Audinate has unveiled two software-based Dante products in the form of Dante Embedded Platform and Dante Application Library.
Dante Embedded Platform enables manufacturers to add full Dante functionality in software running on Linux for x86 and ARM processors. The Dante Application Library allows software developers to integrate Dante functionality directly into PC and Mac applications.
Dante Embedded Platform will offer an SDK with validation tools allowing OEMs to qualify existing x86 and ARM based products for Dante performance requirements. For new products under development, Audinate will also provide complete reference designs for popular ARM SoC chipsets such as the Analog Devices ADSP-SC589 and NXP i.MX 8M Mini QuadLite.
These software-based solutions aim to give manufacturers and developers the ability to deploy Dante into products where it wasn’t previously feasible from a price point or hardware form factor perspective. The move also hopes to provide a potential route to add Dante capabilities retroactively to systems already deployed.
QSC has announced that it will begin to deploy the Dante Embedded Platform within the Q-Sys ecosystem to enable native software-based Dante audio channels. The effort is part of the strategic partnership between the two companies announced earlier this year.
In addition, Zoom Video Communications has teamed up with Audinate to integrate the Dante Application Library into its Zoom Rooms application for video meetings.
Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate, commented: “This is an inflection point in the AV industry. The decreasing costs, increasing computational power and improved flexibility of the software approach will enable manufacturers and developers to deploy Dante into a plethora of next generation AV products. The option to go with a software-based implementation will enable OEMs to add Dante functionality to existing products without a major redesign and will drive further growth for networked Dante endpoints.”
Audinate will be demonstrating its solutions at the upcoming InfoComm 2019 show in Orlando, USA.