What is NMOS?

NMOS

Find out how NMOS (Networked Media Open Specifications) standardizes device discovery and connection in IP-based broadcast environments. Discover how Nevion leverages NMOS to enable interoperable, multi-vendor media networks for seamless and scalable operations.

NMOS is an open set of specifications enabling discovery, control, and interoperability of media devices over IP infrastructures like SMPTE ST 2110 networks.

 

NMOS—Networked Media Open Specifications—is a family of open, royalty-free API standards developed by AMWA (Advanced Media Workflow Association) to facilitate interoperability and control in professional media-over-IP environments. At the heart of NMOS are IS‑04 (Discovery & Registration), which automates device discovery and resource registration via HTTP/REST and optional DNS‑SD, and IS‑05 (Connection Management), which provides a standard, transport-agnostic way to connect media senders to receivers—supporting staged workflows, SDP transport metadata, and versioned activation. Together, these specs eliminate manual device configuration and Wi-Fi coding, promoting scalable, multi-vendor IP media networks.

What Nevion Does

Nevion integrates NMOS into its orchestration and control toolkit to power flexible, multi-vendor media networks:

  • VideoIPath, Nevion’s SDN-based orchestration platform, includes a built-in NMOS RDS (Registry & Discovery Server) to onboard and register NMOS‑compliant devices via IS‑04, while also controlling media path connections using IS‑05—either in combination with device-specific drivers or standalone.

  • Since 2019, VideoIPath supports acting as an IS‑04 registry to detect and catalog devices, and using IS‑05 to orchestrate actual media connections between senders and receivers—even bridging NMOS and non-NMOS environments seamlessly Nevion.

Earlier iterations of Nevion’s orchestration software, such as Maestro, also supported NMOS standards, demonstrating Nevion’s long-term commitment to open interoperability.

Benefits & Advantages of NMOS

  • Plug‑and‑play deployment: Automated discovery replaces static IP lists and manual setup.

  • Vendor neutrality / Interoperability: NMOS is open and widely supported, eliminating lock-in.

  • Scalability: Large-scale deployments—e.g., registering thousands of nodes—can be completed in minutes.

  • Flexible control: Supports bulk, delayed, or immediate connections across RTP, WebSocket, MQTT, and more.

  • Version-aware efficiency: Versioning reduces command churn and unnecessary polling.

  • Standards alignment: NMOS is part of JT‑NM, EBU, and broader ST 2110 ecosystems, promoting future-proof deployments.

 

Comparison with Legacy & Other Technologies

ApproachDescriptionProsCons
NMOS IS‑04 + IS‑05Open standards for discovery and connection over IPScalable, interoperable, industry-backed standardsRequires devices/controllers to implement NMOS
Software-Defined Orchestration (e.g., VideoIPath)NMOS-enabled orchestration with SDN & automationHighly scalable, multi-protocol, flexibleRequires orchestration infrastructure

Common Questions

Q: How do IS-04 and IS-05 differ?

  • IS‑04 handles discovery and registration—e.g., devices announcing senders, receivers, flows.

  • IS‑05 handles connection logic—e.g., staging and activating media paths.

Together, they automate setup end-to-end in IP media networks.

Q: Can NMOS work over WAN or cloud?
Yes—NMOS controllers can operate across networks, and orchestration tools like VideoIPath support multi-site and cloud-integrated connections Nevion.

Q: What about security?
Security is addressed via BCP‑003‑01 (TLS), authorization standards like IS‑10, and controlled environments. These best practices are increasingly adopted in NMOS deployments.

Further reading

Nevion Resources: