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Anyone is eligible to join the Avnu Alliance. See the “become a member” page for membership information.
The Alliance has developed a rich set of tools to help its members develop AVB/TSN products. When you join Avnu Alliance, you can make sure you are engineering the right requirements into your products. Your membership allows you to participate in developing the market requirements and test plans so that your products are ready for certification without re-engineering. You can also get real-time updates on specification changes. Avnu Alliance members are given a rich set of tools to help you build your AVB/TSN products to the specifications, test devices and accelerate product development before entering the formal testing program.
Also, Avnu Alliance membership gives you the opportunity to collaborate with fellow Alliance members to develop a complete ecosystem of interoperable devices. Membership gives you the chance to network and consult with time sensitive application experts and engineers and get tips and best practices for implementation.
By participating in the workgroups you can help ensure that the AVB/TSN compliance program meets the demanding performance benchmarks for your market and influence technical specifications. The Avnu members work together to define Avnu certification, ensuring that AVB/TSN is easy to implement and has broad global market appeal.
The Avnu Alliance defined a procedure which may then be used to certify products to the Avnu-certification based IEEE standards. Before certification can be achieved, Avnu Alliance defines the market specific requirements and develops the conformance and interoperability test plans as well as the testing procedures. The test house produces detailed reports and data that are fed back to the manufacturers to help address any issues they may have. Once deficiencies have been satisfactorily resolved and the product has passed the testing procedures, the test report and certification application can be submitted to Avnu Alliance for formal approval and the ability to use the Avnu-Certified logo.
Any member can submit a product for Avnu-certification testing.
The IEEE AVB/TSN standards define how a network (primarily Ethernet networks) should be made timing-aware. AVB/TSN are not communications protocols, but – like other capabilities such as VLAN and Power over Ethernet – they are core network capabilities that can be used by any (open or proprietary) communications system that needs them. When you buy an Ethernet chip, it just has this capability.
These foundational standards facilitate a broad-range of higher-layer communications technologies, all in a timing-aware environment. So the user can still choose the most appropriate transport layer, data encapsulation format and enumeration and discovery techniques for their application, all within a timing-aware framework.
Time Sensitive Networking is the evolution of AVB, building upon the AVB specifications to expand the range, functionality and applications of the standard. AVB is continuously evolving for new demanding applications and markets that are increasing interest in the technology. TSN is the new name for the same IEEE 802.1 Task Group, which developed AVB. The Time Sensitive Networking set of standards will be backwards compatible with AVB, but add new features and enhancements as part of the standard.
Avnu Alliance has the job of guiding what is needed from this specification for new applications in automotive and industrial segments and simplifying the process for engineers and designers to build products utilizing TSN. Some of the new key features in TSN include added fault tolerance and redundancy, and further improvements in time sensitive scheduling and latency control to AVB/TSN networks. AVB / TSN standard is an upgrade to existing networks (wireless and wired) – representing the synchronization and bandwidth layer for time critical applications. AVB and TSN can complement other existing and emerging specifications and standards.
Audio Video Bridging (AVB) replaces both the physical complexity of analog cables and the network complexity of earlier proprietary solutions with an open, standards based approach that enables interoperable platforms to offer more affordable and better market solutions.
AVB is an evolution of standard Ethernet and other compatible media, such as wireless LAN, to add support for real-time audio video and control applications. It is the common name for the set of technical standards developed by the IEEE 802.1 Audio Video Bridging Task Group. AVB standards add capabilities to the Ethernet network providing three major enhancements:
Deterministic networking is required in a wide range of current and next-generation connectivity applications that need a network that behaves in a predictable fashion. Deterministic networking is made up of two vital technologies: Bounded latency and precise timing/synchronization. Examples of deterministic networking include:
Precise timing is needed to enable audio data to be presented from different speakers with a known phase relationship, and synchronization between video and related audio streams.
The IEEE AVB/TSN base standards enable deterministic networking as the foundational technology that can satisfy the common needs of these diverse and demanding applications.
The Avnu Alliance is a community creating an interoperable ecosystem of low-latency, time-synchronized, highly reliable synchronized networked devices using open standards through certification.
Avnu Alliance members include more than 95% of the Ethernet silicon suppliers in the market, leading players in the networking infrastructure space, household names from the automotive industry and prominent firms in audio-visual markets.
Avnu Alliance facilitates a new certified networking ecosystem and simplifies network synchronization for engineers through Audio Video Bridging (AVB) and Time Synchronized Networking (TSN) standards, built into Ethernet, not around it; solving major technical and performance issues such as: precise timing and real-time synchronization, bandwidth reservation, and traffic shaping all while reducing the total cost of ownership by minimizing deployment and maintenance time.
The Alliance is focused on applications of these technologies in the Automotive, Professional A/V, Industrial and Consumer Electronics markets.
Certification through Avnu is the legal and formal documentation that a device meets specifications. All devices must submit paperwork to Avnu to receive certification. Pro Audio
devices that implement Milan-certified modules will only require a simplified test for verification and a confirmation from the Milan module manufacturer and then that verification
will be submitted to Avnu for certification and inclusion in the Certified Product Registry on the Avnu public website. Avnu has approved a Milan Module Certification Mechanism to allow
module manufacturers to have the modules tested and certified, which removes the burden for manufacturers implementing the certified OEM modules of having to undergo full compliance
testing.
Yes, there are Milan-certified audio modules available for implementation.
Members of Avnu may register devices that have passed Milan certification testing to claim that they are Milan-certified devices. Milan certification guarantees interoperability with Avnu and
Milan-certified devices at the network layer and interoperability with Milan devices at the application layer. End devices that are Milan-certified will be granted the ability to use the
Milan certified logo and be listed on the public website of Avnu Alliance.
