Technology Partners
The following companies have supported Q3 Media Training in some way for which we would like to say a big THANK-YOU!
Telestream
Every broadcast engineer will have sat in front of a Tektronix waveform monitor at some point – They were the leading manufacturer of Test & Measurement and SPGs (Sync Pulse Generators) hardware for video through the Analogue, SDI, HD-SDI and 3G-SDI eras. We have lots of Tektronix gear – with at least 1 old bit of kit in each of our 3 demo racks.
In 2019 Tektronix sold its video products division to Telestream. Their PRISM range is the evolution from the Tektronix waveform monitors and rasterises of old. In 2026 Telestream have very kindly loan us a PRISM MPI2-25 waveform monitor – capable of analysing SDI and SMPTE 2110 signals upto UHD resolution.
This is a fantastic bit of kit to have access to for demonstrations and hands-on activities so it meant we didn’t want it to be captive in rack. However, the unit was intended to be rack-mounted and no portable case/shell was available – so we’ve printed our own out of bright Pink PLA! And of course, to protect such a valuable bit of kit in-transit it now has it’s own dedicated Pelican case #PinkPELI #PinkPRISM. We’ve also managed to find a fold-up shelf to raise up the monitor allowing the PRISM to sit perfectly underneath!
Bluebell Opticom
Bluebell Opticom Ltd is a UK based who’ve been designing and manufacturing fibre optic equipment since 1994.
They now offer a range of devices supporting SMPTE 2110 based on the Embrionix SoC.
We currently have a BN880 unit on loan for use in our main IP demo rack – but have intentionally kept it loose so it can be used in courses requiring more hands on practicals with 2110 hardware. The device is conceptually very similar to the Riedel Fusion 3 unit that has been the heart of our demo system for some time – they both use Riedel’s MNSet application for device management & configuration. Importantly though, Bluebell has added a gigabit control network port for out-of-band NMOS and also the ability to connect to it over USB to configure IP settings directly (i.e. without having a network connection to it!).
Like all Bluebell products it gets 12V power via a 4-pin XLR connector – if you look at the Riedel Fusion you’ll notice I’ve cable-tied it to a 1RU ventilation panel specifically to avoid stress on their much smaller and more fragile power connector.
Netgear AV
Everyone knows Netgear, and we’ve used their low-cost basic and semi-managed switches for years on courses and in our own office! But in recent years their AV division has set it’s sights on expanding into the major leagues of SMPTE 2110 (a timely move with the introduction of IPMX).
Their M4350-16V4C network switch now sits proudly at the heart of our IP demo rack. We’ve run some ‘free’ training for their UK team in return to help them better understand broadcast industry & technology. To sweeten the deal (for us) they also sourced some PlusOptic QSFP28>SFP28 and QSFP+>SFP+ breakout cables to make better use of the 4x 100G ports on the unit (thanks again Kieran!).
The M4350 supports both PTP Transparent Clock AND Boundary Clock modes, giving us the flexibility to experiment with and demonstrate PTP distribution in more ways.
To those who ask why it’s not an Arista switch in there – we do have 3 old 10/40G Arista 7150S switches for use in practical 2110 courses – but they are heavier and louder. I’m told the more recent 25G ones are even louder still. Apart from when it’s booting the Netgear M4350 is barely noticeable and perfectly fine to have running in a classroom.
Meinberg
Founded in Germany in 1979, Meinberg know everything there is to know about synchronising systems to time.
Until SMPTE 2110 came along, they were not a well known name in broadcasting, but their PTP Grandmaster units are the beating heart of many 2110 installations.
Meinberg have kindly donated a microSync-XS unit for use in the IP demo rack – possibly the smallest PTP Grandmaster available with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a Meinberg unit. When the rack is in the office it’s connected to a GPS antenna that’s even bigger than the unit itself! As the unit is so small it can be removed easily and use stand-alone to support in practical networking courses.
