SDI & IP Workflows

Hybrid SDI/IP Workflows for Live Events & AV Installations

Connect SDI cameras, switchers, and routers with IP-based distribution and control without ripping out existing infrastructure.

Deploy production-grade reliability, predictable latency, and clean operations in mixed-vendor environments across IPMX / ST 2110 / NDI + Dante/AES67.

✓ Preserve SDI investments while
scaling to AV over IP

✓ Minimize on-site troubleshooting &
last-minute rework

✓ Reduce setup time &
risks in mixed-vendor environments

Trusted by Teams Building Real-Time AV Systems

Hybrid SDI/IP Risks You Can’t Ignore

Hybrid SDI/IP systems often fail not in the lab, but under show conditions — when timing, multicast, and redundancy collide. We design the workflow so it stays stable at peak load.

Typical failure points we address:

Sync drift & A/V skew when SDI timing and IP timing don’t align across endpoints
PTP mismatch (wrong domain / boundary clock issues) causing unstable genlock and intermittent artifacts
Dropped frames under burst traffic, oversubscribed links, or misconfigured QoS
Multicast overload (IGMP/Querier issues) leading to flooding, latency spikes, and random stream loss
A/V skew during failover when redundancy switches paths without deterministic timing + buffer strategy

What you get instead: predictable latency, clean lip-sync, controlled multicast behavior, and failover that doesn’t “shift” audio/video mid-show.

Why Promwad

Hybrid systems fail when standards meet “vendor islands.” Promwad builds gateways + middleware that unify SDI/HDMI with IPMX, Dante/AES67, Crestron, and other control platforms into one operational ecosystem—so your workflows stay predictable under pressure.

20 years, 500+ projects

in real-time media, embedded, and FPGA/software systems

Engineering from silicon to cloud

useful when latency budgets and platform choices collide

Efficiency over legacy DSP

replace proprietary chains with optimized software-defined signal processing and FPGA/SoC-acceleration

True interoperability

Dante/AES67/Ravenna plus control ecosystems (Crestron/Q-SYS/Extron)—designed to avoid lock-in

Performance under load

low latency, stable sync, deterministic behavior—validated, not assumed

Full-cycle development

architecture → implementation → testing → production support

Our Tech Stack

Video

- SDI • HDMI • DisplayPort
- IPMX
- SMPTE ST 2110
- NDI for events

Audio Networking

Dante • AES67 • Ravenna

Control & Automation

- Crestron • Q-SYS • Extron
- Drivers, middleware, and control-plane integration for hybrid deployments

Performance & Processing

- FPGA-based video pipelines and SoC accelerators
- Optional embedded AI inference (analytics, monitoring, automation)
- Low-latency IP transport tuning (e.g., DPDK / NVIDIA Rivermax) for deterministic delivery in standards-based ecosystems

Security & Network Hardening (NDI / RTP / SIP / PTP)

Threat modeling for hybrid AV-over-IP: stream access, hijacking, replay, DoS, and control-plane abuse
Segmentation & traffic control: VLANs/VRFs, ACLs, QoS policies, multicast boundaries (IGMP snooping/querier)
Timing security (PTP): domain planning, boundary clock strategy, protection from misconfig/spoofing, time-jump monitoring
Secure control integration: Crestron/Q-SYS/Extron authentication patterns, least-privilege roles, secrets handling
Secure device lifecycle: signed firmware/update strategy, secure boot options, SBOM-ready component traceability
Visibility & auditability: logs/telemetry hooks (Syslog/SNMP/export), health dashboards, incident-ready diagnostics

Get a Hybrid Workflow Review

Share a brief overview of your current setup, and we’ll outline the right architecture—gateways, protocol options, and a practical upgrade path.