Milan removes the guesswork for manufacturers trying to navigate the complicated world of networking technology. The core benefits of implementing Milan are:
Under the new Advanced Certification Program and through the new pre-tested certification test flow, the time it takes to get a product certified is just days as opposed to weeks.
The standard certification test flow time will depend on several factors. For example; the readiness of the product when it reaches the lab; the queue at the lab, and if the product needs
to be retested, etc.
The Milan Associate Membership allows companies to join Avnu Alliance at an entry-level membership costing $1,000 per year. These members as well as Promoter and Adopter
members can submit devices for certification through the Advanced Certification Program.
There is a $250 registration fee that must be paid to the Avnu Alliance at the time of registering for a Test ID Number (TID). The goal is to have a cost-efficient certification. Avnu has put mechanisms in place to enable lower cost testing with:
There are various open standards in the AV industry, however they don’t guarantee interoperability on their own. Milan has developed the first independent certification program
to ensure each device complies with the specification and therefore interoperates with other devices that have passed certification. This is the guarantee to a no-compromise network that is
easier and less expensive to implement. The new program makes it easier, faster, and more convenient for manufacturers to get Milan devices certified and therefore it will scale the ecosystem of Milan devices and increase the pool of available certified devices for end users.
The test tool should be easy and streamlined to run. Members will be given a user’s manual to help and have access to staff resources to assist if needed.
Every member must go through a third-party Certified Lab to get their official Certification Certificate from Avnu. There are two certification test flows that members may choose from to get devices tested. There is a pre-tested certification test flow where a member may submit the completed test report from the Avnu Express Test Tool to a lab and the lab conducts a few selected tests to validate results. This will save members significant development and testing costs and time. Members may also conduct testing in-house. The other option is a standard certification test flow, where a member submits the product to the lab for testing without having gone through pre-testing. In this case the cost of testing is based on the duration of testing required to test the device.
Certification through Avnu is the legal and formal documentation that a device meets specifications. All devices must submit paperwork to Avnu to receive certification. Pro Audio
devices that implement Milan-certified modules will only require a simplified test for verification and a confirmation from the Milan module manufacturer and then that verification
will be submitted to Avnu for certification and inclusion in the Certified Product Registry on the Avnu public website. Avnu has approved a Milan Module Certification Mechanism to allow
module manufacturers to have the modules tested and certified, which removes the burden for manufacturers implementing the certified OEM modules of having to undergo full compliance
testing.
Yes, there are Milan-certified audio modules available for implementation.
Members of Avnu may register devices that have passed Milan certification testing to claim that they are Milan-certified devices. Milan certification guarantees interoperability with Avnu and
Milan-certified devices at the network layer and interoperability with Milan devices at the application layer. End devices that are Milan-certified will be granted the ability to use the
Milan certified logo and be listed on the public website of Avnu Alliance.
Milan removes the guesswork for manufacturers trying to navigate the complicated world of networking technology. The core benefits of implementing Milan are:
Under the new Advanced Certification Program and through the new pre-tested certification test flow, the time it takes to get a product certified is just days as opposed to weeks.
The standard certification test flow time will depend on several factors. For example; the readiness of the product when it reaches the lab; the queue at the lab, and if the product needs
to be retested, etc.
The Milan Associate Membership allows companies to join Avnu Alliance at an entry-level membership costing $1,000 per year. These members as well as Promoter and Adopter
members can submit devices for certification through the Advanced Certification Program.
There is a $250 registration fee that must be paid to the Avnu Alliance at the time of registering for a Test ID Number (TID). The goal is to have a cost-efficient certification. Avnu has put mechanisms in place to enable lower cost testing with:
There are various open standards in the AV industry, however they don’t guarantee interoperability on their own. Milan has developed the first independent certification program
to ensure each device complies with the specification and therefore interoperates with other devices that have passed certification. This is the guarantee to a no-compromise network that is
easier and less expensive to implement. The new program makes it easier, faster, and more convenient for manufacturers to get Milan devices certified and therefore it will scale the ecosystem of Milan devices and increase the pool of available certified devices for end users.
The testing program will continue to evolve; additional certification test plans will become available through these global facilities as the TSN ecosystem grows.
Avnu will continue to innovate in making pre-certification and certification testing more convenient and valuable for member companies by evolving the testing schemas to add more
certification programs and new tests to address market needs. These new testing schemas and scripts will automatically be added to the Avnu Express Test Tool when ratified.
An open standard alone doesn’t guarantee interoperability. Independent certification is key to ensuring each device complies with the specification and therefore interoperates with other
devices that have passed certification. This is the guarantee to a no-compromise network that is easier and less expensive to implement.
Certification through Avnu means that end users have more choices with best-of-breed products from different manufacturers without worrying if the selected devices will work
together or not. Interoperability ultimately accelerates a broader ecosystem of devices, which is the long-term advantage of Avnu’s advanced global certification platform.
Time Sensitive Networking is the evolution of AVB, building upon the AVB specifications to expand the range, functionality and applications of the standard. AVB is continuously evolving for new demanding applications and markets that are increasing interest in the technology. TSN is the new name for the same IEEE 802.1 Task Group, which developed AVB. The Time Sensitive Networking set of standards will be backwards compatible with AVB, but add new features and enhancements as part of the standard.
Avnu Alliance has the job of guiding what is needed from this specification for new applications in automotive and industrial segments and simplifying the process for engineers and designers to build products utilizing TSN. Some of the new key features in TSN include added fault tolerance and redundancy, and further improvements in time sensitive scheduling and latency control to AVB/TSN networks. AVB / TSN standard is an upgrade to existing networks (wireless and wired) – representing the synchronization and bandwidth layer for time critical applications. AVB and TSN can complement other existing and emerging specifications and standards.