Originally proposed as a field-tested specification by the OCA Alliance – a not-for-profit association of leading professional audio and AV industry manufacturers invested in audio networking, formed to secure the standardization of the OCA as a media networking system control standard for professional applications – the standard has already seen successful implementation in the field on commercially available products from alliance member companies.
Past-President of the Audio Engineering Society and Standards Committee Chair, Bruce Olson, comments, "AES70 represents another important step towards the interoperable networked working environment that audio professionals will rely on. The AES will continue to develop the standards necessary to enhance these tools."
Combining AES70 system control with standard media transport enables a complete media network solution, one in which devices from diverse manufacturers can readily interoperate. In particular, AES70 includes a complete Discovery specification which will complement media transport standards and solutions such as AES67. However, AES70 may be implemented with any media transport mechanism, including even legacy AVB/TSN and analog cable.
Speaking for the OCA Alliance, Jeff Berryman, chair of the OCA Technical Workgroup and the AES writing group for AES70, says, “The availability of an interoperable control, configuration, monitoring, and diagnostic architecture for media networks will provide new opportunities for highly integrated systems. Such systems will be able to exchange control data and information in ways previously not possible.”
AES70-2023 Core Standards
The AES has formally published the latest update to the AES70 suite of standards for control and monitoring of devices in professional media networks. Making up the core standards, AES70-1, AES70-2, and AES70-3 form the foundation of the AES70 standard. AES70-2023 represents a significant advancement, bringing in a wave of new features and improvements. Fully backward compatible with all existing AES70 devices, a major focus has been on improving the understandability of the specification with revised, expanded documentation, more precise language and ten informative annexes to assist developers.
The update also extends its connection management architecture with better support for redundant network connections and a clearer organization of functions. There’s flexible support for connection negotiation and media transport sessions and this update sets the stage for the upcoming adaptations for media networks including AES67, ST 2110-30 and MILAN.
AES70-2023 also defines various types of datasets such as media files, logs, parameter files, and executables, allowing manufacturers to define custom dataset types as needed. This extends to command sets and stored parameters. Devices can store predefined executables and operating parameter values for immediate or later use.
AES70-2023 is a thoughtful update that both enhances the standard’s usability and flexibility while expanding its capabilities to meet the dynamic needs of professional applications. This encompasses networks of all sizes including mission-critical applications, high-security applications, IP and non-IP networks, and local and wide-area applications. AES70 can control real or virtual devices located on premises or hosted by cloud services, consuming little computing power or network bandwidth.
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