For most of the last twenty years, professional AV signal distribution was a copper conversation. HDMI, SDI, HDBaseT, fiber for the long runs — each technology had its zone, its connector, and its limits. The matrix switcher in the rack defined what was possible. Then the network started swallowing everything else, and the AV industry began to look at the same ethernet cable that already carried voice, data, and control and asked an obvious question: why not video too?
That shift has a name. AV over IP — sometimes written AV/IP or AVoIP — is the practice of moving professional-grade audio and video signals across a standard or lightly customized IP network instead of a dedicated matrix. It is no longer an experimental architecture. It is the default conversation on most new system designs over a certain size, and it is increasingly cost-competitive on smaller ones too. Here is a beginner’s tour of what it is, how it works, and what to think about before specifying your first deployment.
What AV over IP Actually Means
At its simplest, an AV over IP system replaces the matrix switcher with a network switch. Each source — a media player, a camera, a laptop, a video conferencing codec — connects to an encoder, which packetizes the audio and video and pushes it onto the network. Each display, projector, or recording device connects to a decoder, which pulls the stream back off the network and converts it to the format the endpoint expects. A control system or web interface tells the network which encoder feeds which decoder at any moment.
The benefit is structural. A traditional 32×32 HDMI matrix is locked at 32 inputs and 32 outputs the day it ships. An AV over IP system scales by adding endpoints to the network. Want to add another display? Plug in another decoder. Want another camera? Plug in another encoder. The “switcher” is the network itself, and its size is whatever your switch fabric can support.
Why the Industry Moved This Direction
Three forces converged. The first is cost: enterprise-grade 1GbE and 10GbE switches from manufacturers like NETGEAR, Cisco, and Aruba have fallen dramatically in price while gaining the features (IGMP snooping, jumbo frames, low latency) that AV traffic depends on. The second is scale: large venues, corporate campuses, broadcast facilities, and houses of worship outgrew what any single matrix chassis could deliver. The third is convergence — IT and AV teams are increasingly the same team, and an architecture that runs on familiar switch hardware is easier to specify, deploy, and maintain than a proprietary fabric.
The result is that on most new builds above a certain complexity, AV over IP is not the alternative anymore. It is the baseline, and traditional matrix switching is the alternative considered for specific use cases.
The Building Blocks of an AV over IP System
Every AV over IP deployment is built out of the same four ingredients.
Encoders. These are the input devices. An encoder takes an HDMI, SDI, or USB signal, processes it, and sends a stream onto the network. Most modern encoders also pass through audio, control (RS-232, IR, CEC), and USB for KVM and conferencing applications.
Decoders. These are the output devices. A decoder pulls the stream back off the network and outputs HDMI, SDI, audio, and control to a display, projector, recorder, or amplifier. Many decoders can also drive video walls by stitching together feeds from multiple encoders or scaling a single feed across multiple displays.
The network. A managed switch — or a stack of them — provides the routing fabric. This is the part that traditional AV designers sometimes underestimate. The switch needs to handle multicast traffic correctly, support the bandwidth the codec demands, and ideally be configured by someone who understands both AV and IT requirements.
Control. A control system, web interface, or third-party platform like Crestron, Extron, Q-SYS, or a manufacturer-provided controller decides which source goes to which destination at any moment. This is the user-facing layer that replaces the matrix’s front panel.
The Main Standards and Approaches
Unlike HDMI or SDI, there is no single AV over IP standard. There are several competing ecosystems, each with a different balance of bandwidth, latency, image quality, and cost.
SDVoE. The Software Defined Video over Ethernet Alliance defines a 10GbE-based platform designed for uncompressed, zero-frame-latency 4K60 4:4:4 video. Member companies include ZeeVee, Christie Digital, NETGEAR, and others. SDVoE is the go-to architecture for mission-critical control rooms, simulators, and high-end corporate applications where image fidelity and instant switching are non-negotiable. Representative SDVoE endpoints available through AVProSupply include the ZeeVee ZyPer4K HDMI 2.0 Fiber Encoder for fiber-based runs, and the ZeeVee ZyPer4K-XSE Copper Encoder with Dante and Icron for copper-cabled installations that need integrated Dante audio and USB-over-IP at zero-frame latency.
NDI. Network Device Interface, originally developed by NewTek and now under Vizrt, runs over 1GbE and uses a high-efficiency codec to deliver broadcast-quality video at a fraction of the bandwidth. NDI dominates live production, streaming, and house of worship environments because it works on existing IT infrastructure and integrates with virtually every modern production switcher, camera, and software platform. The recent NDI 6.x releases have closed much of the latency gap with uncompressed standards.
Low-latency codec platforms. A growing number of products — including the WyreStorm NetworkHD series, BZBGEAR IPGEAR, AVPro Edge MXnet, and Atlona OmniStream — use JPEG 2000, JPEG XS, or proprietary low-latency codecs to deliver visually lossless 4K with single-frame latency. These platforms have become the workhorse choice for corporate AV, education, and digital signage because they balance image quality, latency, and bandwidth efficiency on standard 1GbE infrastructure. A representative example available through AVProSupply is the WyreStorm NHD-400-E-TX NetworkHD 400 Series 4K HDR AV over IP JPEG 2000 PoE Encoder, which delivers HDR-capable 4K UHD with a single-frame latency floor over a standard 1GbE network. For PoE-powered endpoints with built-in HDMI pass-through and scaling, the Key Digital KD-IP922ENC-II 4K AV over IP Encoder is another widely-deployed option in the same category.
