SIEGAN, Germany—Guntermann & Drunck (G&D) and Netgear AV have announced a new solution that simplifies deployment of professional KVM-over-IP systems by removing one of the most time-consuming steps in the process: manual network configuration.

Through the G&D KVM-Over-IP Plugin for the Netgear AV ecosystem, integrators and KVM administrators can apply a dedicated KVM-over-IP profile directly to ports or sections of Netgear AV Line infrastructure. In a single step, the plugin automatically activates key network parameters such as VLAN configuration, IGMP Snooping Querier, QoS, and other required settings for G&D KVM-over-IP deployments.

The result is a faster, more consistent and more reliable setup process, the companies said. Planners benefit from greater configuration certainty from the outset. Integrators reduce repetitive manual work at the switch level and minimize the risk of inconsistencies across installations. KVM administrators can provision expand, and maintain infrastructure with significantly less effort, G&D and Netgear said.

This is especially important in broadcast, Pro AV, and mission-critical control room environments, where device categories, switch types, and bandwidth classes must operate reliably within a shared IP infrastructure. By turning complex network configuration into a structured and repeatable process, the joint solution helps teams deploy scalable KVM-over-IP environments with greater confidence, the companies said.

“The partnership with G&D was a logical step for us, as we share a common understanding of the requirements of modern, mission-critical IP workflows,” said Laurent Masia, senior director of product line management at Netgear AV. “By combining G&D’s proven KVM expertise with Netgear AV’s networking technology, we are creating powerful, scalable, and easy-to-deploy solutions for control rooms, broadcast environments, and other professional applications. Together, we are helping our customers make the transition to KVM-over-IP efficiently, reliably, and with a future-proof approach.”

G&D contributes its longstanding KVM expertise to the collaboration, including advanced security features, high video quality through bluedec, ultra-low-latency transmission, and workflow-optimizing capabilities such as FreeSeating and CrossDisplay-Switching. Resilience concepts such as DirectRedundancyShield further support reliable operation in demanding professional environments.

Netgear AV provides the network infrastructure for these workflows, with AV-optimized switches, high-performance networking, PoE++ support, redundancy options, and centralized configuration through an intuitive user interface. The ability to combine different switch types and bandwidth classes within a single environment also gives customers greater flexibility when designing scalable IP-based infrastructures.

“In contrast to DirectKVM, with KVM-over-IP we hand over the core of KVM distribution – in other words, the central part of signal distribution – to the network infrastructure,” said Andreas Gerlach, executive vice president of innovation at G&D and VuWall. “If the network does not function correctly or is configured incorrectly, the KVM data cannot perform with the level of quality users expect from G&D. This makes us all the more pleased to be working with a partner like Netgear AV, which has specifically optimized its expertise and versatile networking hardware for G&D’s KVM-over-IP projects.”

More information is available at www.gdsys.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Netgear has announced a global technology partnership with EVS Broadcast Equipment to deliver certified, interoperable AV–over–IP solutions for broadcast and live production teams. The companies have validated EVS live production systems on Netgear AV switching platforms, giving customers a pretested network foundation for IP–based workflows.

The partnership focuses on open, standards–based deployments that help customers adopt SMPTE ST 2110 and related IP workflows with less integration effort and more predictable results in real–world productions, the companies said.

“When productions shift to IP, the network can’t be an afterthought,” said Dieter Backx, Vice President of Control and Orchestration at EVS. “We’ve validated our media infrastructure solutions on Netgear’s AV switches so customers can spend less time tuning infrastructure and more time running shows. It’s a practical and efficient path to SMPTE ST 2110 workflows, or any other IP transport mechanism such as NDI or Dante, whether on site, remote, or distributed environments.”

Netgear and EVS jointly tested EVS technologies—including Cerebrum, Neuron and Strada—across Netgear M4350 and M4250 series switches. Netgear also provides supported configuration guidance and Netgear Engage Controller profiles, backed by AV–focused technical support services, so teams can bring validated configurations online faster.

