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Bask in the Glow of New Gear: Summer of Products 2019

All about new gear that has come onto the market recently

Summer of Products 2019
Getty Images/Dmitry Fisher

It’s new equipment season again!

Radio World’s “Summer of Products” feature is all about new gear that has come onto the market in recent months, especially during spring convention season.

Check out the first installment of broadcast goodies in this gallery.

IK Multimedia iKlip 3 Series Device Mounts

Ideal for organizing smart devices around the studio, IK Multimedia is the iKlip 3 series of tablet computer and smartphone mounts.

The iKlip 3, iKlip 3 Video and iKlip 3 Deluxe provide mounting options for keeping smart devices within visual range and at visually useful angles rather than relying on laying the device on the table or trying to prop it up.

The iKlip 3 is designed for microphone stand or boom mounting and includes a newly designed holding bracket with more durable rubber pads and a spring mechanism that allows users to rotate the device up to 360 degrees.

IK Multimedia iKlip 3 Series Device Mounts

The iKlip 3 Video is like the iKlip 3 but aimed at camera tripod mounting.

The iKlip 3 Deluxe includes both the mic stand mounting bracket and the tripod mount attachment.

According to IK Multimedia all three utilize materials superior to the previous iKlip series along with featuring a simplified mounting grip.

Prices: iKlip 3 and iKip 3 Vide: $49.99; and iKlip 3 Deluxe: $69.99.

Info: www.ikmultimedia.com

Wheatstone SwitchBlade Interface

The multifaceted SwitchBlade IP device “includes audio codecs, SIP messaging and ACI [WheatNet-IP Application Control Interface] control interface. It is the first product of its kind to combine the power of AoIP logic control with SIP connectivity and codec bandwidth optimization to transport both high-quality programming and the control logic critical for full studio operation between sites,” according to Wheatstone.

Wheatstone SwitchBlade Interface

The ACI allows for sending commands such as turning microphones on or adjusting EQ.
SwitchBlade has two Ethernet connections, one for connecting to a SIP service provider or SIP-enabled PBX phone system and the other for connecting directly into the WheatNet-IP audio network. SwitchBlade also has codecs, such as including 256 kbps stereo Opus and G.711.

The company says that uses for the SwitchBlade include consolidating program operations for several stations scattered across a region; live remote production, including high-quality programming and console/mic control between home studio and sports or concert venues; sharing program and operating control between sister studios over an IP link; one-to-many STL codecs between one studio and several transmitter sites; a SwitchBlade at the studio feeds two, four, six or more existing SIP-compliant codec units at each transmitter site; and transferring high-quality music between two facilities or from a cloud-based automation system over the common internet.

Wheatstone Sales Director Jay Tyler explained, “SwitchBlade is the missing link for connecting WheatNet-IP facility to WheatNet-IP facility from city to city or across the world. Not only will it carry the audio, it carries the control, which means you can send and receive router commands, automation control, and even fader levels across the two locations.” He added, “Switchblade finally makes it possible to monitor each point of the audio chain and switch audio locally from network operation centers around the world.”

Info: www.wheatstone.com

ENCO enCaption Captioning Tool

ENCO says that its enCaption captioning tool is finding a home at radio stations, enabling hearing-impaired audiences to consume radio programming online or via over-the-top (OTT) services.” Furthermore it could be paired with visual radio programming.

ENCO enCaption

Washington-based noncommercial station WAMU(FM) is testing the concept.

According to ENCO, WAMU Senior Director of Technology Rob Bertrand explained, “Our integration is still in the proof-of-concept stage, but we are happy with what we’ve been able to demonstrate so far. We look forward to being able to deliver our content to all members of our community, including those who have historically not been able to be reached by audio content.”

ENCO points at formats such as talk radio as being especially in need of captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing potential listeners. In addition, the company says, “Automated captioning also enables immediate creation of searchable transcripts that broadcasters can post alongside recorded audio clips, enhancing SEO for their websites while improving content discovery for site visitors.”

enCaption is a software-based system. Captions created by enCaption can be output as files or streams in standard WebVTT format or as a raw text data stream for integration with the station’s website media player, mobile or OTT app. enCaption can also turn an audio-only source into a video stream with open captions overlaid on a plain background or graphic, or combined the audio with a separate video stream while embedding closed captions for display in a web-based video player.

Info: www.enco.com

GatesAir IntraPlex Ascent Codec Manager

The Intraplex Ascent offers a cloud-based, redundant transport platform for multichannel contribution and distribution, while eliminating the need for many separate codecs and auxiliary hardware components.

GatesAir IntraPlex Ascent

“GatesAir is taking the next logical step for our customers with direct integration into the IT infrastructure,” GatesAir Vice President and Intraplex Product Line General Manager Keyur Parikh said in a press release.

According to an announcement, Ascent is the first Intraplex system to live on a commercial-off-the-shelf x86 server, and it’s available as either a 1RU server or a virtualized software solution. Both versions support up to 32 audio channels and are interoperable with most Intraplex AoIP codecs. This solution is also AES67 compliant and compatible with Ravenna, LiveWire+ and Dante AoIP networking solutions, GatesAir says.

Ascent enables users to manage multiple Secure Reliable Transport streams on one platform; SRT is a low-latency, open source streaming protocol that provides packet encryption and retransmission capabilities, GatesAir explains. Also, the platform features Dynamic Stream Splicing, which is a proprietary technology used to diversify SRT data across redundant networks, eliminating some packet losses and network failures.

Info: www.gatesair.com

Inovonics Sofia Audio Stream Monitor

A new member of Inovonics’ SiteStreaming family of monitoring and streaming products is called Sofia.

Inovonics Sofia Audio Stream Monitor

The Sofia offers signal monitoring tools such as signal loss, strength and other measurements.
According to the company, Sofia has independently adjustable analog and AES digital audio outputs along with AoIP networking.

It is AES67-compatible. It allows up to 10 people to listen remotely to the same audio stream simultaneously.

Sofia will display Artist Experience logos and art via a web interface.
It comes in a half-rack box. Inovonics says that firmware updates will be free.

Info: www.inovonicsbroadcast.com

 

[Read more about new products here.]

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