Grass Valley is positioning SDI, SMPTE ST 2110 and the Media eXchange Layer as parts of one managed infrastructure rather than separate migration stages. Its IBC2026 setup centres on the Altair router and software-defined processing connected through common control and monitoring.
The announced Altair configuration supports a 160x160 12G-SDI matrix with 16 integrated multiviewers. ACE-3901-IO and GIRD functions provide gateway and processing options, while Kaleido-IP X and NMOS-aware orchestration extend the design into IP and software environments.
Why it matters
Most broadcasters cannot replace an entire facility at once. A credible hybrid layer lets existing SDI equipment remain productive while new ST 2110 and containerised functions are added where they make sense. The practical test is whether timing, labels, alarms and redundancy remain coherent across all three domains.
What still needs checking
The release gives architecture and capacity highlights but not a full tested scale, power profile, failover timing or pricing for a complete deployed system.
