In Celebration of Pi on 3.14.22 - We ROUND Up Popular Tech Articles

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In celebration of mathematics and Euclidean geometry, we've rounded up some of our most popular tech articles.

Unicast or Multicast Video Switching?

The most concise description of when and why to use unicast versus multicast video switching that you’ll ever read. We’re seeing more interest in utilizing IP multicast switching as an option. The advantages of multicast have traditionally been enjoyed in the broadcast industry, but it has its place in the AV world as well. As such, it now demands installers develop more expertise and understanding of when multicast switching should be used versus VLAN switching.

The Ghost in the HDMI Machine

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is the most used connector in AV today. The annual global market for cables alone is valued at more than $2.5 billion and has an expected combined growth rate exceeding 5 percent over the next several years. However, since its introduction in 2005, HDMI has saddled AV professionals with numerous complications. It is sensitive to several issues resulting from manufacturing decisions and installation environmental conditions, including voltage inefficacies, improperly powered cable assemblies, link bandwidth, and more.

Byte-Sized Lesson: Security and TCP Handshakes

This security issue is important if you have an encoder, camera, or other device that periodically goes back to the manufacturer’s website to register its license or get updates. First, we require some background information.

Byte-Sized Lesson: ICMP Revisited

ICMP is not an optional protocol in TCP/IP. In virtually every operating system, if IP is used, ICMP is a mandatory extension. As the name implies, ICMP sends and receives control messages related to how IP is functioning.

Overlooked IP Basics (Part I)

This is the first of a two-part lesson. Each part will address some basic IP principles that seem to be overlooked when we debate about which approach is best in solving AV problems. We tend to get lost in the details of signaling method, proprietary chip, cable type, and so forth. In this lesson we are going to focus on two fundamental ideas: layered models and multicasting.

Overlooked IP Basics (Part II)

This is the second part of our two-part lesson. Here we will also address some basic IP principles that seem to be overlooked. In this lesson we are going to focus on two fundamental ideas: half duplex versus full duplex and statistical multiplexing.

Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology. Davis enjoys exploring the ethos of experiential spaces as well as diving deep into the complex topics that shape the AV/IT industry. In 2012, the TechDecisions brand of content sites she developed for EH Publishing was named one of “10 Great Business Media Websites” by B2B Media Business magazine. For more than 20 years, Davis has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer electronics B2C publications, associations, and companies. From 2000 to 2008, Davis was the publisher and editor-in-chief of Electronic House. From 2009 to present, as the principal of CustomMedia.Co, Davis developed content plans and delivered content for associations such as IEEE Standards Association and AVIXA, content marketing for Future Plc, and numerous AV/IT companies. Davis was a critical member of the AVT editorial team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. A lifelong New Englander, Davis makes time for coastal hikes with her husband, Gary, and their Vizsla rescue, Dixie, sailing on one of Gloucester’s great schooners, and sampling local IPAs.