Book 24h Expert Call

Application Areas

Live events (temporary setups)

- Concerts & festivals, sports & esports, conferences & product launches
- Mixed SDI sources + IP distribution, fast reconfiguration, predictable operations

Venue & permanent installations

- Arenas, theaters, conference centers, hotels/resorts, control rooms
- Centralized AV-over-IP management with hybrid endpoints and clean lifecycle planning

Rental & staging workflows

Repeatable “hybrid-ready” rig designs that scale per venue—without replacing core SDI gear

Hybrid production inside venues

- Multiviewers, LED walls, dynamic signal paths, monitoring/diagnostics
- Broadcast-grade expectations translated into ProAV operations

Migration from SDI Islands to IP-Ready Fabric

Promise: Move from “SDI here, IP there” to a unified workflow—without hardware lock-in and without pausing your production schedule.

A phased approach that works in scalable IP distribution:

Assess your current inventory + signal map

formats, frame rates, latency budget, sync requirements, control surfaces, and operator workflows

Build the bridge layer

FPGA/SoC gateways or cards for SDI ↔ IP conversion—keep SDI running while adding IP routing

Add translation middleware

map IPMX/SDI/video + audio-over-IP and integrate control drivers (Crestron/Q-SYS/Extron) into a single operational model

Validate under show conditions

jitter/loss behavior, A/V sync, long-running stability, monitoring, and failover procedures—tested like it’s opening night

SDI-to-IP for multi-camera event broadcasting

OpenGear SDI-to-IP cards with 10Gb NAS — engineered for 8× 4K120 real-time capture, low-latency transport, and lossless buffering in live event environments

Challenge
A European streaming operator needed to capture and monitor ultra-high-frame-rate video from multiple cameras during sports and music events. The system had to buffer at least 10 minutes of footage and guarantee zero data loss.

Solution
Promwad developed OpenGear-compatible FPGA cards with SMPTE ST 2110 SDI-to-IP Tx/Rx conversion, enabling simultaneous Ethernet streaming and real-time control via web dashboard. A NAS subsystem with SSD array and FPGA-based SAS expander was added to ensure high-throughput capture and stable buffering.

Result
Stable processing of 8× 4K120 streams, simultaneous IP streaming + NAS 10Gb/sec recording, production-grade low latency, and hot-swappable OpenGear deployment.

Full Project Story: OpenGear SDI-to-IP Cards for Multi-Camera Broadcasting

Enterprise NAS with DPDK/SPDK & NDI Streaming

High-performance data storage system for multi-camera 8K workflows — built with zero-copy architecture and modular GPU-accelerated hardware.

Challenge

Existing NAS solutions couldn’t handle multi-camera 8K ingest and NDI streaming due to bandwidth limits, latency, and lack of scalable NVMe/CFexpress storage.

Solution

Developed a modular enterprise NAS with DPDK/SPDK zero-copy data paths, custom NVMe/CFexpress storage unit, dual-power design, high-speed PCIe I/O, and GPU-accelerated decoding (RTX A4500/A6000 ADA). Enabled GUI-controlled hot-plugging and seamless NDI streaming.

Result

2–3× higher throughput, stable 8K/60 fps processing, scalable storage, and portable, power-resilient operation. Delivered a future-ready platform for high-bandwidth video production.

Full Project Story: NDI Streaming for Multi-Camera Environments

How We Ensure Quality

Hybrid AV is unforgiving. We build quality in from the first architecture decision—not as a checkbox at the end.

Our quality foundation:

Structured workflow

requirements → architecture → rapid prototyping → production-ready release

Standards-minded validation

interoperability and stability testing aligned with industry requirements

Dedicated AV labs

latency, bandwidth, and A/V sync measured in realistic scenarios

Cross-functional QA

HW/FW/SW teams resolve integration issues early

Reliability & lifecycle planning

component availability, power efficiency, long-term support

Event & installation-specific assurance:

Network loss/jitter emulation + guidance on QoS and segmentation for NDI/RTP traffic

Failover drills and monitoring/diagnostics built into gateways and middleware

Soak tests for long-running shows and venue uptime

Trusted by Leading OEMs and Innovators

Promwad is a trusted R&D partner for global OEMs and product companies developing advanced video, audio, and embedded solutions — including Sony and Vestel.