The validated approach supports fully IP–based live production workflows and improves day–to–day deployment consistency. Customers can use out–of–the–box configurations designed to shorten setup and reduce risk. The result is more predictable behavior across key network requirements such as broadcast–grade timing, QoS, and bandwidth handling, the companies said.

Beyond lab testing, the partnership includes joint work on customer deployments, training, and global technical support. Netgear and EVS are focused on helping broadcast teams build interoperable AV–over–IP environments that scale as production needs evolve. The partnership is global in scope, with no geographic limitations, and becomes effective upon the joint announcement.

“As live production continues its transition to IP, customers want proven solutions they can deploy with confidence,” said Richard Jonker, Vice President of Commercial Business Development at Netgear. “By validating EVS live media infrastructure solutions on our AV switches, we’re providing a reliable, standards–based network foundation that simplifies deployment while delivering the timing accuracy and performance required in mission–critical broadcast environments.”

TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2026 NAB Show?

CJ Prober: The broadcast industry is in the midst of the transition from traditional SDI infrastructures to IP-based workflows. We’ve moved from the early-adopter phase of IP infrastructure into the early-majority phase, where the focus shifts from experimentation to operational reality. IP is now proven, reliable and delivering a clear ROI.

Most facilities today are operating in hybrid environments where SMPTE ST 2110 systems coexist with legacy SDI equipment. This creates complex operational environments where deterministic broadcast timing requirements meet enterprise IT security policies, and where broadcast engineers must collaborate with networking professionals who may not fully understand the precision requirements of live production.

I expect conversations at the 2026 NAB Show to focus on how to bring IP fully into mainstream operations and how organizations can navigate this transition in practical terms. The benefits of IP are well understood at this point, and now the challenge is how to deploy IP infrastructure that meets broadcast-grade timing and reliability requirements while also being manageable by real teams under real-world conditions. Remote production, cloud contribution, and distributed workflows add another level of complexity. The pieces are all in place, and the industry is now focused on closing the gap between specification and operational reality.

TVT: What will be your most important product news?

CP: In keeping with the theme of making the transition to IP practical, the NETGEAR Engage Controller, unlike anything else available on the market, greatly simplifies network provisioning. Engage provides a centralized software platform that automatically discovers NETGEAR switches, applies validated configuration profiles, and enables real-time monitoring across the entire network. This allows engineering teams to deploy high-performance IP networks faster and with minimal manual configuration steps.

The latest update to Engage Controller 2.4 introduces offline provisioning. Entire network topologies can now be configured using virtual switches and access points to design complete systems without having the physical hardware on-site. Teams can arrive on-site with the network already configured and ready to deploy. For multi-site operations or facilities with tight commissioning windows, the deployment is significantly simplified.

TVT: What is it about NAB Show that brings you back every year?

CP: What makes NAB Show uniquely valuable to us is the quality and depth of the conversations we have there. NAB Show brings together broadcast engineers who understand signal integrity, timing precision and the operational realities of live production in ways that don't exist anywhere else. You can’t build products for this industry without understanding those requirements with real-world detail.

We come to NAB Show not just to demonstrate, but to listen. The offline provisioning feature of the Engage Controller, for example, was inspired by conversations with customers managing multiple remote production deployments who needed a way to preconfigure sites before hardware arrived.

NAB is also where we get to see industry convergence happening in real-time—broadcast facilities adopting IT infrastructure practices, Pro AV workflows integrating broadcast-grade quality standards and everyone navigating the shared challenge of deploying IP at scale. That intersection is where the most important and interesting engineering challenges are being addressed.

NETGEAR will showcase its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Control software during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The company has expanded its M4350 switch portfolio with the addition of the new M4350-16M4V and M4350-16C.

The M4350-16M4V offers secure, lockable connectivity with Neutrik etherCON, opticalCON QUAD and powerCON TRUE1 connectors. It features 16x 2.5G PoE++ ports, including eight etherCON, plus 4x 25G SFP28 uplinks via a modular card slot Optional uplink cards include RJ-45 or opticalCON QUAD connectors for single-mode or multimode fiber.

