The Problem of Scalability

As codecs evolved, the ability to deliver very high-quality video at very low latency was becoming increasingly achievable. There were other advantages, too: Traditionally, all of a system’s video sources had to go through a core switch, which meant scalability was fairly complex. On a network, however, one can send AV signals anywhere, which renders the systems infinitely scalable. It rapidly became apparent that AV-over-IP was advantageous, especially in very large and asymmetric designs.

Most matrix switches had a fixed number of inputs and outputs. In many situations, an integrator would be faced with a small number of sources going to a lot of destinations, or a lot of sources going to a smaller number of destinations, asymmetrical designs — with a large, fixed matrix switch at the center. If a 16x16 switch initially met a firm’s needs, but the company’s growth demanded, say, more outputs, replacing the core switch was often a necessity. Not so with AV-over-IP, says Ludke: “On the network, there’s tremendous scalability and no unused inputs or outputs.”