AVBs

AVBs, short for Audio Video Bridging, refer to a family of IEEE standards designed to enable deterministic, low-latency delivery of audio and video over Ethernet. The aim is to provide synchronized timing, guaranteed bandwidth, and predictable end-to-end latency for streams, making Ethernet suitable for professional audio, video, and broadcasting environments where timing precision is critical.

Core standards in the AVB suite include 802.1AS for clock synchronization, 802.1Qat for the Stream Reservation Protocol (SRP), and 802.1Qav for traffic shaping that guarantees minimum bandwidth and bounded latency for AV streams. These mechanisms support end-to-end timing, reserved resources along the path, and per-stream identification across AVB-capable switches and endpoints.

Architecture and operation involve a network of AVB-capable devices that synchronize clocks, reserve transmission opportunities, and enforce scheduling through gate-controlled queues. Bridges (AVB-enabled switches) implement shaping and queuing, while endpoints act as producers or consumers of AV streams. The result is a network where AV streams transmit within defined time windows with guaranteed quality of service.

Relationship to TSN and current usage: AVB concepts were incorporated into the broader Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) standards family, which extends and refines the original approach with additional mechanisms. Today, AVB/TSN-capable networks are used in professional audio installations, live sound, broadcast environments, and other applications requiring deterministic Ethernet transport for synchronized media.