Radio World International 499 - July 2018

INTERNATIONAL EDITION Distributed to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America

JULY 2018

|

The News Source for Radio Managers and Engineers

advertisement

|

RADIOWORLD.COM

BFBS Connects British Military Worldwide

INSIDE PROGRAMMING

© VRT

BY JAMES CARELESS SUFFIELD, Alberta — Drive to Suffield

— just east of where the Canadian Rocky Mountains rise up — tune the car radio to CKBF on 104.1 FM, and you can enjoy the latest in contemporary British pop radio (music and witty talk) with a military twist. This is because you’re tuned into BFBS [British Forces

• VRT regional broadcaster Radio 2 Limburg premieres balloon broadcast — Page 6

NEED TO KNOW

Broadcasting Service] Canada; one of the radio stations operated by Britain’s Forces Network to serve U.K. troops anywhere in the world. In this case, the troops are posted at Canadian Forces Base Suffield; the largest military base in Canada and home to United Kingdom troops training in live-fire exercises.

“We are the forces’ radio, TV and (continued on page 16)

Forces Broadcast Collection

For 75 years, the broadcaster has been providing U.K. troops worldwide with news, sports and content from home

Lt. Norman Spires checks the equipment in the Army Broadcasting Service station in Milan, 1945.

• 5 G will accelerate wireless speeds, connect the Internet of Things and drive competition — Page 10

• Smartphone and tablet apps simplify radio station tasks — Page 18

Crown Copyright

Forces Broadcast Collection

BUYER’S GUIDE

BFBS Brize Norton presenter/ reporter Alex Gill interviews RAF personnel at RAF Brize Norton.

Forces Radio BFBS’s Fiona Weir and Rachel Cochrane aboard a Chinook helicopter to MOB Price in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick.

Mozart NEXT: Never-interrupted Radio Transmission Always, anywhere, under any weather condition or possible failures, Mozart NEXT will guarantee the continuity of your Radio Service. www.dbbroadcast.com

Highest Modulation Quality

201806_db_Mozart_Next_RW_23,5x5,7cm.indd 1

Highest Efficiency

Easy Automatic Maintenance Current Sharing

08/06/18 13:48

radioworld.com | RADIOWORLD

INTERNATIONAL EDITION Vol. 42 No. 7

July 2018

www.radioworld.com FOLLOW US

www.twitter.com/radioworld_news www.facebook.com/RadioWorldMagazine CONTENT Managing Director, Content Paul J. McLane, paul.mclane@futurenet.com Content Director Marguerite Clark, marguerite.clark@futurenet.com Senior Content Producer — Technology Brett Moss, brett.moss@futurenet.com Content Manager Emily Reigart, emily.reigart@futurenet.com Technical Advisers Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin Technical Editor, RWEE W.C. “Cris” Alexander Contributors: Africa: Gregory Lagat, Lameck Masina, John Masuku; Asia: Md. Azizul Alam Al-Amin, Martyn Green, Frederick Noronha, Mark Timpany; Australia: James Cridland; Europe: Andy Bantock, Kevin Branigan, Giuseppe Camonita, Nuno de Sousa, Charles Flores, Blazo Guzina, Lawrie Hallett, Will Jackson, Hans K. Kristjansson, Drew Leifheit, Raúl Llarull, Urmas Loit, Marc Maes, Davide Moro, Emmanuelle Pautler, Panos Polyzoidis, Bernd Trutenau, Andreas Tzanakos, Thomas Völkner; Latin America: Jorge J. Basilago, Carlos Eduardo Behrensdorf, Juan G. Buenaventura; Eduardo Curuchet, Arturo Valentino; New Zealand: Nick Gerritsen; North America: John Bisset, James Careless, Scott Fybush, Randy J. Stine Production Manager Caroline Freeland Managing Design Director Nicole Cobban Senior Design Director Karen Lee ADVERTISING SALES Publisher, Radio World International Raffaella Calabrese, raffaella.calabrese@futurenet.com, +39-320-891-1938 Group Publisher, TV/Video/Radio John Casey, john.casey@futurenet.com, +1-212-378-0400 x512 SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE To subscribe, change your address, or check on your current account status, go to www.radioworld.com and click on About Us, email futureplc@computerfulfillment.com, call +1-888-266-5828, or write P.O. Box 282, Lowell, MA 01853.

ARCHIVES This magazine is available for research and retrieval of select archived articles from leading electronic database and search services, including ProQuest.

