I'm amazed at what a mess the consumer formats are. If it weren't for HDCP, SDI would be so, so much better than HDMI. (EDID is an issue too, but really, who cares about that). I sure wish the pro AV world could use the broadcast standards.

For those that care, here is a link to the SMPTE doc describing the various formats 12G SDI can carry (all the way up to 8k, uncompressed). And yes, this is the mastering format:
[Link: ieeexplore.ieee.org]

There is some transition to IP, but it only makes sense on the largest of systems (ie matrix routers over 1024x1024 cross-points). These systems also require a large number of SDI gateways, since almost all mastering equipment is SDI. 10Gbps is the IP mastering switch speed requirement, but as you can see, 10Gbps can handle all common production formats, uncompressed. The industry has been slow to adopt this due to the cost, complexity, and reliability issues. By comparison, SDI is cheap, simple and reliable.