Avnu Alliance

Avnu Alliance is a consortium of professional, automotive, consumer electronics and industrial manufacturing companies working together to establish and certify the interoperability of open Audio Video Bridging (AVB)[2] and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) standards. The Alliance works with its member companies to certify AVB and TSN products for interoperability.[3] Manufacturers may use the Avnu logo on such certified products. Not every AVB-compliant device is submitted for certification to the Avnu Alliance. The lack of the Avnu logo does not necessarily imply a device is incompatible with other Avnu-certified devices.[4]

Avnu Alliance
FoundedAugust 25, 2009
TypeConsortium, nonprofit
Location
Area served
Worldwide
MethodIndustry standards
Members
60+[1]
Websitewww.avnu.org

History

Audio Video Bridging is the name given to a set of technical standards developed by the IEEE Audio Video Bridging Task Group of the IEEE 802.1 standards committee. The committee developed the original technical standards for AVB, a way to simplify audio and video streaming through the use of the Ethernet cable, rather than the complicated approach traditionally taken using an array of analog one-way, single-purpose and point-to-point cables.[5][6]

Avnu Alliance was launched on August 25, 2009,[2] to create certification processes based on AVB standards that would ensure interoperability.[5] Founding members include: Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Harman International, Intel and Xilinx.[7] As of August 2013, the alliance includes over 60 members worldwide that represent a cross-section of companies.[8]

In 2012, Avnu Alliance announced the formation of Avnu Automotive AVB Gen2 Council (AAA2C), a committee of automotive industry experts that will collectively identify automotive requirements for future development of the second generation of AVB standards.[9]

In April 2013, the forum launched the Avnu Alliance Broadcast Advisory Council (AABAC) to assess and improve AVB requirements in the broadcast industry.[3][10] Created with the participation of Avnu Alliance members, network technologists and broadcasters, the AABAC also intends to promote the use of AVB in broadcast applications.[10]

Avnu Alliance's chairman and president is Rick Kreifeldt of Harman International.[11]

Certification

Avnu Alliance invites industry companies to participate and collaborate in their efforts to improve audio/video quality.[2] Their members create a broad array of products, including cars, semiconductors, loudspeakers, consoles and microphones. By 2012, Avnu Alliance had created a single set of open standards for AVB, which it uses to certify devices to guarantee interoperability.[12]

Since January 2012, Avnu Alliance has worked with its test house, the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), to test interoperability and provide validation for its certified products.[12][13] Avnu's certification testing officially began at UNH-IOL in February 2013.[14] The UNH-IOL is a neutral, independent testing service that works with other audio/video industry consortiums, including the Ethernet Alliance, Wi-Fi Alliance and IPv6 Forum, to provide third-party verification, lower costs through collaborative testing, and help guide industry acceptance of a technology standard.[15][16]

The technology ecosystem supporting and accelerating the development of Avnu certified products has matured to include standards-compliant silicon devices, FPGA IP, open-source software, and also 3rd-party AVB certification services such as Coveloz's AVB Certification Service.[17]

When a product is submitted to Avnu Alliance for certification, it is tested against over 400 pages of conformance requirements, which combine IEEE 802.1 standard requirements with additional requirements developed by Avnu. Any issues the product may have are then reported to the manufacturer. After fixing any outstanding issues, the manufacturer can submit the product to Avnu for official approval and permission to use the Avnu certification logo on the product and any accompanying marketing efforts.[4]

In February 2014, Avnu Alliance announced their first certified products, a series of AVB switches from Extreme Networks that passed all conformance tests and will bear the Avnu-certified logo. Extreme Networks' Summit X440 is a series of stackable switches that extend the benefits of the ExtremeXOS software. They are intended for professional AV and IT applications, allowing data, audio and video to co-exist on a single standards-based network.[18][19]

