Games Done Quick (GDQ) has become a reliable fixture in the gaming and charity worlds, operating semiannual “speedrunning” marathons for gaming competitors that raise millions for causes like the Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. With more than $50 million raised to date, GDQ has honed its events to a well-oiled logistic and technical machine, combining live performances in hotel ballrooms with real-time Twitch streams viewed by millions.

However, managing this intricate setup has not always been seamless. As Jason Deng, Director of Technology at GDQ explains, “Our primary show is unique in that we have to serve both an online audience, streamed on Twitch.tv, and an in-person audience at a hotel ballroom. We also provide CCTV so that anyone staying at the hotel can watch the event on their in-room TVs.” What’s more, each marathon runs 24 hours a day — for an entire week straight.

This dual-delivery setup, coupled with GDQ’s reliance on volunteers to manage critical AV workflows, created challenges that their prior solutions weren’t designed to address. That’s when GDQ turned to Dante AV to simplify and elevate their workflows.
The Challenges of the Traditional Workflow

Before adopting Dante AV, GDQ relied on a mix of video specifications and connectivity technologies that demanded significant resources and effort to manage. For video transmission, their go-to solution came with notable limitations. “With NDI, we needed to set up a PC in the ballroom and another PC to capture the signal at the hotel’s CCTV location,” Deng said. This configuration required multiple machines and technicians, and it was prone to signal degradation and artifacting if there were any network disruptions.
GDQ also experimented with connectivity technologies such as HDBaseT, but as Deng noted, “We had problems if the signal had to hop through network switches.” The complexity of laying out SDI cabling further compounded the challenges in physical setups, particularly in tight or difficult-to-access areas.

These limitations, combined with the need for user-friendly, reliable systems that volunteers could easily manage, highlighted the need for a more robust, streamlined solution.

A Seamless Transition to Dante AV

GDQ’s previous experience with Dante for its audio networking made the transition to Dante AV remarkably smooth. “Most of our audio flow already ran through the Dante platform, so we were quite used to that system,” Deng said. When the opportunity arose to incorporate Dante AV, GDQ deployed a solution that drastically simplified their video workflow: a single AJA Dante AV 4K-T transmitter in the ballroom, and a Dante AV 4K-R receiver at the hotel’s consumption area.

This combination proved to be a match for the fast-paced, visually demanding content of GDQ’s gaming marathons. Based on the Dante AV Ultra codec, these devices deliver 4K60 4:4:4 HDR video with ultra-low latency and visually lossless quality over standard 1GbE networks. They support SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, which helped GDQ streamline their SDI cabling. Dante AV Ultra audio and video streams are fully time-aligned and individually routable, ensuring flawless synchronization across displays.

“With AJA’s Dante AV-enabled gear, we deployed a single hardware solution—a source in the ballroom and a receiver at the hotel’s consumption area. It was essentially plug-and-play,” Deng said. “We tested it first to make sure it worked, but we didn’t need to set up multiple machines or deal with four or five different pieces of hardware.” The result was a reliable, low-maintenance setup that eliminated the switch-hopping issues and frequent troubleshooting required by their previous workflows. “With Dante AV, when you’re using an unmanaged switch like ours, there are no such issues.”

Volunteer-Friendly and Built for Success

GDQ’s reliance on volunteers to operate its AV systems made ease of use a critical factor in technology selection. “Since this is a charity fundraiser, we rely heavily on volunteers to manage audio and video,” Deng said. “It’s important that we use software and equipment that are volunteer-friendly.”

For that, the team used Dante Controller, a centralized management platform that provides a clear visual interface for routing AV signals. “Dante equipment has been great because Dante Controller provides a one-stop shop where you can see exactly where the signals are going,” Deng said. “It can also be managed remotely by those who know the system, and we can write training documentation for volunteers.” This user-friendly approach not only made the system accessible to volunteers but also reduced GDQ’s reliance on external contractors, helping to keep costs down.

Championship Results: Reliability, Scalability, and Quality

The impact of Dante AV on GDQ’s events has been transformative. One of the most notable outcomes is the reduction in technical overhead. “Before Dante AV, we needed two technicians and three machines to get a signal from the ballroom to the hotel CCTV,” Deng said. “Now, with Dante AV, we only need one technician and a plug-and-play AJA Dante receiver and transceiver.”’

In addition to streamlining operations, Dante AV provided 24/7 reliability for the seven-day event. “The image quality was excellent, and it worked 24/7 for the entire event without any signal degradation,” Deng said.

Dante AV’s interoperability and scalability also stood out. The platform integrates seamlessly into the larger Dante ecosystem, enabling GDQ to manage both audio and video signals through the same interface. “Adding Dante AV is a smooth transition whether you’re already in the Dante ecosystem or new to the platform. And with Dante Controller, you can see the signals which makes laying out networking much easier than SDI,” Deng said.

Looking Ahead

As GDQ continues to refine its technical workflows, Dante AV is poised to play an even larger role. “I’ve been wanting to deploy more Dante AV to the rest of our stack,” Deng said. While bandwidth considerations remain a factor for future expansions, GDQ’s successful deployment of Dante AV for its flagship events demonstrates the platform’s ability to meet demanding professional AV requirements. “Dante AV works for us on many levels,” said Deng. “It’s reliable, easy to use, and eliminates many issues associated with other AV-over-IP technologies.”