SMPTE ST 2110 is the broadcast industry's "we are leaving SDI behind" standard. It carries video (ST 2110-20), audio (ST 2110-30) and ancillary metadata (ST 2110-40) as independent RTP streams with precise PTP-based timing (ST 2110-10), so that an editor or switcher can recombine them in any combination. ST 2110-21 specifies the traffic-shaping rules so a 10 GbE link can carry a 3 Gbps uncompressed HD or 12 Gbps UHD stream without bursty drops.
ST 2110 is the foundation of modern broadcast facilities — BBC, NHK, Sky, Discovery and most tier-1 broadcasters built their newest studios on it. The advantage over SDI is the same as NDI's, but at higher quality: separate streams instead of one fixed bundle, fully uncompressed video, PTP-locked sync across the whole facility, and use of standard Ethernet switches and IP routing. Unlike NDI, ST 2110 demands very capable network gear — 25/100 GbE switches with deep buffers and PTP-aware queues — which is why it sits at the very high end.
ST 2110 does not leave the building. It assumes guaranteed bandwidth, microsecond-precise sync and zero packet loss — properties of a well-engineered LAN, not of the public internet. For going from a ST 2110 studio out to viewers, the chain is ST 2110 → compress → SRT/RIST for contribution → cloud → distribution. Most broadcasters operate ST 2110 inside the studio and SRT or RIST for everything that leaves it.
