Performance Analysis of PTP-Aware Network Switches in SMPTE ST 2110 Media Networks: A Comparative Study of Boundary and Transparent Clock Implementations

Défense de mémoire de Kouakou Kouadio

We investigated how different PTP (Precision Time Protocol) modes and switch configurations affect synchronization performance in SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based broadcast networks. Our research focused on three PTP modes: Disabled (NoPTP), Transparent Clock (TC), and Boundary Clock (BC). We evaluated synchronization accuracy by measuring T1 and T4 time errors across various configurations and numbers of switches.

The results show that Boundary Clock mode consistently provided the highest synchronization accuracy, with low and stable errors even as the number of switches increased. Transparent Clock mode improved synchronization over the Disabled mode, but errors accumulated with each additional switch. We also found that homogeneous configurations, where all switches operate in the same PTP mode, outperformed mixed configurations involving non-PTP switches.

Our findings highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate PTP mode and the placement of PTP-aware switches to optimize synchronization in SMPTE ST 2110 networks. We recommend using Boundary Clock mode in homogeneous configurations for networks requiring precise synchronization. When this is not feasible, it is crucial to have a sufficient number of PTP-aware switches strategically placed throughout the network.

Keywords : SMPTE ST 2110, SMPTE ST 2059-2, PTP, IEEE 1588, Media Over IP, Time Accuracy, Network Performance

Contact : Isabelle Daelman - isabelle.daelman@unamur.be
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