HIVE, a specialist provider of compact media servers, has unveiled Dante audio-over-IP networking for its Beeblade media engine range, designed to simplify multi-channel audio distribution across AV networks.
The new integration enables Beeblade units to transmit high-quality audio directly over standard Ethernet, reducing the need for complex cabling or external routing hardware.
Ciaran Abrams, lead software developer at HIVE, said: “Dante allows our customers to treat audio just like video, as another stream on the network. By building our own custom driver, we’ve made it effortless to use. There’s no setup or configuration needed – just plug in, select Dante in the HIVE app and you’re ready to transmit up to 16 channels of high-quality audio across your network.”
HIVE’s implementation uses a bespoke HIVE-Dante driver, designed and compiled in-house. Every Beeblade unit ships with Dante pre-installed and embedded into the HIVE software platform.
The integration supports up to 16 output channels per device, allowing precise routing of individual channels to networked speakers, according to HIVE. The company says this capability enables creators and integrators to design immersive soundscapes for exhibitions, large-scale installations, and live events without the complexity of traditional signal distribution.
Dave Green, CTO at HIVE, added: “This integration marks another important step in our mission to deliver a complete, distributed media server platform, where the playback hardware lives at the edge. By bringing Dante audio-over-IP into the Beeblade family, we’re giving creators and integrators even more power and flexibility – all within a compact, scalable system.”
The HIVE-Dante workflow mirrors HIVE’s existing distributed media control methodology, operating entirely over the IP network stack. This consistency allows users to manage video, lighting, and now audio from a single connected environment.
Joshua Rush, CMO at Audinate, said: “The synergy between HIVE and Dante is clear. Our mission has always been to make audio networking simple, scalable and interoperable. HIVE’s native Dante integration extends that simplicity into media playback and synchronisation, enabling a new generation of fully networked AV experiences.”
The Dante integration will be demonstrated publicly at LDI Show 2025, December 7-9, at the Las Vegas Convention Center (West Hall, Booth 801).
