Based on a column by David Webster, CTO of RGB, with additional material by Bryan Denyer.
ABI Research reports that the market for in-building wireless equipment and deployments will grow to over $8 billion in 2019, up from a forecast $4.4 billion for 2014 representing a 14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). While the UK market will continue to suffer from poor broadband, end-users have elected to work with wireless unless they have no choice but to use wired networks and connectivity.
Walking around ISE this year, we couldn’t help but notice the prevalence wireless AV networking options – a number of which didn’t come from the established specialists in networking and connectivity, like the Luxul’s of the world. Some of these new players are addressing an emerging market for simple, flexible solutions in companies without network specialists on the staff, and where end-users might be willing to take on changes to the network themselves
HD Flow Wireless Multimedia Kit (HDS200), from Peerless-AV, is just such a solution. The product offers the freedom to stream Full HD 1080p, 60Hz video and 5.1 channel Digital audio anywhere in domestic and commercial settings. The attraction, as with all wireless solutions, effectively negates the need for long and expensive cable runs and disrupting the fabric of the building by channelling into walls.
Peerless-AV says that HD Flow is also suitable for temporary installations, such as Rental & Staging, because it enables AV equipment to be quickly moved between locations, without restriction to cable connection points. Another application for HD Flow is deployment as a BYOD hub for meetings and presentations.
Featuring simple plug and play setup, HD Flow has 5 inputs for multiple devices such as Blu-ray®/DVD players, satellite/cable set top boxes, media servers, laptops and PCs. Full HD content can then be instantly multicast in real-time to up to 4 receivers, including projectors, monitors and LFDs.
Operating in the open 5GHz band, HD Flow creates an interference resistant private network over a 40m (131ft) range, with the ability to penetrate walls, ceilings and floors. The Wireless HD transmitter provides the ability to broadcast its own integrated Wi-Fi (802.11n) signal with, it is said, unnoticeable latency and without an additional wireless router. Other features include the ability to connect up to four distinct source devices, easily switch between these sources using the remote control unit and transfer to a second Wi-Fi channel in the unlikely event of interference or to run two HD Flow systems simultaneously.
Mixed networks
But what about situations where the wireless is inconsistent or the installation exceeds the available capacity? RGB has made a specialism of networks and connectivity. David Webster, RGB’s CTO, has found that as: “the worlds of AV and IT continue to converge and increasing numbers of the products distributed by RGB are dependent on network connectivity either for control or audio video content.”
The solutions sold by RGB offer both wireless and wired options, but where wireless is the only option, special measures have to be taken. “This is especially true of Savant’s control systems as they are natively IP based, and use wired and wireless networks to achieve the fast and smooth user experience for which they are renowned for.” But, since all iOS devices are Wi-Fi only, Savant can still employ these extensively as user interfaces, both handheld and permanently mounted in walls, the performance and robustness of the entire system is 100% reliant on the quality of the wireless network.
For this reason RGB recommends that, for any Wi-Fi installation used for AV or control (not just Savant), any installation needs more than three access points (APs) to cover the working area. A wireless controller should be used to manage them. The benefits of managed Wi-Fi are many and include; centralised configuring and monitoring, automatic self healing Wi-Fi, smart adaption for changing priorities and smooth device roaming.
While there are several managed wireless network systems available to AV integrators, most have come from the professional IT industry and intended to be deployed in corporate networks by knowledgeable network engineers. But because AV integrators are not usually highly skilled network people, there is an easier solution in the form of the new Pakedge C36 Wireless controller.
Easier to install
Like all of its products, the C36 has been created by Pakedge to provide advanced and powerful features that are simple to use. When used with up to thirty of the Pakedge W6 or W7 series APs (for single or concurrent dual-band Wi-Fi respectively), RGB can help to specify and supply a complete high performance managed wireless system. The Pakedge APs are available in four form factors; the unique low profile in-ceiling model (not a bulky on-ceiling type), wall mount, rack mount and weather resistant outdoor model, making any installation easier to achieve.
The recently announced W8 series of APs adds the new IEEE 802.11ac standard for the highest Wi-Fi speeds currently possible. The theoretical maximum speed of 1.3Gbps is even faster than wired Gigabit networks and by operating in the 5GHz band only, 802.11ac avoids the speed sapping congestion and interference of the 2.4GHz band used by most of today’s Wi-Fi devices. This is ideal for customers who are looking for the most future-ready wireless network possible.
For smaller AV projects, maybe using just a few Wi-Fi devices, then a single AP might be sufficient. However, using a low-cost consumer grade AP with poor performance and low quality, could be a false economy if wireless connection problems result in unreliable control and / or poor media playback. The use of enterprise grade APs with high performance for improved range, speed and interference rejection, such as those manufactured by Pakedge, is therefore strongly recommended.
Configuration
Of course wireless components are only part of the customer’s network that needs to be managed. Assuming that users will not be capable of, or interested in, configuring their networks themselves, with all the necessary advanced features such as VLANs and QoS to support all their needs, then there is an opportunity for integrators to provide such a service for them, maybe with a Recurring Monthly Revenue (RMR) attached.
