PTP Done Right for ST 2110: How to Avoid the Timing Pitfalls in IP Broadcast

Key Considerations for Getting PTP Right at Your Broadcast Facility

If you are planning an ST 2110 build or troubleshooting timing issues, use this checklist to align your engineering team around the core requirements of a healthy timing architecture.

1) Start With a Clear PTP Architecture Plan

Most timing failures stem from skipped planning. Take time upfront to define:

• PTP Domain: All grandmasters, boundary clocks, and endpoints must share the same domain for stable sync.
• PTP Profile: In broadcast, use SMPTE ST 2059-2:2023 or the AES-R16-2016 Interop Profile for compatibility across ST 2110 and AES67 ecosystems.
• Grandmaster Redundancy: Deploy at least two properly configured grandmasters.
• Clock Types: Use boundary clocks wherever possible. They lock to a grandmaster and serve downstream devices, improving stability and scalability.

The choices you make here determine the reliability of your entire plant.

2) Choose the Right Grandmasters

Your grandmaster is the heartbeat of the facility. Look for:

• GPS or GNSS locking
• Redundant power
• Hitless switching
• Support for 2110-10

Always deploy two grandmasters configured correctly for seamless failover and stable BMCA behavior. Many facilities rely on the Telestream SPG9000, which functions as both a high-precision PTP GM and full reference generator.

3) Understand the Best Master Clock Algorithm (BMCA)

BMCA determines which device becomes the active grandmaster. Misconfigured priorities cause leadership flapping, which creates immediate disruptions across cameras, replay, audio, and multiviewers.
Best practice:

• Set P1 and P2 priorities intentionally
• Prevent endpoints from becoming grandmasters
• Test failover behavior before going live

A few minutes of configuration prevents hours of troubleshooting later.

4) Protect PTP Packets With Proper Network Configuration

PTP packets are extremely sensitive and require careful network design to stay stable.
Make sure to:

• Configure switches in Boundary Clock mode
• Operate your ST 2110 infrastructure in a Layer 3 routed environment
• Whenever possible, air-gap the ST 2110 network from control and management LANs
• Avoid congestion points near your grandmasters or boundary clocks

Isolating and prioritizing PTP traffic ensures timing remains predictable across the entire plant.

5) Monitor PTP Continuously, Not Just at Installation

PTP is not “set it and forget it.” Use tools like Telestream PRISM or switch telemetry to monitor:

• Master-to-slave offset
• Jitter
• Announce intervals
• Leadership changes
• Sync and delay measurements

Healthy PTP is stable. If offsets spike or values drift, your network is warning you long before devices begin to fail.

6) Validate Everything in a Staging Environment

Before going live, simulate real-world conditions:

• Grandmaster failover
• Network congestion
• Power cycling
• Link loss
• Switch reloads

If timing breaks in staging, it will break on game day. The safest time to find issues is before your system is on air.

7) Train Your Team for Day-Two Operations

PTP stability depends on your team understanding how to maintain it long-term. Make sure staff can:

• Identify timing faults
• Read switch logs and metrics
• Respond properly to GM failover
• Verify timing after maintenance windows
• Use tools like PRISM to visualize timing health

Key Code Media not only designs and builds ST 2110 systems, we train your engineering team to operate them with confidence well beyond day one.