Apple ProRes has long been a staple in professional video production. Wildly popular among broadcast, post-production and streaming media professionals for its high-quality compression and efficient editing performance, ProRes is used from Hollywood films to TV newsrooms around the world.
Apple ProRes is offered as a standard or optional recording feature on industry-leading cameras such as ARRI, Canon, Sony, Panasonic and Blackmagic. Editors count on it as the codec for Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
Studios and broadcasters including the BBC, ESPN, CBS and streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video accept or often require ProRes for delivery and mastering.
At the same time, popularity continues to grow for the SMPTE ST 2110 protocol, a set of standards designed for transmitting professional media over IP networks. This protocol is transforming how major broadcasters move media over IP and opening the door for smaller productions to benefit from flexible, affordable, and rapid innovations in software-based workflows.
Softron Makes the Connection
Until recently, a combination of ProRes and the ST 2110 protocol was out of reach. However, over the last several months, Softron has been applying our four decades of innovative engineering in the Apple community to integrate the ST 2110 protocol (via 2110-22) and ProRes to stream in real time over IP networks. Our goal was to make this connection to improve bandwidth efficiency, and workflow simplicity between live broadcast and post-production.
ST 2110 was originally built to handle uncompressed media streams, separating video, audio, and metadata into distinct IP packets for flexible routing and processing. This design made it ideal for live broadcast environments where latency and fidelity are critical.
Over time, ST 2110-22 was introduced to extend the standard to compressed video essences. The most widely adopted codec in this space is JPEG-XS, which became the reference for 2110-22 because of its extremely low latency and visually lossless quality, making it a perfect fit for demanding live production workflows.
Apple ProRes, on the other hand, is a compressed codec that was built for post-production workflows rather than real-time transmission. Its compression is efficient and visually lossless, but introduces more latency than JPEG-XS. That makes it less suited for ultra-latency-sensitive live switching, yet very compelling for other use cases where flexibility, cost, and in most cases interoperability matter more than absolute sub-millisecond latency.
At IBC2025, Softron has teamed with Macnica Americas to demonstrate the first pairing of Apple ProRes compressed video over ST 2110-22, combined with macOS and the Macnica100Gbps MEP100 SmartNIC.
This industry first marks a significant evolution, bridging the gap between live IP workflows and post-production environments. We are working with Macnica to bring this solution to market before the end of the year.
Why ST 2110 Support Matters for Apple ProRes
The integration of ProRes into ST 2110-22 introduces new advantages that complement, rather than replace, JPEG-XS. While ProRes does not match JPEG-XS in ultra-low latency, its ubiquity and licensing model make it an attractive option in many real-world workflows.A Familiar, Widely Supported Codec
ProRes is already built into most professional cameras, NLEs, and post-production systems. On macOS, it is decoded and encoded without licensing fees, and on Windows and Linux many vendors already support it for file recording. This means manufacturers can adopt ProRes over ST 2110 without having to pay for an additional proprietary codec such as JPEG-XS. The result: lower costs and faster adoption across hardware and software ecosystems.
Flexible Workflows at Lower Cost
In workflows where ProRes is already the mastering- or playout-format, carrying it over 2110-22 eliminates unnecessary re-encoding. A frame that already exists in ProRes can simply be transmitted in its current form, avoiding both the quality hit and the latency penalty of recompression. This opens use cases where latency remains low enough to be practical, even if not as minimal as JPEG-XS.
Bandwidth and Channel Scalability on Mac
On Apple platforms, ProRes makes IP video transport significantly more scalable. For example, current Thunderbolt bandwidth limits restrict uncompressed workflows to two 4K60 channels per bus. With ProRes over 2110-22, it becomes possible to handle up to eight 4K60 channels initially, and more in the future, enabling multichannel production even on Mac systems without PCIe slots such as the Mac Studio or Mac mini.
Scalability and Network Efficiency
ST 2110 leverages an IP infrastructure, which is inherently scalable. With support for ProRes over high-bandwidth networks (like Macnica’s 100Gbps SmartNIC), creators can transmit high-resolution compressed video efficiently, enabling remote production and distributed workflows.
Low-Latency, High-Quality Streaming
While ProRes is compressed, ST 2110-22 ensures that it can be transmitted with minimal latency, which is crucial for live events and real-time collaboration. This makes it possible to use ProRes not just for editing, but also for live ingest and playout.
Expanding the 2110 Ecosystem
By embracing ProRes alongside JPEG-XS, ST 2110-22 becomes more flexible and inclusive. Broadcasters can continue to use JPEG-XS for the most latency-critical live production, while leveraging ProRes for multichannel ingest, playout, remote production, or mixed environments where cost, adoption, and compatibility are equally important.
Future-Proofing Production Pipelines
As media formats evolve such as 8K and HDR, ST 2110 provides a modular, flexible foundation. Supporting ProRes within this protocol ensures that workflows remain adaptable and ready for future innovations.
We think it's going to be big
We believe the inclusion of Apple ProRes in the ST 2110 protocol can be a game-changer, merging the best of both worlds: the editing efficiency of ProRes and the real-time, scalable power of IP-based media transport.
For broadcasters, post-production teams, and live event producers, this development opens up new possibilities for seamless, high-performance workflows across the entire production chain.