AV over IP is becoming the main stream transmission method,Assuming your company is transmitting and distributing high-quality audio and video, you may realize that commercial Ethernet/IP skills are actively replacing dedicated transmission cables. According to the consideration of cost, power and standardization. In addition, with the move to IP network infrastructure, audio and video networks will increasingly be integrated into common enterprise networks. However, if you are concerned about safety, such as working in a company with strict safety requirements and rules, then this kind of worry may make you sleepless at night:
Will the severe security settings set in the corporate network be damaged after the device implements AV over IP?

Can sending video and audio through the IP network prevent hackers from accessing active or secret materials?

Is there a need to restart planning and implementation of security?

Security should start from the basics
Security processing generally requires that all devices connected to the network have the necessary security functions and equipment to ensure that the entire network remains secure. Therefore, with the integration of the audiovisual system and the enterprise data network, all connected devices need to comply with the company’s security policies and standards. Assuming that there is no security equipment that should be provided, perhaps the so-called security is just a patch, then the AV device may It will provide the aggressor with an aggression interface and aggression opportunity, thereby invading the enterprise's IT system and data.

In addition, the audiovisual system itself often carries critical data and information, so it is more necessary to ensure the security of these information.

NP Lite AV KVM Over IP can be used as transmitter and receiver together (also called encoder and decoder). In a typical professional AV setup, a board integrated in the server will encode the AV stream and transmit it to the IP network, while at the receiving end, one or more boards will receive and decode the AV stream to Policy equipment or in use. AV over IP has been widely used, such as:

Control room and command center Multimedia and graphic post-production of medical imaging education broadcasting room Digital signage corporate video sharing and practice arranged by shops and shopping malls
NP Lite AV KVM Over IP is planned to ensure severe security, but it can also be integrated into an already secure environment without security vulnerabilities. Whether you want to transmit secret or active AV materials, or you already have a highly secure network and expect to use it to transmit related materials, you can be very attentive to the security of Np lite out of the box, including The following aspects:

Reliable audiovisual content encryption and end-to-end protection

Access to protected handling and equipment

Protected equipment

According to the key of the secure hardware

Security has always adhered to the latest status

AV Over IP Audio and Video Transmission Trend

In the past three years, AV over IP products have experienced triple-digit growth, and in the next five years, they will continue to grow at a compound growth rate of 60% per year.

AV over IP is a game between image quality, bandwidth and delay in specific applications! The AV industry has found the next best way to transmit audio and video signals, and IP provides a standardized architecture. But nowadays, the transmission method in the architecture can no longer meet the needs of various customers. We need to determine what image quality, bandwidth and delay are allowed according to the application situation. It is precisely because of this that when facing various audio and video transmission protocols and trends, we need to accurately distinguish what is suitable for the needs of the project!

iSEMC AV Over IP uses the NP series platform, you will have greater flexibility and scalability to obtain additional high-quality remote video and control signals through the IP network, while providing your team with more data from multiple locations . Moreover, it complies with the HDCP standard, allowing the transmission of protected high-definition sources, protecting your high-quality video and audio information.

