by Brian McCormick, Stewart Audio
InfoComm is a good event to check out the latest solutions. Stewart Audio's Brian McCormick is counting on you to add networked audio to your shopping list. He starts off with a bit of math...
Why is the number 340 undecillion important?
340 undecillion is 340 trillion trillion trillion. That's the number of new IP addresses now available because we want to connect everything to everything via internet addresses. It's not just your network-- it's your smart phone, wristwatch, washing machine even your car. So what does this Internet of Things got to do with audio?
Every one of your customers has a network-- and, like it or not-- everything is eventually going to connect to that network. That includes audio. For their network manager, it seems to be simply a matter of CAT5, digital transport, control and monitoring,"So what's not to like? At a high level, which audio protocols do I need? Dante, CobraNet and AVB?"
Companies like Stewart Audio and our friends at AtteroTech are specialists in network audio and can share briefly some thoughts on these three protocols.
The oldest of these protocols is CobraNet. It's considered by many as past its prime for large venues. Yet for small and medium venues CobraNet is still a cost-effective solution. 
With lots of manufacturers and products to choose from, CobraNet remains a viable solution for many fixed installs. Channel count and latency are not typically issues with small and medium installations. And given the long tenure of CobraNet, there's lots of resources available to get you up and going.
Meanwhile Dante has been around since 2006 and typically associated with large venues. That now changes with the introduction of low channel count endpoints from companies like Stewart Audio and Attero Tech. While still playing a role in large installs, affordable endpoints scaled for small and medium zones have made Dante an appealing choice with many consultants and integrators.
A large base of manufacturers has developed a broad range of products from mixing consoles to network bridge products. This newer protocol offers several advantages over CobraNet but in the end the simplified installation and setup of a Dante system will make the most difference. It's also been designed to work with the next protocol we'll talk about: AVB.
AVB is the most recent protocol and (while still nascent) promises to bring audio and video transport to the market on one protocol. The number of manufacturers is still growing and standards may still need finalizing but this unified product holds lots of promise.
It's still too early to tell if AVB will be primarily a large venue product or affordable enough for small and medium venues as well. One drawback of AVB is specialized network infrastructure.
There are 340 undecillion reasons why networks will become more and more important to your customers. And that shocking number may help you realize there are three protocols now that might enable your customer's networked audio solution.
Go Attero Tech, or Booth 1452 at InfoComm for advice on networked audio
Go Stewart Audio or Booth 1448 at InfoComm for advice on networked audio