THIS IS A PROMOTED POST 

Tired of the same ol’ online content? Miss in-person trade shows and live AV education?

SDVoE hears your pain.

Instead of sulking over it, the association responded with an idea. No live events in 2020 be darned! (Using our PG language here…)

SDVoE’s idea materialized into a fun new project coined SDVoE LIVE! — in the simplest terms, live TV for AV — in a year when we needed industry education (but fun industry education) more than ever.

To keep it fresh and unique, like SDVoE’s idea for an AV-education-focused TV show, we decided to write this article like a proper TV show review: Because if we’re going to review a TV show, we need to write like reviewers of a TV show.

Dec. 1 Review: “A New Architecture for Network Convergence” (Plus An Announcement from SDVoE)

Episode one of SDVoE LIVE! on Dec. 1 gave us — on Giving Tuesday, mind you — a fresh look at converged AV/IT networks. Where do we stand on the topic today? Here’s our review.

• Episode Name: “A New Architecture for Network Convergence”
• Episode Info: A renewed look at AV/IT convergence — with SDVoE Alliance experts breaking down the process of IT signals being routed over an AV network — also noting the key differences between 1) AV over IP, 2) AV over IT and 3) IT over AV.
• Airdate: Dec. 1, 2020
• Network: SDVoE Academy
• Genre: Edutainment
• Cast & Crew:
  • Cast: Justin Kennington; Matt Dodd. (Note: IMDb pages were unavailable at the time of this review’s publish date, so we resorted to linking the cast’s LinkedIn pages.)
  • Production: Clavia Group
• Star count: ***** (Five Stars.)

Episode Review: When a new TV show is created by AV people, it makes sense that the budget would be blown on a great display and mount rather than a nice virtual set — note the lack of carpet. Jokes aside, because we’re pretty sure the minimal set was part of the plan and you’ll see SDVoE’s beautiful set additions in our episode two recap below, the debut episode of SDVoE LIVE! surprised and delighted.

After some fun introductions from show stars Justin Kennington and Matt Dodd, we heard a special announcement from SDVoE, Kennington teeing it up by explaining how SDVoE intends to be, sort of, like the Android for ProAV. The announcement: The SDVoE Alliance will be offering a brand-new SDVoE AVI Developer program starting next year. The goal is to open the program to anyone who wants access by summer 2021. The purpose? To provide access to software for developing documentation and building applications on the SDVoE platform. The “why?” “It’s time to start delivering on our promise of ‘software-defined,’” said Kennington. To participate in the alpha program for SDVoE’s AVI Developer program, just drop an email to info@sdvoe.org.

Next, the show’s education portion commenced featuring Matt Dodd. Dodd schooled us on why AV can’t just turn up and put its AV designs on the IT network. Then, we learned about some key differences between AV-over-IP, AV-over-IT, and even IT-over-AV. “AV-over-IP is often confused with AV-over-IT,” Dodd added.

But designing an AV network, one that takes care of IT, is so important. So how do we do it?

It’s a loaded question, but one that was distinctly discussed on “A New Architecture for Network Convergence.” One of the best parts of the episode — and not just because it’s where we get some of the best Justin-Matt banter — was the aftershow. Sort of like “the meeting after the meeting,” it was the show’s hero takeaway moment, with key summaries alongside an audience Q&A, bringing us back full circle and revisiting our main questions on AV/IT convergence. To watch the aftershow, only available on the SDVoE Academy episodes (as opposed to the YouTube ones we linked earlier), sign in and create a free account if you don’t already have one.

Dec. 15 Review: “What Is a Network, Anyway?”

After its December debut, SDVoE LIVE! was back for a second episode in “What Is a Network, Anyway?” The quick version: Google “network” and the definition is anything but simple. This episode sought to give us a clearer definition of a data network using the OSI model as reference. Why? Because IT needs to know about ways we (AV) stream/distribute on the network. And AV needs to better understand the complications faced by IT. We’re all working for the same team here, okay? Here’s our review.

• Episode Name: “What is a Network, Anyway?”
• Episode Info: An episode covering the sometimes-daunting question of networks, switches and layers in the OSI model. Why does this matter? Because you have to understand the difference between layer 2 and 3 (not just focusing your operation at layer 2) to implement a system that can work over longer distances.
• Airdate: Dec. 15, 2020
• Network: SDVoE Academy
• Genre: Edutainment
• Cast & Crew:
  • Cast: Justin Kennington; Matt Dodd
  • Production: Clavia Group
• Star count: ***** (Five Stars.)

Episode Review: I mean, the first thing I noticed in this next episode is that SDVoE added the inflatable chair per my suggestion two weeks ago. Which leads me to my inevitable glowing review. Spruced-up set aside, this episode taught us a lot.

1. We saw two highly relevant articles related to the topic at hand, to set the stage (pun intended) and help contextualize the conversation of episode two. The articles: 1. “5G record broken with 8 Gbps speed” and 2. “How IT departments really view networked AV.”
2. Using the OSI model, the first thing to remember, as Dodd explained: The network actually begins at layer 2, not layer 3. Layer 2 is a network or host — called a data link — that links hosts together. Restated another way, because it can be confusing: A layer 2 network is called a “broadcast domain,” and it’s the layer on the OSI model where a network is created. In the same way we call layer 2 networks “broadcast domains,” we call layer 3 networks “subnets,” Dodd added.

Regarding IT’s knowledge on the world of AV, Dodd pointed out, “There’s still a bit of a gap — let’s put it that way.”

So, what is a network? Dodd asked, challenging us in his recap segment. Using the OSI model, networks are created at layer 2, also called “broadcast domains.” Networks are connected together at layer 3, these connecting networks called “subnets.”

Got it? Good. Don’t got it? Rewatch episode two via the link I’ll drop in the next sentence. If you didn’t already watch the YouTube episode we linked earlier, we definitely recommend viewing the show via the SDVoE Academy, which includes the exclusive aftershow and Q&A portion — an extra perk for SDVoE Academy members. (And yes, it’s free to create an account!)

Next Episode Coming Dec. 29: A “Holiday Special”

SDVoE LIVE! Is ProAV’s only edutainment (education + entertainment) program and it takes place every other Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST. The next episode, “Leveraging Fiber Optics for Video Distribution,” will come on Dec. 29. Here’s a look at the upcoming episodes:

We’ll see you for the next one!

Catch the next SDVoE LIVE! episode by visiting SDVoE.org/Live. By clicking on the link, you can sign up for email reminders or download the event to your calendar. Don’t have an SDVoE Academy account yet? Use this link to make a free one before the next show: https://bit.ly/3oO1kWu.