A maintenance revision to AES67-2013, the AES standard for streaming audio-over-IP interoperability, named AES67-2015, clarifies some of the interoperability requirements, based on general implementation and “plugfest” experience.
- The possibility to incorporate these revisions was identified during the AES Plugfest 1 testing, carried out in cooperation with the European Broadcast Union (EBU) at the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT), in Munich, Germany. During these tests, ten companies tested 16 currently available, networked-audio products with AES67-specific extensions against each other to confirm interoperability.
The participating manufacturers included ALC NetworX GmbH, Archwave AG, Axia Audio, Digigram SA, DirectOut GmbH, Georg Neumann GmbH, Lawo AG, Merging Technologies S.A., SOUND4, and Telos Systems Inc., and technical personnel from IRT, Swedish Radio, and the BBC assisted in the tests and observed the outcomes on behalf of the EBU. The tests proved the proposed functionality of AES67 to be both real and robust, according to the Media Networking Alliance, the industry group established to promote awareness and adoption of AES67.
“The limited scope of these revisions is testimony to the robust and stable nature of AES67 as originally published and successfully implemented by numerous audio manufacturers," said Kevin Gross, Media Networking Alliance technical chairman. "As proven in the plugfest testing, AES67 functional compatibility performs as described and these revisions further complement that functionality.”
In addition, the Media Networking Alliance has appointed new members to its board. Rich Zwiebel, vice president, Systems Strategy, QSC Audio Products LLC, is now chairman, and Terry Holton, general manager, Yamaha R&D Centre, is vice chairman. Marty Sacks, vice president of sales, support, and marketing at The Telos Alliance is the group's new financial officer, and Bill Scott, vice president of engineering and technology at Bosch Communications Systems, and Andreas Hilmer, director marketing and communications at Lawo, are also new members of the Board.
