Barix Reflector Audio Over IP Solution Supports Network-Wide Delivery for CRIS Radio

Connecticut’s only Radio Reading Service uses Barix Reflector service to significantly reduce costs and reliably deliver audio between several studios

Barix is exclusively supporting IP audio delivery between multiple studios and transmitter sites for Connecticut Radio Information System (CRIS Radio), Connecticut’s only radio reading service for the blind.  The non-profit broadcaster uses  the company’s innovative Reflector Service for audio stream delivery.  CRIS Radio is also reducing costs by using the new Barix Reflector App to monitor on-air feeds in real-time from an iPhone.

CRIS Radio is a talking newsstand for the blind and visually impaired, featuring newspaper and magazine articles, book readings and interviews.  The broadcaster operates out of Windsor, Connecticut, and transmits programming from four satellite studios to specially tuned radios, cable TV systems, home telephones and to the web at http://www.crisradio.org.

Barix Exstreamer 500 IP audio hardware supports audio transport between headquarters and the remote studios using the Barix Reflector service, with 16 devices in operation across the network.  This complete solution from Barix simplifies setting up, operating and monitoring the audio distribution and reduces costs — two significant benefits for CRIS Radio given its small staff and non-profit status.

John Galeota, consulting engineer for CRIS Radio, estimates that the Barix solution saves the company about $9,000 a year in Telco charges by eliminating legacy devices and twisted-pair connections.  He notes that the Barix solution is robust and reliable, offering stable and effective audio streams with the right tools to help him manage the entire network.

“The Exstreamer 500 and Reflector Service provide a solid and reliable foundation for growth as we add new locations,” said Galeota.  “I can program the 500s from anywhere, add them to the network using the Reflector Service and plug in the devices at the studio — and they work.  These are mostly unattended, automated studios, so the ease of configuration and operational reliability are ideal.  I also like that the Exstreamer 500 has balanced audio in and out, which allows me to eliminate extra line amplifiers and transformers to maintain quality.”

Radio broadcasters and other service providers typically use the Reflector Service to stream audio between two or more points.  Hosted by Barix partner StreamGuys (www.streamguys.com), the application is an online center to configure and monitor the audio transport bridge while providing a straightforward relay of the audio feed.  The service offers IP streaming without the complexity of IP, eliminating firewall hassles and the need to configure IP addresses and routing paths.

Galeota adds that the Reflector App reduces time spent on the road traveling between studios to fix on-air problems — a significant benefit as the studios are at least 60 miles apart — and points out that the combined customer support efforts of Barix and StreamGuys has been enormously helpful.

“Technical support is critical for someone like me working at a non-profit,” said Galeota.  “The support from Barix and StreamGuys is unlike anything I’ve experienced in all my years in the business.  They respond promptly, courteously and effectively whenever we have a question.”

Down the road, Galeota expects to explore other features on the Exstreamer 500 as new sites are added to the network — including the use of built-in contact closures to trigger on-air events via his Broadcast Software automation system.

Harris Corporation Solution Converts Mobile Production Trucks Into Remote HD Production Centers

Harris has addressed the rigorous, fast-paced requirements of mobile production with a comprehensive solution for trucks that reduces costs and complexity for customers.  At the 2012 NAB Show, Harris showcased complete solutions to convert mobile production trucks into true high-definition (HD) production centers — and an expanding customer roster using Harris mobile production solutions to tackle news, sports, live events, and broadcast/cable network productions.

The company’s expanding portfolio of compact and versatile infrastructure products offer an array of options for customers seeking integrated, adaptable and tested solutions fit for life on the road.

“Harris provides the infrastructure that brings everything together in the mobile production environment,” said Doug Armstrong, president, Touring Video.  “They offer a wide spectrum of dependable and rugged products to withstand the hardships of the road.  Everything works seamlessly together, from routers and multiviewers to signal processing and test.”

TNDV's Harris HView SX Hybrid multiviewer on the mobile production company's Aspiration truck. The multiviewer hardware is integrated within a Harris Platinum router to reduce space and energy.

Harris’ demonstrated its large video and audio infrastructure product family at NAB, showcasing new products and features.  Harris^® Platinum™ integrated routing solutions continue to evolve, building new options into the frame to reduce space, energy use and costs — from Harris^® HView™ SX Pro multiviewers to multichannel audio distribution interface (MADI) solutions for higher-density audio routing.

“Harris integrated routing solutions allow me to work more efficiently and add a creative flair to a very technical aspect of the mobile production truck,” said Nic Dugger, president of TNDV.  “The Harris solution enables creativity, from built-in, stylized multiviewer outputs down to the way I configure router panels for both the truck and the soundstage.  No other router solution offers that kind of freedom and flexibility.”

