In Broadcast - March 2014 - 82


I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 29 - MARCH 2014

N E W S

InTECH

AVB As A Broadcast Infrastructure
Riedel Communications examines why more and more broadcasters are choosing
Audio Video Bridging (AVB) for their signal transport...

By Riedel Communications

A

82

VB is a standard that provides
for the synchronous, realtime, low-latency delivery and
guaranteed bandwidth of broadcast
signals over AVB-enabled Ethernet
networks. But AVB is not the only
technology capable of offering this
promise, so why are broadcasters
around the world choosing to use
it above other solutions for their
signal transport?
One key reason why AVB is being
so readily and widely adopted is
that it is an IEEE standard that relies
on established Ethernet standards.
Because the technology boasts a
solid foundation, the AVB-enabled
infrastructure and hardware
investments that broadcasters make
are safe. The intrinsic familiarity of
today's Ethernet networks, along
with the assorted parts and pieces
that make them work, is but one of
the attractive beneﬁts that make the
AVB standard uniquely qualiﬁed to
serve as a backbone for broadcast
signal transport.
AVB is an IP layer 2 protocol,
so it behaves in a predictable
and consistent manner without
compromising the reliability of the
signal transport. What's more, the
AVB standard clearly deﬁnes the
performance of the switches for
signal transport. Once a switch is
certiﬁed for AVB, there is no doubt
about its interoperability with
any other AVB device. All other
Ethernet network technologies
leave the switch performance

AVB System Overview

and interoperability undeﬁned, so
whether it will work properly or not
in a given application is unknown.

Networked Signal
Transport
Today, networked topographies are
essential to providing the required
bandwidth, capacity, and ﬂexibility
that broadcasters require. In the
planning of a new broadcast facility
or upgrade of an existing facility,
signal transport has evolved past
the point-to-point thinking that has
been used since the early days
of television.
The benefits of a networked
solution over a point-to-point
solution are very clear. First, many of
the point-to-point solutions available
today require special hardware and
have little or no interoperability
with other products. Further, these
solutions are purely transport
solutions with limited ﬂexibility, little
or no remote monitoring capabilities,
and little or no ability to be remotely
reconfigured.
Broadcasters input a signal at one
end of the link, and it comes out at
the other end. In the case of very
simple signal topographies, that
approach might make perfect sense.
However, when it is necessary to
make changes to inputs and outputs
or locations, engineers working with
this model must throw a patch cord
or add additional cable or hardware
to accommodate the adjustment.
Because every facility already

Riedel's AVB Module for Keypanels

has an Ethernet network installed,
the process of upgrading these
existing infrastructures to handle
AVB signals is considerably less
expensive than installing another
network speciﬁcally for transporting
broadcast signals. While there
are many facilities already taking
advantage of AVB networks to
transport their audio signals, the
emergence of 10 Gigabit Ethernet
networks will make it easy for
broadcasters and other media
facilities to leverage such networks
for uncompressed HD video
transport, as well.

AVB-Enabled Networks
In an AVB-networked solution,
intelligence operates in the
background to ensure that the
signals are directed along the
shortest possible path both to
minimise latency and to make sure
there is enough bandwidth along
that given path to guarantee safe
transport of those signals. Perhaps
the most significant advantage
of working with an AVB network
solution is that AVB network
architectures scale very well, which
means that devices of any size or
signal count can operate over the
same network, whether for just a
few signals or
for thousands
of them.
So,
what
does a designer
or systems
integrator
need to think
about when
implementing
AV B f o r a
broadcast
facility? The
most important
first step is to
get input from
the facility's
IT staff, who
should be in on
planning from

the beginning to ensure that the IT
network being designed ultimately
will perform properly. In terms of the
actual network design, it is essential
in any AVB network that all of the
switches and routers are AVBcompatible and that allowances
are made for larger layer two
subnets. These are really the only
considerations that are required to
leverage an Ethernet infrastructure
as an AVB network.
Once designers have laid out
the network backbone itself, they
must consider which switches and
routers to use. Numerous and varied
AVB-enabled products are already
on the market, and more are being
introduced all of the time. Fortunately,
the AVnu Alliance offers a device
certiﬁcation program that speeds
the evaluation and speciﬁcation
process by allowing designers to
mix and match approved products
according to their speciﬁc needs and without the need to worry about
compatibility issues.
Among these devices is Riedel's
ﬁrst AVB-enabled keypanel, which
the company introduced at IBC2013
in September. The new CPX-AVB
expansion card for the Riedel
Artist 1100 series control panels
provides the next generation of AVB
interfacing for Riedel Artist digital
matrix intercom control panels.
This small module plugs directly
into an expansion port on the Artist
keypanel, thus enabling quick and
easy integration. Riedel also has
their CONNECT-AVB modules for
the AVB transport of analogue
and AES audio.
AV B h a s b e e n g a i n i n g
steady support from broadcast
manufacturers. With the AVnu
Alliance working to make sure that
products are interoperable, more
and more devices will be available
to broadcasters as they seek to
leverage their AVB networks more
fully. Riedel is proud to help lead
the industry toward adoption of this
important new standard.
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