RH Consulting has released a new white paper examining the current state of the audio networking market and trends among the various audio networking solutions.
The report, titled “The Death of Analogue and The Rise of Audio Networking,” was commissioned by Audinate and takes a detailed look at the number of audio networking products presently available, the growth rate for various protocols, and the market forces affecting their adoption.
“This white paper is the most comprehensive analysis of the audio networking market to date,” states Roland Hemming, principal audio consultant for RH Consulting. “Rather than just focus on technical differences, our goal was to provide a deep dive from the overall market perspective. We analyzed the products that are really shipping and the factors that are driving the growth, or lack thereof, of the various protocols.”
The report notes that Audinate Dante audio networking has had significant growth in licensees over the last 24 months, nearly four times the next largest protocol. It further states that more than 700 networked audio products are currently available, with the number of Dante-enabled products introduced in the last 12 months significantly outpacing all other networking protocols. And, it forecasts that the number of Dante-enabled products is expected to grow by 75 percent in 2015 and 130 percent by 2016.
In addition to looking at the total available networked products on the market, RH Consulting examined the factors contributing to the rapid growth of Dante and where audio networking sits on the technology adoption curve.
“Audio networking is following the same pattern as most new technology,” adds Hemming. “The success of Dante is consistent with easy-to-use, end-to-end solutions driving the market when technology is in the early growth phase. Over time networking has become less about specifying a protocol and more about specifying products that work together.”
The report indicates that the uptake of Dante and audio networking in general is an indication that the market is undergoing a dramatic shift. “History has shown us that when a digital technology comes within 20 percent of the price of its analogue equivalent, the latter dies,” according to Hemming. “While audio networking is not to that point yet, the rapid growth we are seeing now would indicate that analogue’s days are numbered.”
Go here to download the full white paper.
RH Consulting is an independent audio consultancy offering system design, compliance, product development and project management services. In his 28-year career, Roland Hemming has managed the two largest audio projects in Europe, and has presented papers to the Audio Engineering Society and been an advisor to InfoComm. He is a regular speaker at industry conferences, a judge for many industry awards and regular author of articles for industry magazines. And, he’s a member the AES and ISCE and sits on the British and European committees for voice alarm systems including EN54 and the IET committee for Connected Systems Integration in Buildings.