But to remotely monitor all the network devices very simply, requires a new approach such as that offered by the new Pakedge NP36 Network Patroller. This is a site based appliance that detects and reports automatically via the Pakedge Bakpak cloud based service to the dealer. It allows them to view device health, power cycle devices, control PoE ports and AC sockets, and receive configurable alerts via email, SMS, or Smartphone (Android or iOS) notification.
It is an ideal way to save on support and maintenance costs and to reduce site visits thereby bringing green advantages to your business. Importantly, once the NP36 is purchased, there are no ongoing subscriptions, update or licensing fees and even third party devices can be added for a fully unified network management experience from anywhere in the world.
If your AV project success (and profit) depends on the network then RGB can help you specify control solutions and to invest in Pakedge – the only manufacturer to have a complete architecture of advanced, high performance wired and wireless network products that are especially created for AV applications and pre-configured for use by AV integrators.
SET as a boxout:
Uncompressed 4K video and Ethernet traffic share a network
Ever since AV Signal Distribution moved over to standard Ethernet networks over the capacity of the data network to carry video. The consensus at the moment is compressed video ‘yes’, uncompressed video ‘no’. The pragmatic solution of recent years has been to build parallel video and IT networks using the same Off-The-Shelf (OTS) Ethernet technology. But, to achieve low or zero-frame latency in these uncompressed video networks has meant using custom AV matrix switching, with all the associated costs.
But that could all be about to change: a Canadian company called AptoVision has developed a new chipset, called BlueRiver NT which can be designed into a box that plugs into a customer’s Ethernet network to allow uncompressed 4K video to be transmitted and received with zero-frame latency. In AptoVision’s words, this is the “world’s first and only mainstream chipset to enable the transmission and switching of real-time, uncompressed Ultra-HD AV signals, with zero-frame latency, over off-the-shelf (OTS) Ethernet switches.”
Replacing custom AV Matrix switches with standard Ethernet switches is said to cut the cost of AV matrix switching equipment by 60%. More importantly, it avoids the cost of installing a duplicate network just for the video. And here’s the proviso – the single network that is installed has to have a 10g backbone, rather than the more usual 1 g. The reason for this is that BlueRiver NT cheap needs 6.8 gigabits of bandwidth to work with, leaving 3.2 for general Ethernet traffic.
Architecture
Kamran Ahmed, CEO and co-founder of AptoVision, explains: “The high time-to-market, cost and risk associated with developing, certifying, manufacturing, testing and stocking multiple configurations of custom AV Matrix switches prevents many AV equipment manufacturers from competing effectively in the market for AV signal distribution equipment.”
“By leveraging the large variety and numerous available configurations of OTS Ethernet switches, our BlueRiver NT uniquely enables such AV equipment manufacturers to deliver a complete AV signal distribution platform without the R&D effort or procurement and inventory risk associated with custom AV Matrix switches.”
Integrated into source-side AV transmitters and display-side AV receivers, the BlueRiver NT chipset transmits uncompressed Ultra-HD (4K) HDMI-video, 32 channels of audio, USB 2.0(i) and useful control signals over fibre or copper cabling using a packet-based architecture, that allows the signals to be switched through standard OTS 10G Ethernet switches. Proprietary technology is used to handle arbitration, source clock recovery, bandwidth management and network configuration ensures real-time, pixel for pixel, zero-frame latency transmission.
Because the video is rendered only once before it is distributed uncompressed through the AV Signal Distribution Network, then is no need for a PC or equivalent to be attached to the back of each display to decode the signal. This avoids the problem of multiple PC and display combinations playing the content out of sync.
Multiple benefits
There are a number of other benefits of an AV signal Distribution Systems based on AptoVision’s BlueRiver NT platform. These include:
■ Size: Ethernet switches deliver a 96-port switch in a 2U chassis – 60% smaller than equivalent custom AV switches.
■ Cost savings: OTS Ethernet switches are 60% less costly than equivalent custom AV switches.
■ Increased flexibility :Providing a standard LAN backbone, other networking gear can be used on the same AV network.
■ Built-in scalability: Adding I/Os beyond the maximum density of the installed configuration is as easy as connecting another switch using the high bandwidth up-links instead of replacing the entire switch as in the case of custom AV switches
■ Ease of configuration BlueRiver Smart-setup auto-configures every BlueRiver device even in the most complex networked systems.
■ Widely available control software. Decades of pre-existing R&D for LAN monitoring and control can be leveraged for AV switching without the need to develop custom control software.
All of these are good to have, but the key point is that this development offers the prospect of combining uncompressed 4K video on the same network as data traffic. It’s an exciting prospect, but one that you will have to wait until the autumn to develop. AptoVision designed and built the prototypes on show at ISE, but the company’s business model is to supply the chipsets to manufacturers you will be more familiar with in the AV market.
