Video Disk Control Protocol
Video Disk Control Protocol (VDCP) is a proprietary communications protocol primarily used to control hard disk video servers for broadcast television. VDCP was originally developed by Louth Automation and is commonly called the Louth Protocol.
VDCP uses a tightly coupled master-slave methodology. The controlling device takes the initiative in communications between the controlling device (automation) and the controlled device (video disk). VDCP conforms to the Open Systems Interconnect(OSI) reference model.
VDCP is a serial communications protocol based on RS-422. It is derived from the Sony P2 Protocol, an industry-standard protocol for control of professional broadcast VTRs.
Harris Broadcast, a division of Harris Corporation acquired Louth in 2000, and currently Full details of the protocol are available from Harris Broadcast, who acquired Louth Automation.
In 2001 Harris announced the introduction of NDCP, a TCP/IP-based successor for VDCP. Little information on NDCP is readily available, and thus VDCP has remained the de-facto standard.