What is SDVoE?
SDVoE is a specific AV-over-IP technology. SDVoE harnesses the power of off-the-shelf 10-gigabit networks to enable video distribution with flawless quality and advanced features at breakthrough-low prices to finally deliver on the dream of converged AV and IT networks.
The SDVoE Alliance promotes SDVoE technology. Established in 2017, the SDVoE Alliance is a nonprofit consortium of technology providers collaborating to standardize the adoption of Ethernet to transport AV signals in professional AV environments and to create an ecosystem around SDVoE, allowing software to define AV applications. The SDVoE Alliance was founded to accelerate the industry’s transition to Ethernet-based AV distribution. The SDVoE Alliance’s steering members, Black Box, Christie Digital, IDK, NETGEAR, Semtech, and ZeeVee, recognize the value of AV and IT convergence and set out to establish a standard that supports sustainable, flexible, and available technology.
The SDVoE Alliance and its technology provide a necessary platform for true AV and IT convergence, with zero-millisecond latency and flawless image quality, utilizing a 10-gigabit infrastructure. Together, the SDVoE Alliance unites ecosystem partners, including AV equipment manufacturers, AV software developers, switch manufacturers, chipset designers, technology providers, and system integrators, under a single banner to foster collaboration and empower AV and IT convergence.
SDVoE is supported by an ASIC chipset, which means the power consumption of an SDVoE endpoint is up to 75% lower than a comparable alternative. SDVoE’s ASIC chipsets can result in tens of thousands of dollars saved yearly in electricity costs for large systems. Of course, it also means a significant reduction in environmental footprint.
SDVoE’s ASIC chip is the key to availability. Currently, FPGA-based products are quoted with 52-week lead times (or more!) because those flexible FPGAs are in high demand from all industries – industries with far more purchasing power than professional AV. Meanwhile, the BlueRiver ASIC embedded in SDVoE endpoints is only available to professional AV manufacturers. As a result, SDVoE members have products in stock and ready to ship.
How is SDVoE Different?
"The SDVoE Alliance is poised to support a global customer base with a solution to meet customer delivery demands amid ongoing supply chain disruptions."
SDVoE technology is quite different from traditional point-to-point connectivity, matrix switches, and other proprietary AV-over-IP systems. The SDVoE Alliance links its 50 members with over 700 products on a common interoperable hardware and software platform. Interoperability is the real game-changer as manufacturers of point-to-point technology and matrix switches navigate supply chain challenges. Progressively, system designers and integrators are objecting to the trap of single-vendor solutions and embracing SDVoE’s model of interoperable solution providers. The SDVoE Alliance is poised to support a global customer base with a solution to meet customer delivery demands amid ongoing supply chain disruptions.
Although SDVoE emphasizes sustainability, flexibility, and availability, it’s important to note that performance has not been overlooked, either. SDVoE is the only AV-over-IP solution that can match the performance of a matrix switch. Featuring flawless image quality and zero latency, users don’t have to compromise on performance or flexibility with SDVoE technology. SDVoE enables end-to-end transport latency under 100 microseconds and a full-featured image processor capable of scaling, cropping, compositing, and more.
The SDVoE Alliance is built for today’s market needs. While the professional AV industry is being disrupted by ongoing supply chain challenges, the SDVoE Alliance provides feature-rich technology that enables integrators to meet their project deadlines without compromising affordability and performance.