Bandwidth question

Is it feasible to run a pair of one-universe gateways AND one stream of HDMI over ethernet on the same closed gigabit network? Am I likely to run into bandwidth issues?

  • It might work - sending two full universes via sACN requires little bandwidth, so it would depend on the HDMI converters and their bandwidth needs. Also on the structure of your network (like WiFi, routing, switching and VLAN setup).

    The only way to know for sure is to test it - preferably in a non-critical situation with conditions as close to what they will be during the show.
  • A Net3 node is an sACN cocktail and the least bandwidth of any protocol. If any configuration would work, it'd be that.

    Keep in mind that the difference between Data Networking and Show Control is that a Data Network will get you 100% of the data transmitted no matter how long it takes. Show Control prioritises signal response speed.
    Cramming a pipe full of data will affect whether or not all the lights go out on Q.
  • Please let me know how this works out for you and if you have any suggestions.
  • When you say HDMI over ethernet it depends on what you actually mean.

    There are a lot of HDMI over ethernet converters which are simply using the wires in the UTP ethernet cable to connect the two ends together (these typically have transformers (ballums) that help isolate signal noise - like balance mic connections do) If that the case it not actually a network connection at all and so those runs are just single purpose and cant be plugged into switches or anything normally thought of as a network.

    If you mean using an HDMI over TCP converter then its network signals and they can go through switches etc.

    Assuming it is the later then the amount of bandwidth used by a single universe on Artnet or sACN is only about 500K bps (and I'm rounding up a lot, assuming the 512 byte dmx packet with protocol wrappers is 1K and that it takes 10bits to send a byte on the ethernet).

    So that's only used less than 0.05% of your available 1Gbps network and your hdmi video shouldn't be using all of the 1Gbps.
  • I have had success with this, but I have so far only tested it with dimmers on my ETC gateways, not movers. I did notice that my HDMI over IP transmitters/receiver default to a different subnet from my lighting network; this may be a factor in my success thusfar.
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