The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol with RIST OTA-Hybrid: IP Transport Method. This feature can be used to augment any Over-The-Air (OTA) transport system that uses RTP as its primary delivery mechanism, by using the Internet as a recovery mechanism for data that is corrupted or lost in transit.
This new RIST recommendation, TR-06-4 Part 9, follows the same architecture as Part 7, but instead of augmenting an existing satellite system, it is applicable to any Over-The-Air (OTA) transport that uses RTP as its primary delivery mechanism. A typical application scenario is ATSC 3.0. Using Part 9, a broadcaster can transmit content to a population of ATSC 3.0 receivers and use the Internet to recover any lost or corrupted data. This way, the bulk of the transmission happens over the air, significantly reducing the load on Internet links and servers.
It is ideal for events such as sports matches and live concerts, and it does not require any changes to the transmission chain. The method is applicable to other packet-based RF transport infrastructures, such as DVB-S2X, when combined with RIST Advanced Profile (TR-06-3) for the RTP transport. VSF TR-06-4 Part 9 is available to download from the VSF website.
This addition to the RIST specifications reflects the growing demand for hybrid delivery architectures. RIST Forum members will be demonstrating related technologies and solutions at the NAB Show from 19th-22ndApril 2026.
Cobalt Digital (booth N1340) will demonstrate an end-to-end hybrid satellite solution based on VSF TR-06-4 Part 7, where the satellite link is augmented by loss recovery through the Internet. The demo uses the Cobalt PACIFIC 9992-ENC Encoder and the PACIFIC ULL-DEC receiver/decoder equipped with the -SAT-DEMOD option to directly receive the L-Band signal.
Hexaglobe-BBright (booth W2261) will introduce support for RIST to its IP Gateway expanding interoperability for reliable contribution and distribution workflows across managed and unmanaged networks.
Intinor (booth W2250) will showcase new developments to its Direkt series platform, which includes products and solutions such as the Direkt Link, Direkt Receiver and Direkt Router, that feature support for RIST.
Magewell (booth C6113) will showcase RIST enabled products such as the new Pro Convert IP to AIO 4K decoder as well as the Ultra Encode family, Ultra Encode HDMI Plus, Ultra Encode SDI Plus and flagship Ultra Encode AIO models, updated to support RIST.
SipRadius (booth W2316) will demonstrate SipMX, a platform for media orchestration and multi-protocol interoperability, built on open standards including RIST, and launched at NAB Show 2026.
Additionally, satellite operator and solution provider SES (booth W3431), will showcase content distribution architecture based on RIST TR-06-4 Part 7, combining satellite broadcast with terrestrial IP to deliver a seamless and highly resilient distribution model.
The RIST protocol is designed to reliably transport video over unmanaged networks such as the Internet. It provides an open, interoperable, and technically robust solution for low latency video contribution. Technical recommendations are freely available from the VSF website for all to download and use.