InfoComm 2012The Unified AV Network

How does AVB impact IT?

Agenda• Who/What/Why is the AVnu Alliance?• What is the importance of AVnu Certification?• What is the importance of AVB in A/V networking?• How does AVB impact IT

Agenda – Other Sessions

• Sessions throughout InfoComm include:• A/V Installations with AVnu-Certified AVB: Start Fresh

with Interoperable Devices• AVB for House of Worship: Tap into the Simplified A/V

Network• AVB Must-Knows for the IT Pro• Live Events with AVB: How Will One Open Standard Set

Change A/V Networking?• A Technical Deep Dive: Uncover the Mysteries of AVB• AVnu AVB Manufacturer Symposium: Ready for a New

Networking Ecosystem?

What/Who is the AVnu Alliance?

• The first industry forum to lead the adoption of open IEEE standards based AV Networking• AVB (Audio/Video Bridging) is the first set of AV networking standards

approved by IEEE

• A non-profit organization defining AVB Certification and Promotion • Members include major Automotive, Pro AV, Consumer and

Silicon/Platform Manufacturers• Member manufacturers are given access to test tools and plugfests in

advance of submission for official AVnu interoperability certification.

WHY?

Interoperability!

Certification!

What’s the importance of AVnu Certification?

• Certification is key to a no-compromise A/V network that is easier to implement than ever before.

• Certification provides a marketable assurance that AVnu-certified devices will be interoperable.

 

What is the importance of AVB in A/V networking?

• The AVB standards are written by the IEEE, the group that defines Ethernet• AVB is royalty free and open for use by anyone• Network engineers have tools to accommodate AV requirements

• Precise and reliable, suitable for rigorous professional applications• Data pathway from source to destination is guaranteed• Low latency• Synchronized

How Does AVB Impact IT?

Why Audio Video Bridging (AVB)?

• Moving to Ethernet solves cabling issues but:– Introduces latency/guaranteed bandwidth and synchronization

issues– Dante, Cobranet are proprietary solutions on top of Ethernet to

address these issues

• AVB– Is based on new IEEE Ethernet standards– It is open and interoperable so any vendor can support it– With AVNU that interoperabilty is certifiable

What’s great about AVB?

• Synch accuracy of +/- 500 nanosec over 7 hops• Latency of 2 ms for Class A and 50 ms for Class B• Complex installs become simple• Multivendor• IEEE standards based• Interoperability certified

Attend this presentation for how AVB works:A Technical Deep Dive: Uncover the Mysteries of AVB

AVB Requirements?

• Ethernet switch (AVB bridge) must support AVB- Requires AVB supporting chip- Requires software to enable the chip & run AVB protocols- Helps to have AVnu cert. so it interoperates

• AVB Endpoint (mic, speaker, console et al) must support AVB or connect to an AVB snake

So which switches?Harmon, LabX and Extreme Networks are being demoed at the show

What is the Impact on Other Traffic?• AVB will take the two highest levels of QoS on your

switch• AVB defaults to take 75% of a link but can be dialed

down to zero• AVB can apply to Video as well as Audio singularly

or mixed• For a converged network: All non AVB traffic (VoIP,

IM, Building Control Systems) goes in lower QoS levels

• It works with one subnet

Layer 3 and AVB• No L3 protocols have to be disabled or

configured to support AVB

• There are use cases where L3 is desired (ex: very large theme park with many subnets)

• AVnu Technical Working Group is addressing this and IEEE activities

Cabling… Power… Speeds• AVB will run over Cat 5 up to 1G. Cat 6 for 10G over

copper• 10/100/1000 Mbps and 10G over copper or fiber.

40G over fiber• 10G and 40G needed for uncompressed video• Non-PoE, PoE, PoE+• From 5 ports to thousands in stackables or chassis.

There are use cases where L3 is desired (ex: very large theme park with many subnets)

• Lockable connectors desired in some installs

Switches demoed here cover these capabilities

AVB Training• From AVB vendors• Potentially from the AVnu alliance

Cost and Availability?• Please see our switch partners here at show or on

their websites for costs and availability• Harman (BSS Audio/Netgear GS 724T)• LabX (Titanium 411)• Extreme Networks (Summit 440X, Summit 460X,

Summit 670X)

Summary• Supporting ProAV gets easier for IT with AVB• Switches and endpoints supporting AVB are

required. • Some products are available now.• The selection will increase as more vendors turn-up

AVB• AVB fits well with other network traffic