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“ Not having an open standard for interoperability has been an issue for studio AoIP networking . The publication of AES67 has allowed the convergence of a multitude of these standards . Ravenna , for instance , has support for AES67 , and even Dante has a mode for AES67 operation .”
For GatesAir , the discussion on AoIP can be distinguished between in-studio and wide area networks ( WANs ). For more than a decade , broadcasters around the world have been transitioning to IP-based WANs for audio distribution , he says . “ This follows the same path of migration as voice telephony . Seeing this trend , the European Broadcasting Union ( EBU ) published specification EBU 3326 in 2017 for interoperability . As of today , major audio codec vendors support EBU 3326 for AoIP interoperability .”
Cost , flexibility and availability of IP service providers are some of the main drivers that Parikh points out as encouraging higher adoption of AoIP WAN . He continues : “ While IP-based networks provide many benefits to broadcasters , the quality of connections as compared to time division multiplexed ( TDM ) -based technology has not been achieved . Therefore , unlike TDM networks , with IP , the enddevices
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, such as codecs , must do the heavy lifting to ensure that the transported audio arrives at the decoder with the quality that broadcasters are used to .”
Because of the lack of an open interoperability standard , in-studio AoIP continue to trail behind , according to Parikh . “ However , with the publication and subsequent adoption of AES67 , more vendors are starting to incorporate it in their equipment ,” he points out . “ As adoption of AES67 increases , broadcasters have the opportunity to realise a converged IP broadcast network , stretching from studio to extending across the IP WAN .”
In an attempt to underline its commitment to standards , Riedel Communications has made continued investments in new technologies with the acquisition of Archwave , a Swiss audio-networking and streaming specialist that promotes open standards for the interconnection of audio and video equipment in professional environments .
The new partnership will see the establishment of a research and development hub in Zurich , and increase Riedel ’ s global engineering team to over 100 engineers while expanding R & D capabilities for IP and standards
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such as AES67 , which will further enhance interoperability in the broadcast sector .
Commenting on the acquisition of Archwave , Thomas Riedel , founder and CEO of Riedel Communications , highlights that the collaboration is an “ important step for Riedel in providing complete networking solutions ” that allow broadcasters to improve their workflow efficiency .
Cameron O ’ Neill , director , Asia-Pacific , Riedel Communications , adds : “ Theo retically , only AES67 is a standard , while Ravenna and Dante are protocols . However , if they were put under the umbrella of ‘ standards ’, they are critical as it ’ s the only way that manufacturers can come together and make devices communicate with each other .
“ Already , we can see that Dante and Ravenna are claiming AES67 compatibility , with workable and proven results . Although there are still some issues that need to be worked out , a Dante device generally can now talk to a Ravenna device or to a generic AES67 implementation .”
In terms of current deployment , almost every TV and radio station will have some kind of contribution codec that is using compressed AoIP somewhere in
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the chain , says O ’ Neill . “ As for the transmission of uncompressed AoIP , there has only been an installation in Australia where the operator has installed a large Dante / AES67 network over a purpose-built private network .”
To fully embrace the benefits AoIP offers , he points out that the main challenge is to overcome the divider that exists between IT and broadcast technologies , as the line between these two different sectors , with two totally different mandates , starts to blur .
“ The security required for public-facing network is extreme , and it can hamper the transmission of uncompressed streams . However , it is necessary as cybercrime is
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Riedel Communications has acquired Archwave , a Swiss audionetworking and streaming specialist , which Thomas Riedel ( right ), founder and CEO of Riedel Communications , calls as an “ important step for Riedel in providing complete networking solutions ”. With him are : Arie van den Broek ( centre ), CEO of Archwave ; and Martin Berger , CSO of Riedel Communications .
real , and there are stories of people trying to break into corporate networks through Wi-Fi exploits .
“ However , this relationship does not need to be adversarial if both sides were to spend time learning what is important to the other , and then brainstorm a solution . For instance , managers should make time to moderate regular meetings between IT and broadcast engineering teams , focusing on why broadcast would want to use the network , and with IT explaining how they can help secure all of that precious content .
“ If done properly , this process can speed up the transition towards a network-based workflow ,” O ’ Neill concludes .
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