
With new features that are supportive of decentralised and remote production, the AES70 network control standard seems poised for a new level of recognition in broadcast with its latest update, writes David Davies
By Contributor
Published: June 16, 2022
With new features that are supportive of decentralised and remote production, the AES70 network control standard seems poised for a new level of recognition in broadcast with its latest update, writes David Davies
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
It would be fair to say that, in the modern era of networking, it has tended to be transportation technologies that have dominated the industry discussion. For instance, during the 2010s, there was considerable coverage of the multiple audio-over-IP technologies that promised to give customers a more flexible future in terms of transportation and connectivity. Indeed, the options were ultimately so extensive that the the Audio Engineering Society (AES) introduced a standard, AES67, that provided a significant level of interoperability between existing IP audio technologies.
There is no doubt that AES67 has been a sizeable hit. Its incorporation into the SMPTE ST 2110 IP media standards suite and adoption by manufacturers across the board are proof of that. But even when AES67 was first published in 2013, there was a general recognition that another important piece of the puzzle - network control and monitoring - would also have to be addressed with a widely-accepted standard.
The AES' response to this was the AES70 standard, which was based on the Open Control Architecture (OCA) developed by the OCA Alliance from 2011 onwards. Eventually published as AES70 in January 2016, the standard provides a specification for device control, monitoring and connection management. Like AES67, AES70 is intended to work with a wide variety of IP-based technologies, but does not have a transportation element.
Possibly because of the attention given to the transition from legacy transportation technologies to IP, it's not always been easy to ascertain the evolution of network control in recent years. But as Ethan Wetzell, marketing committee chair at the OCA Alliance and platform strategist at Bosch Communications, indicates, AES70 has been gradually gaining momentum through its original version and two subsequent updates, AES70-2018 and now AES70-2022.
Commercially, AES70 has established a respectable market presence and adoption uptake with dozens of products available from multiple manufacturers, says Wetzell. However, it is still early days and adoption of control standards is a process that can realistically take time. It is off to a great start, but it is just the beginning.
Enhancing and extending Describing the previous version, AES70-2018, as a mature standard that has provided the basis of commercial products, Wetzell says that the 2022 update is focused on extending and adding functionality, improving ease of use for adopters, and evolving the standard in ways that build upon the existing design's established and stable state.
Accordingly, the improvements are in large part geared towards improving ease of deployment across different system types. Jeff Berryman, technical committee chair of the OCA Alliance and senior scientist at Bosch Communications, explains they include new and improved media stream connection management features and standards, [such as] methods for managing media connections in MILAN and ST 2110 systems. The second change I would highlight is a set of features for controllers to manage, upload and download large data blocks, eg. media files (including recording and playback features), log files, device-specific files, and so on. Finally, we have added powerful support for saved parameter settings (aka presets') and pre-defined command sequences (aka scripts'). This provides substantial system functionality for complex systems and devices.
To date, the flexibility of AES70 has perhaps been best illustrated by its use as both a primary control technology and a parallel complement to existing control solutions. Looking ahead, it seems the OCA Alliance regards the technology as an enabler of more versatile broadcast infrastructures in which the cloud and remote production play an ever-greater role.
For both commercial and technical reasons, the future of broadcast audio production is in IP-based facilities with integrated workflows that may include cloud-based processing, says Berryman. These facilities will often be decentralised and include contribution from remote locations that are not professionally managed, such as home offices. The successful operation of such facilities will depend critically on the ability of broadcast directors and engineers to control and monitor the production equipment - including both physical and cloud-based virtual devices - remotely. AES70 is currently the only available professional protocol that is sufficiently feature-rich, reliable, and multivendor-friendly to support this.
Easier to adopt AES70 is already supported by a broad spectrum of leading manufacturers, including Focusrite, RTS, Bosch, DYNACORD and d&b audiotechnik (a full list of products can be found at the OCA Alliance website). Noting the technology's recent inclusion in the prestigious RH Consulting Networked Audio Products report, Wetzell says that awareness of AES70 is gradually spreading through the industry . Nonetheless, the OCA Alliance is now advancing plans designed to make AES70 more appealing to a wider cross-section of companies.