The new M4350-16C model addresses throughput challenges in large AV-over-IP deployments. With 16 ports of 100G connectivity, the M4350-16C delivers the bandwidth required for aggregation and core layers where multiple high-resolution video streams converge.

The M4350 series offers enterprise-grade managed switching from 1G to 100G built for AV and IT networks. With high-power PoE++, redundant modular power and hitless failover, it ensures mission-critical reliability for broadcast and AV-over-IP.

The new models support SMPTE ST 2110 timing with grandmaster and boundary clock functionality. Trade Agreement Act (TAA)-compliant SKUs are available for government use.

NETGEAR will also have its network design services team at the NAB Show to answer the questions of attendees. The company will also give personalized demos of its updated Engage Controller version 2.4, which features NETGEAR’s profile-based approach for reliable, simplified switch configuration.

NETGEAR will also offer on-demand sessions at its booth on the design of IP-based broadcast networks for live production and facility environments. More than 110 NETGEAR partner manufacturers will show their broadcast solutions powered by the company’s networking technology.

See NETGEAR at 2026 NAB Show booth C.7303.

More information is available on the company’s website.

MONTREAL—Grass Valley and NETGEAR have announced a strategic partnership to serve the broadcast-AV segment of the market.

The collaboration combines NETGEAR AV’s live media optimized switching and secure IP networking with Grass Valley’s software-defined production tools and hardware platforms.

“NETGEAR has long focused on making high performance AVoIP networks easy to deploy and manage,” said Laurent Masia, senior director of product line management at NETGEAR. “Our partnership with Grass Valley aligns perfectly with the needs of enterprise customers who want reliable, secure, and scalable video operations without the friction traditionally associated with live media workflows.”

Enterprise organizations, including corporations, universities, houses of worship, esports and venues, increasingly require broadcast-quality production capabilities but have faced prohibitive costs and complexity. The new partnership addresses that gap.

Grass Valley and NETGEAR share a common vision of interoperability, built on major standards, including NDI, SMPTE ST 2110, Dante and SRT, alongside an approach that simplifies user experiences and delivers powerful tools, they said.

“The Enterprise Media sector represents one of the fastest-growing opportunities in our industry, yet these organizations have been forced to choose between consumer-grade tools and broadcast systems designed for major networks, with the associated cost and complexity,” said Matthew Yates, director of strategic alliances at Grass Valley.

“By pairing cost-effective, user-friendly NETGEAR AV products with the industry’s most advanced software-defined production platform in AMPP, Enterprise organizations can deliver video experiences that match modern broadcast productions, while retaining the simplicity and flexibility customers expect.”

More information is available on the Grass Valley and NETGEAR websites.

IP networking is a relatively new technology in the broadcast space. While some broadcasters have been active for almost 100 years, the networking world arrived on the scene only fifteen years ago. The turning point came with SMPTE ST 2022 (standardized in the years 2012–2015), which defined professional media over managed IP networks.

Then, SMPTE ST 2110 (ratified in 2017) formalized the transport of uncompressed audio, video, and metadata over IP, using standard Ethernet and TCP/IP infrastructure. Around this period, major broadcasters (BBC, ESPN, NBC, Discovery, etc.) began migrating their production studios to IP-based routing and switching using standard network gear — especially 10/25/40/100 GbE Ethernet.

Ten years ago, broadcasters would ask network engineers at trade shows like IBC or NAB, “Why are you here?” They would answer, “We’re doing networking.” Their job was the plumbing under everything. They would transport “water” from left to right, and they didn’t really care what kind of water it was; they would transport all of it.

In the IT networking space, most of these companies have been around for 30 years, doing exactly that. In commercial AV, it only was 10 years ago that networking started to emerge. Today, it is accelerating everywhere, thanks to the industry’s acceptance of AV-over-IP.

Megatrend: The IP Transition in Broadcasting is Accelerating
There is a specific need that companies in the broadcast space have, that is different to IT and commercial AV, which is reliability — their number one priority. Quality and reliability go hand in hand. This translates into a secure and predictable outcomes. Redundancy is therefore essential. Apart from those requirements, other trends in broadcasting make IP networking the logical next step.

