Lawo details precise IP audio synchronization for large-scale sports production

Maintaining phase-accurate audio is a significant technical hurdle in the industry's shift away from deterministic SDI hardware toward flexible, software-defined IP networks. As broadcasters centralize production in cloud clusters, standardizing synchronization via AES67 and ST 2110 becomes the only way to prevent audible artifacts in high-density sports coverage. This technical stability is foundational for the ecosystem's move toward COTS-based infrastructure, enabling vendor interoperability while reducing capital expenditure on proprietary routing. Watch for the adoption of SMPTE ST 2059-2 PTP profiles as the dominant mechanism for industry-wide network timing by late 2026.

The transition from SDI to IP remains a dominant but gradual transformation within the broadcast sector. Per Haivision’s 2026 Broadcast Transformation Report, while 82% of professionals still utilize SDI, 39% now identify the shift to IP-based production as their primary technology objective. The report indicates that SMPTE ST 2110 adoption reached 30% in early 2026, a 4% year-over-year increase, signaling a steady move toward standards-based interoperability even as hybrid workflows remain the operational norm for most facilities.

Simultaneously, vendors are simplifying the deployment of these complex standards. Per Audinate, January 2026, updates to the Dante platform now allow for the configuration of SMPTE ST 2110-30 and AES67 parameters—including precision time protocol (PTPv2) settings and RTP payload data—directly within standard controller software. This eliminates the previous requirement for separate management layers, facilitating easier integration between specialized audio networks and broader broadcast video infrastructure. These updates also include support for ST 2110-30 AX, BX, and CX levels, enabling 96 kHz high-resolution audio across IP flows.

The push for synchronization standards is further bolstered by the AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions) roadmap for 2026. Per AV Technology, March 2026, the alliance hosted its first-ever IPMX Product Testing and Certification Event in February 2026 to ensure multi-vendor interoperability. As live sports production increasingly moves toward distributed models, the ability to maintain microsecond-level timing across diverse hardware from Lawo, Ross Video, and others is viewed by engineers as the final barrier to fully virtualized broadcast air chains.