1 Topic by James Kennedy

  • James Kennedy
  • James Kennedy
  • Operations Manager - EMEA
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  • From: Peavey - Corby
  • Registered: 2007-09-03
  • Posts: 63

Topic: IT and A/V Convergence: Who needs to be learning what?

On the back of the 'No Nion Lan Communcation through large switch' topic in the Help!/Bugs/Feature Requests Forum as mentioned by Joe and Josh I've decided to take it upon myself to start this new Topic.

To my mind,there is a very simple answer when you look at the two fundamental facts:

- Packetized Networking has been in place from the early 60's,data being Transmitted and received from one computer system to another.
- Audio over Ethernet AoE didn't come into play until the mid to late 80's

So,who do we expect to step up to the plate? The IT guy doesn't want to try and put Data down an XLR cable into a Mixer! no,but the A/V guy wants to put Digital Audio/Video over a Cat5 cable and Fast Ethernet Network,right? so on the face of it I believe the A/V guy needs to learn about IT.

That is a very Frank or black and white opinion I know but I also understand there are grey areas in this business.

Having said all that(about to contradict myself) in reality and practice it has to be a two way street for it to work. If the IT guy is well educated and informed correctly about what is expected by the existing or new Network then he/she has the right tools and knowledge to configure a successful running system.

Let the battle commence.......

All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him.

2 Reply by cobraguy

  • cobraguy
  • cobraguy
  • Peavey CobraNet Guru
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  • Registered: 2008-05-28
  • Posts: 79

Re: IT and A/V Convergence: Who needs to be learning what?

Ideally an A/V person should be an expert in all that they are using and installing. And that would include I/T.  That would be ideal and some installers, including more than a few in this forum, have that expert level of IT knowledge.
But at the very least the A/V person using I/T must understand the basic principals of networking, what the different pieces of H/W do and what good installation practice is.
They should know enough to speak intelligently to IT people about their requirements and concerns  and they should know enough to recognize when an IT person is not or can not be helpful.
But the goal for an A/V firm should always be to have one or more people on staff that are truly I/T savvy. That is the only way that the company can be sure to remain competent in this competitive and changing environment.

Nihilism is best done by professionals

3 Reply by JoshM

  • JoshM
  • JoshM
  • Recording Engineer at Burnt Orange Studio
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  • From: Meridian, MS
  • Registered: 2007-08-13
  • Posts: 1,498

Re: IT and A/V Convergence: Who needs to be learning what?

Hi James!

I completely agree with the idea that the A/V folks should be learning as much as they can about I/T related issues. It will make things much easier for them since they will understand what is actually going on. Most A/V types that are not learning about I/T stuff are doomed to be like that one audio guy that we all know who survives soley by relying on old wives tales and just swapping things out until he gets a "magic" combination of things that work. If the A/V people can talk to the I/T people in a language that they can understand, it will make everyone's time much easier.

However... How often is the A/V designer brought into the project at the very beginning?

Yeah, just about never.

So, we need whomever is designing the I/T infrastructure to understand what needs to be in place to support our needs. This is where being able to "speak I/T" comes in very handy.

The result is that everyone needs to learn more about everyone else's business, while staying up to speed with their own business. Education is king... the more you know, the better decisions you can make. Get out there and learn something!

Josh Millward
Burnt Orange Studios

JoshM's Website

4 Reply by James Kennedy

  • James Kennedy
  • James Kennedy
  • Operations Manager - EMEA
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  • From: Peavey - Corby
  • Registered: 2007-09-03
  • Posts: 63

Re: IT and A/V Convergence: Who needs to be learning what?

cobraguy wrote:

But at the very least the A/V person using I/T must understand the basic principals of networking, what the different pieces of H/W do and what good installation practice is.

I totally agree with this statement, maybe one idea would be for somoene to draw up a Standard basic Networking module with an end test in which you are given a Certificate so to speak on passing,then the Client/Network administration can enforce this as a pre-requisite at tender?? just an idea(a bit drastic sounding I know! but.......)

All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him.

5 Reply by Fergy

  • Fergy
  • MM Tech Support
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  • From: The Home Office--Meridian
  • Registered: 2007-08-15
  • Posts: 334

Re: IT and A/V Convergence: Who needs to be learning what?

InfoComm has had an online course for several years, and recently added several new courses.  The new ones include both simple on-line programs, as well as in-depth multiple day courses and are very good.   NSCA also has a basic course, if you are already woriknig with them for training.

But if you want a college based class that has lots of hands on teaching, then look here for a community or junior college near you.

http://cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/r … index.html

These programs lead to Cisco certifications (as well as college degrees), and are far more than an overview of the topic.

I have seen a few Scope of Work come across my desk that require CCNA employees to be part of the installing team.  I've wondered how that has worked out for the consultants who are bringing that to the bid process.

Last edited by Fergy (2009-10-28 00:41:00)

Make it intuitive, never leave them guessing.

6 Reply by jvalenzuela

  • jvalenzuela
  • Initech programmer
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  • From: Orlando, FL
  • Registered: 2007-10-10
  • Posts: 223

Re: IT and A/V Convergence: Who needs to be learning what?

A couple of thoughts:

IT is a HUGE field, of which audio related technology is a subset. For our uses, it is best to choose the relevant technologies for study. Things like Ethernet, Ethernet bridging(switching), and elementary TCP/IP are things I would consider applicable in our field. Less so, but not useless, would be IT subjects such as WANs, IP routing, database administration, etc.

Cisco's CC** certifications can be useful, but they are of course Cisco-centric. Understanding networks in a brand-agnostic fashion is more useful as you will undoubtedly end up working with other manufacturers.

Finally, attending courses can be beneficial, but don't underestimate what can be learned from a good book and an hour each day.