For microform availability, contact National Archive Publishing Company, +1-800-521-0600, or search the Serials in Microform listings at napubco.com.

Back issues are available. For more information, contact www.proquest.com.

REPRINTS/PERMISSIONS This magazine may not be reproduced or quoted in whole or in part by printed or electronic means without written permission from Future.

To obtain permissions, contact Wright’s Media, +1-877-652-5295.

MANAGEMENT Managing Director/Senior Vice President Christine Shaw Chief Content Officer Joe Territo VP/Marketing Meg Estevez Managing Director/Europe Mark Burton Head of Production US & UK Mark Constance FUTURE US, INC. 28 East 28th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016

All contents ©Future US, Inc. or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press.

Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.

If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions.

Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com

Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Peter Allen Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

Malawi Liberalizes Broadcast Licensing Process New framework reduces complexity; lets broadcasters own more than one station

BY LAMECK MASINA

BLANTYRE, Malawi — The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority has liberalized its broadcasting licensing framework to help cope with the country’s rapidly developing media industry. The changes have now been incorporated in the newly amended Communications Act. MACRA’s Communications Manager Clara Mwafulirwa says the previous Communications Act of 1998, required MACRA to advertise in newspapers to call for Clara Mwafulirwa is communieligible applicants to apply for broadcast licenses, while cations manager for MACRA. the current one allows walk-in applications.

“This change was carried out after consultations with broadcasters who believed MACRA’s long license application process was hindering the fast growing industry,” she said.

Mwafulirwa says consultations showed that many broadcasters thought MACRA was taking too long to advertise, hence impeding potential applicants.

“One of the main challenges we faced with the old regime was the time it took for the board to approve our advertisements.”

She says the regulatory authority was also unable to efficiently scrutinize many application documents arriving simultaneously once the advertisement was placed. “Under the new regime, MACRA is able to study a document as soon as it is submitted,” she said. The updated framework also lets a broadcaster own more than one national network.

While the new rules have helped expedite licensing, it has caused some issues as regards the overload of stations in urban areas.

“The old regime specifically mentioned in the advert the areas where a broadcaster could establish their station.

This was done according to MACRA’s research, which outlined underserved areas. The new regime allows the applicant to choose the area of his or her preference and most applicants choose commercially viable urban areas, neglecting the less viable rural areas.”

Another challenge, with the walk-in application process, she says, is that it has attracted some applicants that are “not serious and don’t have the capacity to operate a broadcasting station.”

MACRA has thus far issued four licenses since the new rules have taken effect. These are Dzaleka Community Radio, Chilanga FM, Rumphi FM and Lilanguka.

◗MARKETPLACE New Features for MM01: 2wcom has added a number of new features to its MM01 AoIP point-to-point or point-tomultipoint audio codec.

The unit now supports the Livewire+ standard for compatibility with Telos Alliance radio products and any other Livewire+-compatible products from other equipment manufacturers. In addition, the unit’s bidirectional functionality lets users monitor live via GPO GPI routing and GPO to GPI mapping.

2wcom says the MM01’s new Easy2connect feature allows operators and reporters in the field to easily establish a connection. The company explains that users can simply set up a SIP phonebook via a web interface, which applies the codec algorithm and the corresponding phonebook entry to each network studio or creates the SIP connection according to requirements.

Equipped with DualStreaming, Stream4Sure and Pro-MPEG FEC, the MM01 is appropriate for use in all types of AoIP networks. It also supports all AoIP standards (in compliance with EBU TECH 3326 and AES67 incl. SAP and RTSP, Ravenna and Livewire+), as well as all common codec algorithms (MPEG I/II Layer 2/3, HE-AACv1 and v2, AAC-LD, G.711, G.722, EaptX and PCM).

Info: www.2wcom.com

3

4

RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

July 2018

Europe’s Digital Radio Rollout 2018, Part IV This month we look at the continent’s DAB digital radio “Wait-and-See” category GENEVA — In the final portion of our four-part series on

the European Broadcasting Union’s Media Intelligence Service Digital Radio Report, we outline the European countries in the “Wait and See” category.

The 2018 report highlights which European countries are leading the way in the transition to digital radio,

◗MARKETPLACE Airence-USB Adds VoIP: With D&R’s latest upgrade to its Airence-USB on-air mixer, users can now order the unit with standard telco modules or with 2x VoIP modules at no additional price.