Our long-term clients value our technical expertise, transparency, and on-time delivery — from initial concept to full production.

We are proud to be:

✓ A design partner of NDI, Lattice, and NXP — bringing top-tier SoC and FPGA expertise to every AV project.

✓ A European R&D hub serving clients across 25+ countries, with a proven record in broadcast, digital signage, and AV-over-IP domains.

Make SDI and IP work as one on your next show or installation

Book a 24h expert call and get a concrete next step: architecture review, phased migration outline, and gateway/middleware options tailored to your signal map.

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Secured call with our expert in 24h

Plug-in model for your full-cycle R&D

22 years of engineering expertise

500+ projects for OEMs in EU & US

MVP in 8–10 weeks — predictable delivery

Featured at IBC, Embedded World, MWC

FAQ

What causes sync drift or PTP mismatch in hybrid SDI/IP systems — and how do you prevent it?

Sync drift usually appears when SDI timing, genlock, and IP timing, PTP, are not aligned across all endpoints, often due to a wrong PTP domain, inconsistent grandmaster behavior, boundary clock misconfiguration, or devices silently falling back to local clocks. In hybrid setups this quickly turns into unstable lip-sync, intermittent artifacts, or almost-correct timing that degrades over a long show. We prevent it by planning the timing architecture upfront, including PTP domains, clock roles, and redundancy, validating lock behavior under load, and adding monitoring so timing deviations are detected before they become visible.

How do you avoid dropped frames and multicast overload (IGMP/QoS) in event AV networks?

Dropped frames in hybrid SDI/IP workflows are typically caused by oversubscribed links, burst traffic, misconfigured QoS, or multicast flooding when IGMP snooping and querier behavior are not consistent. Under show conditions this can look like random glitches, latency spikes, or streams disappearing during rerouting. We avoid it with bandwidth budgeting and traffic design, including segmentation, QoS priorities, and multicast governance, then stress-test with jitter and loss emulation plus long-running soak scenarios. The goal is deterministic behavior at peak load, so operators can switch, fail over, and scale without surprises.

How do we integrate SDI cameras and switchers with IPMX or SMPTE ST 2110?

Typically through SDI-to-IP gateways or interface cards plus a control and monitoring layer that keeps timing, routing, and operations consistent across the full workflow.

Can we migrate step by step without replacing everything at once?

Yes. Most successful projects are phased: bridge first, then expand IP distribution as your team, venues, and operational model are ready.

IPMX vs ST 2110 vs NDI: which should we use for event AV solutions?

It depends on your latency budget, ecosystem, and operational needs. We recommend a protocol mix that supports your gear, workflows, and scaling path, not a one-size-fits-all answer.

How do you ensure sync and lip-sync across SDI and IP paths?

By designing the timing model upfront and validating audio-video alignment under load with real devices and real network conditions, not only in bench or vendor-demo scenarios.

What latency should we expect from SDI ↔ IP gateways?

Latency varies by format, codec path, and processing chain, but we focus on predictability: measured, validated, and stable under sustained traffic and real operating conditions.

Can you bridge audio (Dante/AES67) with hybrid video workflows?

Yes. Audio is treated as a first-class part of the system, with routing, synchronization, monitoring, and failover designed as one unified workflow together with video.

Can you integrate Crestron/Q-SYS/Extron control into mixed SDI/IP systems?

Yes. Drivers and middleware connect the control plane to endpoints, routing logic, and monitoring layers, so operators can work through the control ecosystem they already use.

Do you deliver hardware and software?

Both. We deliver FPGA and SoC-based gateways or interface cards, together with the software layers, including middleware, control UI, and monitoring, needed to operate them in real deployments.