The OCA Alliance previews AES70-2021

Following the recent announcement of a ‘lightweight’ AES70 implementation that makes AES70 control solutions available to any that wish to implement it, the OCA Alliance is excited to offer a sneak peek of the latest version of the AES70 device control standard. The AES70-2021 release will be upwards-compatible from the current AES70-2018 and offers several significant enhancements for new and improved features along with a number of documentation upgrades for increased clarity, readability and precision.

The most important new features are as follows:

Datasets
This is a mechanism for devices to exchange data blocks (datasets) with controllers. Data block size is limited only by implementation. AES70-2021 will specifically define several types of datasets. Furthermore, manufacturers will also be able to add their own datasets as required.

Media files
Thanks to the new Datasets feature, controllers can now manage device audio file recording, playback and storage.

Logging
A new logging mechanism – also based in the Datasets feature – enables controllers to retrieve logs generated by a device, in any format and at any time.

Command sets
This is a new mechanism for storing predefined control command sequences in devices and executing them on request, at scheduled times, or at specified positions in media streams.

AES70-21 also includes some significant enhancements to existing functionality:

Streamlined media connection management
This is a major improvement – managing device media streaming connections is now more powerful and easier to program and implement than ever.

Connection negotiation support
There's flexible new support for connection negotiation, the process by which controllers develop compatible transmitting and receiving settings for media stream connections.

New support for managing presets
A new mechanism for storing and recalling device presets has been implemented that is capable of handling complex devices with tens of thousands of parameters. It is easier for controllers and devices to program and supports much larger sets of stored parameters.

In total, the new 2021 release numbers around 40 new or enhanced features and 15 documentation upgrades, reportedly making it easier to implement and manage, and even more powerful. According to Bosch Communications senior scientist and OCA Chair, Jeff Berryman, AES70-2021 will provide some welcome useability improvements, making the route to adoption easier than ever. “As with any standard, the more widely it is adopted and used, the greater the benefit to all concerned and the industry at large. The 2021 release offers several enhancements and upgrades to make it more accessible, easier to implement and also improve performance. Combined with our recent lightweight implementation, we now have AES70 control solutions for every part of the spectrum, from the simplest to the most complex systems.”

AES70-2021 is scheduled for release during the second half of 2021 and will be downloadable from the website.



ABOUT AES70

AES70 is an open control and monitoring standard for professional audio and AV media network devices. From a single device and controller, to networks with almost any number of devices and multiple controllers, AES70 provides for powerful, high speed, low cost, robust system control and monitoring of devices from different manufacturers.

AES70 can be used in conjunction with any available transport protocol (Dante, MILAN, AES67, Cobranet, etc.). Offering interoperability across different media transports and manufacturers’ devices, it enables whole new levels of complex system integration and options as to how and where network devices can be deployed. The architecture operates on commodity Ethernet networking hardware, or via standard 802.11 Wi-Fi.

Control functionality allows system professionals to change and monitor all operating parameters of a network device, including the creation and deletion of signal paths, parameter adjustments for signal processing objects, network device firmware updates and management of access control. Control can also be limited to provide simpler ‘operator’ functionality; for instance, providing just level, mute, power on/off and fault indication.

AES70 is the standard upon which the Open Control Architecture ecosystem of devices, software, development tools, and technical resources is based.

AES70 is not itself a media transport, or a means of programming a network device or system control or generating a user interface. AES70 is available free of charge to manufactures, system integrators and designers, to implement with their own and third-party network devices, as they require.



ABOUT THE OCA ALLIANCE

OCA Alliance is a non-profit corporation formed to promote the AES70 standard and Open Control Architecture (OCA) ecosystem, as a control solution for professional media networking applications. The OCA Alliance’s purpose is to actively promote the development and adoption of the OCA ecosystem of hardware, software, and developer tools that support the AES70 standard. The OCA Alliance’s activities support the AES70 standard and OCA ecosystem as a media networking system control solution through marketing, education and training, while developing future standards and other documents that augment, enhance or extend the primary AES70 standard, for the purposes of enabling and promoting increased interoperability and reliability, for a variety of transport standards.