In-camera visual effects (ICFVX) stages are rapidly advancing. LED volumes are expanding in size and resolution, camera tracking systems are becoming more accurate, and real-time rendering pipelines are increasingly interconnected. As complexity grows, the need for standardization becomes more pressing.
This is where SMPTE 2110 comes into play. Initially developed for broadcast environments, SMPTE 2110 establishes a standardized method for transporting uncompressed video, audio, and metadata over IP networks. Although not specifically designed for virtual production, many issues it addresses—such as precise timing, flexible routing, and scalability—closely align with the challenges of modern ICVFX stages.
What is SMPTE 2110
At a high level, SMPTE 2110 is a set of standards defining how professional media is transported over IP networks rather than traditional SDI cabling. It was created by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers in 2017, formally known as SMPTE ST 2110. Though additional numeric designations exist for various parts of this standard suite, in general conversation, these and the ST portion of the name are often omitted—resulting in just SMPTE 2110, which is how we will refer to it here.
Unlike SDI, which bundles video, audio, and ancillary data into a single signal carried over a dedicated cable, SMPTE 2110 treats these elements as separate streams. Video, audio, and metadata are transmitted independently across an IP network and recombined at their destination. This separation allows for greater flexibility in routing and processing, especially in complex environments.
One of the most important aspects of SMPTE 2110 is timing. Instead of relying on genlock distributed through dedicated hardware, SMPTE 2110 systems use precise network-based timing mechanisms to ensure all devices remain synchronized at the frame level. This synchronization is critical in any real-time production environment, and it becomes especially important when multiple systems must agree on exactly when a frame was captured, rendered, or displayed. The result is a media transport system that trades physical cabling complexity for network complexity, bringing both significant advantages and new challenges.
How SMPTE 2110 Fits into an ICVFX Stage
ICVFX stages are fundamentally about synchronization. The camera, LED wall, tracking system, and render engine all need to agree on timing and perspective for the illusion to hold. In a typical Unreal Engine–based workflow, rendered frames must align precisely with camera motion and exposure. Any timing mismatch can manifest as tearing or perspective errors that are immediately visible on camera and can ruin an entire shot.
Even the most basic of ICVFX stages has multiple render nodes, each dedicated to a specific section of the LED wall. Each node outputs the rendered frame—either via DisplayPort or HDMI out of the GPU, or SDI from a capture card—to the LED wall processor. Each node renders the background, or outer frustum, at all times, and then will also render the camera’s view, or inner frustum, whenever the camera is pointed at it. This relies on NVIDIA RTX PRO™ video cards, sync cards, and capture cards, as well as a mix of DisplayPort, SDI, and network cabling to make sure every system renders at the same time and communicates with the LED wall, cameras, and motion tracking system.
SMPTE 2110 offers a different approach. Instead of outputting video with DisplayPort or SDI, the rendered frames are sent out from a specialized network card, such as the NVIDIA® BlueField®-3. By transporting uncompressed video over IP with precise timing, it allows camera feeds, rendered outputs, and monitoring signals to coexist on a shared network fabric. Instead of hard-wired signal paths, video streams can be dynamically routed where they are needed, while still maintaining deterministic timing.
For Unreal Engine specifically, the value lies in flexibility and consistency. In current ICVFX setups, each node powering the