FOR-A's RDS Conductor enables users to achieve efficient and cost-effective operations through the utilisation of shared resources, facilitating easy expansion.
FOR-A is set to introduce the reportedly world’s first unique Registration and Discovery System (RDS) solution at the NAB Show 2024. The RDS Conductor enables multi-vendor RDS to access shared resources in a highly organised manner, revolutionising resource sharing in the broadcast industry.
The new RDS Conductor combines FOR-A’s SOM-200RDS software with the SOM-20RDS Plus API, allowing for the organisation and registration of NMOS-compliant resources and their seamless sharing with other islands/studios.
Traditionally, adding new systems to an existing one posed challenges, as the RDS on new systems had to match the initial design specifications or necessitate extensive redesign of the existing broadcast controllers and RDS.
To simplify the process of adding and sharing devices on a Media over IP (MoIP) system built using SMPTE ST 2110 standards, FOR-A has developed a “hierarchical RDS (Hi-RDS)” environment for next-generation resource sharing of NMOS devices. The RDS Conductor leverages this technology to configure a system’s primary RDS and manage NMOS-compliant common device resources.
All common device resources are registered within the FOR-A SOM-200RDS, with the SOM-20RDS Plus allocating only the necessary common device resources to the user’s local RDS on the MoIP system. This enables existing MoIP systems to be used without modification, with minimal adjustments required on the broadcast controller.
Satoshi Kanemura, President, FOR-A America, said: “Being able to add a new MoIP system only when and where it is needed, while still using the existing system, means that the MoIP system can be expanded in stages, making it easier to use. The ability to build low-cost systems with multiple vendors without being tied to the initial design expands the possibility of using MoIP systems more flexibly just like baseband systems.”
FOR-A has conducted thorough testing of the RDS Conductor, confirming its effectiveness across RDS and broadcast controllers from multiple vendors. At Inter BEE 2023, FOR-A demonstrated the RDS Conductor’s capabilities in a joint MoIP device connection verification, showcasing its potential in real-world scenarios.
At the 2024 NAB Show, FOR-A will utilise the Lawo HOME IP management platform and Riedel Communications NMOS Explorer signal viewer to demonstrate the resource sharing environment of the SOM-200RDS and SOM-20RDS Plus.
Lawo’s Axel Kern, Senior Director of Cloud and Infrastructure Solutions, added: “FOR-A’s Hi-RDS technology further broadens the horizon for MoIP. It allows users to easily and flexibly add new systems when a direct API or NMOS connection to the HOME platform is not desired. Operators are now able to choose from an even larger pool of options for sharing resources. This is an important step forward for broadcasters as it will stimulate their creativity with an easy-to-deploy solution.”
The RDS Conductor’s Hi-RDS technology enhances the flexibility of MoIP solutions, facilitating the sharing of necessary devices across islands and creating a user-friendly resource sharing environment.
Kanemura added: “The Hi-RDS technology within RDS Conductor increases the flexibility of MoIP solutions. It allows the sharing of necessary devices across islands and creates a user-friendly resource-sharing environment. It accelerates the centralization of common resources for more budget-efficient usage. This game-changing technology allows operators to share devices when and where they need it.”
Stand C4507