Three technology planets: IT, pro AV, and broadcast, have already collided. We’re in the middle.

The Operational Needs Become Increasingly Urgent
If you listen to the CTOs of the big media companies, they’re all complaining about budget stress because, for example, advertising revenue may go down. They don’t fully monetise social media yet, but viewers are shifting from linear broadcast to social media.

That creates downward pressure on their operational expenses. How do we solve that? Should we stop buying million-dollar boxes, or give up maintaining expensive legacy technology? It is time to consider switching to scalable technologies or brands that do the job for a little less but still provide what’s needed without sacrificing reliability, but with a more attractive OPEX rather than a huge capital expense upfront.

From Cloud to Hybrid Cloud, Back to On-Premises – Should We Buy or Build?
You can see recent trends in broadcasting following what happened in Big IT. We tend to all run to one side of the boat at the same time. For example, 10 years ago, it was all about Big Data.

So, the industry spent millions on it. And we didn’t reap all the benefits from it; we did not receive our money back in operational outcomes. A few years ago, the industry all decided to be in the cloud. And now we’re locked in. And there’s cloud fatigue and cost explosions. Today, many broadcasters say, we should escape from cloud lock-ins and do some of this on-premises. And the conversation now centers on whether it is all “Buy” or “Build”? Well, it’s going to be a mix. It’s going to be hybrid.

The Pain of Data Management
Broadcasters ask the industry: “Who can help us with this hybrid piece?” Because you still need to move things around the building, to different departments, and to the various clouds you have, as well as servers, storage, archives, OB vans, or production sites. There’s a lot of data moving through the company, and that’s where the plumbing becomes increasingly essential, as all of this data is IP-based and highly fragmented.

The buzz phrase of the day is that the data is in a “data mesh.” That means data can be everywhere, not just in one central data lake, as we believed 10 years ago. This puts more pressure on media company CTOs. Now, if you’re the largest media company in the world, that’s not unbearable, because if you are Disney, ABC, or Netflix, you have the budget to solve all these problems. It’s different when you’re a regional broadcaster, or perhaps you’re in a vertical market or niche, in which case you may not have the cash to deal with all this complexity.

While the big cloud providers made it easy for broadcasters to ingest data into their clouds, the on-premises storage vendors did not significantly improve usability. Looks like they left the streaming media handling to the broadcast ecosystem players like Grass Valley, Ross Video or EVS. For a solution to send ST 2110 streams to your local storage, you would need to duct-tape a decoder board, some software, a Mac, a switch, and a NAS together, and get it all to work. Not precisely an easy-to-use over-the-counter appliance. Luckily, innovation is happening in this space, particularly in the start-up scene in Belgium.

Network and Security Design Expertise
CTOs still need to address core issues, such as performance, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, or compliance. How do you do that on a network? That’s really a hot topic in 2026. Dealing with that combination of new trends and old trends. Networking engineers provide a bit of handholding with these types of smaller and mid-sized customers to help them navigate from A to B.

Sometimes, you don’t know what you don’t know. Large broadcast organisations often hire a consultant to explain the process to them, which typically contains, “Yes, we can do that, but it is going to cost you.”

However, those who don’t have the budget to hire a big consultant will try to figure it out themselves. Therefore, we observe that across all these layers, from the largest broadcasters to the smaller ones, there is a need for education on IP networking, as modern workflows are now entirely run over SMPTE 2110 networks.

Compliance – Internal and External
There’s increasing pressure from the public, through various government bodies, to address security, compliance, and data sovereignty issues. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) promotes standards for media exchange that help with security, compliance, and interoperability.

The industry is embracing MXL, which refers to the Media eXchange Layer of the Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) reference architecture. Even if you are a small broadcasting outfit, you need to deal with that. There is a significant need for education on these topics. We provide our part in that, particularly when it comes to the lower layers of networking and zero-trust network security.

Some things are a reality for everyone. For example, you can give your employees access to ChatGPT, allowing them to work more efficiently. However, they may then upload some of the content they create into an AI for translation or summarisation, which causes the spread of your intellectual property worldwide.

