Crestron’s DigitalMedia gains Dante support
Published: PRODUCTS
The 64X64 and 128X128 versions of Crestron’s DigitalMedia matrix switchers are now able to support the Dante audio networking protocol with the release of a pair of new I/O blades. The 4K HDMI & Dante Input Blade for DM Switchers (DMB-4K-I-HD-DNT) provides the switchers with eight HDMI inputs, while the 4K HDMI & Dante Output Blade for DM Switchers (DMB-4K-O-HD-DNT) offers built-in 4K scaling via its eight HDMI outputs. The manufacturer states that the blades offer ‘seamless, fully digital integration and interoperability with DigitalMedia’ over Ethernet on a Dante network.
When used in video conferencing systems, content can be sent from a source to the HDMI port of the DMB-4K-I-HD-DNT. DigitalMedia will then process and extract HD audio, outputting it over a Dante-enabled network via the LAN port on the device’s CPU blade. A local DSP on the network will then receive the signal in the conference room, mixing it with the microphones and sending it out to a codec. An alternative setup could involve Dante audio being fed into the LAN port of DigitalMedia’s CPU blade where it will be internally processed and sent out to a local display as an HDMI signal.
The blades also enable embedding and de-embedding of analogue audio. This can be done by connecting an Analog Audio Breakout Box (AUD-BOB-1602) to the Dante blades on the switcher. When connected to the input blade, the balanced audio analogue signal is embedded with the digital video signal and when connected to the output blade, analogue audio output is extracted and fed into a sound system.