BW Broadcast, heretofore known mostly for its processors, amplifiers, RDS encoders and transmitters, has added a new entry to its résumé, a codec.
And not just an ordinary codec but the flavor of the year, an IP audio codec. The BW-IPCA1 is a rackmounted IP audio-only codec. According to BW Broadcast, particular emphasis was placed on handling latency. To minimize latency problems a proprietary “dynamically adjustable” low-jitter buffer was developed.
It eschews physical controls for an OLED touch-panel and control via the Web. Specs rate at 32 kHz–48 kHz sample rates and 24 bits. BW’s Plan B silence protection is onboard. An SD card slot provides for emergency audio storage. A variety of codecs are available with others to be added.
Paul Sykes, BW’s audio-over-IP manager said: “Our research showed that for the BW-IPCA1 to be successful, it would have to cope with a wide range of demands. From difficult network connections with low bandwidth to fixed, high bandwidth applications requiring copper cable fidelity, the BW-IPCA1 sounds great with minimal latency.”
