There's a growing diversity of methods and technologies devoted to transferring audio over digital networks, both wirelessly and over physical connections. Experts on audio coding and networked audio applications gathered in San Francisco at an AES Convention to explain a number of developments in the field.
A detailed update on the state of the art in network audio technology
The traditional paradigm of transmitting audio and video media content over point to point dedicated cabling is being supplanted by methods of moving media content over networks, in particular Ethernet, LANs and IP based WANs. The Networked Audio Track, supported by the AES Technical Committee on Networked Audio Systems, explores the latest developments in methods, protocols and applications of all things networked audio. From low latency media distribution to command and control of networked audio devices. From Audio over IP to coding and error correction.
The authors introduce a wireless organic digital audio distribution network to transmit signals to a dynamic group of loudspeakers with intelligent, high quality receivers.
The development of a standard device model is proposed and discussed with reference to the OSC, IEC62379, ACN and X170 control protocols.
Recent standards in digital networking have rekindled industry hope for universal media networking standards.
The TC aims to inform the AES and other organizations on issues pertinent to its focus area, with an emphasis on local and wide-area networks. The emphasis accompanies a major increase in network scale, bandwidth and quality of service, making it possible to consider brand new classes of audiovisual applications, as well as unconventional and high-performance implementations of existing ones.
Best Practices in Network Audio
This standard provides comprehensive interoperability recommendations in the areas of synchronization, media clock identification, network transport, encoding and streaming, session description and connection management.
This standard for networked command, control, and connection management for integrated media is an IP-based peer-to-peer network protocol, in which any device on the network may initiate or accept control, monitoring, and connection management commands.
This document specifies the method of carrying multiple channels of audio in linear PCM or AES3 format in calls across an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network to ensure interoperability.
Developments in both IP networking and the attitude of professional audio to emerging technologies have presented the opportunity to consider a more abstract and all-encompassing approach to the ways that we manage data.
AES/EBU Announce Collaboration On Next-Generation Audio Over IP
New Networked Audio-Over-IP Interoperability Standard: AES67-2013