Elsewhere, the Harris^® Selenio™ media convergence platform recasts the truck infrastructure as an all-in-one solution for signal processing, networking and compression — while Harris also offers its compact X85™ and X50™ frame synchronizers/converters, and 6800+™ core processing systems to simplify truck operations.  New Harris^® Videotek^® test and measurement solutions showcased at NAB include the VSG-4CSD clock system driver and VSG-4MTG master timing generator to establish house synchronization and router timing — ensuring seamless operation across the infrastructure.

Harris^® Magellan™ router panels and CCS Navigator™ graphical software bring various levels of control and monitoring across the infrastructure, while Harris^® Inscriber^® graphics offer simple on-board creation and management tools to enhance visual content and protect on-air brands.

“Harris emphasizes high-application density and interoperability in its product architecture, which translates to fewer physical connections, reduced costs, and intelligent and integrated solutions for our mobile production customers,” said Harris Morris, president, Harris Broadcast Communications.  “The result is a seamless, reliable and efficient operation that turns the mobile production truck into a true HD production center.”

Omaha Photography Studio Remotely Monitors Five Locations with mobiDEOS MobileCamViewer

Mobile surveillance application allows company to protect valuable assets, keep studios secure, and remotely manage business practices

Leading video surveillance and remote monitoring company mobiDEOS Inc. announces that Arnold Clark Photography, one of the oldest and largest photography studios in Omaha, Nebraska, uses MobileCamViewer to monitor activity and protect retail interests at its downtown business.

The business’ photography studio is composed of five interconnected buildings covering more than 10,000 square feet.  The buildings are designed with multiple configurations for diverse photography shoots, including multiple photography rooms, lofts, and roof sets — all outfitted with props and dramatic scenery sets.

MobileCamViewer enables owner and general manager Bill Clark to monitor the interior and exterior of all five buildings from anywhere in the world, whether at home or on location at a remote photo shoot.  MobileCamViewer also allows Clark to respond quickly to situations that affect safety and operations, viewing his cameras from an iPhone to monitor general business activity, communicate with staff, and react to safety and security issues.

“We were looking for a reliable, easy to use security system that allowed monitoring from anywhere in the world,” said Clark. “We wanted to identify potential problems and situations, and deal with them before developing into major security breaches.”

Clark learned of MobileCamViewer through a recommendation from support personnel working at the studio, noting its reliability, low expense and ease of use.  He downloaded MobileCamViewer direct from his iPhone through the Apple iOS App Store, and installed cameras in each studio and reception space to cover the sales floor and display areas.

Clark also added cameras to a parking lot, alleyway and side entrance to cover heavily trafficked external locations.  A total of 16 HikVision HD and Axis 210 cameras now cover the property.

“Monitoring with mobiDEOS has been a tremendous help with staff supervision, allowing us to step in before an incident intensifies,” said Clark.  “We are extremely happy with MobileCamViewer, which has contributed significantly to the health and welfare of our business.”

MobileCamViewer offers secure, reliable carrier-grade cell phone-based video surveillance and remote monitoring solutions, providing “anytime, anywhere” mobile video surveillance for virtually every situation.  Its compatibility across many smartphones, tablets, cameras, DVRs, NVRs and video servers — as well as simple integration with PC and MAC-based iOS systems — enables MobileCamViewer to comply with both new and existing network infrastructures.  The basic MobileCamViewer application is free, with incremental costs for premium service users.

CTV Broadcast Stations Expand Use of Harris Corporation Digital News and Storage Solutions

CTV, a division of Bell Media in Canada, is adding digital news solutions from Harris at two stations and upgrading others as the broadcaster establishes a common news production platform across most of its television properties.  The common news platform simplifies network-wide news operations, including how stations share content.

Bell Media also has upgraded its media storage capabilities at leading English-language sports network TSN with Harris solutions to accommodate increasing content volumes and work more efficiently.

CTV’s Victoria and Ottawa stations will install Harris^® NewsForce™ solutions for the first time.  The broadcaster also will upgrade existing NewsForce solutions at its Montreal and Halifax locations — giving all four sites the latest-generation of integrated Harris^® NEXIO AMP^® server and Velocity™ editing solutions for live, digital news production.

TSN in Canada is among the first North American broadcasters to install the Harris NEXIO Farad solution for high volume online storage

Jim Morrison, Senior Director of Engineering Projects for CTV and TSN, said that the ongoing Harris NewsForce installations offer common integration across its TV stations to streamline operations and support.  He notes that the openness of Harris NewsForce solutions has simplified the integration of news production operations with CTV’s network-wide asset management system.

