Revolutionizing Broadcast Production Models With Dante

Formula 1
(Image credit: ESPN)

Dante is a complete, easy-to-use AV-over-IP platform that is inherently interoperable across thousands of products from hundreds of manufacturers, seamlessly integrating best-in-class audio, video, control, and management features.

Long the de facto standard for transmitting audio in pro AV and on-premise broadcast applications, the Dante platform is revolutionizing the broadcasting industry by enabling reliable hybrid and distributed production models in the cloud. The importance of these models lies in their ability to adapt swiftly to technological advancements and operational requirements, ensuring high-quality broadcasts in various scenarios.

Evolution of Broadcast Production Models
Traditional on-premises production relied heavily on centralized facilities, which limited flexibility and scalability. However, we are entering a new era of broadcasting based on shifting audience viewing preferences, workflow paradigms, and content creation/curation.

For these reasons, cloud-based broadcast production is gaining popularity since it offers several advantages over traditional production workflows, including flexibility and efficiency. However, change is hard, and broadcasters face challenges integrating new technologies and managing distributed teams, necessitating robust solutions like cloud-based Dante solutions.

Dante Cloud Possibilities
The ability to use Dante software applications in the cloud opens opportunities for A1s and mixing engineers to choose a familiar audio platform that’s easy to use with tight synchronization and seamless connectivity to centralize production tools running on cloud instances.

Access to Dante in the cloud allows broadcasters to rethink how they approach audio production. Maintaining the familiar workflows that production teams are accustomed to in on-premise environments makes the adoption of cloud-based Dante feel easy and intuitive. Only by utilizing cloud resources can broadcasters create the necessary programming to cater to ever-personalized and fragmented audience destinations.

With Dante cloud capabilities, Dante audio products can send up to 256 channels at a time of synchronized, high-fidelity audio directly from on-premise Dante devices to best-of-breed or customer-preferred production software in the cloud.

Audio can be distributed globally within the cloud, allowing different teams to use the same audio within multiple applications and locations to address different audiences, languages, and aspects of the production process. Source audio can be sent directly to the cloud from remote sites so mixing engineers can do their jobs from anywhere.

Benefits of Dante in the Cloud
Cloud-based Dante solutions transform traditional work models and workflows by enabling remote and flexible work opportunities for production teams. Their integration with existing tools and technologies allows for a smooth transition and enhanced collaboration among team members, regardless of their location.

Adopting Dante for the cloud leads to significant efficiency gains and economies of scale. Broadcasters can reduce hardware and operational costs, simplify setup and maintenance processes, and scale their operations to accommodate different production sizes. This scalability is crucial for handling various broadcast demands without compromising quality.

Cloud capabilities also boost content production volume by facilitating faster turnaround times and enabling more simultaneous productions. This capability allows broadcasters to meet the growing demand for diverse and high-quality content, ensuring they stay competitive in the ever-evolving media landscape.

Dante in the Cloud Example
Picture a week filled with overlapping races: a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco, a MotoGP race in Valencia, and a World Rally Championship event in Finland. Each of these events, happening in different locations and time zones, requires a unique audio setup, and the Dante platform is the key to managing these complex requirements.

(Image credit: Audinate)

On the ground at each race, Dante-enabled microphones capture the engines' roar, the crowd's cheers, and the commentary from the pit lane. These microphones are connected to Dante-enabled mixers and communication systems, creating a robust on-premise audio network that can capture and process high-quality audio in real time.

The cloud becomes an extension of that audio network. Here, cloud-based Dante-enabled mixers, digital signal processors (DSPs), and intercom systems take over. These devices allow technical staff to control and fine-tune the audio broadcast from a single location, regardless of where the races occur. This seamless integration of on-premise and cloud-based devices creates a flexible, efficient, and scalable audio ecosystem that can adapt to the needs of any broadcast.

Taking Dante to the Next Level
The Dante platform’s ability to support diverse production models, streamline workflows, and enhance collaboration makes it an invaluable asset for broadcasters adapting to modern production demands.

Dante accessible via the cloud allows broadcasters to rethink how they approach audio production by letting them take advantage of Dante devices anywhere in the world, create a cloud-based network of these devices, and then manage it from wherever their production staff is based.

The ability to create efficient remote production workflows directly from the hundreds of thousands of on-premise Dante devices has the potential to revolutionize cloud-based audio production.

Jim Kidwell
Senior Product Marketing Manager

Jim Kidwell is Senior Product Marketing Manager for Audinate