Booth: 8.C30
Gates Air The Convergence of IP Networking and Over-The-Air Broadcast
It’s impossible to go one day in our industry without reading a new story or having a conversation that involves the transition to IP. Whether video or audio, TV and radio broadcasters worldwide are, at minimum, strategizing how migration from legacy to IP technologies will help them move content with better efficiency; and pave the way for more media services. GatesAir has long invested in Audio over IP technology within its Intraplex family of networking products. Beginning with its NetXpress platforms – still used worldwide for multichannel IP audio and data networking – the Intraplex portfolio evolved to introduce the compact IP Link range of products, commonly used today to deliver program audio between studios, transmitter facilities and remote broadcast locations in the field. IBC2016 marks the unveiling of GatesAir’s latestTMBi - 68
generation products for intelligent networking. At IBC2015, the company unveiled a new Intraplex IP Link solution for moving a full AES192 digital FM composite signal over IP. While ideal for broadcasters with a minimum of 5MB/s of bandwidth between the studio to transmitter, the fact remains that a large number of broadcasters are still managing networks with far less headroom. As a result, GatesAir has expanded this range with the IP Link MPX, a new Audio over IP innovation built specifically for transporting analog FM composite multiplex signals over IP networks. GatesAir will demonstrate the IP Link MPX at Stand 8.C30 through IBC. The new codec also provides an efficiency boost for engineers by enabling installation of all signal generating equipment at a central studio. This is a major benefit for broadcasters
operating an FM simulcast network, as it eliminates the need to install stereo generators, audio processors and other auxiliary equipment at multiple receive locations. Instead, broadcasters can send audio and data, including RDS information, in a single bandwidth-efficient stream to multiple transmitter and booster locations. That capability is fortified through IP Link MPX’s integration of Intraplex SynchroCast® simulcast technology, and built-in GPS capability for reliable timing recovery in multipoint distribution. The IP Link MPX can also be used with the Intraplex HD LinkTM microwave STL system to provide composite signals over a 950MHz link. “Broadcasters have been seeking an IP transport solution that simplifies their program distribution by keeping the audio processing at the studio, with the optimal bitrate usage to suit varying network limitations,” said Rich