Harris to Show ‘Codec Preconditioner’

On display from Harris at NAB next month will be NeuStar, a “codec pre-conditioner” with implications for digital radio.
“With NeuStar, broadcasters will be able to produce exceptional quality digital audio at the lower bit rates required by HD Radio,” said Hal Wilson, vice president of studio products and systems for Harris Broadcast Communications Division.
With advanced codecs, Harris stated in its announcement, digital audio typically is encoded at a bit rate of 256 kbps, while transmission of digital audio is bandwidth-limited at 96 kbps for FM IBOC and 36 kbps for AM IBOC.
Harris said the NeuStar works at the studio or transmission end of the air chain and is compatible with other digital formats including DVD, DAB, DRM and the Internet. Harris stated the DSP power is 1.98 Gflops. The product uses technology from Neural Audio Inc., which licenses neural algorithms for DSP applications. (Info: www.neuralaudio.com.)