On the recent Webinar Wednesday, Chuck Espinoza of Aurora Multimedia was joined by Alex Pendleton from Netgear to break down one of the most critical—and commonly misunderstood—components of AV over IP system design: the endpoints. Together, they explored how encoders and decoders vary dramatically in capability, and why selecting the right one isn’t just a matter of price, but purpose.

Chuck emphasized that “not all encoders and decoders are created equal.” While budget units might move video from point A to point B, higher-end models offer advanced features like fiber support, monitoring, and easier integration. He advised viewers to look beyond price tags and evaluate based on feature set, deployment needs, and total network goals—comparing it to choosing between a basic pickup truck and a Ferrari.

Alex echoed the importance of smart endpoint selection, highlighting Netgear’s experience deploying hundreds of Aurora-powered networks. “Once the network is solid,” he shared, “you plug in Aurora devices and you’re off and going.” Their joint message: endpoint choice is where network performance either succeeds—or suffers.