The BZBGEAR IPGEAR-PRO line is a popular pick for installations that need TAA-compliant, multicast 4K60 distribution with built-in video wall, KVM, and PoE on a standard 1GbE switch. A typical pair is the BG-IPGEAR-PRO-T 4K UHD HDMI 2.0 Over IP Multicast Transmitter on each source and the BG-IPGEAR-PRO-R 4K UHD HDMI 2.0 Over IP Multicast Receiver on each display, with the controller auto-discovering each endpoint on the network. For projects that need seamless matrix switching, multiview, and the flexibility to use the same hardware as either an encoder or a decoder, the BG-IPGEAR-ULTRA 4K UHD AV over IP Multicast Transceiver consolidates both roles into a single SKU and adds window roaming and KVM seat management on top.
Dante AV and AES67. Audinate’s Dante is the dominant audio-over-IP standard, and Dante AV extends it to video. For installations where audio is already running on Dante, extending the same control surface to video is a powerful argument.
1GbE compressed vs. 10GbE uncompressed is the simplest way to frame the choice. Compressed 1GbE platforms (NDI, JPEG XS based) cover the vast majority of real-world projects because they reuse existing IT infrastructure. Uncompressed 10GbE platforms (SDVoE) win where image fidelity and latency are absolute requirements.
Bandwidth, Compression, and the Network Question
The single most important conversation in any AV over IP design is the network. A 4K60 4:4:4 uncompressed stream consumes roughly 12 Gbps — which is why SDVoE requires 10GbE and the others compress aggressively. A compressed 4K stream over NDI HX or JPEG XS can run comfortably between 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps depending on quality settings.
That math has consequences. A 24-port 1GbE switch handling NDI traffic for a large house of worship can do work that would have required a proprietary fixed-size matrix a decade ago. But a 32-endpoint SDVoE system needs 10GbE switching throughout, often with specific firmware features turned on. Multicast handling, IGMP snooping, and PIM configuration are not optional. The single most common cause of AV over IP problems in the field is a network that was not configured for AV traffic.
This is why most major AV over IP manufacturers now publish certified switch lists. If a manufacturer recommends a specific switch model with a specific firmware version, that recommendation is not marketing — it is the result of interop testing, and following it will prevent a long week of troubleshooting later.
PoE, Cameras, and the Live Production Angle
One of the most practical benefits of AV over IP is what happens at the camera end. PTZ cameras with native NDI or SRT output, like the BZBGEAR BG-UPTZ-ND30X-W 30X NDI|HX PoE PTZ camera, can connect to a network with a single PoE cable that carries power, video, audio, and control. The same network drop that powers a wireless access point can deliver a broadcast-quality camera feed to a streaming encoder, production switcher, or recording platform anywhere on the network.
That single-cable workflow is why live production — sports, worship, corporate webcasts, distance learning — has moved to IP-native cameras faster than almost any other vertical. The cable plant is simpler, the camera count is more flexible, and the same infrastructure that carries the cameras can also carry playback, graphics, and return feeds.
Where AV over IP Fits — and Where Baseband Still Wins
AV over IP is the right answer when scale, flexibility, or distance matters. A 200-display campus digital signage network, a 16-camera live production environment, a multi-room corporate floor with shared sources, a video wall fed from dozens of sources across a building — these are projects that would be painful or impossible with traditional matrix switching.
Baseband HDMI or HDBaseT still wins on simplicity and cost in small, fixed installations. A four-source, four-display conference room with no plans to grow does not need an IP backbone to do its job well. The signal path is shorter, the troubleshooting is more familiar, and the total cost is often lower. The right question is not whether AV over IP is “better.” It is whether the project’s scale, flexibility, and future-proofing requirements justify the network complexity.
Where to Begin
For an integrator or end user designing a first AV over IP project, the practical starting point is to define three things up front: the number of sources and destinations, the required image quality and latency, and the existing or planned network infrastructure. Those three answers will narrow the field to one or two ecosystems quickly. From there, the right manufacturer’s certified switch list, an experienced commissioning partner, and a clear control system specification are the rest of the recipe.
At AVProSupply, we work with integrators on AV over IP projects across every scale — from single-room corporate huddle systems to enterprise-wide deployments — and the most consistent advice we can give is this: the architecture is mature, the products are excellent, and the failures almost always come down to a network that was treated as an afterthought.
The future of AV signal distribution is on the network. The question for your next project is no longer whether to consider an IP architecture. It is which one fits the workflow, the budget, and the room it has to grow into.
For help specifying an AV over IP system for your next project, contact AVProSupply at 1.888.902.3309 or email [email protected]. We provide full service for all your audiovisual needs.