How Dante AV Ultra DAV-01 Delivered 4K and Perfect Sync over 1GbE

In the summer of 2025, the sprawling slopes of Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata, Japan, once again became home to FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25, the nation’s largest outdoor music festival. For three days, the mountains pulsed with sound, light, and the energy of tens of thousands of festival-goers. But in 2025, the reach of FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25 extended far beyond the mountain valley. The footage was meticulously edited and streamed live worldwide through Amazon Prime.

For the technical production team, this wasn’t just a matter of pointing cameras and rolling audio. It was a logistical and engineering challenge on a massive scale: multiple stages, simultaneous performances, multi-day coverage, and the need to maintain absolute quality and sync for an audience that expects nothing less than a world-class viewing experience.

And in the heart of this operation — bridging the worlds of high-resolution video and networked audio — was a technology that not only performed flawlessly, but also reshaped the way the production team worked: the ADTECHNO Dante AV Ultra-enabled DAV-01 Series.

We spoke in depth with Ikeda, Vice President, and Nakae, Sales Director, of NOUVELLE VAGUE Co.,Ltd., the company responsible for the Amazon Prime broadcast, to learn how they discovered Dante AV Ultra, why they chose it for this critical job, and how it’s already influencing the future of their productions.

A Studio Built for the Future

NOUVELLE VAGUE is not your average production company. They operate n00b.st, a state-of-the-art LED virtual production studio in Tokyo, and provide live streaming and technical services for terrestrial TV programs, music festivals, esports tournaments, corporate events, and more. Their work spans from small, high-impact productions to multi-day international broadcasts.

From their founding, they embraced IP-based workflows and quickly became early adopters of Dante networked audio. Yamaha Dante-enabled mixers, Dante Domain Manager (DDM), and a philosophy of full digital signal flow have been core to their operations for years.

“When we built our studio, we decided that we wouldn’t have a single analog signal path,” explains Ikeda.

“No embedding or de-embedding back to analog. From input to output, it had to stay digital. That was our standard.”

With that approach already applied to audio, the next logical step was to extend it to video. And that’s where Dante AV Ultra came into the picture.

The Limitations of the Old Workflow

Before Dante AV Ultra, the team’s workflow for combining and separating video and audio was complex and cumbersome. A typical scenario might look like this:

• SDI output from a VTR playback machine containing embedded audio
• De-embedding to analog
• Processing the audio separately
• Re-embedding it back into SDI for output

This process required numerous 1:1 physical connections and devices like Teranex AV converters. Each step introduced latency, potential signal degradation, and new points of failure.

“It’s inefficient, it complicates troubleshooting, and it eats into your production schedule,”　says Ikeda.

“If you can unify the whole process on Dante, you simplify everything — and you improve quality at the same time.”

A Recommendation That Changed the Game

The turning point came from within the team.

“One of our colleagues, Tsutsui, sent me a message: ‘This looks promising.’ That’s how we first heard about Dante AV Ultra,” recalls Ikeda.

Curious, they began researching and quickly found themselves at an ADTECHNO seminar. There, they saw the DAV-01 in action.

“We knew right away — this was exactly what we’d been searching for,” says Nakae. “It aligned perfectly with our digital-first approach.”

What Makes the DAV-01 Stand Out

On paper, the DAV-01 offers several key advantages that caught NOUVELLE VAGUE’s attention:

1. 12G-SDI/HDMI Input and Output – Supporting up to 4K60 4:4:4, making it ideal for modern high-resolution workflows.
2. 1GbE Transmission – While most 4K-over-IP systems demand costly 10GbE infrastructure, Dante AV Ultra delivers full-quality video and perfectly synced audio over existing 1GbE Dante networks.
3. Sub-Frame Latency – Critical for applications like esports and live music where sync precision is essential.
4. Seamless Integration with Dante Controller – Audio and video appear in a unified control interface, making routing and patching familiar for any Dante user.
5. Front-Panel LCD Monitoring – Real-time viewing and input metering directly on the device, enabling instant signal verification without external monitors.

For NOUVELLE VAGUE, the fact that the DAV-01 could integrate into their existing network without overhauling infrastructure was a huge selling point.

“4K on 1GbE isn’t just about saving money,” notes Ikeda.

“It’s about being able to deploy quickly, anywhere, without rebuilding your entire backbone.”

The High-Stakes Test: FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25

FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25 presented the ideal — and most demanding — proving ground for the DAV-01.
The Amazon Prime coverage required multi-day recording and live streaming from several stages. Each feed needed to be perfectly synced and delivered for both live audiences and post-event editing.

The team used the DAV-01 to take 3G-SDI output from replay machines, convert it into Dante AV Ultra, and feed it into the existing 1GbE network. From there, the audio was routed to Yamaha Dante-enabled mixers for editing and mixing before being sent to the broadcast output.

