Articles by Phil Hippensteel

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: IP Numbers in Audio

By Phil Hippensteel published 6 November 18

In this lesson, we investigate important numbers that appear in the transport of audio, as well as ways of troubleshooting some common networked audio problems.

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: Errors in IP Networks

By Phil Hippensteel published 28 September 18

If you look at the many fields in a typical IP packet, you might find several error check fields. Why are there so many, and what is their purpose? Learn the answers to these questions and more.

What the AV Industry Can Learn From SMPTE 2110

By Phil Hippensteel published 2 September 18

While AV approaches IP-based transport from a number of angles, broadcasters have arrived at a unified solution for their similar needs. Can—and should—the AV industry follow suit?

Byte-Sized Lesson: Two IP Numbers You Should Know

By Phil Hippensteel published 31 August 18

There are a lot of key numbers associated with AV; here are two important numbers associated with IP networks that you should know and remember.

Byte-Sized Lesson: HTTP

By Phil Hippensteel published 3 August 18

Get up to speed on HTTP, how it works, and why it’s important in AV.

Byte-Sized Lesson: Ethernet, VLANs, Trunks, and Video

By Phil Hippensteel published 11 June 18

A look at some Ethernet techniques, including the use of trunking to combine switch ports.

WCU’s Kassabian on Building AV/IT Departmental Synergy

By Phil Hippensteel published 1 May 18

Convergence is playing out 'naturally' at West Chester University, where the AV and IT departments have been working together for many years.

Byte-Sized Lesson: Troubleshooting Study

By Phil Hippensteel published 1 May 18

A case study to apply lessons learned on protocols, addressing, standards, and how IP is used.

Byte-Sized Lesson: 4K60 and the Network

By Phil Hippensteel published 12 March 18

Standards Problems as AV and IT Merge

By Phil Hippensteel published 2 February 18

Maybe a task force of leaders from each of the sectors could meet periodically with a directive to address the technical issues faced by each group.

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: Security’s Magic Numbers

By Phil Hippensteel published 24 January 18

When I’ve talked with students, relatives, and friends about computer security, they often questions such as, “Why can’t the bad guys just steal the key?”

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: Critical Layer Four

By Phil Hippensteel published 18 December 17

I’ve written several times about the fourth layer of the seven-layer OSI model, the transport layer.

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: Network Address Translation

By Phil Hippensteel published 17 November 17

NAT (Network Address Translation) has been used for decades by network engineers to serve two primary purposes.

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: IGMP Snooping

By Phil Hippensteel published 30 October 17

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: Of Trees and Switches

By Phil Hippensteel published 25 September 17

I have experienced several instances where network managers or technicians have discovered two Ethernet switches connected with more than one cable.

Google Wants to Change TCP. Will It Affect AV/IT Stakeholders?

By Phil Hippensteel published 22 August 17

The new approach may seem like a minor change. But almost everyone is asking the same critical question, “Do I need to change my TCP stack?”

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: QoS

By Phil Hippensteel published 15 August 17

Professionals who work with IP networks often talk about solving problems by using IP quality of service (QoS) settings.

Will AV Over IP Become IP Over AV?

By Phil Hippensteel published 6 July 17

Cisco is here. Now what?

Byte-Sized Lesson In IP/AV: Security of AV Devices On The Network

By Phil Hippensteel published 21 June 17

The security of our AV devices is the leading focus of discussions in the AV industry today.

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: Real-Time Protocol (RTP)

By Phil Hippensteel published 8 May 17

The Real-time Protocol (RTP) is one of the most widely used protocols in the AV over IP industry.

Byte-Sized Lesson in AV/IP: Mismatched Subnet Mask Issues

By Phil Hippensteel published 24 February 17

One of the most prevalent problems with IP networks occurs when IP subnet masks are incorrect.

AVB: Biamp’s Smart Move

By Phil Hippensteel published 21 February 17

In a recent AV industry blog, a writer stated that Biamp made a “misstep" when it chose AVB over Dante as a primary method of audio transport in their TesiraFORTÉ product line.

Byte-Sized Lesson In AV/IP: L2 Switches/VLANs

By Phil Hippensteel published 13 January 17

This IP lesson will focus on layer two switches, which are almost exclusively Ethernet switches.

Byte-Sized Lesson In AV/IP: TCP vs. UDP (Part 2)

By Phil Hippensteel published 1 December 16

In this second of our two lessons on IP video types, we will discuss the various forms of video and how the choice of transport protocol affects output.

Byte-Sized Lesson in IP/AV: TCP vs. UDP Data (Part 1)

By Phil Hippensteel published 1 November 16

In this first installment of a two-part lesson, we will discuss the difference between IP video that is carried by TCP and IP video that is carried by UDP.