Semtech’s BlueRiver® Optimizes Mt. Titlis Smart…

Semtech’s Professional AV Interface Conversion…

Semtech’s BlueRiver® Platform Provides…

The BlueRiver® platform is Semtech’s award winning technology for AV-over-IP, which is one of the fastest growing segments in the Professional AV signal distribution market. As the core technology that powers Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE™), BlueRiver has been demonstrated to be the only AV-over-IP technology that can provide matrix switch-like performance, delivering pristine 4K resolution video with imperceptible latency, along with multichannel audio and control signals, such as USB, Infrared and Consumer Electronic Control, all over standard 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks using a common control Application Programming Interface (API).

For this second installment in the BlueRiver applications for Pro AV blog series, we’ll take a look at how SDVoE enables the most cost efficient and feature-rich AV-over-IP systems for applications typically using the traditional matrix switch topology.

Replacing the Matrix Switch in BlueRiver®…

Since its official launch in early 2020, the BlueRiver® ASIC has been the bedrock of all new product developments for Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE™). From standalone encoders and decoders, to HDMI wall plates, the ASIC has provided a lower power and cost effective platform from which our customers can expand their product portfolios. With full integration of USB, designed for connecting and routing USB devices such as keyboards, mouse and track balls, BlueRiver sets a new benchmark for KVM over IP applications.

Semtech's BlueRiver® Applications Part 1: KVM

Semtech’s award-winning BlueRiver® platform was designed to address Pro AV market requirements in an efficient and cost-effective manner, enabling manufacturers to create complete AV-over-IP product lines at a variety of price points. BlueRiver is uniquely valuable in that it is a turnkey hardware and software solution. 

BlueRiver AV Manager: Customizable, Flexible,…

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, there was a general feeling that it would all be over in six months. Few expected the global shutdown of live events and professional sports. Concert tours were postponed and sports arenas stood empty as the effects of the pandemic rolled on into the year. I had bought tickets to see the My Chemical Romance reunion tour in September 2020, for my son Max’s 18^th birthday. But of course, it’s been postponed (twice) and it looks like I’ll be taking him for his 20^th birthday instead! Pro sports are starting to open up in many countries, and people like me are itching to go to concerts to see our favorite bands, comedians and theater productions, and be immersed in the collective cheers and applause of the audience again. In the immortal words of the late, great Freddie Mercury, “the show must go on!”

The Roar of the Crowd: BlueRiver for Stadiums

Since starting out my career working at Dolby Laboratories in the early to mid-90s, I’ve often been referred to as “the audio guy.” However, I’ve actually spent the majority of my career working with video technologies, initially with the Serial Digital Interface (SDI), and more recently, with Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE™) which is powered by Semtech’s award-winning BlueRiver® technology for Pro AV. Still, I have a soft spot for all things audio and make a point of highlighting the audio features of my product lines, as some of these often get overlooked.

Semtech's BlueRiver and Audio Over IP

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for higher education establishments to adopt hybrid styles of learning, providing the benefits of in-room learning to remote students. The Audio Visual (AV) experience is a major component of this hybrid approach, combined with the flexibility of high performance networks, to deliver the most stimulating and immersive experience for both teaching staff and students. As the world recovers and students go back to school, there may still be the need to reduce class sizes for social distancing purposes, and therefore, “extend” the teaching experience beyond the single classroom, with many students still participating remotely, either from different rooms or from home.

BlueRiver for the Hybrid Campus

I designed my first product using the Serial Digital Interface (SDI) back in 1996, and little did I know that this fledgling coax-based video interface standard would dominate my career for the next 20+ years. Back then, SDI was limited to carrying Standard Definition (SD) digital video at 270 Megabits per second (Mbps), but would evolve to higher and higher data rates to carry High Definition 720p, 1080i and 1080p, and most recently 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) video, at cable lengths that were not thought possible. The convenience of a low cost single conductor coaxial copper cable, capable of carrying 4K video up to 100m has meant that SDI has become the de facto AV connectivity of choice in markets such as broadcast, Pro AV, medical and surveillance.

Serial Digital Interface Is Dead: Long Live SDI!

With the move to a more distributed workforce as well as an increasing number of staff permanently working from home, businesses are opting for smaller huddle rooms for ad hoc meetings and remote collaboration. Also taking advantage of the power of today’s personal computing technology, businesses large and small are relying less and less on dedicated, permanently installed video conferencing systems. These days, it is quite commonplace for users to drive the meeting and room technology using their own devices, and collaborate using the latest video conferencing software tools. This is often referred to as a “Bring Your Own Device” meeting, or simply BYOD. However, since the entire meeting experience relies totally on the user’s device and meeting software, such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom, this application is more often termed BYOM for “Bring Your Own Meeting,” with users simply benefiting from the available audio and video peripherals of the meeting space they are in.

Semtech's AVXT for “Bring Your Own Meeting”…

When it comes to AV signal switching and extension over standard copper category cabling, Semtech offers two high performance platforms: AVXT chipsets for point-to-point AV extension applications, and the BlueRiver® AVP series of devices for AV-over-IP and Software Defined Video Over Ethernet (SDVoE™) network-based applications. Both solutions take advantage of standard Ethernet technologies, typically operating at 10Gbps, to support transmission of high bandwidth 4K60 video with uncompressed image quality. However, when video bandwidth does not require the full 10Gbps, both AVXT and AVP can operate at the 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps Ethernet rates. The benefits at operating at these lower data rates includes significantly longer cable reach over high performance category cable, or reuse of existing network cable infrastructure designed to carry lower data rate Ethernet.

Not All Pro AV Cables Are Created Equal