Released in 2017, Crestron’s DM NVX® AV-over-IP line of solutions represented the culmination of nearly five years of work. Today, with nearly one million units shipped, it is one Crestron’s most successful — and reliable — product lines.The development of DM NVX AV-over-IP began with the rise of compression technologies that enabled high-quality video to be delivered at low latency. The tipping point followed after it became clear it could be done over a network at a price point that was competitive with other technologies.
Traditionally, all a system’s video sources had to go through a core switch, which meant scalability was fairly complex. But on a network, AV signals can be sent anywhere, making the systems infinitely scalable. As codecs evolved, the ability to deliver very high-quality video at very low latency was achievable and it became apparent that AV-over-IP was advantageous, especially in very large and asymmetric designs. Crestron worked with its partners at Intopix to develop a proprietary codec that delivered flawless image quality with any content. It was a significant differentiator — and a big reason for the continued success and adoption of DM NVX technology.
To overcome some resistance to moving AV content distribution to the network, Crestron went the extra mile by achieving government certifications like FIPS, JITC, and NIAP. The result enabled DM NVX technology to be specified for high-security environments. While many customers had historically preferred building dedicated AV networks, the effort was made to architect DM NVX technology for a truly converged enterprise network.
Prior to this, networking was really the provenance of the IT department. Knowing this, Crestron built the DM NVX AV-over-IP technology from the ground up as an integrated network or a converged network infrastructure. Crestron’s intention from the beginning was that solutions should be standards-based and secure so that customers feel comfortable deploying them on their IT-integrated infrastructure.
Crestron was determined to set development in motion. This meant addressing the complexities of high-speed routing: Namely, the distribution of high-bandwidth video — something that had never been put on the network before. There were two key issues that had to be overcome —maintaining visually lossless image quality, achieving near zero latency, and ensuring high reliability. With these goals met, the resulting solution could be deployed in any vertical that Crestron serves, from stunning residential designs to secure government deployments and everything in between.
“Crestron’s DM NVX line delivers the same high-quality video we’ve come to expect from previous Crestron DM products, while offering a competitive price point,” said Saul. “This has enabled us to deploy the AV-over-IP solution across nearly all verticals, from education to mission-critical applications.”
So why does DM NVX technology work and sell so well?
DM NVX was able to achieve similar quality and latency to products built around a 10GB network, while only requiring 1GB of bandwidth, giving it a big advantage in cost and scalability of the infrastructure. The existing wiring in the walls of enterprises and homes can support a gigabit of bandwidth — but are not able to support 10GB. Improving the codecs and compression engines meant that the Crestron solution could still handle mission-critical applications (such as medical and government applications) while not requiring more expensive networking infrastructure. The development of DM NVX AV-over-IP mirrored the other products that Crestron creates: It’s a complete solution that integrates a variety of technologies in the best way possible.
DM NVX AV-over-IP solutions are incredibly versatile — not to mention reliable. We’ll look at three solutions for business, education, and government applications, but there are thousands of applications for DM NVX technology.
Enterprise: Many Fortune 500® companies turn to Crestron’s DM NVX AV-over-IP technology to power content distribution needs for their expanding organizations. Many have flexible spaces that can change daily, and DM NVX allows them to transform these spaces no matter what the requirement and allows them to route or broadcast content all over the building. So, if a meeting space isn’t large enough to handle everyone, they can broadcast that exact same content to multiple rooms.
Education: When colleges and universities look to bring people together in large, custom, and multipurpose spaces – both in person and remotely, they find that DM NVX gives them the flexibility, reliability, and ease of use that they require. When DM NVX is introduced into a broadcast system it gives full 4K broadcasting that converts the HDMI® signal to SDI, so broadcasting and streaming can happen simultaneously with exceptionally low latency.
Government: Local, state, and federal governments often need their facilities brought into the 21st century and adhered to strict government requirements. Crestron DM NVX AV-over-IP technology distributes flawless, high-resolution video content safely and securely across the network. Whether used in city hall or in public safety and emergency response centers, Crestron can securely monitor, maintain, and support all audio-visual and unified-communications room solutions from anywhere. There are thousands of other applications for the DM NVX AV-over-IP technology that has led to its success. From hybrid enterprise and education spaces to control rooms and entertainment venues, DM NVX AV-over-IP Technology has put content on display at countless destinations. What incredible projects will the next million products be part of?
Crestron’s new DM NVX 384 encoder/decoder was just announced (Oct. 2024). It’s a feature-packed addition that represents the next generation of AV-over-IP technology. DM NVX 384 with USB-C connectivity, supports 5K, has USB-C connectivity, and multi-input switching (4 inputs). It also provides stellar performance in the arenas of unified communications, digital signage, and presentation spaces.
“This latest addition to the DM NVX AV-over-IP family of solutions is yet another representation of the philosophies that inform these Crestron products,” said Brad Hintze, Crestron’s EVP of Global Marketing. Crestron’s lineup is also known for reliability, durability, and near-zero latency. It’s easy to see why DM NVX technology remains a go-to solution when creating AV systems for everything from enterprise businesses to elegant homes.
To learn more about Crestron offerings, contact AVI Systems.