Broadcast Audio from Analog to AoIP: The Evolution

For decades, professional audio connections were shuttled by long runs of cable carrying analog signals on a balanced line - but since the early 2000s, pro audio equipment vendors started considering the benefits of using IP-based transport as the network equipment needed to make it happen matured and came down in price. The result was Audio over IP, or AoIP, with implementations like Livewire, WheatNet-IP, RAVENNA, Dante, Q-LAN, and others. This led to the AES67 standard and its inclusion in SMPTE ST 2110. Whether you're a new-school broadcaster well versed in IP multicast and want to know what differentiates balanced and unbalanced audio, or an old-school broadcaster wondering why you need separate switches with this newfangled IGMP junk, this video is for you.

At 4:38, a card shows linking to the following playlist from Technology Connections about digital sound:    • Digital Sound and the Compact Disc  

At 9:40, I put a card in linking to this video from Scott Manley about how GPS works in great detail:    • How GPS Works, And How It Got Better ...  

Do you need to know which multicast group corresponds to a Livewire channel number for AES67 interoperability? Check out this handy web-based tool by Matt Gray: https://unnamed.media/livewire.html

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Written and edited by:
Drew Kirkman
Script editors:
Thomas Getter
Zachary Morris-Dean
Music:
"Sunset n Beachz" performed by Ofshane

©2023 Broadcast Blueprint LLC

0:00 Introduction
0:31 The XLR Connector
0:50 Unbalanced Lines
2:21 Common-mode Interference
2:56 Balanced Lines
3:46 Differential Signaling
4:16 The Introduction of IP Transport
5:09 IP Multicast Basics
5:59 Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)
8:01 Network Reliability and Quality of Service
8:49 Clock Synchronization, GNSS Reference, and IEEE 1588 (PTP)
10:15 Popular AoIP Implementations, AES67, and ST 2110 Interoperability
10:58 Conclusion