Iris staff had a simple way to show off their newest camera integration. Pack up a camera and hand it to a colleague flying to Portland. Let him plug it into power over ethernet on the other end.
No local computer required, staff said. Someone back at headquarters can pull up the camera and start controlling it from hundreds of miles away.
That demo shows off Iris, a cloud-connected platform for controlling PTZ cameras, built by Audinate. At IBC2026, staff announced the platform’s 11th deeply integrated camera brand: Everet Imaging. Six camera models joined the lineup.
A growing list of firmware partners
Iris calls this level of integration “Iris-enabled,” staff said, its deepest form of camera support. At InfoComm earlier this year, the platform added its ninth and tenth Iris-enabled brands, Angekis and Bolin. Everet Imaging is the eleventh.
That’s a different count from the platform’s overall camera support, staff said. Iris already works with more than 300 camera models through its desktop application, detecting them over the local network. Iris-enabled status means something more specific: the Iris software is built directly into that camera’s own firmware.
Other manufacturers already carry Iris-enabled firmware, including AIDA, BirdDog, BZBGear, Lumens, Marshall, NEOiD, Telycam, and Z CAM. Each addition to that list, staff said, removes one more camera’s need for a bridge computer.
What the bridge computer used to do
Normally, Iris needs a bridge computer on-site, staff said. In their own demo setup, that’s a Mac Mini sitting under a desk. It connects to the network and listens for cameras it can detect. With Iris embedded in a camera’s own firmware, that middleman disappears entirely.
Staff walked through what that looks like in practice, using an Everet EVX-230 camera as the example. Pack the camera, ship it anywhere, and plug it into power over ethernet on the other end. Nobody needs a local computer. Staff said they can pull up that same camera and control it from hundreds of miles away.
The platform behind the demo
Iris launched publicly in December 2025, founded by Noah Johnson. Audinate, the company behind the Dante audio-over-IP standard, later acquired it. The platform gives production teams browser-based control over PTZ cameras from anywhere. AI-powered automation handles subject tracking, framing, and preset recall.
“Setup now takes minutes, not hours,” Johnson said in a statement when the platform launched. Iris targets corporate AV, education, houses of worship, live events, and media production. It offers a free tier for single-camera use.
Beyond automation, Iris also supports joystick control for operators who prefer hands-on camera moves. Staff said the goal is precise physical control without requiring the expensive, proprietary hardware controllers that PTZ cameras traditionally need.
What’s next
Staff described the near-term plan as building a stable foundation rather than chasing rapid expansion. The goal, staff said, is a solid, reliable platform first, with new features, functionality, and manufacturer partners layered on afterward.
Part of a broader remote-production shift
Iris fits into a wider trend toward fewer operators managing more cameras across more locations. Iris says its browser-based control and automation let a single person run productions that once needed a full crew on-site. Firmware-level integration pushes that further: not just fewer operators, but no local hardware at all beyond the camera itself.
That matters most for organizations running distributed setups. Think multi-campus schools, chains of houses of worship, or broadcasters covering remote events. Each site that skips the bridge computer is one less piece of hardware to buy, configure, and eventually replace.
What it means for you
For AV and broadcast buyers, each new Iris-enabled brand means one less bridge computer to manage and maintain. Whether Iris becomes a software standard for camera control, as the company has suggested, remains to be seen. That depends on how many more manufacturers build Iris directly into their firmware.
To see all AVNation’s IBC 2026 coverage go here.
Tim Albright is the founder of AVNation and is the driving force behind the AVNation network. He carries the InfoComm CTS, a B.S. from Greenville College and is pursuing an M.S. in Mass Communications from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. When not steering the AVNation ship, Tim has spent his career designing systems for churches both large and small, Fortune 500 companies, and education facilities.
- Tim Albright
- Tim Albright
- Tim Albright
- Tim Albright