D&R says Airence-USB’s new VoIP modules allow operators to get a clean-feed output for an external digital hybrid, as well as a remote socket on the back that can control signaling.

The Airence-USB is a split-version radio onair production mixer, featuring an integrated USB-based control section. The company says the console is especially suitable for the self-op production DJ. Info: www.d-r.nl

which are embracing it, countries that recently launched digital radio services and those currently without a market for digital radio. The study outlines the plans for each country in the four categories.

The full Digital Radio Report is available at https://tinyurl.com/EBU-MIS-2018.

July 2018

radioworld.com | RADIOWORLD

◗NEWSWATCH NBS RADIO 89.4 FM CHOOSES LAWO CRYSTAL Lawo has installed a 12-fader crystal IP audio console at NBS Radio 89.4FM and Kodheyo TV in Jinja, Uganda.

Located northeast of the country’s capital of Kampala, the station says it selected the Lawo console to bring audio quality and flexibility to its operations. This installation is part of the station’s larger adoption of Lawo gear, transitioning the broadcaster to IP-based studio solutions.

“The installation of the Lawo crystal IP radio broadcast console strengthens our leading position within the vivacious Ugandan radio broadcast landscape,” said Hamza N’Mbago, chairman of NBS Radio 89.4 FM. “The integration of this technology enables us to advance our workflows, making our radio production faster and more efficient — and the user-friendliness of the crystal console allows our operators to concentrate on their work while doing their radio shows.”

The crystal mixing console is compatible with Ravenna/AES67 and comes with VisTool, a touchscreen-optimized PC software for extended visualization and control of crystal installations. In its basic version, VisTool is designed for clear visualization, while the unlimited version of VisTool can be completely customized to meet any requirements — displaying all system parameters or only those that are essential.

Ralf Schimmel, Lawo director Sales Africa (left) is pictured with Hamza N’Mbago, chairman, NBS Radio 89.4 FM.

5

RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

July 2018

Photos © VRT

6

Bart Deman (L), video engineer with VRT technology and operations department, shares his views with Geert Esthers, radio engineer with Radio 2 Limburg.

Geert Esthers (L) is pictured with Tim Winters, technical support coordinator of VRT Radio.

Radio 2 Limburg Goes on Air, in the Air

The Radio 2 Limburg balloon took off at 5:45 a.m on April 18 for Radio 2 Limburg’s morning drive show.

VRT regional broadcaster premieres balloon broadcast

BY MARC MAES HASSELT, Belgium — On Wednesday

April 18, Belgian public broadcaster VRT’s regional channel Radio 2 Limburg aired its morning drive show, “Start je dag” (“Kick off your day”), from the basket of a hot-air balloon soaring at an altitude of 100 to 300 meters (300–900 feet) over the Limburg province. This marks a technical feat and the first time in the country’s radio history that the entirety of a radio show

has been aired from hot-air balloon.

At 6 a.m., Radio 2 presenter Daan Masset embarked for his flight, accompanied by the station’s weatherman Eric Goyvaerts. “We could not make use of cable connections and the project required specific solutions. Colleagues from VRT Sandbox and VRT’s innovative department were a great help in helping us pull off this unique radio broadcast,” said Masset.

“The main idea was to produce a two-hour live radio show in an air-

borne balloon basket,” explained Karel De Bondt, project coordinator of VRT Sandbox, who prepared the project and provided the technical solutions.

“Normally we use our mobile radio studio for outdoor projects, but the three flight-cases didn’t fit in the balloon’s gondola. We also wanted to capture the images of the broadcast for live streaming and Facebook and had a similar space problem with video equipment,” De Bondt said, “And we were working on a shoestring budget.”

Daan Masset tests the radio set-up.

De Bondt opted for a brand new solution, developed by his VRT colleague Renaud Schoonbroodt. “Renaud wrote a software package that contains all functionalities needed to produce radio via a tablet or laptop,” he explained. “The result is a virtual radio studio.”

