NVIDIA Rivermax 1.5, the newest release of the IP-based video and data streaming library, includes key features and capabilities enabling performance boosts and quicker integrations.
In 2020, many of us adopted a work-from-home routine, and this new norm has been stressing IT networks. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the sudden boost in remote working drives the need for a more dynamic IT environment, one that can pull in resources on demand.
Over the past few years, we’ve focused on the Media & Entertainment (M&E) market, supporting the global industry as it evolves from proprietary SDI to cost-effective Ethernet/IP infrastructure solutions. NVIDIA technologies are enabling M&E to take the next transformational step toward cloud computing, while meeting compliance with the most stringent SMPTE ST-2110-21 specification requirements.
On the journey to modernize M&E network interconnect, we introduced NVIDIA Rivermax, an optimized, standard-compliant software library API for streaming data. Rivermax software runs on NVIDIA ConnectX-5 or later network adapters, enabling the use of common off-the-shelf (COTS) servers for streaming SD, HD, and up to Ultra-HD video flows. The Rivermax-ConnectX-5 adapter card combination also enables compliance with M&E specifications, such as the SMPTE 2110-21; reduces CPU utilization for video data streaming; and removes bottlenecks for the highest throughput. It can reach 82 Gbps of streamed video with a single CPU core.
As our partners have rolled out new Rivermax-based, full-IP solutions rigorously tested in their labs, we’re excited to share the fruits of these collaborative investments in Rivermax 1.5, the latest release of the streaming library. Rivermax 1.5 includes key features and capabilities enabling performance boosts and quicker integrations. One of these new features allows Rivermax-accelerated applications to stream not only video, audio, and ancillary data but other data stream formats as well, enabling Rivermax accelerations and CPU savings in many new markets and applications:
- Compressed video
- Healthcare imaging (DICOM-RTV)
- Cloud gaming
- Autonomous car sensor streaming (video/LiDAR/RADAR)
- And more
Another good piece of news is that Rivermax 1.5 recently passed the JT-NM Tested program (March 16 – 20, 2020), allowing for integration and interoperability with multiple other market vendors.
Rivermax 1.5 release contents
The Rivermax 1.5 release contains the following updates and features:
- Virtualized Rivermax over vmware ESXi and Linux OpenStack (currently in beta-level support)
- Rivermax API updates:
- Replaced TX pause API with a flag to commit API
- Changed structure of in-buffer attributes
- Changed function signature of in-query buffer API
- New 802.1Q VLAN tagging support
- New SDK code examples:
- Media sender:
- Real video content, interlace, 59.94, 29.97
- Media receiver:
- GPU-CUDA support for color space conversion (from YCBCR to RGB): Display or playback a video stream on screen or through X11 SSH
- Interlace video formats
- 2022-7 Rx SW sample code to get you started quickly on software implementation of 2022-7, which will be offloaded to ConnectX-6 Dx hardware with future releases
- Media sender:
- Generic API (beta version): For streaming any type of data. Get all the goodies of Rivermax, like traffic shaping (accurate packet pacing), high bandwidth for any type of UDP-based data stream with low CPU utilization and supporting both Linux and Windows.
- Introduce Rivermax for Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx in beta-level support over Linux OS (with feature parity to ConnectX-5)
- NVIDIA-Jetson platform software image (as presented at IBC2019)
- Based on Rivermax 1.5 release
- Demos running Rivermax on NVIDIA-Jetson platform
- Includes sender and receiver examples
- GPU is integrated with the Media_receiver for both CSC and on-screen rendering
- AnalyzeX (SMPTE ST2110-20 verification software) while running video viewers
Want to discuss Rivermax? Comment below or reach out to your local account/support team.
Here’s to seeing you at the next M&E show!