Those issues must be addressed, and that’s where a technology solution comes in, aside from training, which is a complementary educational solution. They need both the technology to make security easy and the education to prevent mistakes in network design, enabling them to deploy these solutions quickly.

Evolving Network Innovation – It Doesn’t Stop
It is also exciting to see that the audio component of the broadcast IP transition has taken off. It’s catching up with the IP part of video. We see that a couple of acquisitions were announced in mid-2025. Audinate acquired Iris, while Ross Video acquired Lean and Mean Audio. And we also see investments from VizRT and NDI in the audio space. With adjacent applications like live events and enterprise studios, there is a lot of drive (and money) behind these innovations.

Fighting Complexity Makes for Better Economics
The industry has made some things unnecessarily complex. For example, can I perform video transport with or without genlock or PTP clocking? “The answer is a clock! What was the question?”

Now that all broadcasting is moving to networks, it’s a bit more subtle. Some parts of a network, such as the intercom nodes in a broadcast studio or at a racing event, don’t need to be on a PTP clocked network. We developed a solution that combines clocked networking and non-PTP networking within a single network, managed through a single hybrid profile. During the Olympic Games in Paris, the team took one week to configure a network for a couple of hundred operators.

Learning from that, we automated the entire configuration process, and now it takes only 10 minutes. And the CFOs of the media companies can smell that from a mile. This saves them a lot of money.

Operational efficiency is therefore a key theme. It’s the number one theme for many operational managers in broadcast. Simplification and automation help them. If it’s quicker and they don’t need a PhD on site to fix all of that, but rather a more junior employee who plugs in a cable. If it just works, they love that. And of course, the outcome is predictable and reliable; and more affordable.

Trickle-Down Virtualization
When you speak with manufacturers and high-end users, you’ll see they’re already going to fully adopt software-defined networking. Much of this is very high-end, but it will eventually trickle down, as it always does. It starts at the top of the pyramid and then comes down at a different price point. As a technology company with 30 years of experience, we typically wait until that mass inflection point is reached.

SMPTE ST 2110, which scientists and well-suited professionals once primarily drove, is now being adopted by a wider audience. The same will happen with concepts like data-loss prevention or zero-trust security. This is becoming a mainstream reality because no one wants their content to end up on the dark web or on a dodgy peer-to-peer site.

All the components that make for a successful networking business growth spurt are in place. Innovation, such as software-defined networking, is definitely needed. There’s a problem we can solve together by making this easier. The fact that it is challenging to move audio everywhere, just as you already had to move SDI video, suggests that the industry may be a little late with this.

However, from all of the alliances we’re in, we hear that the trend is the same. Make deploying audio over IP in broadcast easier, and standardise it somewhat, so it’s easier for broadcasters to deploy multibrand, hybrid cloud-based solutions.

Six years ago, broadcast technicians asked network engineers, “Why are you here”? Now they ask them: “Wow, how do you do this?” To qualify that as a noticeable shift is an understatement. Networking engineers enable powerful, beautiful experiences—by doing the plumbing right.

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand TVBEurope.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Netgear will debut four new M4350 switches in its managed switch portfolio designed specifically for broadcast and pro AV applications during InfoComm 2025, June 11-13, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

The M4350 Phase 3 switches address specific industry needs, particularly for live-event and broadcast applications. Key features for all four models include:

• Multicolor LED Port Identification, which displays user-selected colors physically on each port, matching colors assigned in the Netgear AV OS, making it easy for technicians to identify which cables should be connected to specific ports.
• Enhanced SMPTE ST 2110 support with included built-in grandmaster clock and boundary clock functionality while maintaining transparent clock capabilities across the entire M4350 and M4250 switch lines. With this functionality, the latest NETGEAR AV managed switches can serve as the primary timing source for a broadcast network.
• Secure power connection via a new mechanism that secures power cables to the chassis.
• TAA compliance, ensuring all M4350 models comply with the strict government policy regarding the Trade Agreement Act (TAA).