We also make use of their popular PTP Track Hound software on our TR1001 IP Media Networks course and have provided a Pro licence to run on a Raspberry Pi in our IP Demo rack to provide continuous PTP monitoring.
IntoPix
Headquartered in Belgium, IntoPix are experts in video processing, image compression and more. In recent years they have become a big player in the broadcast market thanks to JPEG-XS, which is a key component in many 2110 and IPMX systems. IntoPix hold key patents for JPEG-XS which was an evolution of their earlier TIC-XS codec. They also provide licensing for IP cores, SDKs, and software implementations.
In 2025 they launched Titanium Apps, a software solution for interfacing with 2110/IPMX systems using JPEG-XS. They have kindly provided us licences which can be used in training, allowing attendees on our popular 2110 courses to generate and receive 2110-22 video and 2110-30 streams directly from their own laptops over a gigabit network with NMOS discovery and control.
Matrox Video
Matrox are specialists in video processing hardware. Less well-known are their OEM platforms which are powering many broadcast systems from production through to playout.
Matrox have kindly loaned us two ConvertIP units (SDI<>IP and HDMI<>IP) which work with both SMPTE 2110 and IPMX. We also have their amazing ConductIP control platform which provides easy NMOS routing functions within our IP demo rack.
We’ve been so impressed with these boxes we’re investing in acquiring more units to support our expanding equipment pool of equipment to support more hands-on 2110 training.
Arista
Since the introduction of SMPTE 2110 in 2017 (and long before), Arista have been a key player providing networking solutions, driving development of the standards/specifications, and helping to educate the industry about networking technology (not just pushing their own solutions). Their MCS control layer has been specifically designed for managing high-performance media networks supporting live TV/Broadcast signals.
Special thanks to Gerrard Philips who has always been supportive in helping us to understand 2110 and how networks handle multicast. Go watch him present all about networking for 2110 on YouTube now! He has further supported by donating an older 7150S Switch (10G/40G PTP Boundary Clock capable).
We’ve since bought a couple more 7150S switches allowing us to create a mini leaf-spine topology that can be used in practical 2110 courses and in testing PTP distribution/stability. They’re interesting switches as they are super low-latency in their packet forwarding.
InSync Technology
InSync are leaders in video standards and format conversion. They have kindly loaned us one of their IP-enabled MCC-HD units which has proven a great way to demonstrate some of the challenges for handling format changes in a SMPTE 2110 systems which relies on details passed in SDP only when a connection is first established.
Thankfully one of their selling points is low-power which helps keep the temps and noise low in our mobile rack!
Riedel Communications
Riedel are well known for their talkback systems, but following their acquisition of Embrionix at the start of 2020 they are also an important player in the word of #IPVideo.
The Embrionix products continue to be available to OEM partners but have also evolved into new off-the-shelf products under the new MediorNet FusioN range.
We currently have a Fusion 3 unit on loan demonstrating bi-directional IP<>SDI conversion with redundant 2022-7 connectivity in our IP Demo rack.
TAG Video Systems
TAG Video Systems is the world leader in 100% software based integrated IP Multiviewing, Probing and Monitoring solutions.
Their software (provided for training use by TAG) can be found in the new IP/UHD Rack of the #BigPinkDemoKit enabling us to demonstrate receiving/monitoring of both uncompressed (SMPTE ST 2110) and compressed signals (albeit in rather underpowered hardware – we tried upgrading but the server was just too noisy so we stuck with the old Xeon server that’s over 10 years old!).
Leader Phabrix
Phabrix are (were) a UK based manufacturer of video test & measurement equipment. Their popular range of hand-held devices can be found in most broadcast facilities across the globe!
Phabrix were acquired by Leader (Japanese T&M Manufacturer) in 2019, though they continued for some time as a distinct brand. The Phabrix name name will always remain synonymous with their original portable units!
