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I was just at ethersound.com and saw that Media Matrix was shown as an authorized integrator. Does this mean there will be some sort of ability to interface Ethersound network audio into a Media Matrix system either by Nion or CAB I/O cards or even as an option instead of Cobranet?
Any information would be helpful.
Peavey Electronics is the authorized integrator...And that was primarily for Crest, but MM is named in the agreement. Ethersound is far more important to the touring side of the audio business, and MM is more in the install side. But Crest is in both, and so joined the party.
That said, is there interest in having Ethersound transport option for Nion? If you were at InfoComm, you may have seen Dante in our booth, and we are also sign up as a Dante integrator.
So the question is; is the market interested in (and does it need) another digital audio transport besides CobraNet? We are listening carefully, so tell us what you think.
I took the Infocomm appearance of Dante in a prominent positon on the MM stand as an indication that a decision had been made. Or are you asking about another digital audio transport besides CobraNet and Dante?
As a consultant, we are always looking for products that are highly flexible and play well with others. The more platforms a product can adapt to, the easier a specification will be for a particular project. More options are always better from my perspective. Of course, reliability must remain as well.
Well, Phil is right, we will have a Dante product, especially since Audinate is working hard to help us do the engineering. But there is still work to be done, so don't get ahead of the game.
But the real decision is the market. Will you spec/install it? Which is the reason for the question. EtherSound, though a great transport for the touring market, I'm not sure is the right protocol for the install market. But you tell me.
We have used both CobraNet and EtherSound for our projects. We choose whatever seems to fit the overall project objectives the best. I can't speak for everyone, but we are not sold out to any single format, brands, etc.
We are currently in the middle of the engineering of a job where Dante is planned to be the primary transport mechanism between NIONs... but theres discussion about possibly not wanting to be the first in the world to do this. We'll keep you posted on how it goes!
We are also looking at a project that has Dante spec'd. Interestingly it already has NION/CobraNet on site, but Stage 2 may be Dante. Preferred option is to XDAB to existing CN NIONs with Dante NION, although a CN/Dante interface box is the other option.
A Dante (or EtherSound for that matter) NIO card would be way cool. That way a NION could double as a format converter and/or bridge 2 networks. Any thoughts??
A Dante (or EtherSound for that matter) NIO card would be way cool. That way a NION could double as a format converter and/or bridge 2 networks. Any thoughts??
I'm easy, I'd still be thrilled with a good old Cobranet NIO card....
On another note regarding these upcoming projects where Dante is spec'ed, does anyone know why? Is there some feature that Dante utilizes(and that the project requires) that Cobranet cannot provide? Ya it's IP, but do you *NEED* to have a Layer 3 protocol in the particular application?
One obvious difference between Dante and CobraNet is in the routing granularity. CobraNet bundles, as used in NION, have a best case routing granularity of 2:1, i.e. up to 16 transmitters and receivers in advanced mode in support of 32x32 channels. 1 address available for every 2 channels. Dante routes on a per channel basis and does not use a 'bundle' model. Other than that, I agree with Jason; is the layer 2 vs. layer 3 issue really important in a professional audio network? I think the answer is no. I don't see use of layer 3 as an advantage given current networking technology in this application.
Before someone goes and creates a design trying 16 incoming and 16 outgoing bundles (16 two channel inputs and 16 two channel outputs)....
The current CobraNet CM-1 reference (what the design is called that is created by Cirrus-Logic so everybodies equipment works with everyone elses) can do is limited to a maximun of 24 bundles (8 bundles of in/16 bundles of out, or 16 in and 8 out, etc). You can exceed 24 bundles, but the bundles becomes SINGLE CHANNEL BUNDLES.
In other words, if you use 16 bundles for input, and 16 bundles for output, you will only have 16 channels of input audio, and 16 channels of output audio. Each bundle can only handle 1 channel.
Cirrus is working to change this, and a new reference is forthcoming, but it will still take a while for everyone to incorporate this in their equipment.
Large theme park integration, multiple site resorts, chain of restaurants/retail/casino/anything... basically any type of installation that wants to have a centralized bank of audio sources for distribution would be a candidate... and I'm staying in the box (for now).
I see the layer 3 topic as a tool that could make integration on some of these jobs a lot easier. Technically, yes we may not 'need' this in a professional audio system, but then again that could apply to a lot of the technology. We've made the necessary jump past cups and strings but we still want our paging system to be better than a microphone connected to some powered speakers don't we?
Currently to do the types of large scale campus type integration systems (distance learning), we use a layer 2 technology to bridge VLANs together to get more distance out of CobraNet. Or we write streaming software to get whatever content is there. It would be nice to not have to jump through these hoops and use a supported technology.
...I just hope there's a US number to call for support - the time change can be brutal to AUS.
I hear you about the time change!!
Within 2 years, there will be an additional protocol that we will be discussing, AVB.
So at the end of 2 years, CobraNet will still be the king of install market, with Dante coming on strong. EtherSound will be king of the tour market, and Dante could also be coming on strong here as well (it has all of the features required, low latancy, but it is easier to work with, because it is Ethernet).
The new AVB will be aimed at the consumer market, but we never use comsumer products ;-) (anybody ever install a VHS in a system). Simply because the consumer market is so LARGE, this will have impact on our market as well.
It will be an interesting ride for the next 5 years, as our industry continues to sort through these protocols.
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