CobraNet™
CobraNet is an advanced method for routing a large number of audio channels via Ethernet. It was specifically developed to meet the needs of the audio industry. Because of this, CobraNet is being incorporated into products from many leading professional audio manufacturers. Sixty four channels of high quality digital audio, along with control data, can be carried over inexpensive CAT-5 or fiber optic cables over distances of many kilometers.
Because CobraNet networks are true networks, you can design a system to meet your exact requirements. CobraNet utilizes fast 100 BaseTX Ethernet as the signal transport. All CobraNet equipped products (such as the Peavey CAB-8i input BoB and the CAB-8o output BoB) have RJ-45 data connectors (which can be adapted to fiber using a media converter) for hooking up the CAB to the MediaMatrix system, as well as to other Ethernet components (such as hubs and switches). Each connector can deliver as many as 64 channels of high quality digital audio along with the control data to the network. This eliminates the need for long audio and data cable runs.
CobraNet works by eliminating data collisions, which are a fact of life in standard Ethernet networks and which renders it unusable for real time audio applications. It does this by adding an additional protocol to Ethernet, which enables it to use standard, off the shelf fast Ethernet network components (hubs, switches, and cabling) which are widely available, as well as CobraNet equipped audio products (which are quickly becoming available from a variety of quality pro audio manufacturers such as Peavey). It is an open industry standard, which is now being used in many large installations. This allows the consultant or contractor to choose from a large variety of low cost network products. Ethernet is the most proven network technology in the world, with over 50 million nodes installed around the world, including some of the most mission critical applications in existence.
CobraNet provides several key benefits to the systems design and install professional, as well as to the end user. By replacing huge amounts of large cables and conduits with simple CAT-5 or fiber optic cables, the infrastructure cost of a facility is greatly reduced. Much of the labor involved with field wiring and installation is eliminated. One simple crimp on connector can replace 64 "soldered in the field" XLR style connectors, as well as the control connections.
As many of the best audio products nowadays are digital (MediaMatrix being a case in point), by interconnecting these devices in the digital domain via CobraNet, many of the A to D and D to A conversions found in traditional audio systems are eliminated, resulting in far better sound quality.
With CobraNet, any device on the network can receive audio from any other device. While there can be only one "transmitter", there can be many "receivers" receiving the signal. This is unlike other digital interfaces (such as AES/EBU) which do not allow multiple "drops". This provides a large degree of flexibility. With traditional wiring, the signal flow is hard wired in place. With CobraNet, the signal flow is soft assignable. As systems needs change, whether the change is a reconfiguration of the system, or an expansion of the facility, or accommodating several different types of events within a daily schedule, the "wiring" of the system itself can be easily changed. When combined with MediaMatrix, the possibilities are nearly endless.
CobraNet can transmit up to 64 channels of audio on a single network cable. These can be assigned to any of 32767 "Network Bundles". A "Network Bundle" is the audio signals destination address, which is done in blocks of eight, that is, each "Network Bundle" can carry 8 channels of digital audio. Network bundles can be either hard assigned (by using DIP or rotary switches), or soft assigned (via software), depending on the design of the interface equipment. In the CAB's, assignment is via software CAB devices. With the advent of "uni-cast" CobraNet bundles, you can utilize the features of switches to merge CobraNet data and other types of Fast Ethernet data and route it over larger network "pipes" of 1 Gigabit or more as just simplify the wiring for multiple DSP-CN cards (Bundles 1-255 = Multi-Cast; 256-32767 = Uni-Cast). For all the information you can digest about CobraNet, see Peak Audio's CobraNet web site (http://www.peakaudio.com/CobraNet/Background.html)
When using CobraNet, all view files must be compiled at 48KHz, as this is the only sample rate used with all CobraNet equipped hardware, in order to maintain compatibility (from multiple manufacturers). You must also make sure that your MM-DSP-CN devices must be the first in your system (Card 1 must be a DSP-CN in a CobraNet system). Another point to remember is that you must enable "External Sync" in File | Compile Options, in order to have the view file properly compile.