AV over IP

What it is

AV over IP is the umbrella term for transporting audio, video, USB, and control signals over standard IP networks. It replaces dedicated point-to-point cabling (HDBaseT, SDI, DVI) with the same Cat6 / SFP+ infrastructure already used for data.

The dominant standards

• SMPTE ST 2110 — broadcast-grade, separately streamed video, audio, and ancillary data; PTP timing.
• NDI — production-friendly, mDNS discovery, lightweight intra-frame codec.
• SDVoE — 10 GbE, uncompressed for HD and 4K30 (light ≈1.4:1 compression for 4K60 4:4:4), built on Semtech BlueRiver silicon, vendor-driven; common in high-end AV.
• JPEG XS / RIST / SRT — long-haul and contribution transports.

Why it matters

AV over IP collapses three formerly separate networks (data, video, audio) into one. For video walls, this means any source on the building network is a potential window — no truck rolls to pull SDI.

Related terms

• NDI (Network Device Interface)
• Video wall
• Multiviewer