JPEG XS-based live productions at the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup have already demonstrated how high-quality transmission with ultra-low latency can take television production to a new level. Live streams were transmitted over Ethernet using JPEG XS, eliminating time-consuming and resource-intensive transcoding steps.

From Live to Post: Standards-Compliant Workflows Without Transcoding

The standardized JPEG XS video codec is designed for visually lossless transmission at ultra-low latency and has already proven itself in large-scale live production environments. The joinXS post-production suite carries this approach into downstream production stages: existing JPEG XS streams can be ingested, recorded, reviewed and archived without being transcoded for individual process steps. And it preserves signal quality until archiving or postproduction while reducing computing requirements and processing time.

“With joinXS, we are systematically extending the benefits of JPEG XS to post-production and archiving,” explains Stephanie Hofmann, Head of the Media Production Tools Group at Fraunhofer IIS. “Professional users can process high-resolution content from capture through long-term storage in a continuous, real-time-capable workflow using one codec.”

joinXS – The Production Suite for ST 2110 and IPMX

To this end, the software specialists at Fraunhofer IIS developed two essential tools: a software recorder designed for Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) streams in accordance with IETF RFC 9134. Full integration of the open Networked Media Open Specifications (NMOS) IS-04/05 interface standards ensures seamless device discovery and connection management. This means that professional video and audio equipment from a wide range of manufacturers can be automatically discovered, connected and controlled in IP-based production environments. The video streams are stored as SMPTE ST 2124 MXF files together with the corresponding XML metadata. Developed for ST 2110 and IPMX environments, the JPEG XS Recorder provides reliable processing from live IP production through post-production and archiving.

The JPEG XS Player enables recorded content to be reviewed directly from professional interchange files—MXF files containing JPEG XS-compressed video streams—without transcoding or format conversion. The player takes advantage of JPEG XS scalability to provide fast previews at native or reduced resolution. Additional tools are currently under development and will expand the joinXS production suite in the coming months.

easyDCP GmbH to Handle Distribution and Delivery

With easyDCP GmbH, Fraunhofer IIS has gained an established partner to bring joinXS to market. The easyDCP GmbH will coordinate distribution, delivery and customer access, while Fraunhofer IIS continues to drive the suite’s technological development. The collaboration combines application-focused software delivery with many years of research and development in professional media technologies.

“Under the joinXS brand, we offer media companies a reliable entry point into end-to-end, standards-compliant JPEG XS workflows,” says Thea Kummeth, Managing Director of easyDCP GmbH. “Together with Fraunhofer IIS, we will continuously expand the application portfolio and thereby support the migration of professional broadcast and post-production environments to IP-based architectures.”