The Great AVoIP Shift: Winning the IP Transition

Building Facilities of the Future with AVoIP

The next generation of facilities, from schools to stadiums, studios to city councils, won’t be built around isolated AV rooms. They’ll feature centralized, software-defined AV networks that can scale, adapt, and evolve over time.

AVoIP enables the concept of an “AV fabric,” where any signal can go to any destination at any time. Instead of fixed-ratio matrix switchers, facilities are now designed around core-distribution or spine-leaf topologies with multicast-ready switches. This reduces cabling complexity, lowers long-term cost, and makes scaling as simple as adding more endpoints.

Designs are now planned around 1G and 10G endpoints, with 40G or even 100G backbones for UHD or immersive content. PoE and PoE+ eliminate the need for external power. Topologies are designed to support both real-time AV and structured IT services because they are no longer separate workflows.

Rationale, Risks & Resistance with AVoIP

Why Change?

Legacy AV systems are becoming obsolete. Facilities still relying on HDMI or HDBaseT are discovering that hardware lifecycles are shrinking, sometimes becoming unsupported within three to five years. That’s a problem when your capital investment horizon is eight to ten years.

AVoIP offers longer-term flexibility. It leverages standard IP infrastructure, supports remote management, and can scale without forklift upgrades.

Concerns and Risks with AVoIP Infrastructure

Resistance is real. Some AV teams fear the complexity of IP. IT teams often don’t understand the nuance of AV signal timing, latency, and traffic flow. Add in dozens of protocols like NDI, Dante, AVB, and AES67, and you’ve got a messy convergence challenge.

The cost of inaction, however, is higher. Facilities that cling to baseband risk being locked out of future workflows. The most successful transitions begin with executive buy-in and cross-functional planning between AV and IT teams.

AVoIP Tactical Advice for the Transition

Transitioning to AVoIP isn’t just a technical project. It is a strategic rearchitecture. Here are the critical pillars to consider:

1. Network Design Comes First

Plan for multicast traffic using IGMP snooping and queriers. Use managed switches that support Quality of Service (QoS), PTP (Precision Time Protocol), and VLAN segmentation. Standardize topologies such as core/distribution or spine/leaf based on the scale of deployment.

2. Protocol Awareness

Expect to operate across Dante, NDI, AVB, SDVoE, and AES67, sometimes simultaneously. Choose endpoints and switches that can accommodate hybrid signal paths, or invest in protocol gateways where required.

3. Discovery and Orchestration

Don’t assume device discovery will “just work.” Many vendors rely on proprietary methods or Bonjour-style services. NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 are gaining traction for registration and connection management, but real-world implementation varies. Build time into your projects to validate device interoperability.

4. Team Training

AV teams need to learn subnetting, switch configuration, and packet timing. IT teams need to understand signal paths, frame accuracy, and protocol constraints. Provide cross-functional training or bring in partners like Key Code Media with expertise in both.

5. Unified Monitoring & Support

Traditional help desks can’t support AVoIP without visibility. Use monitoring tools like NETGEAR AV GUI, Dante Controller, and IP packet analysis tools such as Wireshark with RTP decoders to track link status, latency, jitter, and timing mismatches.

Bridging Legacy & Innovation

Very few organizations can deploy AVoIP as a greenfield. Most face hybrid environments with legacy HDMI gear alongside new IP endpoints. The solution is phased migration and smart gateways.

Deploy SDVoE transceivers that bridge HDMI into AVoIP networks. Use Dante AV encoders to digitize baseband signals. Ensure your switches can isolate legacy VLANs from real-time IP flows to avoid congestion.

Most importantly, prioritize interoperability. Choose vendors who publish API hooks, support open standards, and work well in mixed environments. That flexibility lets you move at your pace without vendor lock-in or stranded investments.

Industry Insight: Looking to the Future with AVoIP

AVoIP is no longer a side project. It is core infrastructure. Studios are routing entire control rooms over IP. Universities are designing shared AV networks across campuses. Worship spaces are live-streaming services using 10G links and mixing audio on tablets.

What’s next? Native cloud integration. AI-enhanced monitoring. Fully virtualized production. But the foundation is the same: flexible, scalable, standards-based networks where AV and IT operate as one.

Get A Free AVoIP Consultation With Key Code Media

Whether you’re evaluating your first AVoIP rollout or overhauling an entire facility, Key Code Media has the expertise to help you succeed. Our team brings deep experience across AV design, IT infrastructure, and real-world implementation to ensure your transition is smooth, scalable, and future-ready.

Contact us today for a free consultation and take the first step in winning your AVoIP transition.