Schoonbroodt’s start-up company, On-Hertz, provided an embryonic version of the LUMO software containing a mixing console, microphone EQs and dynamics, jingle and playlist players and a telephone hybrid system. The software also includes an audio matrix for different output mixes. The presenter used a Sennheiser HMD 27 headset. “The hot air propulsion burner of the balloon produces quite some noise and the HD 25, (continued on page 8)

More than Just an IP Codec

Introducing Record and Playback on the ViA

Playback

Record • Select & record any input, return audio or file playback • Stream, Record & Play simultaneously • Record to SD card • View & manage recordings

• Create playlists of local & imported recordings • Route file playback to any output or record media • Offline Cue monitoring

+61 (0)8 9413 2000 | info@tieline.com | tieline.com

8

RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

July 2018

Radiando Empowers Vulnerable Groups Radio workshop initiative focuses on children, teens and seniors

SLOVENIA SUGGESTS SWITCHOVER DATE

BY JORGE BASILAGO QUITO, Ecuador — Everybody has a

voice, but not everyone can be heard, says Yeimmy Jaimes Medrano. Jaimes, has created Radiando, a radio workshop designed to teach participants to make radio programs and guide them in discovering how valuable their own voices and opinions are.

“I decided to focus these workshops involving children, teens, elder adults and women because they are vulnerable groups that need priority attention,” said

Yeimmy Jaimes Medrano (center, dark green t-shirt) is pictured with Radiando participants.

Radiando’s Publicity Poster

Jaimes, a Bucaramanga, Colombia, native who has lived in Quito for four years.

Jaimes, who earned a social communication and community media degree, developed a program in 2016 that revolves around topics including human rights, family and social relationships, different kinds of abuse and self-protection.

“In a one-year process, we go from particular to general subjects, starting with questions like ‘Who am I?’ and finishing with content about brotherhood between countries, peace initiatives and spirituality,” she explained.

Radiando launched in July 2017 and

NXSeries 3 kW – 2,000 kW MW Digital/Analog AM

Outstanding Control 86-90% Efficiency Compact nautel.com/NX

is part of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana’s permanent workshops. Each week, this public institution hosts Jaimes’ training activities with children and teens, and airs the two programs — “Carnavalito” (“Little Carnival”) http://radiocce.com/ carnavalito.html and “Megáfono Joven” (“Young Megaphone”) http://radiocce. com/megafono joven.html — they produce on the AM band.

Jaimes also organizes a workshop

for older people with “Club de Adultos Mayores Quitus-La Vicentina” (“QuitusLa Vicentina Elderly People’s Club”), which meets every two weeks.

“My objective through these workshops is not to force anybody to participate, talk or memorize a script, but rather to simply ask questions and let people discover the beauty of their own voice and that they have important things to say,” she said.

BROADCASTING FROM A BALLOON (continued from page 6)

also used for sports events coverage, was the perfect solution, with hands-free operation for the DJ,” added De Bondt.

For the video, the balloon studio was equipped with four Logitech Brio 4K HD webcams, controlled by a laptop carrying vMix live streaming software. “We see that hardware is becoming increasingly capable and at interesting prices,” said De Bondt. “This puts professional video tools in the hands of radio broadcasters. The idea of producing radio from a hot air balloon was unthinkable years ago, with the logistics of an outside broadcast vehicle and the high cost of staff.”

The balloon’s audio and video signal flow was channeled to VRT’s line center in Brussels by means of a LiveU wireless field audio and HD video transceiver equipped with eight 4G SIM cards. In the VRT line center, the radio signal was transmitted to Radio 2 Limburg’s antenna park — the video content was streamed on the broadcaster’s platforms. A UPS battery powered the equipment.

VRT Sandbox supported Schoonbroodt ’s project to develop the application. “We believe in his product and we are implementing the new software in tests and radio projects. The

◗NEWSWATCH

Svet za radiodifuzijo-SRDF, Slovenia’s Broadcasting Council, is eyeing Feb. 2, 2022, as the date for the country’s digital radio switchover.

According to the minutes of a meeting held late last year, the Broadcasting Council said it would “advocate for the date of transition from the FM network to DAB+ as soon as possible.” The council proposes the 2022 date, which it said, coincides with the timing of other proposed technological transitions within the framework of the updated legislation.

Slovenia launched digital radio in 2016 and today has 12 DAB+ services on-air covering more than 70 percent of the population.

The Agency for Communication Networks and Services (AKOS) of the Republic of Slovenia issued licenses for 13 DAB+ stations, which include four stations from public broadcaster RTV and nine other stations. The network is powered by seven medium-power transmitters that cover urban areas and highways. Slovenia’s initial DAB+ trial took place in 2013 in the capital city of Ljubljana.

The SRDF is an independent body responsible for broadcasting regulation. It consists of seven members appointed by the National Assembly on the basis of public invitation.

Radio 2 balloon was the baptism of fire on national radio,” emphasized De Bondt. “We tested the entire transmission chain three times and went right on air. The broadcast ran flawlessly.”

