Excerpts from the Autumn 2024 issue of LIVE Magazine:

Read the entire article here:  https://online.bright-publishing.com/view/3204462/28/

The panel discussed AV over IP, revealing the reasons behind its steep growth, what it brings to the industry and where its future lies.  Here are some key takeaways from Creative Technology’s VP of Production, Reed Erickson:

Can you offer a brief overview of AV over IP’s growth over the years?

It feels like this evolution really started with the wide adoption of Dante in the world of audio. Audio deployments that at one time required a host of specialized cabling embraced network topology as the backbone of moving signals around complex installed venues – and then eventually from stage to front of house.

In live events, as video technology improves and high-throughput network equipment falls in price, video is catching up to Dante. We’re seeing big, complex events adopt SMPTE 2110 as a way of bringing the same flexibility and redundancy to deployments.

What is the reason for this growth?

At least in the corporate live events market, AV over IP has three big advantages: the ability to say yes faster, redundancy and reduced troubleshooting or engineering time.

If you need to add an input or an output, once you’ve installed gateway equipment, we can quickly provision an appropriate signal at a distant endpoint. Whereas before you may have needed to source added fibre cores or physically install equipment, with AV over IP, if you have provisioned correctly then you can add speedily – and without any major infrastructure changes.

Redundancy is key. Operating with red and blue networks affords shows actual redundancy, where it wasn’t practical or possible with earlier technology.

Lastly, the inherent nature of the AV over IP gateway equipment reduces the need for troubleshooting. Test pattern at the far side? Easy. Confirm that the link is established between switches? That’s no problem. You have an awareness of the system, which allows you to resolve issues faster.

Could you name the key benefits of AV over IP?

For most of our clients, the flexibility and reduced footprint of equipment and cabling are the biggest benefits. We’ve been able to reduce racks of conventional matrix switchers in favor of commercial network switches.  When you make this switch, you save space, power and engineering time – while gaining flexibility.

There is also the security and redundancy that coincides with this flexibility and control. AV over IP will provide an easier-to-manage, centralized system that delivers a higher level of control and flexibility along with a simpler cabling infrastructure and faster overall deployment.

AV over IP has so many applications. Can you share an example that stood out to you, and explain why?

Our Milken Institute 2024 Global Conference case study is a perfect example of how AV over IP – specifically around 2110 – can substantially improve an event.

This event, out of necessity for space, utilized a centralized control model. Our switch from standard matrix delivery to SMPTE 2110 cut the point-to-point fibre links in half and eliminated two SDI routers from the technical plant.

These factors, and more, helped to solve many of the challenges including the accelerated load-in schedule, lack of production space and need to deliver broadcast-quality signal to more than a dozen concurrent general session rooms, meeting spaces and breakouts.

Why is centralised management such an important element?

Ultimately, the broadcast controller – or centralized management tool – is what makes an AV over IP deployment ‘usable’ for teams on the ground. But choose wisely. Most of our teams don’t have time to hand-enter multicast IP addresses or configure individual links as gear is added to the ecosystem. NMOS as a part of SMPTE 2110 has made these broadcast controllers much more efficient. When we talk about flexibility, having a tool that can group, identify and configure various gateway and endpoints is crucial.

What does the future have in store for AV over IP?

As high-end network equipment gets less expensive and manufacturers adopt AV over IP, more and more of our projects will adopt this method of deployment.

Similar to how it was far-fetched to imagine Dante in the early days at smaller shows, the flexibility and ease of cabling these solutions will make this our default workflow – especially as more engineering talent embraces it.