For years, the Pro-AV and broadcast markets have operated in parallel universes. Broadcast thrived on rock-solid reliability, precision timing, and deep technical expertise. Pro-AV’s priorities included simplicity, affordability, and interoperability. Deployments on either side were typically locked into proprietary walled gardens. That picture is changing thanks to Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX), a comprehensive suite of open standards and specifications designed to revolutionise Pro-AV production over IP networks.
ST 2110 brings tremendous capability, but also complexity and cost. IPMX changes that equation with high-quality, low-latency transmission of video and audio across common IP infrastructures supporting high-resolution formats. Engineered for flexibility and scalability, IPMX offers features like sub-frame latency, time synchronisation via PTP, JPEG-XS compression, and support for auto device discovery. Its plug and play architecture eliminates the need for a dedicated broadcast engineering team, making SMPTE ST 2110 workflows easy to deploy, manage and scale - essentially bringing broadcast grade technology to the Pro-AV world on their terms, on their networks, at a price point that makes sense.
Certification brings confirmation with clarity
In January 2026, the first IPMX Product Testing and Certification Event was held at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, marking a major milestone as IPMX transitions from a developing specification to a certifiable and deployable technology. The event confirmed that IPMX is not vaporware. It is a functioning, interoperable ecosystem.
Cobalt Digital was among the first companies to achieve certification across multiple products in its portfolio, validating the company’s investment in IPMX development and underscoring its status as a pioneer in open standards.
Products that achieved IPMX certification include multiple members of Cobalt’s TOPAZ family of processors, PACIFIC encoders/decoders, INDIGO ST 2110 gateways, SAPPHIRE mini converters, UltraBlue MV-SW multiviewers, and the ARIA AUD-MON - the industry’s only IPMX-compliant audio monitor.
Putting IPMX to work
One of the highlights of the Cobalt family of IPMX certified products is the COBALT SAPPHIRE BBG series of mini converters. These units bring the promise of IPMX into the realm of reality - delivering high-quality design, function, and reliability in a small package. Designed to mount directly behind a monitor, the incredibly quiet BBG series displays incoming IPMX streams on any HDMI display, including content originating from a WAN connection.
Available in single, dual, and quad-channel configurations, select models can simultaneously transmit and receive signals while converting between IPMX / ST 2110 signals and SDI/HDMI. SAPPHIRE converters provide space-saving, low-latency tools for introducing IPMX into virtually any workflow. The units feature dual SFP cages with support for 10G and 25G Ethernet ports with an additional 1G copper Ethernet port for out-of-band management.
Audio sample rate conversion is built in, and receiving units can mix and match audio channels that are asynchronous to the video — a practical necessity in real-world installations. Audio transitions include a ramp down and ramp up to eliminate click artifacts. For broadcast operators extending IPMX workflows over long-distance connections, this level of resilience matters.
The IPMX ecosystem is here
The convergence of broadcast and Pro-AV is not a future trend — it is happening now. IPMX provides the framework to deliver broadcast-grade reliability affordably and at scale. For smaller broadcast stations and simpler outside broadcast (OB) van operations, the same technology opens a path to ST 2110 capability that was previously out of reach on both technical and budgetary grounds.
Cobalt Digital's deep involvement in IPMX development, its early certification across a broad product portfolio, and hardware designed from the ground up to operate reliably at the intersection of both markets put the company at the forefront of this defining shift in the industry. The SAPPHIRE converter series clearly illustrates that commitment — built for the possibilities that IPMX brings and certified to interoperate with the ecosystem that is now firmly in place.