Standardization

The Avnu Alliance's goal is to make it easier to implement network systems by promoting the adoption of the IEEE 802.1, 1722 and 1733 AVB standards in automotive, professional and consumer electronics markets,[6] ensuring that AVB products from different manufacturers would be able to interconnect seamlessly.[20] Along with ensuring interoperability, the adoption of IEEE 802.1 (and the related IEEE 1722 and IEEE 1733) AVB standards over various networks would reduce technical issues, such as synching, glitches and delays, while improving content streaming capabilities.[2][21] The Alliance's industry standards improved Ethernet technology, making it simpler to add enhanced performance and capabilities to audio/video networks, while bringing down costs by using lighter, cheaper cable that is easier to set up and able to carry a larger amount of information than what was regularly used in networking environments.[7]

Milan

In 2018, the Avnu Alliance announced the Milan (Media-integrated local area network), an initiative to define implementation details such as media formats, clocking, redundancy and device control, and provide certification and testing program to ensure that devices from different vendors are interoperable within common device profiles.[22]

Milan specification is based on the following IEEE standards:

  • IEEE 802.1BA-2011 Audio Video Bridging (AVB) Systems - consists of usage-specific profiles for device interoperability;
  • IEEE 802.1Q-2011 Media Access Control (MAC) Bridges and Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks - defines methods for traffic shaping (Forwarding and Queuing for Time-Sensitive Streams) and bandwidth reservation (Stream Reservation Protocol) in network bridges and VLANs;
  • IEEE 802.1AS-2011 Timing and Synchronization for Time-Sensitive Applications - defines the Generalized Precision Time Protocol (gPTP);
  • IEEE 1722-2016 Layer 2 Transport Protocol for Time Sensitive Applications - defines (AV Transport Protocol, AVTP) and payload formats;
  • IEEE 1722.1-2013 Device Discovery, Enumeration, Connection Management and Control Protocol (AVDECC).

The specification requires media clocking based on the IEEE 1722 CRF (Clock Reference Format) and sample rate of 48 kHz (optionally 96 and 192 kHz); audio stream format is based on IEEE 1722 32-bit Standard AAF Audio Format with 8 channels per stream (optionally, 24 and 32 bit High Capacity Format with 56 and 64 channels). Redundancy is provided with two independent logical networks for every endpoint and a seamless switchover mechanism. AVDECC defines operations to discover device addition and removal, retrieve device entity model, connect and disconnect streams, manage device and connection status, and remote control devices.[22]

Markets

Automotive

The Alliance members represent a variety of facets of automotive technology.[23] Because of the growing complexity of in-vehicle audio/video systems and the increasing number of in-vehicle applications (such as infotainment, safety and multiple cameras), testing to ensure interoperability is increasingly important in the automotive market. Automotive systems with multiple applications require interoperability to work properly. As of 2013, Avnu Alliance works with the GENIVI Alliance and the JASPAR Alliance to standardize in-vehicle Ethernet requirements.[11][24]

Professional AV

The IEEE AVB Task Group has developed a series of enhancements that provide highly-reliable delivery of low latency, synchronized audio and video.[25] This technology enables the construction of affordable, high performance professional media networks. Video interoperability specifications for the pro market are currently in development.[26]

Meyer Sound was noted for adopting Avnu Alliance's Ethernet standards to assist in the development of its first AVB-capable loudspeaker, named CAL, which stands for column array loudspeaker, completed in 2013.[27]

Consumer Electronics

The improvements to Ethernet developed by IEEE's AVB task force also benefit those desiring to distribute digital content among multiple devices in their home networks.[28] In 2013, the Avnu Alliance began to establish testing requirements for AVB interoperability specifications for reliable, time-synced AV streaming over Ethernet and wireless networks in residential applications.[26]

Industrial Control

AVnu's Industrial group defines compliance and interoperability requirements for TSN networking elements.[29][30]

Milestones
Date Event
April 15, 2009 Avnu Alliance is incorporated
August 25, 2009 Avnu Alliance launches and adds first promoter members
January 19, 2010 IEEE publishes first AVB standard
March 7, 2012 Avnu Alliance partners with UNH-IOL to create certification program for AVB products
February 12, 2013 Avnu Alliance opens bridge certification
April 1, 2013 Avnu Alliance opens endpoint certification
February 20, 2014 First certified AVB products announced[31]
June 1, 2018 Milan specifications and device certification announced