VRT SANDBOX HELPS INNOVATE CONTENT Sandbox was launched three years ago as part of VRT’s innovation department. Its core business consists of searching for media technology startups and matching them with radio, TV and on-line content productions.

“The product or application is not demoed but directly used in an on-air environment,” said Karel De Bondt, project coordinator. “This is a double win: the startup learns a lot about how his product operates in the field and he gets feedback from the users. And the VRT keeps its finger on the pulse of the latest developments in media technology, while building a network of innovative entrepreneurs around the national broadcaster.”

At press time, VRT Sandbox has carried out projects with some 100 startups.

10

July 2018

services will be fixed wireless data offerings that can deliver speeds in the neighborhood of 1 gigabit per second to the home or business. The implications for the Internet of Things, in a world where every home appliance and gadget is dependent on robust wireless connections, are enormous.

BLAZING FAST INTERNET

◗NEED TO KNOW

5G — Riding Wireless’ Next Wave New platform will accelerate wireless speeds, connect the Internet of Things — and drive competition

BY JEFF BAUMGARTNER

The race to build out “fiber in the sky” is on.

The next-gen mobile standard known as 5G, the fifth generation of the technology, is poised to create a new platform

that is not just faster, but much more agile than today’s state-of-the-art 4G (also known as Long Term Evolution, or LTE) networks.

Expected to debut wide in the next two years, it’s the latest in the continuum of every innovation in wireless technol-

ogy, and it promises to disrupt — if not complement — many industries with lightning-fast communication speeds.

5G will roll out as a network of cell sites offering gigabit-level speeds (100X faster than today’s highest speeds) over fiber lines, and lower latency (no more hourglass or beachball icons!)

For traditional services, imagine downloading a full two-hour movie, or an entire semester of classes to a student, in mere seconds — while also supporting the massive data rates that will be required by new virtual reality and augmented reality services.

Further out, 5G will also be mobile, with sub-millisecond latencies that greatly cut down the time it takes for data to be transferred after it is requested, and will be a major requirement, for example, for mobile networks that can ensure that self-driving cars stay connected and can navigate the streets safely.

For now, despite its futuristic reputation of sensors everywhere, 5G is saddled with technical hurdles. For example, 5G signals, particularly when delivered in the upper, millimeter-wave frequency bands, will need a clear path, as their performance is vulnerable to obstacles such as trees and buildings.

For the cable industry, 5G is viewed as a threat and an opportunity. While

5G is poised to create a new platform that is faster and more agile than today’s 4G (also known as LTE) networks.

The technology will also underpin a vast array of fixed (non-mobile) and mobile devices, services, and applications across an array of industries, including entertainment, education, music, and medicine. Consumers need only a modem to connect.

Deployments of 5G are already underway using precommercial technology by the usual suspects — the incumbent mobile network operators — but there are a host of new providers, including cable operators, that have become increasingly eager to add mobile and wireless to their service arsenals.

The first anticipated type of 5G-based

5G could create a new speedy broadband rival, 5G will also require the deployment of millions of dense, high-capacity small cells that are in stark contrast to the macro-cell networks used by today’s 4G networks. And it so happens that cable’s fiber-rich network is well positioned to provide those critical backhaul and powering requirements. That could be a major moneymaker for the cable guys.

NOT-READY-FOR-PRIMETIME PLAYER

When will all of the pieces fall into place? Though some 5G-based fixed wireless services will take hold in 2018, (continued on page 12)

Watch a video on this topic and find other resources at https://www.radioworld.com/needtoknow/need-to-know-5g-riding-wirelesss-next-wave.

NEED TO KNOW MORE? Have a burning question about 5G — or maybe request for a different topic you’d like to see us tackle? Email us at needtoknow@nbmedia.com and we’ll put our top minds on it!

12

RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

NEED TO KNOW — 5G (continued from page 10)

the big ramp for the technology isn’t expected to emerge until 2020.

Several mobile service providers, cable operators, and startups like Starry are already well downstream with 5G-based fixed wireless tests and deployments. The mobile aspects of 5G aren’t expected to take hold in a big way until 2020.

In the meantime, initial 5G-based fixed wireless deployments could put some pressure on wireline ISPs. “The use case [for 5G] I get most excited about is the opportunity to have a nearly nationwide broadband footprint,” Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s chairman, president and CEO, said on the company’s Q4 earnings call, expressing confidence that 5G could serve as a fixed-line replacement for both business and residential customers.

