VSF RIST Activity Group adds new features to RIST with the release of Main Profile

RIST Main Profile adds security, authentication, and many other functions 

April 9, 2020 – The Video Services Forum (VSF) announces the release of Technical Recommendation TR-06-2:2020 entitled “Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) Protocol Specification – Main Profile.” RIST Main Profile builds on top of the low-latency, reliable Internet delivery of RIST Simple Profile (TR-06-01, released in 2018), adding features such as support for in-band data, encryption, authentication, and bandwidth optimization. It also adds support for high bitrate streams, making it possible to use RIST for uncompressed or lightly compressed content. 

This new VSF Technical Recommendation is freely available at https://vsf.tv/technical_recommendations.shtml for all to download and to use. 

Whenever possible, RIST Main Profile is built on top of existing RFCs and Standards to ease implementation. This is especially important for encryption and authentication, since the use of proven, widely implemented technologies greatly improves the security of the solution. 

“Main Profile RIST provides critical encryption and security capabilities that work across multiple vendors, enabling high-quality, live video broadcasting using standard Internet connections. As media companies seek to produce content from an ever-multiplying range of new locations, RIST offers a flexible set of capabilities while allowing content to be easily shared across terrestrial and cloud platforms,” said VSF President Richard Friedel, EVP, Engineering, FOX Television Stations (FTS). 

Cobalt, DVEO, Evertz, Net Insight, Nevion, QVidium, VideoFlow and Zixi participated in a successful demonstration of Main Profile at IBC 2019. This demo was followed by an in-depth interoperability test in February by many of the same vendors, culminating in a live, trans-oceanic demonstration conducted at the VidTrans 2020 conference (February 25-27) at the Marina Del Rey Marriott, Los Angeles, CA. 

“Because RIST is both open-spec and open-source, literally any organization can implement a compatible solution. The new features of RIST Main Profile provide an unmatched set of capabilities that give users the ability to operate and control every stream with unprecedented reliability, flexibility and security,” said Mr. Wes Simpson, President, Telecom Product Consulting and co-chair of the RIST Activity Group within the VSF. 

The VSF RIST Activity Group continues to work on adding functionality to RIST. Work on the new Enhanced Profile has started, to bring in features including auto-configuration, adaptive encoding, support for satellite links, and others. 

About The Video Services Forum 

Founded in 1997, the Video Services Forum (VSF) is an international association composed of service providers, users, and manufacturers dedicated to interoperability, quality metrics and education for video networking technologies. The organization's activities include providing forums to identify issues involving the development, engineering, installation, testing and maintenance of video networking technologies; exchanging non-proprietary information to promote the development of video networking technology and to foster the resolution of issues common to the video services industry; promoting interoperability by contributing to and supporting development of standards by national and international standards bodies. Visit VSF online at http://www.videoservicesforum.org. 

Bob Ruhl 
VSF Operations Manager 
bob.ruhl1@verizon.net 
609-410-6767