audinate.com
Article was updated April 18, 2019 at 12:18PM. Details at bottom of article.
To the surprise of many, on January 29, 2019, Audinate announced Dante AV, adding video routing capabilities to its Dante protocol. For church techs this was a much-desired announcement that brought about both excitement and many questions. How exactly will Dante AV impact the video aspect of our weekend services? Can it truly be as flexible and reliable as Dante audio? I had the opportunity to talk with Brad Price, senior product marketing manager at Audinate to answer these questions.
The details
Dante AV behaves exactly the same as Dante audio currently does with both Dante Controller and Dante Domain Manager. We will be able to route Dante flows via either unicast or multicast, declaring a master for our video network or domains, all through our IT backbone. Simply connect the node to the AV VLAN via Cat6, and open Dante Controller. In addition to standard video routing, it adds key components of the Dante protocol including clocking, sync, and control over a 1G network via the JPEG-2000 codec.
In addition to standard video routing, it adds key components of the Dante protocol including clocking, sync, and control over a 1G network via the JPEG-2000 codec.
While Dante AV is, in principle, codec agnostic—meaning that it can transfer any video standard across its platform—for a video flow to be received, the decoding device must be able to interpret the sending device’s codec protocol. In order to simplify interoperability, Dante is utilizing JPEG-2000 as its native codec so that any device that sends or receives JPEG-2000 will be able to serve as a native Dante node by simply adding the Dante AV chip, similar to how Dante audio works now.
In practice
The initial benefits to our churches are obvious. Being able to route signal to overflow areas, projectors, and digital signage becomes as simple as connecting the endpoint to the network and checking a box on Dante Controller. As Dante AV acceptance grows, input devices like video cameras, networked computers, and media players will no longer need to be hardwired to our production switchers, saving money while adding much-desired flexibility.
As Dante AV acceptance grows, input devices like video cameras, networked computers, and media players will no longer need to be hardwired to our production switchers, saving money while adding much-desired flexibility.
An integrated switcher can be routed both to and from with simply a Cat6 connection. Because a master clock controls both the audio and video streams, syncing becomes streamlined and remains consistent regardless of where either the audio or video is being routed. The one limitation is in multiple video streams on standard networks; on a 1GB network, there is only enough bandwidth for one video stream, audio, and control. Communication and infrastructure planning with our IT departments will be essential for larger integrations.
Who’s in
At the moment, Audinate’s offering is aimed solely at manufacturers through the Dante AV Module and Dante AV Product Design Suite. There is currently no physical hardware on the market incorporating Dante AV. The first products are slated for Q4 2019, most likely as third-party encoders and decoders similar to the AVIO line that will allow inserting existing video signals and transporting them via your church Dante network.
Major manufacturers are sure to follow, especially those that already integrate the Dante chip for audio. Likewise, in principle, any manufacturer already utilizing the JPEG-2000 codec would be native Dante AV compatible with the addition of the Dante AV Module.
Initial reaction
Audio routing for live production is simple, cost-effective, and flexible; video is cumbersome, expensive, and limited. Dante AV is the first real AV-over-IP solution that promises to bring the flexibility we need in our church production environments at a cost we can afford. It is not just point-to-point HDBaseT with different options. Need an overflow TV set up for a special event? No problem, just route your program out. Want to add a roving camera on stage but can’t run an SDI line all the way back to the production booth? No problem, just plug it into a network port by the stage. Tired of having to sync the video and audio at various display distances around the church campus or back of the auditorium? No problem, the Dante AV master clock keeps it all synced for you.
Dante AV is the first real AV-over-IP solution that promises to bring the flexibility we need in our church production environments at a cost we can afford.
While seeing Dante AV in action in our churches is still likely a year away, the possibilities are definitely promising. Seeing how audio protocols have consolidated under the Dante environment, I expect we will witness the same from Dante AV. It is well-seated to be the AV-over-IP option that will define video production for the next decade.
Technical specs can be found on the Audinate website: https://www.audinate.com/products/manufacturer-products/dante-av-video.
Article was updated April 18, 2019 at 12:18PM. The original article stated that QSC was an early adopter of Dante AV and that Dante AV would be part of QSC's recently announced Q-SYS AV-over-IP solution called the Q-SYS NV Series. While QSC does have a technology partnership with Audinate, the developer of Dante and Dante AV, the Q-SYS NV Series will be based on QSC's own QSC SHIFT codec and does not integrate with Dante AV.
