How to Set Up ST 2110 (SMPTE 2110) Inputs and Outputs

How to Set Up ST 2110 (SMPTE 2110) Inputs and Outputs

SMPTE ST 2110 lets you send and receive uncompressed video and audio over IP using NVIDIA Rivermax and Mellanox ConnectX network adapters. Use it when you need broadcast-grade, low-latency transport between Backstage and other ST 2110 devices on your network.

Before you start

• NVIDIA/Mellanox ConnectX NIC installed (ConnectX-5 or newer recommended)
• NVIDIA Rivermax SDK and driver installed (Backstage loads rivermax.dll at runtime — ST 2110 features are unavailable without it)
• ConnectX NIC has an IP address assigned on the ST 2110 media network
• PTP clock configured and locked to a grandmaster (or running as grandmaster) — see Configure PTP below
• Network switches configured for IGMP snooping and multicast routing
• An SDP file from the sending device, or the multicast IP, port, and stream parameters known

Steps

1. Verify Rivermax is available

Launch Backstage. If Rivermax is installed correctly, the Rivermax Networking options appear in the Assets window under Capture Input. If you see an orange warning message "Rivermax not available (rivermax.dll not found)" when opening an ST 2110 asset, the Rivermax SDK is not installed or the DLL is not on the system path.

2. Configure PTP synchronization

ST 2110 requires PTP (IEEE 1588v2) time synchronization. Open Settings and expand PTP settings.

1. Set the NIC to your ConnectX adapter (or check Use Sync NIC if the Sync NIC is already set to the ConnectX).

2. Set the Timing profile. Use SMPTE for broadcast ST 2110 environments. Use AES67 for AES67 audio-centric networks.

3. Set the Domain to match your PTP grandmaster domain (default: 127 for SMPTE ST 2059, or as specified by your facility).

4. Wait for the PTP clock to lock. The status should show Slave (locked to grandmaster) or Master if this server is the grandmaster.

3. Create an ST 2110 capture asset (input)

In the Assets window, right-click (or use the + button) in the Capture Input section and select Add Rivermax Networking Card. Two options appear:

• From SDP File... — browse to an SDP file. All stream parameters (multicast IP, port, resolution, frame rate, pixel format, colorimetry) are filled in automatically.

• Manual Configuration — creates a blank ST 2110 asset. You configure each parameter yourself.

Select the new asset in Assets. The Inspector shows the ST2110 Receive section with all stream settings.

4. Select the NIC

In the ST2110 Receive section, use the NIC IP dropdown to select the ConnectX network adapter that is connected to the ST 2110 media network. The dropdown only shows NICs that Rivermax can use.

5. Configure the stream (manual mode)

If you used an SDP file, these fields are pre-filled. Otherwise, enter:

• Multicast IP — the multicast group address of the incoming stream (e.g. 239.1.0.1)

• Port — the UDP destination port

• Source IP (SSM) — optional source-specific multicast filter (the IP of the sender)

• Width and Height — stream resolution

• FPS — frame rate (e.g. 59.94)

• Pixel Format — must match the sender exactly

• Colorimetry — color space of the incoming stream

6. Use SAP discovery (optional)

Backstage listens for SAP (Session Announcement Protocol) announcements on the network. If senders are advertising their streams via SAP, discovered streams appear in the SAP Discovered Streams list inside the ST2110 Receive section. Select a discovered stream and click Use Selected to auto-fill all parameters from its SDP. The local NIC IP and CPU core settings are preserved.

7. Connect the stream

Click Connect at the bottom of the ST2110 Receive section. The status indicator changes:

• Green Receiving — stream is active and frames are arriving

• Yellow Connecting — waiting for first frame

• Grey Disconnected or No Signal — no packets arriving (check network and sender)

Once receiving, use the asset like any other capture input — place it as an Event on a Sequence Channel, or assign it as a Default Asset on a Surface.

8. Configure audio (ST 2110-30)

If the stream includes audio, expand Audio (ST2110-30) in the Inspector and enable Audio Enabled. Configure the sample rate, channel count, and bit depth to match the sender. Audio is delivered through the same PushStream mechanism used by NDI inputs.

Options explained

ST 2110 Receive (Input Asset)

PTP Timing Profiles

Common Mistakes

• Black or frozen image even though status shows Receiving — The pixel format or resolution does not match the sender. ST 2110 does not negotiate formats; both sides must be configured identically. Check Width, Height, Pixel Format, and FPS against the sender's configuration. Using an SDP file avoids this entirely.

• Status stays at Connecting or No Signal — Multicast traffic is not reaching the NIC. Verify: (1) the correct NIC IP is selected, (2) the sender is transmitting to the expected multicast group, (3) network switches have IGMP snooping enabled and the multicast route exists between sender and receiver.

• "Rivermax not available" warning — The Rivermax SDK is not installed, or rivermax.dll is not on the system PATH. Install the NVIDIA Rivermax SDK and verify the ConnectX NIC is recognized by the Rivermax driver.

• Frames dropping / tearing — PTP is not locked or the PTP domain/profile is mismatched. Open Settings > PTP settings and confirm the clock shows Slave or Master state, not Listening or Uncalibrated. Also check that Timing profile matches the facility standard (SMPTE for broadcast).

• Wrong NIC selected — If the server has multiple NICs, the ST 2110 media network NIC must be selected in both the PTP settings and the asset's NIC IP dropdown. Using the management network NIC will not work.

Tips

• Always use SDP files when available. They eliminate manual configuration errors and are the standard way to exchange stream parameters in ST 2110 facilities.

• Use SAP discovery to find streams automatically. Backstage listens for SAP announcements on the network and shows discovered streams directly in the asset Inspector.

• Pin the receive thread to a dedicated CPU core (Receive CPU Core) for high-bandwidth streams (4K and above) to reduce jitter.

• The statistics section at the bottom of the ST2110 Receive panel shows frames received, packets received, and packets dropped. Use it to verify stream health.

• For Source-Specific Multicast (SSM), always set the Source IP (SSM) field. This reduces unwanted multicast traffic on the NIC by filtering at the IGMP level.

Related

Supported Capture Hardware — Full list of supported capture input types, including Rivermax.

Receive an NDI Stream — Similar workflow for NDI input if you need IP video without Rivermax hardware.

Sync to Timecode (LTC) — How to receive and send LTC timecode for synchronization.

Settings — Settings reference, including PTP configuration details.