What’s the difference between IPMX and ST 2110?

ISE News and Insights

02 Sept 2026

IPMX and ST 2110 both transport professional media over IP networks but differ mainly in who they serve: ST 2110 is engineered for broadcast facilities, while IPMX adapts the same core technology for pro AV environments such as corporate AV, education, and control rooms. Here’s how they diverge and where each fits.

By Adrian Pennington

Broadcast and pro AV: Two worlds, one foundation

ST 2110 is a broadcast‑grade media transport standard designed for environments where every device runs in lockstep. It moves video, audio, and metadata as separate IP streams, all synchronised using PTP (Precision Time Protocol) for frame‑accurate switching, multi‑camera alignment, and deterministic behaviour in studios, OB trucks, and live galleries.

IPMX uses the same foundation but reshapes it for pro AV, where networks are less uniform, devices frequently change modes, and sources behave more like everyday HDMI/DisplayPort equipment. It retains the ST 2110 packet structure but adds flexibility, discovery tools, and content‑protection features broadcast systems never needed.

Rob Moodey, Manager, Strategic Partnerships at Matrox Video (an ISE 2027 exhibitor), explains: “IPMX extends ST 2110 beyond broadcast into live events and wider AV. It supports uncompressed and lightly compressed video, adds profiles for highly compressed AV workflows, incorporates HDCP, and offers simpler timing.”

What is ST2110 exactly?

ST 2110 is a suite of SMPTE standards for transporting professional media over IP, covering uncompressed and compressed video, audio, and ancillary data. Broadcast deployments typically use a subset defined by JT‑NM TR‑1001‑1, which ensures device interoperability – the version most broadcasters mean when they say “we run 2110.”

ST 2110 assumes:

A PTP‑synchronised environment
Static video formats
High‑bandwidth networks (10–25 GbE)
Uncompressed or lightly compressed video
Predictable, engineered behaviour

This makes it ideal for control rooms, master control, sports production, and any workflow requiring frame accuracy.

What IPMX adds

Developed by AIMS Alliance (which exhibits at ISE) with SMPTE, AMWA and the EBU, IPMX adapts ST 2110 for pro AV and introduces:

Flexible timing models

IPMX supports synchronous and asynchronous sources, with or without PTP. Cases that are normal in pro AV but would break a traditional ST 2110 workflow include a laptop unexpectedly changing resolution during a presentation, a display forcing the source to adopt its preferred video mode, or a device entering sleep state and stopping transmitting video even though it still appears connected.

IPMX uses RTCP sender reports to help receivers adapt quickly when formats change – something ST 2110 does not support because broadcast streams are expected to remain static.

HDCP support

Broadcast systems never handle protected content, but corporate AV does. IPMX adds HDCP‑equivalent protection so HDMI/DisplayPort sources can be transported securely.

Mandatory NMOS

IPMX requires NMOS, which is described by AMWA as the “special sauce” enabling connection, management, and control of IP devices from different manufacturers in a common, interoperable ecosystem. NMOS works with both ST 2110 and IPMX, locally or in the cloud.

Support for compressed video at practical bitrates

IPMX mandates JPEG XS, enabling visually lossless 4K over 1 GbE – the infrastructure most organisations already have.

Where each standard fits

ST 2110 is right for:

Broadcast studios
OB trucks
Live sports production
Master control rooms
High‑end facilities needing deterministic timing and uncompressed video

These environments justify expenditure on PTP clocks, engineered networks, and 10–25 GbE switching.

IPMX is primed for:

Corporate AV
Higher‑education lecture theatres
Control rooms and operations centres
Government and enterprise environments
Mixed IT/AV networks using standard 1 GbE switches

These spaces need flexibility, HDCP support, and plug‑and‑play behaviour – not broadcast‑grade rigidity.

Interoperability between them

Because IPMX is built on ST 2110, the two can interoperate:

IPMX devices can send ST 2110‑compatible flows
ST 2110 receivers can accept IPMX streams when formats match
NMOS provides a shared control plane
Asynchronous IPMX sources carry timing data that can be re‑aligned in strict ST 2110 environments

This allows broadcast facilities to run ST 2110 in production areas and IPMX in adjacent spaces such as meeting rooms, briefing centres, or control‑room extensions.

The ISE takeaway

A growing number of IPMX Certified solutions (there’s a full list here) are now coming to market, so look out for them at ISE! These span the complete signal chain from encoders to LED processing platforms. IPMX Certification gives integrators and end-users confidence of verified compliance.

In summary, ST 2110 is the broadcast standard: precise, rigid, and built for engineered networks. IPMX is the pro AV adaptation: flexible, discoverable, and designed for everyday IT infrastructure. Both share the same DNA but serve different worlds.

About the author

Adrian Pennington is a journalist, editor and copywriter with over two decades' experience specialising in the production, the technology, the business and the craft of the moving image. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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