The shift to AV over IP is no longer a future vision—it’s happening now, globally and at every level of the industry. From stadium concerts to small theaters, IP-based workflows are transforming how we design, deploy, and manage audio, video, and control systems. In this post, we’ll explore the key trends driving adoption and what they mean for professionals across the AV spectrum.
1. Universal Adoption of Audio-over-IP
Audio-over-IP (AoIP) has become the standard in professional audio. Audinate reported in 2023 that more than 600 manufacturers and 4,000 Dante-enabled products are available. Competitors such as Ravenna (broadcast) and Q-SYS (AV installations) also rely on IP. From live festivals to houses of worship and theaters, new construction projects almost always choose networked audio.
Wireless microphones are now part of the AoIP ecosystem—consider Sennheiser Spectra, which makes wireless audio seamlessly integrated into the IP environment. Spectra supports both Dante and AES67, enabling the entire signal path—from microphone to loudspeaker—to travel as IP packets. This means not only flexible audio transmission but also centralized monitoring and management over the network. Interoperability via AES67 is crucial: heterogeneous systems can work together. For example, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) uses AES67 to exchange audio between broadcasters, regardless of whether their internal systems run on Dante or Lawo.
Bottom line: Networked audio is mainstream, supported by a mature ecosystem.
2. IP in Broadcast and Large-Scale Events
After a cautious start, IP video is now firmly established in broadcast. In fact, SMPTE ST 2110 won an Emmy Award for Technology in 2021, recognizing its transformative impact. Major broadcasters like BBC and NBC are building new IP-based studios.
A key driver? Remote production—directing a sports event in one country from a control room in another without quality loss. The pandemic accelerated this trend. Mega-events like the Olympics and World Cups now embrace IP for flexibility and reduced on-site staff. Even large concert tours are adopting IP video for LED walls and camera feeds, sometimes using NDI for compressed streams on 1 Gbit networks.
Summary: IP is no longer experimental—it’s the new standard at the top tier.
3. Convergence of Systems
Gone are the days of separate networks for audio, lighting, and IT. Modern venues often run everything on a single core switch, segmented by VLANs: one for lighting (sACN/Art-Net), one for audio (Dante), and one for IT. This virtual separation maintains performance and security while reducing costs and simplifying integration.
Example: Advanced conference centers with Crestron systems send audio, video, and control signals over the same structured cabling. This convergence demands collaboration—AV specialists now work closely with IT teams to manage networks with QoS profiles (e.g., a “Dante VLAN” prioritized on switches).
Result: Convergence drives efficiency and professionalization.
4. Democratization: Lower Market Segments Benefit
It’s not just high-end productions—smaller setups are joining the IP revolution. Why? Costs are dropping. AV-optimized switches with multicast and QoS are now affordable, with brands like NETGEAR offering plug-and-play IGMP snooping.
Open-source and software tools help too: QLab enables small theaters to run multi-room audio over IP, while lighting software like Chamsys MagicQ supports Art-Net out of the box. Education programs now teach IP fundamentals, reducing fear and boosting adoption in regional theaters and even amateur groups.
Takeaway: What was once exclusive to stadium concerts is now accessible to everyone.
5. Security and Reliability
With great power comes great responsibility. As everything moves to IP, cybersecurity becomes critical. A malicious actor could disrupt a show by spoofing or blocking packets. Solutions include network segmentation, authentication, and even encryption (IPMX plans this for content; Dante offers Domain Manager for device authentication).
Reliability remains non-negotiable—redundant networks, dual power supplies, and fallback scenarios are standard. IP introduces new tools: error correction algorithms (e.g., SRT for video) and monitoring software that tracks latency and packet loss in real time. Vendors like QSC and Yamaha now provide dashboards to detect issues before they become audible or visible.
In short: Security and resilience are evolving alongside IP adoption.
6. New Players and Alliances
As AV and IT converge, partnerships flourish. IT giants are entering AV, while AV brands collaborate with IT. NETGEAR, for example, launched a dedicated ProAV division to deliver switches optimized for multicast video—simplifying life for AV integrators and accelerating adoption.
Conclusion
AV over IP is no longer a niche technology—it’s the backbone of modern AV systems. From universal AoIP adoption to IP-based broadcast workflows, convergence, and democratization, the industry is embracing IP for its flexibility, scalability, and future-proof design. For AV professionals, this means new opportunities—and new responsibilities—in networking, security, and collaboration.
For more information please go to: https://www.netgear.com/proav
In the next blog post, we will round-up this blog series with the topic Future visions and innovations, follow me on LinkedIn to see the announcement!
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Eric Lindeman, NETGEAR ProAV Staff Systems Engineer Benelux
For more information about NETGEAR AV Switching, please contact the NETGEAR Pro AV Design Team via email: ProAVdesign@netgear.com
If you’d like to delve deeper into AV over IP switching, I invite you to check out our Online Academy via the link: https://academy.netgear.com/
On our training portal, you can find both AV and IT-related training courses. These courses are free to attend after registration, and at the end of each course, you can take an exam to earn a certificate.
