After nearly a decade of development, AV over IP (Over IP) has transformed from an unattainable niche into a mainstream market phenomenon. Numerous manufacturers offer related products, with major brands all offering Over IP solutions. Applications cover a wide range of sectors, from control rooms and conference rooms to classrooms, churches, and entertainment centers, demonstrating its unstoppable momentum.
In the previous generation, when the Pro AV market shifted from analog to digital, HDBaseT became the dominant standard. Thanks to the efforts of the HDBaseT Alliance, it was further established as an industry norm. Different brands’ TX and RX devices could interoperate, and major display manufacturers integrated RX modules into their mid- to high-end models for direct TX connection. With the addition of certification mechanism and training programs, the flexibility and interoperability has been significantly improved.
In the current era of AV over IP, however, there is still no single standard that has become mainstream. Some groups loudly advocate for specific standards, such as SDVOE, IPMX, Dante AV, and NDI, but these have yet to gain traction, resulting in a highly competitive market. Products from different brands are still incompatible, and the diversity of network architectures introduces many variables that must be considered. As a result, end users and system integrators face greater difficulty and higher switching costs when choosing solutions, ultimately giving well-known brands a competitive edge.
If we look for common ground among these competing technologies, the mainstream specification today is 4K60@444 Over 1G LAN with JPEG2000 CODEC. Quality, technology, cost, and usability have reached a sweet spot, making it the preferred solution for customers and system integrators. But what's next? Which direction will the overall trend take? 2x4K60, 4K120, or 8K? 2.5G, 5G, or 10G? JPEGXS, H.265, or DSC? It's likely to be another period of chaos, with everyone offering their own interpretations, and a clear outcome won't be seen for at least three to five years.
In October, a Taiwanese Pro AV company "GOMAX Electronics" reached out and invited me to Hsinchu Office to see their “Secret Weapon”: O1 Stream (Only One Stream). GOMAX has long been an ODM partner of my former company, and we’ve known each other for many years. GOMAX, who focuses on Pro AV products, is very technology-driven, and often makes surprising moves.
Driven by intense curiosity, I entered the meeting room and watched the live demonstration. It was indeed extraordinary. I then went straight to the point and asked the GOMAX manager some key questions, receiving satisfactory answers. Then, I decided to write a series of articles to introduce this powerful new platform, hoping more people will learn about it.
Positioned as a next-generation product platform, O1 Stream can be used for Over-IP matrix switching applications as well as simple Point-to-Point extension applications. Let's look at some key over-IP features:
- Video Resolution: up to 4K120@444 or 8K60@422
- USB Data Transfer Rate: up to USB 3.0 500 Mbps
- Network Bandwidth: 1G LAN (no need to upgrade to 2.5G or 10G)
- Latency: TX + RX < 1 frame
- Image Quality (PSNR): above 35 dB
The challenge of AV over-IP lies in the limited bandwidth required to cram in increasingly higher resolutions and larger amounts of data, while maintaining strict latency and image quality standards. Based on O1 Stream's key specifications, it certainly qualifies as the next-generation AV over-IP standard. The question is, how is such a perfect combination achieved?
In short, O1 Stream breaks away from the limitations of traditional JPEG-based compression and adopts a brand-new generation of compression technology. This innovation enables the impressive combination of 8K60 + USB3 over 1G LAN, while still meeting strict latency and image quality standards.
Currently, most mainstream AV over IP products use JPEG-related compression technologies. However, Motion JPEG and JPEG2000 are over 20 years old. Over the past two decades, IP streaming platforms have expanded rapidly, becoming an indispensable part of daily life. The underlying compression technologies have advanced dramatically and are no longer comparable to what they were then. The CODEC used by O1 Stream is a new generation of streaming compression technology, significantly surpassing the JPEG family in capability. It can compress the massive amounts of raw data (4K120@444 or 8K60@422) to under 400Mbps, leaving 500Mbps for USB – a thoughtful design that meets industry expectations for next-generation standards.
Further analysis reveals that for Pro AV applications, streaming compression technologies cannot be directly applied. Latency must be below 2 frames (32ms), and the PSNR must be above 30dB. Image, text, and edge lines also need optimization to qualify as a good AV Over IP product. Some codecs sacrifice latency and image quality for lower bandwidth, resulting in more affordable prices but unacceptable performance. O1 Stream is based on the latest streaming compression technology with significant optimizations, particularly for image, text, and edge lines. Even more impressively, it achieves latency below 1 frame (16ms) and a PSNR above 35dB, delivering stunning results that not only meet Pro AV requirements but also surpass major Over 1G IP products on the market.
The next two articles will provide a more detailed explanation of the OVER IP Matrix & P2P Extender products in this series, covering usage scenarios, key specifications, and design features. Stay tuned.
For more information about O1 Stream, please contact me or visit the official website:
👉 https://o1stream.com/