“The capacity is there, the performance is there. There’s going to be full gigabit throughput,” he said.

MOBILE MAKING A MOVE

But that work isn’t stopping progress on mobilized 5G even before there are smartphones and other mobile devices that will support it. AT&T, for example, plans to launch a mobile form of 5G by the end of 2018 in about a dozen markets. However, the initial deployment won’t involve direct integration with laptops, smartphones, or tablets, but instead rely on a smaller router-like device that can connect other devices to the 5G network.

July 2018

Will 5G Deliver for Radio? “ It is in broadcasters’ interest to be out in front in embracing this technology and using it to provide the best possible product to our listeners”

BY RANDY J. STINE Even with 5G a few years away from full deployment, interest in it is growing among radio engineers. Observers say radio groups are already tinkering with ways the next-gen wireless standard might their impact operations. For instance, how will 5G affect live remotes, streaming and shared audio and video? Can 5G be useful for point-to-point links and what are its possible wireless network applications?

Technical experts contacted by Radio World about this next generation of cellular networks say there’s a lot to be excited about. Impact in broadcast circles obviously is yet to be known, but the tech folks say radio groups should be planning now for the integration of 5G-based fixed wireless services to maximize its potential.

IMPACT AND POTENTIAL

5G is positioned to be a gamechanger for anything streamed or downloaded.

“Think of this as a puck,” Stephenson said of the new device. He wants AT&T to push mobile 5G forward before handsets that support the next-gen wireless technology become available.

T-Mobile will be keying its 5G strategy on spectrum in the lower spectrum bands. While that will address the mobile opportunity, “it will also open up this massive set of opportunities on 5G in the Internet of Things space, where you can connect everything that can be connected,” Neville Ray, T-Mobile’s chief technology officer and executive vice president, said on the company’s Q4 2017 call in February.

And the phone company plans to be aggressive. John Legere, T-Mobile’s CEO, said that 5G, when fully deployed, “will be in every spectrum band, and we will be participating in a lot of ways either through acquisition of spectrum, acquisition of companies, mergers and consolidation.”

But T-Mobile’s focus on the wide-area benefits of the 600 MHz band for its 5G rollout underscores a critical factor in the rollout of 5G: Not all spectrum is created equal. Millimeter wave signals don’t propagate well over long distances, have difficulty in the presence of trees and buildings, and require almost perfect line of sight.

“They hardly like air,” Robert Howald, Comcast’s vice president of network architecture, said at an industry event last year. He was making a joke, but he also makes an important point — it’s unlikely that any 5G strategy will be able to live successfully on millimeter wave spectrum alone.

There is much to be worked out, but 5G is poised to be a gamechanger for anything streamed or downloaded.

While the futuristic powers of 5G wireless will allow for connectivity at higher speeds with more bandwidth, experts say it is not yet defined as a technology and has unknowns, which means the radio industry is still guessing about its potential. In fact, the FCC says it is still pursuing a “comprehensive wireless strategy for the deployment of the next-generation wireless technologies.”

Anyone in the content delivery business, including broadcasters and Internet pure-play providers like Spotify and Pandora, will surely benefit from the next generation of wireless systems. “It is in broadcasters’ interest to be out in front in embracing this technology and using it to provide the best possible product to our listeners,” said one top-level radio engineering executive.

Milford Smith, a veteran engineer and now a principal with Smith, Khanna and Guil Inc., said broadcasters should view 5G as one big broadband pipe and that its delivery capability is limited only by one’s imagination.

“5G is certainly going to make the delivery of streamed content even more ubiquitous, faster and with the potential for greatly increased metadata throughput, which, of course, could and will include very high-quality video. Increasingly, stations are including streaming components well beyond just audio to enhance and complement the OTA product,” Smith said.

Smith, former DOE for Greater Media, believes radio remotes will be easier to accomplish with the ability to provide high-quality video and enhanced metadata from mobile situations.

The phase-in of 5G will provide broadcasters and others a significant increase in wireless speed, capacity and performance, said Bert Goldman, president of Goldman Engineering

Management.

“In preparation I think radio executives and engineers should consider efforts to improve and expand their streaming options since the 5G infrastructure will mean a more personal experience for listeners, and radio is in a unique position to leverage its existing resources to compete in this new environment,” Goldman said.

