Netgear adds switches aimed at broadcast market, ST 2110 ecosystem

Netgear has announced interoperability between Intel’s Media Transport Library and E800 series Network Interface Cards with Netgear’s M4350 series SMPTE ST 2110-capable switches. These new Ethernet switches are part of Netgear’s ongoing initiative to develop AV-over-IP solutions for the broadcast and Pro AV industries.

With growth in bandwidth needs for both local area networks and internet gateways, media is increasingly carried on IP networks for applications that include video production, video communications, visual analytics, AR/VR, immersive 360 video, digital signage, industrial usages and the emerging metaverse. Compressed video and audio have been used for media distribution for quite some time, but other application areas have either been entirely unable to work with compressed media or able to use only modest levels of compression to preserve video quality for both human viewing and AI analysis. By combining Netgear and Intel technology, anyone building ST2110 networks can rely on seamless interoperability and high performance time-sensitive networking.

“Netgear AV has pioneered an easy configuration process to help Broadcast Pro AV engineers migrate from legacy workflows to IP workflows with more confidence,” said Richard Jonker, vice president commercial business development at Netgear, “It is a tremendous milestone to prove our interop capabilities with Intel’s SMPTE 2110 ecosystem.”

Netgear Managed Switches: Purpose-built for AV
Netgear M4250, M4300, M4350 and M4500 series managed switches are unique in the industry with an innovative AV-oriented interface. Removing all the complex menus filled with arduous IT network jargon, the Netgear AV OS™ provides a simple AV-friendly, template-based approach to switch configuration. This streamlined workflow enables broadcast and Pro AV integrators and installers to dive right into projects with the confidence that all the network settings are correct for their desired workflow. This eliminates the steep learning curve and cumbersome setup normally associated with network switch configurations. Netgear’s groundbreaking AV-centric user interface simplifies the overall installation and configuration process for users with pre-configured AV profiles that have been certified by 200+ AV manufacturers.

The M4350 series incorporates this simplicity into enterprise-class hardware with redundant power supplies, Power over Ethernet (PoE) up to 90W per port, ultra-quiet fans and easy setup managed by the Netgear Engage™ Controller. The revolutionary Netgear AV OS contains pre-configured profiles for all major audio, video, and lighting protocols including: AVB, Dante, AES67, NDI4/NDI5, NVX, AMX, Q-SYS, ZeeVee, Aurora Multimedia, Kramer, Atlona, LibAV, Visionary, SDVoE and others. SMPTE ST 2110 is supported on the VSM4320C (fiber) and XSM4344C (copper) M4350 models with 10G to 100G ports and PTP synchronization.

Intel Media Transport Library Implements ST2110 on Intel E800 Series NICs
Live video production, industrial applications and digital signage (among others) require strict time references and media synchronization between multiple streams. The Intel Media Transport Library supports those requirements for media communications between server nodes while providing the following benefits:

To achieve strict requirements around flexibility, scalability and cost, the open source Intel Media Transport Library implements the protocols in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) ST 2110 suite of standards. NewscastStudio