Biamp is backing Dante, announcing a Dante-enabled networking card as part of wider Tesira launches at ISE 2014.
The Dante-enabled DAN-1 digital server networking card functions as a gateway interface to support 64x64 channels of Dante networked audio and can be used alongside AVB and CobraNet in the same Tesira server or server-IO.
The move marks the first step from the audio manufacturer, and staunch AVB supporter, towards Audinate’s popular networking technology.
However, Biamp says the news does not mark a departure from its focus on AVB, pointing out that the Tesira platform still operates over AVB and maintains that it is just a development designed to offer customers flexibility.
Justin O’Conner, audio product manager at Biamp, conceded that the vendor had probably lost some business in the past due to its lack of support for Dante.
“We had customers come to us and say this project has to have a certain piece of digital gear that dictates the necessity for Dante,†he says. “Previously we had to say to customers that to use Tesira they would need to convert to analogue or use CobraNet.â€
Biamp’s move to accommodate Dante could be seen as a response to AVB not quickly gaining traction in the market in terms of certified products and use cases.
However, O’Conner refutes the suggestion claiming that Biamp would have still brought the card to market at this time “even if AVB had moved significantly faster†adding that “Biamp is still a staunch AVB house.â€