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Power Consumption: SDI Video Paths vs. ST 2110 / IP Transport
How much power does a single SD-SDI, HD-SDI, 4K, 8K, or 8K @ 120fps video path consume? Here's a practical engineering comparison including transceivers and ST 2110 realities.
| Signal Path | Data Rate | Typical Active Path Power | Notes / Transceiver Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD-SDI | 270 Mb/s | ~0.5–2 W | Very low power |
| HD-SDI | 1.5 Gb/s | ~1–3 W | Standard low-power path |
| 3G-SDI | 3 Gb/s | ~1.5–4 W | |
| 4K over 12G-SDI | 12 Gb/s | ~2.5–6 W | 12G-SDI SFP modules typically <2–3W |
| 8K over quad 12G-SDI | 4 × 12G | ~10–24 W | Multiple links + optics |
| 8K/120 uncompressed (IP/2110 equivalent) | ~96G to 200G+ | ~25–80+ W per path (transport) | Heavy optics, switching, processing |
Transceiver Power Consumption Examples
- 12G-SDI SFP: Typically 1.5–3 W
- 100G QSFP28: 3.5–4.5 W (common), up to ~5–7 W for some optics
- 400G QSFP-DD / OSFP: 7–15 W typical; some ZR modules up to 20 W per module
- High-power optical modules: Can dominate total path consumption in IP systems
Modern high-speed optics (especially long-reach or coherent) add significant thermal load.
ST 2110 / IP Power Considerations
- Switch ports: 3–12+ W per 25/100G port (varies by switch; data center switches often higher than SDI routers)
- FPGA/NIC cards: Efficient hardware offload (low CPU use), but port + processing adds watts
- System-level: IP fabrics can consume more per equivalent "path" due to redundancy, PTP, NMOS, and multicast routing overhead
- Advantage: One high-speed link can carry multiple essence streams (video + audio + data)
2110 shifts power from dedicated SDI gear to shared Ethernet infrastructure — often more scalable but requires careful thermal planning.
Real-World SDI Reference:
An AJA 12GDA 1x6 reclocking 12G-SDI distribution amplifier consumes ~3 W total. It supports SD/HD/3G/6G/12G-SDI — excellent order-of-magnitude benchmark for a small active SDI path.
For 8K/120fps, transport typically moves away from traditional SDI into multiple 12G links, 100G/200G/400G Ethernet, compressed
Power Consumption Estimate: OB Truck with 36 × 4K60 Uncompressed Sources in ST 2110 Spine-Leaf
Important: The estimates below cover only the core 2110 network fabric and processing (switches, PTP, NMOS control, etc.). They do not include power for sources (cameras, encoders) or receivers (monitors, multiviewers, mixers, recorders).
Bandwidth Baseline
- Single uncompressed 4K UHD @ 60fps: ~12 Gbps (video essence only).
- 36 Sources: 36 × 12 Gbps = 432 Gbps raw video.
- With hitless redundancy (duplicated flows on two parallel networks): ~864 Gbps total video traffic.
- Plus audio (AES67), metadata, PTP, NMOS, and multicast overhead: Estimated total fabric load 950–1,300+ Gbps.
| Component | Estimated Power (Core 2110 Only) |
|---|---|
| Network Switching Fabric (Spine-Leaf, redundant) | 1.5–4 kW |
| PTP Grandmaster & Timing | 50–200 W |
| Audio (AES67) Processing & Mixing | 200–800 W |
| Control (NMOS, Orchestration, SAP/SDP) | 100–300 W |
| Cooling/Fans/UPS Overhead for Networking | 300–1,000 W |
Total Estimated Core 2110 Power: 2.5–7+ kW (network fabric + ancillary timing/control/audio processing).
Key Takeaways for OB Truck Design
- These figures are for the core 2110 infrastructure only — sources and receivers will add several more kW.
- Redundancy and multicast significantly increase fabric load and power draw.
- Optics (SFPs/QSFPs) and switch ASICs dominate consumption — choose efficient models (e.g., Arista).
- Thermal management and generator sizing are critical in mobile environments.
- Real deployments (NEP, etc.) often measure higher under full load.
Estimates based on typical manufacturer data for 100G/400G switches and 2110 deployments. Actual consumption depends on specific hardware, configuration, and utilization.