AV over IP technology based on network protocol for audio and video signal transmission is being adopted by more and more audio-visual industry customers and even radio and television producers. New retail, corporate collaboration, hospitals, security surveillance, transportation, radio and television production and other professional fields are gradually opening up the use of network-based audio and video transmission solutions. In fact, AV over IP technology has been around for a long time, but in recent years, it has been out of circles frequently. It has developed from the audio-visual industry to the broadcasting and television industry. It has been favored in IP distributed projects and gradually formed a "hybrid" workflow. This article is mainly based on the technology itself and its industry application to analyze the reasons behind its development.
【 AV over IP Industry Interpretation】
AV over IP (full name Audio-Visual over Internet Protocol, also known as AV/IP) refers to a technology that transmits audio, video and control signals through network infrastructure (such as WAN, LAN, 4G/5G network, and public Internet). Compared with the traditional way of point-to-point transmission using HDMI/SDI cables, the AV over IP architecture can greatly increase the throughput of data transmission by adding network switching equipment, and is not limited by the number of physical interfaces of the equipment. In the AV over IP architecture, the traditional audio and video signal transmitter has become an IP encoder, and the audio and video signal receiver has become an IP decoder, which performs compressed or uncompressed audio and video transmission, and completes the part through the codec Video processing work, such as up and down scaling, color space conversion, picture flipping, etc.
【AV over IP  Transmission Standard】
At present, there are rich and mature network transmission standards available in the industry. Users can choose different transmission protocols according to specific project requirements, such as SMPTE 2110, NDI, SRT, RTMP, SDVoE, Dante, etc., and different transmission protocols are in use The above is the game between audio and video quality, bandwidth, delay and reliability. At present, many AV products in the market can basically realize the transmission of audio and video signals, but the differences are mainly reflected in the compatibility of different network transmission protocols, different video source equipment and different platforms and production software, as well as the quality and quality of signal transmission. On stability.
【AV over IP Technical advantages】
Compared with the traditional way of signal transmission through cables, the advantages of AV over IP are mainly reflected in the following three aspects:
High scalability: When the network bandwidth allows, users can add multiple endpoints to the AV over IP architecture, and can distribute a single video signal to thousands of terminals for display and monitoring, and meet the needs of a broad system with minimal investment Upgrade requirements.
High flexibility: From the perspective of the actual deployment of the project, while maintaining the original network infrastructure without any changes, a network cable is used as an IP-based port device (including IP phones, IP codecs, and network cameras). Etc.) While transmitting data signals, it can also supply power to such devices (PoE), which not only maintains compatibility with existing network systems, but also simplifies project deployment.
High efficiency and high cost performance: AV over IP technology breaks the limitation of the physical distance of signal transmission, and the range that the network can cover, audio and video signals can be effectively communicated. In large-scale projects, integrators or engineers do not need to deploy additional signal cables to extend the transmission distance, and can flexibly manage and maintain equipment distributed in different locations in the network through web-based management software, which greatly improves The efficiency of project deployment is improved, while cost is controlled.

【AV over IP industry application solutions】
AV over IP technology has been widely used in traffic emergency command, smart classroom, radio and television video production, medical demonstration, and social service organizations including scenic spots, theaters, and airports.
Video production
Video production is the process of re-editing, integrating, and arranging pictures, videos and background music to generate a new video file. In the radio and television industry, it is usually necessary to connect all audio and video equipment (cameras, microphones, video switchers and mixers, etc.) at the event site to an IP encoder. The director or producer monitors the shooting pictures and remotely controls the equipment and Adjust the lens. The IP encoder transmits audio and video data through the network to the video production studio for decoding and video production, and then sends the generated video content to the final destination (TV station, CDN, etc.). The video production studio can be within tens of meters near the event (on-site video production) or several kilometers away (remote video production).

Medical teaching
Traditional medical teaching is in the form of field observation. In order to improve the quality of surgical treatment and reduce the rate of surgical infection, hospitals have gradually adopted a new method of digital surgical teaching. In a surgical teaching activity based on network transmission, an IP encoder will be installed in the operating room to receive audio and video signals from surgical field cameras, panoramic cameras, 4K ultra-high-definition endoscopes and other medical equipment, and transmit the signals as IP streams To the network. In the demonstration classroom, the surgical teaching host decodes the IP stream from the operating room, and realizes video production such as picture-in-picture, screen trimming and enlargement based on the surgical teaching software, and finally converts the produced image into a baseband signal and transmits it to a projection such as Facilities such as instruments and displays are available for instructing physicians or medical students to watch on-site. In addition, real-time surgery images can also be streamed to a live broadcast platform for doctors in remote classrooms to observe and learn.

