software-defined AV systems that scale from conference rooms to broadcast centers.

Promwad can help you bring IPMX to your hardware. From NMOS and JPEG XS to full FPGA designs and software integration, we deliver AV-over-IP engineering that just works.

Ready to start your IPMX journey? Let’s build it together.