“These new additions to our M4350 line demonstrate Netgear AV’s ongoing commitment to addressing the specific needs of broadcast and pro AV professionals,” Laurent Masia, senior director of product line management for managed switches at Netgear, said. “Enhanced SMPTE ST 2110 support and innovative features, such as multicolor LED port identification, make these switches ideal for demanding applications where reliability and ease of deployment are essential.”

The new M4350 Phase 3 switches are expected to be available in July.

Models include:

• M4350-8M2V (MSM4310): 8x 2.5G ports with 4x 25G uplinks, half width.
• M4350-24M4X4V (MSM4332): 24x 2.5G and 4x 10G/multi-gig PoE++ ports with 4x 25G SFP28 uplinks.
• M4350-24F4X (MSM4328F): 24x 1G/2.5G SFP ports with 4x 10 G Combo Copper/SFP+ ports.
• M4350-40F4C (XSM4344FC): 40x 10G SFP+ ports with 4x 100 G QSFP28 uplinks.

See NETGEAR at InfoComm 2025 booth 4401.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Simply sending an OB vehicle to a remote venue to produce coverage of live sports or entertainment is no longer the only game in town.

Developments over the past several years have helped to drive a rethink about of how best to implement technologies and supporting workflows to maintain production excellence, adopt advancements in resolution and High Dynamic Range and work more efficiently—all while controlling costs.

In this November 2024 Webcast, TV Tech Contributing Editor Phil Kurz is joined by panelists Stephen Repass, vice president at Ross Production Services; Deon LeCointe, director of networked solutions at Sony Electronics; and Laurent Masia, director of product line management, managed switches at Netgear, for an insightful look at the latest developments.

You'll learn:

• Where REMI, virtualized production and other workflow advances stand.
• How more-efficient compression schemes are opening up new contribution possibilities
• Whether or not private and public 5G networks will prove to be real production game changers.
• How cloud-based alternatives to on-prem OB trucks are transforming workflows.
• The latest workflow developments, including distributed production.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Netgear has launched Engage 2.0, a free upgrade to its AV network management platform that can be downloaded from the company’s website.

Engage 2.0 addresses the complexity IP transport has created in the broadcast, commercial and residential sectors in managing Ethernet switches, routers and Wi-Fi access points. For example, updating firmware on multiple devices, detecting Ethernet switchers and access points and properly configuring AV networks can be cumbersome and time-consuming. An improper setup can ruin the entire AV experience, the company said.

Netgear’s Engage 2.0 removes such complexities by providing a user-friendly way to manage AV networks and to control the network, router and Wi-Fi under a single platform, making configuration and management seamless.

“With almost three decades of network leadership, we're constantly innovating to simplify AV and Wi-Fi connectivity and provide a more seamless management experience,” Laurent Masia, senior director of product line management for managed switches at Netgear, said. “The new Engage 2.0 software delivers expansive, unified control features for even the most complex AV network installations.”

The upgrade enables Wi-Fi control in AV fixed installations with touch panels and tablets, connecting to ad-hoc wireless networks and enhancing control of AV endpoints across VLANs. For mobile studios, Engage 2.0 enables the creation of temporary Wi-Fi guest networks to serve crew needs that may change from production to production.

Other new Wi-Fi features of Engage 2.0 offers:

• Freedom for AV and lighting crews, removing the need to be tethered to a rack and enabling the flexibility to support the integration of AV and lighting control software connected via Wi-Fi with the wired network.
• Unified wired and wireless management, allowing Netgear AV switches, pro routers and Wi-Fi access points to be configured together with Engage profiles.
• Local area networking and WLAN under control of Engage 2.0, with the upgrade enabling advanced Wi-Fi management for Netgear AV installations and supporting Wi-Fi assignment to Profiles/VLANs, Auto-Trunk and Instant Mesh for simple setup.
• Auto-discovery and onboarding capabilities with automatic detection of all Netgear AV M4250, M4300, M4350 and M4500 switches and support of one PR460X Pro Router and up to 10 WBE758/WEB718 Wi-Fi access points per site.
• Zero configuration setup with auto-trunking on switchers where access points are connected.
• Fast-roaming and auto-mesh support using protocols such as OKC, 802.11r, 802.11k and 802.11v.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Simply sending an OB vehicle to a remote venue to produce coverage of live sports or entertainment is no longer the only game in town.