“Harris has been very open and has put a lot of support into helping us integrate our solutions,” said Morrison.  “We have had an in-house media asset management solution for many years that Harris integrated into, easing that file-based movement between the news systems and our home-grown solution.  Any operator anywhere in the country can search any other operator’s news content.  The common platform across our stations makes it easier to collaborate and share content.”

TSN added Harris^® NEXIO Farad™ online storage solutions to introduce more stability to a very active sports operation, and accommodate ongoing expansion.   NEXIO Farad interoperates with Velocity editing systems for live sports production, enabling quick file transfers in fast-paced environments.

“NEXIO Farad gives us more on-air stability in a high-volume environment, which was important as TSN is one of our principle revenue-generating channels,” said Morrison.  “We’re handling potentially hundreds of thousands of files in the sports environment, and Farad’s hardware architecture offers considerable protection.  That stability, along with higher storage density and volume capacity, better prepares us for future growth and major events like the Summer Games.”

CRISTA Broadcasting Radio Streams Thrive in the Mobile Universe with StreamGuys and Onseeker

Combined power of broadcast-quality audio streams with rich mobile apps brings new advertising opportunities, drives intimate customer engagement

Content delivery network and streaming media provider StreamGuys, Inc. and mobile applications developer Onseeker are helping CRISTA Broadcasting deliver more than a standard streaming media experience to their online radio listeners — eliminating arduous processes and opening up new interactive features to drive closer audience engagement.

CRISTA Broadcasting will enhance the listener experience and support advertising campaigns across three FM stations (KCMS-FM Seattle, KWPZ-FM Bellingham, Washington, KFMK-FM Austin, Texas), one AM station (KCIS-AM Seattle) and its internet HD Radio station Pure Music Radio using StreamGuys’  robust, virtualized streaming architecture.  The updated streaming platform, launched in late March, delivers HE-AAC audio quality and Onseeker’s rich mobile apps to iOS and Android devices.

Channah Hanberg, new media specialist for CRISTA Broadcasting

Channah Hanberg, new media specialist at CRISTA Broadcasting, notes scheduled push notifications as one major enhancement, allowing mobile listeners to receive bible verses at their convenience.  This feature eliminates the cumbersome process of distributing more than 500,000 bible verses to listeners per month via text message.

Hanberg points to this direct audience engagement and better audio quality as key differentiators from other mobile streaming solutions.  She adds that the openness of the entire solution provides her stations with easy access to edit material within the mobile apps, keeping content fresh and up to date.

“We have been working with StreamGuys for a long time,” said Hanberg.  “We have a large community of listeners, and the mobile apps allow us to go deeper than the music — which is important as a Christian broadcaster.  Our listeners can hear us live, interact with us closely through station events, and receive bible verses in any part of the world at the time of their choosing.”

Onseeker points to push notifications, social media engagement and dynamic advertising opportunities as key differentiating factors from competitive services.   The company offers specialized apps for radio broadcast, sports teams, ministries and other verticals that feature unique design traits catered to the customer — a big difference from mobile app developers that deploy one app across many verticals and force users to adapt.

Roy Gonzalez, COO, Onseeker, notes that working with StreamGuys has given them a much larger presence in the radio broadcast industry.  The companies are also working together to bring the complete streaming audio and mobile solution to each other’s customers across different verticals.

“We’re giving audio a facelift and bringing something unique to make mobile streaming more engaging,” said Gonzalez.  “Meanwhile, we enable more audience interaction and new revenue-generating features for broadcasters through rotating banner ads with high-quality graphics.  It all makes for an engaging mobile radio broadcast experience.”

StreamGuys is working with Onseeker to integrate dynamic shifting between stream types.  This allows StreamGuys to plug in different audio formats and reach more listeners.  StreamGuys’ experience in multi-format streaming has been instrumental in adapting the companies’ full mobile streaming solution to sports teams, many of which discovered that their Flash streams were not properly translating to mobile.

“The streaming media ecosystem continues to expand, and relationships with companies like Onseeker help us provide a richer streaming media service to our clients,” said Jonathan Speaker, COO, StreamGuys.  “This is especially important as streaming media more firmly integrates with the mobile universe, ensuring our customers aren’t forced to cobble multiple systems together to reach their goals.”