Traffic emergency command
In order to improve the coordination and linkage mechanism of emergency response and improve the emergency response capability in response to public emergencies, the transportation unit will formulate emergency plans in advance, build emergency scenes and joint command plans for the headquarters. In such a scheme, the emergency site needs to maintain real-time communication with the headquarters. The audio and video images of drones and cameras on the emergency site are transmitted to the headquarters through the IP encoder. Similarly, the headquarters will then send the commanders on the site to the headquarters. The pictures and computer pictures are also transmitted to the emergency scene through the IP encoder, realizing real-time communication between the two places, and achieving the goal of efficient emergency management.

【to sum up】
In terms of infrastructure, from the traditional AV architecture to the AV over IP architecture, the core change of the AV equipment in the entire workflow is that the video matrix switcher has become a standard IP switch, and audio and video appear on both ends of the switch. IP encoding and decoding equipment. Users can still get the functions of capturing and switching videos in the traditional AV architecture. The surprise of the AV over IP architecture is that it allows users to have the ability to expand the entire work architecture indefinitely, and has the ability to The ability of an IP device for remote control and management.

As early as 2016, the industry can be said to have completely entered the "AV over IP" era. Traditional hardware manufacturers have gradually completed the strategic transformation of their products to IP, and software has begun to occupy a larger business share. At the Hangzhou G20 Summit just past, the network AV system was able to be applied on a large scale in the venue, which has a pioneering and demonstrative effect.
Simply put, the so-called "AV over IP" is to send uncompressed audio and video information on standard IP media. A little more complicated is to encode the signal source and transmit the compressed content with reduced bit rate on the IP medium. But in general, it refers to extending and switching video and audio signal sources on a standard IP network. This means that with the development of technology today, input and output signals have been everywhere and everywhere. The signal source can be "any" and "many", including desktop PC output, video cameras, media players, satellite/cable TV set-top boxes, and so on. The terminal can also be "any" and "many", including the receiver box directly connected to the TV in the Huddle Room or public space, the video wall controller in the control room, the media stream on the laptop, and even the pure mobile device. Software decoding and display.

The game of image quality, bandwidth and latency

All roads leading to Rome are the charm of IP. The AV industry has found the next best way to transmit audio and video signals. IP provides a standardized architecture, but nowadays, the transmission method on the architecture can no longer meet the needs of various customers. We need to determine what image quality, bandwidth, and delay are allowed according to the application situation.
For low-bandwidth applications, H.265 is the answer, but due to the high level of compression, it is necessary to pay the price of delay and image quality. If there is enough bandwidth available, you can choose low-latency, lossless compression methods, such as JPEG 2000, TICO, etc., and there are some methods that can provide higher-quality images with lower delay levels.
When bandwidth is not a problem, no delay and no compression are important, especially in broadcasting, video conferencing and other occasions. This type of application can now be implemented on the 10G network topology.
Using standard IP media and standard IP protocol transmission, audio and video information can come and go freely like computer data, enjoy the same management tools, stream access permissions, and security protocols. However, most suppliers that use standard IP media will compress the source audio and video information in some form, so that a proper balance can be obtained when using a data network.
The lighter the AV over IP data packet, the faster the transmission. In addition to compression, you can also expect to purchase unlimited bandwidth for dedicated signals, enjoy the freedom brought by the "virtual signal path" provided by the AV over IP solution, and are no longer restricted by distance, and can achieve full HD video and Minimize latency. Different from traditional transmission methods, the AV over IP solution can provide dynamic and real-time content, creating more participation and lower cost of ownership for users. Especially in the business environment, IP is the ideal signal transmission method and the final trend of AV distribution.
But when it comes to audio, you have to clarify the definition first. There is a big difference between Audio over IP (AoIP) and Audio over Ethernet (AoE). People often think of them as a meaning. AoIP is a technology that allows compressed audio to be streamed on the Internet. It is usually used in broadcast or online streaming music services, which does not meet the needs of professional AV. And AoE is a technology that transmits uncompressed audio over the entire Ethernet. Delay is not allowed here, so AoE usually exists in the local area network.