A Moment of Truth – Troubleshooting in Seconds

Midway through one performance, an unexpected burst of audio noise hit the broadcast chain. In most setups, this could have triggered a frantic search through multiple devices and cable runs, potentially risking minutes of dead air.

With the DAV-01, the resolution was almost immediate.

“We looked at the front-panel monitor and saw right away that the problem was in the SDI input feed,” says Ikeda.

“That meant the issue was upstream, not in our network or processing chain. We restarted the replay machine, and it was fixed in minutes.”

This ability to pinpoint the source of a problem in real time is one of the DAV-01’s most valuable traits, especially under live conditions where every second counts.

More Than Music – A Zero-Delay Weapon for Esports

While music festivals like FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25 showcase the DAV-01’s stability and quality, Ikeda sees equally compelling use cases in esports, particularly in rhythm games.

In these competitive titles, players must hit precise notes in time with the music and visuals. Even a few milliseconds of delay can ruin a performance.

The DAV-01’s 12G-SDI/HDMI input, seamless loop-through, and zero-delay Dante audio return enable a setup where:

• Video is split at the source to the player’s monitor
• Audio is routed entirely over Dante
• Both player and broadcast feeds remain perfectly in sync

“We could assign one DAV-01 per player, split the video directly, and return all audio via Dante,” says Ikeda.

“It would remove the need for external splitters and delay compensation, and it would make life much easier for tournament operators.”

Beyond Esports – Versatility Across Live Production

The benefits of the DAV-01 extend well beyond festivals and gaming. NOUVELLE VAGUE sees applications in:

• Sports Broadcasting – Live coverage where low-latency replay integration is critical.
• Corporate Events – Multi-room conferences requiring synchronized AV feeds across venues.
• Education – Remote and hybrid learning setups where instructors and students need perfectly synced AV in multiple locations.
• Remote Production (REMI) – Using DDM to segment and manage multi-site productions without physical rewiring.

In each case, the ability to use existing 1GbE infrastructure for 4K production opens the door to faster deployments, reduced hardware footprints, and greater operational flexibility.

Pioneering Long-Distance Transmission

NOUVELLE VAGUE has also begun experimenting with long-distance transmission between sites. For example, even in a live setting like FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25, the following workflow is achievable:

Audio and video are transmitted from Naeba to the Tokyo studio, edited there, and then returned to Naeba as a multiview feed. On-site, final checks can be performed with extremely low latency of less than 8 milliseconds. Because the studio’s audio system is Dante-based, the workflow remains fully integrated without any conversion.

“The key challenge is the stability of the network itself,” notes Ikeda.

“However, since we already use dedicated lines for video transmission, this requirement is fully achievable.”

In the summer of 2025, the team conducted verification tests using high-quality dedicated lines between sites. Through thorough evaluation, they are now preparing for full-scale implementation of this workflow in future productions.

The Results – Why They Call It a “Secret Weapon”

By integrating the DAV-01 into their workflow, NOUVELLE VAGUE achieved:

• Full Digital Integration – Eliminating all analog conversions.
• Simplified Cabling and Hardware – Less gear to transport, install, and troubleshoot.
• Real-Time Signal Verification – Immediate fault isolation with onboard monitoring.
• Perfect Sync Over 1GbE – High-quality 4K production without upgrading to 10GbE.

“Honestly, we almost don’t want to tell anyone about it — it’s that good,” Ikeda laughs.

“For anyone already working with Dante, it’s the ultimate upgrade. The learning curve is almost zero, and the built-in monitoring tools are invaluable in the field.”

Looking Ahead – Preparing for the Next Era

For NOUVELLE VAGUE, the DAV-01 is more than a tool — it’s a foundation for the next phase of live production. As remote production becomes more common and UHD/HDR workflows evolve, the need for flexible, cost-effective, and reliable AV-over-IP solutions will only grow.

The FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25 deployment proved that Dante AV Ultra is ready for the challenge. Whether the next project is a high-profile music festival, a world championship esports event, or a multi-site corporate broadcast, the DAV-01 offers a proven, scalable way to deliver perfectly synced, high-quality AV anywhere in the world.

About NOUVELLE VAGUE Co.,Ltd.

NOUVELLE VAGUE operates the “n00b.st” LED Virtual Production Studio in Tokyo and provides technical production services for broadcast TV, live events, esports, and corporate clients. Known for their innovative use of IP-based workflows, they continually adopt cutting-edge technology to deliver productions that are both creative and operationally efficient.

Dante AV Ultra DAV-01 — delivering full digital integration, precision sync, and real-time visibility — isn’t just for FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’25. Its success there is a clear signal: for productions that demand the highest quality and the fastest response times, it’s a solution worth having in your kit.

The next production to unlock its potential could be yours.

Read more about this story and the Japanese feature article on ADTECHNO’s official site:
https://www.ad-techno.com/pickup/039/