What is one of the potential issues of using TCP in Dante systems?

Using TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) in Dante systems can lead to additional overhead, which is one of the primary concerns. TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that ensures reliable data transmission through mechanisms such as error checking, acknowledgments, and the retransmission of lost packets. While this reliability is a strength in many applications, it also introduces latency because of the time required to establish connections and confirm receipt of packets.

In a real-time audio environment where Dante operates, minimizing latency is critical for maintaining audio quality and synchronization. The overhead associated with TCP can slow down transmission rates as additional packets are generated for handshaking, error checking, and managing data flow, making it less suitable for low-latency applications like audio streaming. In contrast, protocols designed for real-time communications, such as UDP (User Datagram Protocol), prioritize speed and reduce overhead by forgoing some reliability features, which is more aligned with the needs of audio data transmission in a Dante system.

This understanding emphasizes why additional overhead is a significant potential issue when considering the use of TCP in Dante networks, especially in scenarios where low latency and high performance are essential.