Q3 made a significant investment into our IP demo kit in early 2023 with the purchase of a Phabrix QxL unit (see news coverage here). In addition to SMPTER 2110 over 25G our unit also supports 12G-SDI including EYE measurement. Thankfully we were supported in this with a significant discount, and Phabrix also provided additional upgrades to our existing Phabrix RX500 unit that resides in our HD Demo Kit.
Phabrix played important role in the development of both SMPTE 2110 and NMOS and their QxL and QxP platform remains one of the most powerful test & measurement devices available – they take some learning to get the best use out of them but it’s worth the effort!
In early 2025 we further invested in purchasing a Portable SxE unit (again with some significant discount) which gets used a lot in hands-on practicals on the Broadcast Engineering Essentials course as well as proving a very useful devices for various testing around SDI>2110>SDI processing (latency measument and handling of non-sync and sync sources with V-phase offset).
Densitron
You may not have heard of them – but chances are you’ve looked at one of their displays! Many popular broadcast products use embedded display screens made by Densitron. Their IDS intelligent signage solution is also seen in most UK broadcast facilities outside and inside live production and other facilities.
They have provided a loan unit of their ProDek 24 – a flexible control surface which has an embedded PC. Our first use of this has been as a monitoring dashboard and routing control surface for our IP demo rack – performing SDI and NMOS routing on the same panel via Bitfocus Buttons. We plan to extend this to work in a similar way when connected to the SDI demo system (but that’ll require more time with ChatGPT to get that done!). The beauty of the platform is that it’s just a PC so if you can dream it, you can probably do it! This is certainly an upgrade from a simple StreamDeck!
DekTec
DekTec have a long history of supporting OEM partners with SDI and ASI interface cards, they now also have 2110 cards too which work with their powerful SDK.
They have supported us by providing a loan FantASI unit and StreamXpert software to support training covering topics of MPEG Transport Streams and DVB.
TSL Products
TSL are specialists in Audio, Control and Power Management across Media & Entertainment and wider markets. You’ll find their equipment in broadcast facilities across the globe and also in our #BigPinkDemoKit.
Our SD Demo rack includes an old TSL Audio Monitor featuring PPM metering supporting Analogue, AES and SDI (Despite it being old – it even connects via Dante IP Audio Dante thanks to an external module!).
Our HD Demo Rack includes TSL PAM1-Mk2 unit provided by TSL.
All our racks use TSL’s Intelligent Power Distribution Units (PDUs – a.k.a. MDUs). Also provided by TSL This allows us to demonstrate the importance of power Management but also individually control power to units when operating the demo kit remotely.
SRI International
Video can be complicated, especially with the move to UHD and HDR formats. SRI International (Sarnoff) specialise in producing test signals which help media professionals understand and identify what they are seeing allowing confidence that the signal path and associated monitoring is working as expected.
Q3 Media Training have access to the full range of Sarnoff test signals and use them in both the HD Rack and IP/UHD Rack (part of the #BigPinkDemoKit).
The Sarnoff Visualizer (forgive the spelling, they’re from the US!) is an all-in-one test pattern that’s many generations evolved beyond the old BBC Test Card! You can see some of the features and how it can be used and other SRI signals on this YouTube playlist: SRI Sarnoff Video Test & Measurement.
Elecard
You may not have heard of them – but you’ll likely find Elecard codecs built into many software elements across the broadcast chain. What they don’t know about Codecs isn’t worth knowing – and with the StreamEye Analysis Tool (extended demo licences provided by Elecard) we are able to support our training on compression topics with real-world examples.
More…
If you’d like to discuss supporting us please get in touch via info@q3media.co.uk.
We are constantly growing our demonstration equipment and have a wide range of broadcast systems (vendors aren’t mentioned here as most other equipment has been purchased commercially).
If you have some old equipment which you think would be useful to us, please do get in touch!
Support may include loan equipment, trial software licences, explanatory collateral or some other way of sharing expertise.
Working with these partners allows us to make our training offering better so we would like to say a very big THANK-YOU!