Video Services Forum adds new features to RIST

Source: Video Services Forum

Industry standards organisation the Video Services Forum has released two new features that it says will enhance the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by adding decoder synchronization and multicast discovery.

The RIST protocol is designed to reliably transport video over unmanaged networks such as the internet, typically used for professional media workflows, such as news and sports contribution, remote production, affiliate distribution and primary distribution

Detailed in TR-06-4 Part 4, Decoder Synchronisation is the fourth in a series of ancillary features for RIST specifications, which the Forum says provides a way to synchronize the decoder playback when multiple encoders are transmitting signals to multiple decoders over IP for applications such as live sport.

When multiple cameras are in use at live events in remote locations, their feeds need to be played back in a synchronised fashion. TR-06-4 Part 4 provides a common specification to achieve this, supporting an arbitrary number of encoders and decoders.

The other new feature, detailed in TR-06-4 Part 5, is Multicast Discovery.

This provides a simplified way to manage multicast traffic over RIST tunnels, to avoid unnecessarily sending streams to receivers not interested in them, thus saving bandwidth, according to the Forum.

Dr. Ciro Noronha, President of The RIST Forum, said: “The number of RIST-enabled solutions on the market continues to increase. With these latest releases covering decoder synchronization and multicast discovery, RIST can now be implemented into many more products covering each part of the contribution and distribution workflow.”

VSF has also announced the release of the 2023 version of the RIST Protocol Specification: Main Profile, TR-06-2. This is a minor update to correct some editorial issues.