Further, Goldman said the additional capacity and speed of 5G will mean more use of wireless communication and telematics in vehicles. “The cost of content distribution for broadcasters will likely be reduced, thus allowing streaming and offering of multiple new entertainment products possible and more cost-effectively,” he said.

5G will almost certainly present additional competition to radio, Goldman said. “Near instantaneous downloading of audio could allow users to compile a playlist on the fly. The additional capacity to include high-quality video at little extra cost will create some pressure on those who remain committed to audio-only offering,” he said. “5G will bring yet another disruption in the media and entertainment industry.”

Goldman said anecdotal evidence he has seen firsthand suggests a strong suit of 5G will be the ability of near immediate deployment of highcapacity fixed or mobile service.

“I have recently been involved with testing of an upgraded 4G network to handle high-capacity fixed data services. Distribution of digital audio to four sites was deployed in just a few hours and, once deployed, didn’t drop any data packets in over two weeks—far more reliable than fixed data services in the past,” Goldman said. “This was used as a temporary solution, but with 5G, waiting months for engineering services and installation of STL and other high-capacity data circuits could be a thing of the past.”

Broadcast equipment suppliers also are studying the potential impact of 5G on their goods and services. Tom Hartnett, technical director for Comrex, said his company’s codecs are designed to be network-agnostic, positioning the company to leverage 5G modems the day the networks become available.

“To a large extent, 5G can be considered a congestion-avoidance scenario. The millimeter wave bands used for 5G have a lot of bandwidth available, but real limitations in terms of coverage and building penetration. But hopefully putting the users who can access 5G up there will result in less congestion in the present LTE bands, providing for better overall experiences in large cities,” Hartnett said.

In essence, “the great ideas that have promulgated due to 4G availability” will now work better due to 5G being there to take on more of the user load, Hartnett said.

EN FRANÇAIS

RADIOWORLD

Actualités et informations des pays francophones

July 2018publicité

Digigram aide la transformation de DR Radio Le radiodiffuseur national danois passe graduellement du RNIS à l’AoIP

◗ REPORTAGE D’UTILISATEUR PAR ESKIL FABER

Chef de projet DR Radio

DR Radio (anciennement Danmarks Radio) n’est pas seulement la partie de la société nationale de radiodiffusion du Danemark chargée de la programmation radio, mais aussi la plus ancienne et la plus importante entreprise de médias du pays. Face à la disparition lente mais inévitable des connexions RNIS au Danemark, ainsi qu’à l’état vieillissant de ses codecs RNIS existants, le diffuseur public a entrepris une mise à niveau de sa technologie de contribution audio.

DR a déterminé que cela nécessitait 10 codecs audio IP et une infrastructure SIP sécurisée qui pourrait gérer les appels IP, ainsi qu’un système de gestion pour COPENHAGUE,

Danemark

—

avoir une visibilité sur l’état du système.

Les nouveaux codecs IP achetés pour le MCR devraient être compatibles SIP pour permettre l’interopérabilité avec les codecs existants Tieline Commander

La solution Digigram s’est révélée économique, incorporant une solution d’infrastructure SIP fiable basée sur un logiciel open source Kamailio, et présentait un tout nouveau système de gestion globale, Iqoya *Cloud.

AoIP utilisés pour les applications de reportage de terrain, ainsi que les codecs Prodys ProntoNet dans les nouveaux camions OB de DR. Enfin, il était essentiel que tous les nouveaux codecs audio IP répondent pleinement aux spécifications fondamentales ACIP, comme les Tech 3326 et 3368 (2014) de l’UER. Bien que DR ait envisagé d’ache-

2018 NAB Show Product Report Webinar Radio World’s annual post-convention product sampler

NOW ON-DEMAND What was exciting on the NAB Show floor? Which new products and technologies got the top buzz? Maybe you couldn’t get to the show or didn’t have time to see it all.

Radio World did the walking for you to prepare our 2018 NAB Show Product Report, featuring:

✓ Dozens of new products ✓ Features, prices and availability dates ✓ Virtualization, workflows, streaming, receiver data, repack and more

✓ Observations by Radio World’s veteran editors and engineering contributors

TO WATCH FREE, VISIT: http://radioworld.com/webinars/18 Brought to you by:

ENGINEERING EXTRA

INTERNATIONAL EDITION

ter des codecs audio mixtes IP/RNIS, le diffuseur a trouvé que le marché des codecs mixtes IP/RNIS était très limité — et que les quelques systèmes hybrides disponibles étaient beaucoup

plus coûteux que les codecs tout-IP. Par conséquent, DR a décidé d’acheter des codecs tout-IP, en sélectionnant le codec Digigram Iqoya *Call après un appel d’offres et un processus d’évaluation.

