theibcdaily Saturday 14.09.13 119 IP audio codecs are working together Vortex By David Fox
If you want to send broadcast audio over the public internet, there is a gap between what is affordable and what is desirable, according to Vortex director Ian Prowse.
The many low-cost solutions that use IP generally “work fine if there is sufficient reliable data bandwidth. If the connection does not have to last for too long, delay – and maybe the occasional dropout – can be tolerated.” The audio quality will probably be good enough for news; the availability and cost-effectiveness of such systems led to the rise of the citizen journalism.
At a higher price, Access-IP
offers forward error correction and error masking, dynamic jitter buffering to keep delays short, plus BRUTE (Broadcast Reliable UDP Transmission Enhancement) to provide a reliability layer “that drops the codec to fit into the true available data bandwidth and ensures that essential missing packets are re-sent, making it the industry-standard for news,
sports and outside broadcast”, Prowse explained. Between these free and full- blown solutions lies the hybrid mix of software and hardware codecs, and Vortex has put together some combinations designed to provide the best of
both worlds. This should be straightforward: “After all there is EBU-Tech 3326, a document that details the specifications for Network/Audio Contribution Over IP (N/ACIP), basically stating that IP audio codecs complying with the
requirements of N/ACIP will connect with each other and pass two-way audio between themselves,” Prowse observed. “But life is not like that and N/ACIP implementations are subject to interpretation.” Vortex and Comrex have
apparently devoted considerable effort towards solving interoperability issues, so their latest software upgrade for Access and Bric-Link codecs provides additional N/ACIP and non-N/ACIP compatibility, adding support for Luci-Lite and Comrex ARC-2 (AAC-ELD for smartphones), as well as free smartphone apps. 11.G11
Voice box: The new Comrex ARC-2 system in use
SMiT hot SMiT
By Heather Mclean
Netherlands cable operator Ziggo is offering its subscribers a CI+ 1.3 VoD CAM from conditional access module provider SMiT. Using advanced TV sets and with adjustments in the Ziggo network, subscribers can also enjoy the VoD service without an STB. The new SMIT product is
said to be fully compatible with CI+ 1.3 standards, and to maintain backwards compatibility. 1.F86
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