PORTLAND, Ore.—Dante developer Audinate Group has announced that it is celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the AVoIP platform’s introduction.

Originally developed to simplify the complexity of digital audio networking, Dante has grown from support for plug-and-play audio over IP to encompass video, control, and cloud-based management.

“Twenty years ago, Dante didn’t just solve a technical challenge. It redefined what was possible for AV,” said Aidan Williams, CEO of Audinate. “What began as a better way to move high-quality audio reliably and easily over IP has become a platform that underpins today’s AV systems. This milestone validates our vision, the sustained collaboration of our partners, and the depth and commitment of the global Dante community.”

Among Dante’s milestones since its introduction in 2006 are:

• 2008: Dolby Lake Processor becomes first Dante-enabled device.
• 2010: Dante Virtual Soundcard brings Dante to computers.
• 2012: Yamaha, Focusrite, Shure, Harman and Allen & Heath are among brands adopting Dante.
• 2014: Yamaha CL Series becomes first console with Dante built in.
• 2016: Dante Certification Program builds global audio networking community.
• 2017: Dante Domain Manager introduced.
• 2018: Dante AVIO Adapters launched.
• 2019: Dante AV extends Dante’s powers to networked video.
• 2020: Dante wins Technology & Engineering Emmy Award.
• 2023: Audinate manufactures and ships more than 1 million Dante devices—a company record.
• 2024: Dante Director enables the remote management of Dante devices from any manufacturer.
• 2025: Introduced Dante AVIO adapters for the installation market.

“Reaching 20 years is not just about celebrating the past,” said Williams. “It’s about reaffirming our commitment to innovation and ensuring Dante continues to enable the next generation of AV experiences, making them simpler to deploy, easier to manage and more powerful than ever.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

Internet Protocol networks have thoroughly permeated the world of professional audio production. Recent advances have improved interoperability between different technologies such as AES67, ST 2110, DANTE and other formats. In addition, advances in IP-based intercom systems have pushed IP formats into every niche of production audio today. 

Join TV Tech Talks Moderator Wes Simpson, Stephen Brownsill with Ross Video and Greg Shay from Telos Alliance as they discuss recent advances in audio tools and techniques including:

• Ultra-low delay audio production workflows
• Increased flexibility of audio production systems
• Enhanced interoperability between popular audio formats
• New advances in audio production consoles

Click here to register for this free webcast.

AUCKLAND, N.Z.—Lawo and system integrator Professional Audio & Television (PAT) have announced that they supplied and deployed a Lawo mc²56 48 fader production console to Sky New Zealand.

Sky is New Zealand’s leading entertainment company and the provider of a suite of viewing choices, including the Sky Box, Sky Go, Sky Sport Now, Neon and the owner of the free-to-air channel Prime.

When Sky decided to replace their old Lawo mc²66 console and Nova73 TDM-based system, the team at Sky selected both PAT and Lawo to collaborate on the design, upgrade and commissioning of their new IP audio system, the companies reported. 

The new mc²56MkIII console is powered by two fully redundant, 1RU super compact Lawo A__UHD-Core audio engines. Integrated into the console is the RTW TM7 audio metering unit, giving the Sky audio operators reliable eyes on their audio, Lawo reported. 

Lawo’s cloud-native management platform HOME is responsible for connecting, managing and securing all audio aspects of Sky’s live production environment and is supported by six PowerCore I/O gateway nodes with full support for ST2110, AES67, RAVENNA & DANTE, the companies said. 

The media network is clocked by a Meinberg M1000 with dual HPS100 High Precision PTP modules, each card offers the ability to support up to 2,048 PTP-Clients in Unicast, as well as more than 250,000 Delay Requests per second in Multicast or Hybrid mode or more than 400,000 NTP requests per second. 

Phase 2 of this project will see Sky’s existing Lawo mc²36 console and several Lawo V__pro8 video processors integrated into their new IP workflows. 

“Sky have been Lawo customers since the early 2000’s and we have had a great experience with their technologies to date,” explained Justin Loza, Sky NZ, Platform Owner Broadcast Core. “When embarking on our first AoIP project, we wanted to align with a company that has a proven track record and understanding of IP technologies, has experience implementing large scale projects and solutions, and were willing to become an extended arm of the Sky team – PAT has delivered just that. Lawo and PAT have gone above and beyond to meet our requirements, built strong relationships with our staff, collaborated on design and even accepted last minute changes with no complaints and a smile on their face. We look forward to building on this successful formula in the future”.

“When we were asked by the Sky team to join them on their migration over to IP and to replace their “tried and true” Lawo mc²66 AP console, we instantly knew what to do,” added Mike Heard, senior solutions architect at PAT. “This project has been the perfect example of how trust, communication and collaboration can be used to successfully deliver a project on time, on budget and with the best result possible. It is great to see another Lawo mc² console paired with Lawo UHD IP audio processing cores in service in New Zealand and a massive thank you to the entire Sky team for trusting PAT and having us along for the ride”.

Verizon Media has taken delivery of three mc236 audio production consoles and a Nova37 Hybrid IP/MADI plug-and-play audio router from IP-broadcast technology provider Lawo as part of a major studio overhaul.

The digital media division of the company, Verizon Media has renovated and built out new facilities called Verizon Media Studios (formerly Oath Inc.) that will serve all of its brands, including Yahoo News, RYOT, Engadget, TechCrunch and Makers.

The studios will be responsible for live broadcasts and pre-taped studio content and will share resources across various locations.

“We are scaling globally and the ease of interconnectivity, strong system engineering team and customer service that Lawo provides has made planning for the future exciting and easy to understand,” said Dan Brantigan, head of audio at Verizon Media Studios.

DSI/Blade Media served as the main contractor on the project, which began in 2018.

Three studios were part of the renovation. Control Rooms 1 and 3 are used to produce a daily eight-hour live Yahoo Finance show and other content. Control Room 2 is a general-purpose studio for all other company brands.

The new Lawo consoles were installed in these control rooms as were four Lawo A_mic8 microphone interfaces. Two more will be added in the future.

A second stage of the renovation is planned. It will bring additional live production capability online, Lawo said.

Already, Verizon Media is benefiting from the renovation, said Brantigan. The ability to scale and customize as well as the flexibility of IP-based workflows that interface seamlessly with legacy formats are among the biggest pluses.

“Also, all our A1s love the ease of use and sound of the consoles in general,” he said. “Signal flow with RAVENNA has been especially eye-opening and is now a format I want to use as much as possible in the future.”

The Lawo mc236 audio consoles offer a comprehensive set of features and Lawo-grade mic pre-amps as well as compact onboard DSP and I/O design, which makes them appropriate for permanent installations where floor space is an issue.

The Nova 37 compact 3RU audio router offers support for RAVENNA/AES67 and MADI I/O configurations.

More information is available on the Lawo website.