Toledo Mud Hens Take the Field with ZEPLAY Instant Replay from Tightrope Media Systems

Live production crew for minor league baseball team and other regional sports benefit from ZEPLAY’s quickness, ease of operation in rapid-fire situations

The baseball season kicks off for the Toledo Mud Hens Triple-A (AAA) minor league baseball team this month with livelier stadium video entertainment, thanks in part to the team’s new ZEPLAY multi-channel instant replay solution from Tightrope Media Systems.

ZEPLAY brings multi-channel instant replay to home Mud Hens games for the first time, giving operators several camera angles to choose from for in-house projections.  The system’s four-in, four-out design marks a major improvement over single-camera instant replay systems used in previous seasons — giving the production team the freedom to quickly trigger clips that best represent the action on the field.

Nick Vitou, director and instant replay operator for Buckeye CableSystem Network (BCSN), notes that the affordability, flexibility and ease of use summarize ZEPLAY’s many user benefits.  The Toledo Mud Hens own and share the system with the Toledo Walleye hockey club, which first used ZEPLAY this winter.  The system has been relocated to Fifth Third Field for the Mud Hens season and other stadium events this summer.

“ZEPLAY gives me speed, organization and the ability to change what I am doing on the fly,” said Vitou.  “It’s a very open system with a natural and intuitive feel.  The speed at which we can do cool and creative things is very relevant to live sports.  What really sets it apart is the learning curve and the way that various operators can work differently on the system.”

The BCSN regional sports network broadcasts Mud Hens and Walleye games, as well as college and high school sports from northeast Ohio and southwest Michigan.  BCSN owns two separate in-house ZEPLAY systems that Vitou uses for regional sports and special projects, including a recent highlights show for the 2011 PGA Senior Open held in Toledo.

He specifically points to versatile tagging options, flexible sequencing, simultaneous record and playout, and the built-in multiviewer for monitoring game action as standout features.  He calls the tagging feature “vital,” eliminating the mess of post-it notes with timecodes, cues and other production details.

“Having to write everything down on paper really takes you out of the game,” said Vitou.  “I can tag things while the live video is playing and quickly retrieve tagged content.  There is a lot of flexibility too.  We can isolate certain groups of replays with the tags, and pull up detailed information on short notice for sponsored replays and other needs.”

Vitou adds that the multiviewer provides a new level of operational efficiency for instant replay that didn’t exist for him prior, allowing him to closely monitor all of his camera feeds.

“We don’t miss anything anymore,” he said.  “Everything we had before was incredibly limiting.  It’s much easier to pull everything together with ZEPLAY.”

Harris Corporation Enhances Selenio Feature Set as Worldwide Customer Momentum Continues

Harris will showcase new features for its Selenio™ media convergence platform to help broadcasters reduce infrastructure and costs while strengthening operations at the 2012 NAB Show (April 16-19, Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth N2502).

Customers worldwide benefit from its ease of use and high-density, integrated and flexible design — with the freedom to mix and match applications in a single platform.  Selenio is experiencing solid sales momentum one year after its debut.

Selenio, with its unique hybrid of digital baseband video processing, compression and IP capabilities, creates new possibilities for broadcasters, new media companies and others seeking to simplify and modernize their facility operations.  Its impact crosses the globe with customer installations in all regions, including Zeonbud in the Ukraine, Capitol Broadcasting’s WJZY-TV in the U.S., NDTV in India, Sky News Arabia in the Middle East, Qingdao TV in China, AsiaSat in Hong Kong, and both Anhanguera Educacional and RBS in Brazil.

“We use Selenio across six stations for over-the-air signal encoding, cross-conversion and to send video internally between locations,” said Brady Dreasler, director of television engineering, Quincy Broadcast, Print and Interactive.  “The encoding and decoding efficiencies, compact physical size, low power consumption, versatility and redundancy set it apart from other systems on the market.  It’s the Swiss army knife that really works.”

Dreasler will install Selenio across all 14 of his stations by year’s end, noting its power for sharing content between his stations.  “We develop a lot of content that applies to stations in nearby markets, which we share over Selenio,” he said.  “It’s like having another reporter.”

New features to be introduced at NAB include the Selenio MDX2 multiplexer module to reduce video headend infrastructure for digital TV (DTV) broadcasters.  An industry first, the MDX2 has a built-in DVB-T2 gateway that can combine up to eight physical layer pipes  within a single output stream — enabling delivery of multiple tiers of digital services.  The MDX2 also features a built-in single-network frequency adaptation for signal distribution across large over-the-air DTV networks — ideal for DVB-T/T2 and ISDB-Tb standards.

Harris also will introduce a new video expansion module to Selenio to integrate more functionality — eliminating the number of “downstream” devices in the facility infrastructure.  The expansion module adds real estate for device integration, supporting more applications within the Selenio frame.