Invited to consider the roadmap for AES70 in the wake of its 2022 update, Berryman responds: In the near-term, the priority will be to make AES70 easier for manufacturers to adopt. This initiative will have three components: firstly, more and better documentatio
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
15/07/2025
L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...
15/07/2025
Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming
...
15/07/2025
SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...
15/07/2025
As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...
15/07/2025
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...
15/07/2025
Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...
15/07/2025
Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...
15/07/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...
15/07/2025
IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...
15/07/2025
Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...
15/07/2025
The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...
15/07/2025
SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...
15/07/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...
15/07/2025
Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...
15/07/2025
New software solutions extend trusted timing measurement across broadcast, venue, and professional AV applications
Hitomi Broadcast, the market leader in audi...
15/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
15/07/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron said its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production solution has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical...
15/07/2025
PHILADELPHIA The Xumo streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter has announced the nationwide launch of a new line of Xumo TVs from Westinghou...
15/07/2025
LONGMONT, Colo. DPA Microphones said Chris Kontopanos has joined the microphone solutions provider as its new regional sales manager, Mid-Atlantic....
15/07/2025
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...
15/07/2025
Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...
15/07/2025
The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...
15/07/2025
Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...
15/07/2025
Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...
15/07/2025
PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025
Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025
Alongs...
15/07/2025
Submissions for NVIDIA's Plug and Play: Project G-Assist Plug-In Hackathon a...
14/07/2025
The Royal Moroccan Air Force hosted a C-130 award ceremony with L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert a...
14/07/2025
UK launch set for September, following on from recent US and Germany releases
London - UK, July 14, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, da...
14/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
14/07/2025
The awards are open to IBC2025 show exhibitors and offer a valuable platform for companies to raise awareness for the new products and solutions they will be la...
14/07/2025
Clear-Com is excited to announce a significant expansion of the award-winning Arcadia Central Station with new software updates. Together, these releases dram...
14/07/2025
Grass Valley and Daktronics today announced a strategic technology partnership that unites Grass Valley's live production expertise with Daktronics' lea...
14/07/2025
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset, and swXtch.io, provider of cloud-based multicast and reliable networking solutions, are partnering to deliver multicast...
14/07/2025
Tintri , a DDN subsidiary and leader in AI-powered data management solutions, today announces a game-changing and award-winning refresh to its global Partner P...
14/07/2025
HighField AI, the broadcast industry's first agentic and multimodal AI platform for automating graphics production, is now commercially available. Developed...
14/07/2025
Encompass Digital Media has today announced that it has been delivering a complex global services project for DAZN, the world s leading sports entertainment pla...
14/07/2025
MASV (massive.io), the fastest, most reliable large file transfer platform trusted by over 10,000 global organizations, announced today it will showcase its nex...
14/07/2025
Calrec is introducing a series of usability, customisation and system enhancements across the entire range of Argo consoles at IBC 2025, on Stand 8.C47. Look ou...
14/07/2025
Fincons Group, IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce a new engagement...
14/07/2025
Intinor returns to IBC to present the latest updates to its Direkt series. A key development on show is Intinor Direkt Management (IDM), a web-based interface f...
14/07/2025
This month, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang promoted AI in both Washington, D.C. and Beijing - emphasizing the benefits that AI will bring to business and s...
14/07/2025
Sony's New Coach's Headset Was Designed in Collaboration With the NFL Featuring a custom dynamic boom mic, the headset will debut in the fall By Dan Da...
14/07/2025
Live From MLB All-Star 2025: MLB Network's Marc Caiafa and Tom Guidice on th...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix ISP Speed Index for June 2025
Product
14 July 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
One percent of Internet Service Providers (ISP...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Begins Filming The Map of Longing With Al cia Falc , P...