See also

References
  1. "List of members". Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  2. "AVnu Alliance Launches to Advance Quality of Experience for Networked Audio and Video," Business Wire, August 25, 2009.
  3. "AVnu Alliance Welcomes New Member Companies To Advance AVB Certification," Pro Sound Web, May 9, 2013.
  4. "What you need to know about AVnu Alliance's AVB Certification," Archived 2013-08-31 at the Wayback Machine AV Network, March 20, 2013.
  5. Doug Irwin, "Audio Video Bridging," Archived 2013-08-08 at the Wayback Machine Radio, July 1, 2012.
  6. Michael Johas Teener, "No-excuses Audio/Video Networking: the Technology Behind AVnu", avnu.org, August 24, 2009.
  7. Rick Merritt, "Alliance drives Ethernet into cars, professional media", EE Times, August 25, 2009.
  8. "AVnu Alliance Seeks to Penetrate CE Via IEEE-Based AV Bridging Standards", Warren's Consumer Electronics Daily, Vol. 13, No. 163, August 22, 2013.
  9. "AVnu Alliance Convenes Council to Advance Automotive Requirements for AVB Gen2", Business Wire, October 9, 2012.
  10. "Broadcast Advisory Council Launched by AVnu Alliance", Commercial Integrator, April 9, 2013.
  11. "Certification ensures a smooth ride for in-vehicle audio/video streaming: Q&A with Rick Kreifeldt, President and Chairman, AVnu Alliance", Embedded Computing Design, February 8, 2013.
  12. "Why Meyer Sound Likes AVB: A Chat with John McMahon", Archived 2012-05-04 at the Wayback Machine meyersound.com, April 2012.
  13. "Avnu Testing Consortium", iol.unh.edu. Accessed August 13, 2013.
  14. John Day, "AVnu Alliance opens bridge certification at UNH-IOL", Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine John Day's Automotive Electronics, February 13, 2013.
  15. "AVnu Alliance Teams with UNH-IOL to Certify AVB Products and Unveils AVnu Certification Timeline", Business Wire, March 7, 2012.
  16. "Testing Programs," UNH-IOL. Accessed August 19, 2013.
  17. "Coveloz's AVB Certification Service" Archived February 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  18. Tom LeBlanc, "First AVnu-Certified Products Are Extreme Networks Summit X440 Series", Commercial Integrator, January 28, 2014.
  19. Zoe Mutter, "AVnu Alliance Announces First AVnu-Certified AVB Products", avinteractive.com, February 23, 2014.
  20. "Q&A: 'What You Need to Know about AVnu Alliance's AVB Certification Program'", Archived 2013-08-27 at the Wayback Machine meyersound.com, March 2013.
  21. "Avnu Alliance FAQ", avnu.org. Accessed August 11, 2013.
  22. "Milan | A User-Driven Network Protocol for Professional Media".
  23. "Automotive | Avnu Alliance".
  24. "JASPAR and AVNU Alliance teams up on Ethernet-based in-vehicle networking," Telematics Wire, April 2013.
  25. "Pro AV | Avnu Alliance".
  26. Joseph Palenchar, "AVnu Alliance Targets Residential Multi-Room Audio," Archived 2014-04-16 at the Wayback Machine TWICE, August 22, 2013.
  27. Chuck Ansbacher, "Meyer Sound's First AVB Loudspeaker Makes a Direct Impression", Archived 2013-08-31 at the Wayback Machine AV Network, July 15, 2013.
  28. "Consumer Electronics | Avnu Alliance".
  29. "Industrial | Avnu Alliance".
  30. Jahan Imtiaz; Jürgen Jasperneite; Lixue Han: A performance study of Ethernet Audio Video Bridging (AVB) for Industrial real-time communication in: IEEE Conference on Emerging Technologies & Factory Automation (ETFA 2009), pp.1,8, 22–25 Sept. 2009 doi: 10.1109/ETFA.2009.5347126
  31. AVnu Alliance Announces First AVnu-Certified AVB Products, Avnu Alliance, February 20, 2014, archived from the original on October 6, 2014, retrieved 2014-10-05
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