Hitomi MatchBox Technology Deployed By ORF

Hitomi Broadcast has announced that ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk), Austria's national public broadcaster, has implemented MatchBox technology as part of its extensive migration to SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based infrastructure.

The deployment of this part of the project, managed through Hitomi's German distributor VIDI GmbH, represents one of the most comprehensive applications of Matchbox technology to date.

This large and complex project encompasses ORF's new Content Management Centre (CMC) in Vienna, including master control room, multifunctional workspaces, and playout facilities, all transitioning from traditional baseband SDI to ST 2110 IP networking. Additionally, legacy regional studios across Austria are being deployed with MatchBox technology to ensure precise audio-video synchronisation across this complex hybrid environment.

"We have integrated MatchBox technology across our complete infrastructure - from our new IP-based master control room to regional studios throughout Austria," explained Alexander Frank, Project Manager and Technical Design at ORF. "The ability to measure timing and synchronisation precisely, whether using baseband or ST 2110, whilst maintaining compatibility between both technologies during our migration, has been invaluable."

ORF's implementation includes several innovative applications beyond traditional broadcast timing measurement. The broadcaster plans to use MatchBox Glass functionality to measure timing across multiple cameras at major sporting events, enabling precise latency measurement from remote locations back to the master control room.

Perhaps most notably, ORF is pioneering a unique approach to end-to-end timing optimisation. For their globally broadcast Vienna New Year's Concert and summer concerts, the broadcaster will use MatchBox to measure timing differences across multiple consumer television sets, creating an average delay compensation to ensure optimal synchronisation for viewers worldwide.

"It's great to see the full potential of MatchBox technology being utilised across complex broadcast environments," said Russell Johnson, Director at Hitomi. "ORF's innovative approach to end-to-end timing measurement, including glass-to-glass latency verification right through to the consumer experience, showcases exactly how we envisioned the technology being deployed."

"This represents one of the most important broadcast infrastructure projects we've undertaken," commented Bernd Meinl, Sales Director at VIDI GmbH. "The technical complexity and scale of ORF's transformation encompasses radio, television, and news operations, with the new CMC master control room expected to go live in 2026."

Visit Hitomi at IBC 2025 in Hall 10, Stand A40, part of the UK Pavilion, for more information on ST 2110 timing measurement solutions and for a live demonstration of glass-to-glass latency measurement.

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