On AVoX: Neutrik Americas

Fred Morgenstern, Vice President of Technology at Neutrik Americas
(Image credit: Future)

AVT Question: Please share insight into the current state of networked AV and control; what you see as barriers to entry; and what advice can you offer on how AV/IT managers can overcome limited resources or a lack of buy-in.

Thought Leader: Fred Morgenstern, Vice President of Technology at Neutrik Americas

Neutrik comes at networked AV and control from a different angle than most companies. First, we ask whether it needs to be rugged? Is the environment unpredictable, with the possibility of accidental disconnection? Only after those questions have been answered does Neutrik get involved. If ruggedness is required, then the Neutrik portfolio is broad enough to encompass everything from RS232 signaling all the way up to and beyond 100 Gb/s fiber optic transmission. That whole range of speeds is active now in the AV market. At the slow end, simple switch signaling remains necessary. On the extreme other end of the speed spectrum, the connective requirements between UHD OB trucks, for example, are simply massive.

The one word that comes to mind when I think of AVoIP/AVoIT trends is 'more.'" — Fred Morgenstern, Vice President of Technology at Neutrik Americas

Our product sales tell us that IP technologies are challenging and often displacing DMX and AES/EBU signals; that audio, video, and lighting are ever more commonly converging onto shared-switch architectures; that 10 Gb/s Ethernet is becoming the standard both for current requirements and for future-proofing (even for such slower-speed requirements as multichannel digital audio, which currently operates quite happily on CAT 5e networks); and that the appetite for discrete fiber strands is only growing in tandem with increased sophistication in the broadcast realm, ranging from sports broadcasting, to government facilities, to houses of worship. 

The one word that comes to mind when I think of AVoIP/AVoIT trends is “more.” Everyone is demanding more: more integration of formerly disparate signaling, more transport options, more speed, more storage, more leading-edge products, and more interoperability. Neutrik leads that movement in the ruggedized connectivity space. Responding to those customer demands for more is integral to our product development roadmap.

AV Technology's Thought Leader Series on AVoX

Check out what other industry thought leaders have to say about the state of networked AV. A full list with links can be found at the bottom of the On AVoX, the Intro Article

Cindy Davis
Brand and content director of AV Technology

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.