[LAD] Audio over net - an observation

[Len Ovens]

On Sun, 28 Sep 2014, Adrian Knoth wrote:

> On Sun, Sep 28, 2014 at 08:52:10AM -0700, Len Ovens wrote:
>
>> version available from another party). Yet Focusrite sells a RedNet
>> PCIe card for around $800... one hopes it has more on it than an
>> ethernet port :)  That looks like a sound card to the computer. This
>
> Actually, it does not. It's a glorified DMA buffer attached to a
> PTP-capable NIC/MAC.

So basically it just gives them total control of that eth port.

> I've seen Ardour outputting to this card, and I've briefly discussed
> open-sourcing the driver at Frankfurt musikmesse in 2012. The 3rd party
> vendor wasn't particularly reluctant, so if you want to give it a try,
> feel free to reach out to them.

the third party may not mind, but the protocol is still licensable meaning 
that the Linux user still would owe Audinate a fee to install the open 
source driver. I don't have a big problem with that... but I would have a 
problem being held responsible for all Linux users paying or not. In other 
words, I would like not to be in the money chain at all.

My opinion is that Audinate should just accept that Linux is a major part 
of the ecosystem and provide the linux driver at the same fee as the 
others. I would like to think that the Linux community is trustworthy 
enough to be willing to pay for as many licenses as needed even with a 
source bundle. (a windows user could download one file and install 5 just 
as easy)

Better (IMO) would be the RedNet box being open and loading a linux OS on 
it. That would open up a lot more possibilities. In fact I could say that 
about almost any hardware.

But then life would be a dream.

--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net