At InfoComm 2026, Audinate showcased Iris, a software-based bridge designed to enable protocol-agnostic, remote PTZ camera control. The tool acts as a browser-based management interface for various hardware brands, including BZB Gear, supporting workflows like remote color correction and white balance.
This move signals Audinate’s shift from an audio-centric networking provider to a comprehensive AV-over-IP management platform. By commoditizing the bridge between fragmented PTZ protocols like NDI and Dante, Audinate reduces the operational overhead of fragmented hardware fleets. For the streaming ecosystem, this lowers the barrier to high-end remote production, as small-scale teams can now perform professional-grade color shading and camera movement globally through a standard browser. Watch for Audinate to integrate these features more deeply into its core Dante Controller to provide a unified 'single pane of glass' for broadcast engineers.
The public rollout of Iris follows Audinate’s strategic acquisition of Iris Studio in July 2025 (per Mixonline, July 2025). This integration is central to Audinate's recent financial pivot toward high-margin software solutions. In its 1H FY26 results, the company reported an 82.6% gross margin, driven partly by the commercial launch of Iris as a usage-based subscription in December 2025 (per Audinate Investor Presentation, February 2026). At launch, the platform onboarded 10 camera manufacturers, including Lumens, PTZOptics, and Marshall.
Audinate's expansion comes as the robotic broadcast camera market is projected to reach $1.86 billion in 2026 (per Future Market Insights, July 2026). Industry demand is increasingly driven by 'labor pressure,' as sports venues and news studios seek to add more camera angles without increasing on-site floor crews. Competitors are also pivoting toward software-led value; for instance, Canon and Ross Video announced a partnership in April 2026 to bundle PTZ control directly into production switchers (per TV Technology, July 2026).
To support this complex software ecosystem, Audinate has also been expanding its Dante AV capabilities, notably adding native ST 2110-30 support to bridge professional broadcast workflows with IT infrastructure (per Audinate News, September 2025). The company is currently training approximately 4,000 AV professionals per month to manage these converged networks, reflecting the broader industry transition away from hardware-locked serial controllers toward flexible, IP-based remote production environments.
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