Developments over the past several years have helped to drive a rethink about how best to implement technologies and supporting workflows to maintain production excellence, adopt advancements in resolution and High Dynamic Range and work more efficiently--all while controlling costs.

On Thursday, Nov. 7, at 12 noon ET, join our panel of remote production experts, Stephen Repass, vice president at Ross Production Services; Deon LeCointe, director of networked solutions at Sony Electronics; and Laurent Masia, director of product line management, managed switches at NETGEAR.

You’ll learn:

• Where REMI, virtualized production and other workflow advances stand.
• How more efficient compression schemes are opening up new contribution possibilities
• Whether or not private and public 5G networks will prove to be real production game changers.
• How cloud-based alternatives to on-prem OB trucks are transforming workflows.
• The latest workflow developments including distributed production.

Register for this free webinar here.

BOTHELL, Wash.—Network product provider NETGEAR and LED display and video processing developer Megapixel VR have joined the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), formally becoming members during ISE 2023 in Barcelona.

"We couldn't be more excited to add NETGEAR and Megapixel VR as our latest members," said Andrew Starks, an AIMS board of directors member and director of product management for Macnica. "Together, both companies bring a wealth of expertise in utilizing IP across a wide range of applications, from mobile solutions to large-scale displays for iconic venues and events. They will be instrumental in helping us drive the adoption of IP in new markets."

The growing status of the IPMX standard in the AV industry makes the timing of NETGEAR’s decision to join propitious, said Laurent Masia, director of product management for managed switchers at the company.

“With AIMS' IPMX proposed set of open standards and specifications set to become the core of new IP infrastructure deployments throughout the Pro AV industry, it couldn't be a better time for NETGEAR to join the alliance," said Masia. "We're no stranger to video-over-IP in these environments and can't wait to see how we can address the interoperability challenges in the Pro AV ecosystem together."

Megapixel VR also sees the growing acceptance of IPMX as an important factor. “We are excited to be at the forefront of bringing IPMX to the LED display industry," said Scott Blair, vice president product/project management at the company.

"With IPMX's lightweight requirements, it greatly simplifies implementation and provides a solid basis for interoperability. We are excited to team up with AIMS in bringing the technology to new markets and empowering innovation for our clients' projects," he said.

More information is available on the AIMS website.

AT&T has announced the very limited deployment of 5G services in 12 cities.

Starting Tuesday, what AT&T is describing as “select businesses and consumers” in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Louisville, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, San Antonio, and Waco will receive a free Netgear Nighthawk mobile hotspot that will let them access AT&T’s seminal 5G network infrastructure.

[Read: Five Ways 5G Will Change Television]

Starting in the spring, AT&T said, a broader swath of customers will be able to buy the Nighthawk for $499 and pay another $70 a month for 5G service capped at 15 gigabytes of data usage.

AT&T said it is using the high-frequency “millimeter wave” spectrum in what it is branding as its “5G+” service. AT&T pegs peak theoretical speeds for the service at around 1.2 Gbps. Demoing the technology earlier this month at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui, however, 5G+ topped out at only around 140 Mbps.

This is a sizable improvement over 4G LTE speeds—around three times faster—but it’s not by any means a gamechanger in terms of the quest to turn 5G into a replacement for fixed wireless.

AT&T also plans to expand its 5G+ offering to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. Verizon also conducted a limited launch of a proprietary network technology it’s calling 5G back in October. T-Mobile plans to launch a 5G network in 30 cities next year.

Notably, Samsung said it will debut the first 5G Galaxy smart phone in the first half of 2019.

“This is the first taste of the mobile 5G era," said Andre Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and chief technology officer. "Being first, you can expect us to evolve very quickly. It's early on the 5G journey and we're ready to learn fast and continually iterate in the months ahead."