Standard choice

The choice of AV over IP technology also depends on the user's tolerance for compression. If you don't want to compress video, you can use standards like HDBaseT or HDMI, which are designed to handle these high bandwidths. If you want to transmit lower-latency AV over IP signals over long distances, understanding the main compression techniques and making trade-offs are the keys to a successful design.
There are two main compression technologies in the professional audio-visual field, H.264 and JPEG2000, both of which can achieve high-quality images. The difference is that H.264 optimizes bandwidth, while JPEG 2000 optimizes latency. Low-bandwidth H.264 data streams perform well in most network environments, allowing multiple data streams on each link, and can achieve interoperability on corporate networks. For example, most web-based videos use H.264 compression. It is also commonly used by streaming media cameras and mobile devices, and the H.264 streaming media solutions in the professional AV market can frequently interact with these devices. The price is delay, which can easily add half a second of delay to the video stream. This also makes H.264 more used in long-distance applications, but it is not suitable for extension in the room, because the delay of the mouse and keyboard is very abrupt here.
The JPEG 2000 solution means higher bandwidth, which almost occupies a 1Gb Ethernet link. The result is that they usually require a dedicated network cable to run, just like the standard uncompressed technologies of HDMI and HDBaseT. But the advantage of JPEG 2000 is that the delay is lower than H.264.
Delays are superimposed, so other devices, such as display scalers and video conferencing systems, must also be considered. At the same time, the synchronization of audio and video is also very important, and people are usually very sensitive to the lack of synchronization of audio and video. If a separate audio distribution system is used, even a small video delay may become a big problem.

The versatility of AV over IP

The latest IP-based AV products have shown rich versatility. In addition to mobile control signals, audio distribution, and management of video conferences, there are many new solutions that add more and more differences to network applications. From microphones to PTZ cameras, hardware can not only be connected, they can also run on a multi-platform level, collect more audio and video data, and achieve further collaboration from the desktop to the coffee shop.
We can see that IP has created more and more intelligent microphones. Now it is not difficult to build an end-to-end network audio system. Each input can be cropped, scaled and placed according to storage presets, or any user-defined Defined configuration. With N1512, it is no longer necessary to directly connect the video signal source, because all are based on the network. The encoder is used to stream media video content on the network, and the window processor can be anywhere with a network, including data centers.

The AV network of the future

Faced with so many types, how to choose a suitable AV over IP technology? Before choosing, it is best to understand the user's scale, scope and expected performance level, such as a room, a group of rooms, or the entire enterprise. Understanding these details early helps to understand bandwidth requirements, desired image quality, and acceptable latency based on the application.
At the same time, the AV industry needs to think of itself as a subset of IT. The so-called ITization is not just about integrating RJ45 ports into AV products. There are many issues to consider, including security. When interoperability is on the agenda, if appropriate security protocols are not embedded in these systems, the network may be attacked. Today, the AV installations of many large enterprises are moving towards an integrated network. All IT and AV applications share the same network architecture. In this case, the choice of switcher will be more important.
When AV signal transmission is steadily integrated into the network environment, the infrastructure needs to support future needs. From now on, we must prepare for the future. More and more users will be proficient in certain aspects of IT, and will have higher requirements for interoperability, collaboration and instant access in the AV equipment experience. Ten years later, "Video Wall Control" will experience a new level of connectivity that we cannot imagine today.

NP Lite is AV over IP encoder and decoder that ultra-low latency, high quality video and audio signals over 1 Gbps Ethernet networks at low bitrates. The highly scalable and powerful enables secure deployment of AV signals to thousands of endpoints to create an IP-based video and audio control system.If you have a project like av over ip, please check our latest product