In the past, we have written about AV over IP on more than one occasion. That is no coincidence: whilst the industry has long been aware of the technology's potential, the advantages of IP-based signal distribution have become a firm fixture in countless projects and setups.

Still, AV over IP is a technology whose nature it is to remain invisible and in the background. Signal distribution is rarely the attraction of an installation; it is the tool that keeps everything running smoothly.

That might make it harder to truly grasp the technology. Anyone who has not yet experienced such a network under real-world conditions knows scalability, flexibility and protocol openness only by reputation.

This challenge presented itself at LANG AG some years ago as well: how could we implement AV over IP for ourselves, so that it would stop being merely a theoretical, complex topic? The answer came in the form of a first setup: a test installation running around the clock, built around two Netgear switches in our own premises, allowing us to carry out longer-term tests.

Scalability, made visible

Over time, the network grew. Today, 26 switches are in use, and the IP network extends to the LANG ACADEMY, the training centre housed in a separate building on the site. What began as a pragmatic solution is now the backbone of testing, consultation and professional development alike.

The fact that the network runs alongside the existing IT infrastructure rather than being integrated into it is no accident. High-bandwidth multicast traffic and a standard corporate network usually don’t mix well. The answer is coexistence: both networks run side by side, neither interfering with the other.

As a permanent test infrastructure, the IP network also eliminates the preliminary work. Equipment arriving for evaluation can be tested directly against a production-grade ST 2110 environment, fully PTP-synchronised, with uncompressed video streams locked across multiple distributed devices. The network is already set up and conditions match what a real broadcast installation demands – not a simplified approximation of it.

Then there is the question of configuration. In a network of this size, manually setting up individual switches would represent a considerable investment of time. Profiles can instead be pushed to all devices simultaneously from a central point.

The same network underpins the training sessions at the LANG Academy. Participants work with a system that is in daily operation, running the same protocols and the same devices they will encounter in their own projects.

Fixed installation or not? Both work

Our in-house IP network demonstrates what a permanently installed network can deliver in the right environment and with the right parameters, and what flexibility it can introduce into the workflows that depend on it. The fact that it also works in a temporary context is demonstrated by our LANG booths at recent ISE editions.

Since 2024, our ISE booths have been operated entirely via IP-based signal distribution, with SMPTE ST 2110 and IPMX as the central standards. In 2026, the available bandwidth reached up to 300 Gbit/s. All LED walls, displays and projectors were driven across a local IP network, within a temporary setup that was up and running within days and gone just as quickly.

Whether as a permanent installation that grows over time or as a temporary setup built for a trade show: AV over IP is never the star in the spotlight, but it has become difficult to imagine professional AV setups without it.

For us at LANG AG, the response to this invisibility was a practical one: build an infrastructure that does not explain the subject, but shows it. While it was not originally intended to become more than a test setup, it has ultimately evolved into an infrastructure that clearly illustrates the technology’s added value.