Tech History
Technology becomes much easier to understand when you know why it was invented. This section tells the stories behind Ethernet, DMX, Dante, PTP, Art-Net and modern media networks.
The Birth of Ethernet
Why do we still talk about frames, MAC addresses and collision domains even though modern switches work very differently?
NetworkWhy Spanning Tree Exists
Two innocent network cables between the same switches can bring an entire production network down.
LightingFrom Analog Lighting Control to DMX512
DMX has 512 slots because it grew out of very concrete limits of serial lighting control.
Lighting NetworkFrom DMX Cable to Art-Net
Art-Net emerged because growing numbers of DMX universes could no longer be distributed sensibly over individual cables.
Lighting NetworkWhy sACN Was Created
sACN is a standardized way to stream DMX-like control data over IP networks.
Audio NetworkThe Story of Dante
Dante is not simply audio over a network cable; it combines IP, switching, discovery, QoS and time.
Network TimeFrom NTP to PTP
Media networks need not only data packets, but a shared understanding of time.
NetworkThe Story of Multicast
Why send identical data to a hundred receivers individually when the network can distribute it selectively?
NetworkWhy VLANs Were Invented
VLANs emerged because growing Ethernet networks could no longer be separated only by physical cables.
Audio NetworkFrom Copper Multicores to Audio-over-IP
Audio-over-IP answers the problem of heavy multicores, rigid stageboxes and growing channel counts.