SMPTE ST 2071-1:2012

This document is Part 1 of a series of documents that specify the concepts, data structures and operations required to control modern media devices. This document presents a platform agnostic model that can in turn be adapted to any protocol, platform and/or architecture, for the purpose of machine level control of media devices on Internet Protocol networks. Further documents in this series will supply protocol and platform specific adaptations of this model.

The Media Device Control (MDC) suite of standards addresses the low level, atomic operations needed to control media devices over the Internet Protocol, in a deterministic, low-latency manner. The MDC is designed to bridge the gap between workflow level interfaces and the physical hardware. MDC is intended for use on private networks, with sufficient bandwidth and bounded latency. While the control of devices over the Internet may be inherently supported, it is not recommended due to the uncontrolled nature of public networks.