The Telos Alliance joined with Nautel and Moseley in a show floor demo of a composite FM codec called µMPX, or “micro” MPX, here at the NAB Show in Las Vegas.
The company said the codec, which is being shown in a development phase and is not yet a product, enables high-quality MPX over a 320 kbps IP connection. It is intended for FM radio applications, to transport high-quality multiplexed FM signals over relatively small data pipes.
“While some companies have full-bandwidth ‘linear’ MPX over IP offerings, distribution of such streams requires extremely high dedicated bandwidth, typically 2 megabits (Mb) or more,” Telos stated in an announcement accompanying its morning press conference.
“μMPX slashes the amount of bandwidth needed for distribution by nearly 84% to a remarkable 320 kbps. By reducing data requirements, high-quality multiplexed audio can be economically routed from an audio processor, over IP, and directly into an exciter.” It said lower-bandwidth IP connections and narrow-band STL channels can be used to transport MPX signals, creating new audio distribution options and other benefits.
The demo sends an encoded MPX signal over IP from the Telos booth, through a Moseley Starlink STL, and into a μMPX decoder feeding a Nautel transmitter.
The technology is not yet offered in a product. Telos CEO Frank Foti said the purpose of the event was “to share µMPX with the industry so we could broaden the conversation … our intention is to make it available under license to a wide variety of interested parties.”
