Keeping Time with Precision Time Protocol (PTP)

 

Throughout the ages, time has been a critical component to be quantified. Early sundials, water clocks, and mechanical pendulums once marked the passage of time. Today, quartz watches and the atomic clock measure time with far better precision.

Time plays a critical role in a broadcast facility, ensuring accurate switching of program material. The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides precise timing information across the world, and both timecode and video synchronization can be derived from that data. Video synchronization is typically achieved either with analog black burst or with tri-level sync signals carried as a reference signal throughout the facility, locked from a GPS reference to maintain synchronization from facility to facility worldwide.

The transition of video networks to IP infrastructure requires new methods of providing synchronization. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is used within computer systems for maintaining timing within the network, but this protocol does not provide the accuracy needed for video systems. To address this problem, IEEE 1588 and SMPTE 2059 standards provide a method for synchronization of video within an IP infrastructure.

In this presentation, Mike Waidson, application engineer at Tektronix, will discuss this new methodology and the requirements for achieving synchronization with the Precision Time Protocol (PTP/IEEE-1588) across the network. New techniques and different synchronization topologies will be required within a hybrid IP and SDI facility to keep all devices timed. Waidson will examine ways to monitor the health of the PTP system and to troubleshoot problems within the network.

 

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Guest Speaker: Mike Waidson

Educated in England, he received a B.Sc. Hons. in Communications Engineering from the University of Kent at Canterbury. Initially Michael worked for consumer electronics manufacturer of consumer television sets in the digital video department working on advanced television receiver design, before moving to various broadcast equipment manufacturers. At Tektronix as an Application Engineer for the last twenty years within the Product Line, he has provided support on the video measurement products from analog to digital to HD and now IP.