AIMS appoints board and Working Group chairs

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has appointed its board and the chairs and deputy chairs for its newly formed marketing and technical working groups. The board comprises three directors, Chairman Michael Cronk (SVP, Strategic Marketing, Grass Valley), Vice-Chairman Steve Reynolds (CTO, Imagine Communications) and Financial Officer Andreas Hilmer (director of marketing & communications, Lawo).

Following their appointment, the board in turn has appointed Kerry Wheeles (CTO – Networking, Imagine Communications) as Chair of the AIMS Technical Working Group, and Scott Barella (CTO, 5280 Broadcast) as Deputy Chair.

In inaugurating the AIMS Marketing Working Group, the board has appointed Andy Warman (Director, Production and Playout Strategy and Market Development, Harmonic) to the position of Chair and Roger Sherwood (Digital Content & Media Solutions Business Development, Cisco) as Deputy Chair.

AIMS’ efforts will be focused on promoting the adoption, standardisation, development and refinement of open protocols for media over IP, with an initial emphasis on VSF TR-03 and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6 and AES67. Broadcasters and other media companies are seeking to leverage IP to increase the flexibility of their networks, help streamline workflows and improve agility to better compete in a rapidly evolving ecosystem. Open standards are the key to protecting current investments and ensuring long-term interoperability.

Open standards work for the IP transition is already underway by the 74-member Video Services Forum (VSF), with the support of organisations such as SMPTE and the EBU. AIMS endorses the work of the VSF and will continue to lend support in the development of a standard approach to IP; more than 30 broadcast equipment suppliers and broadcasters were involved in the development of VSF TR-03 and companies are actively testing and validating it today.