La solution Digigram s’est révélée économique, incorporant une solution d’infrastructure SIP fiable basée sur un logiciel open source Kamailio, et présentait un tout nouveau système de gestion globale, Iqoya *Cloud. Cette solution permet aux utilisateurs de surveiller et de contrôler les flux audio IP de tous les codecs audio IP connectés.

(Suite page 15)

◗DU CÔTÉ FABRICANTS DES

14

La vitrine des produits broadcast professionnels les plus recents.

Smart Speaker Toolkit : Broadcast Bionics, le spécialiste des logiciels de gestion d’appels téléphoniques, a créé Smart Speaker Toolkit pour permettre aux auditeurs d’atteindre une station de radio par commande vocale.

La société explique que le système permet aux utilisateurs de contribuer à un programme de radio sans interrompre ce qu’ils sont en train de faire en téléphonant ou en envoyant un message texte. En outre, grâce à des informations déjà stockées dans le smartphone, la contribution est adaptée au contenu et prête pour l’antenne.

Par exemple, un auditeur peut exprimer son opinion sur une chanson spécifique en disant « Alexa, dis au studio, j’aime cette chanson », et le message apparaîtra immédiatement dans la file d’attente des messages du studio. « Smart Speaker Toolkit signifie que la réaction de l’auditoire est fraîche et immédiate — une source riche de nouveaux contenus et contributeurs », a déclaré Broadcast Bionics.

Les stations de radio peuvent connecter Smart Speaker Toolkit à Google Home, Apple HomePod et Amazon Alexa via leurs propres applications pour exploiter le contenu du studio. « Un article paru dans New Electronics en juillet prévoit que les ventes d’Amazon Alexa atteindront 10 millions cette année, et Broadcast Bionics souhaite veiller à garder une place

Juillet 2018

(Suite de la page 14)

pour la radio dans l’évolution rapide de consommation de l’audio », a déclaré l’entreprise.

Informations : www.bionics.co.uk ; en France : www.audiopole.fr

EN FRANÇAIS L’infrastructure AoIP qui en résulte au siège de DR Byen comprend les codecs audio Digigram et l’application Iqoya *Cloud, y compris l’infrastructure SIP sous-jacente et les contrôleurs de session en bordure (SBC), avec l’infrastructure SIP et l’application Iqoya *Cloud installée sur les serveurs virtuels de DR. DR a travaillé en étroite collaboration avec Digigram et Oracle, le fournisseur de SBC, pour configurer l’architecture IT en fonction de ses besoins spécifiques.

Conçus pour fournir une liaison de contribution audio fiable avec une qualité de diffusion optimale, même

sur Internet et les réseaux mobiles, les codecs Iqoya *Call et l’application Iqoya *Cloud fournissent à DR une connexion stéréo duplex intégrale entre les sites distants et son MCR. Depuis le déploiement des codecs Digigram en mars 2016, le diffuseur s’appuie de plus en plus sur ses codecs Iqoya *Call pour supporter la contribution audio en utilisant les connexions SIP. DR a utilisé avec succès ses codecs Iqoya *Call pour la contribution audio en direct lors des concerts de l’église en direct via le camion OB «Sound Bus» du diffuseur, connecté au MCR via un

radioworld.com | RADIOWORLD

VPN, pendant les Jeux d’été à Rio, où les unités servaient de sauvegarde pour les commentaires via l’Internet public et par une connexion louée de fibre 1 Gigabit, les échanges quotidiens de reportages en direct du nouveau Danish Traffic Center, les séances quotidiennes de l’église depuis la cathédrale principale de Copenhague, et la couverture des élections présidentielles aux ÉtatsUnis par le biais de l’Internet public.

Pour plus d’informations, contactez Fabien Brassely chez Digigram en France : +33-4-76-52-47-47; ou rendez-vous sur : www.digigram.com.

15

RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

BFBS

Canada is easily as professionally produced as the commercial Canadian stations serving nearby Medicine Hat; maybe more so.)

However, the service wasn’t so slick when it began testing as an experimental service in recently liberated Algeria in 1943. Spearheaded by some “switchedon colonels” who understood how central

(continued from page 1)

housed in the pigeon loft, and the ground wire connected to a drain pipe,” Ness said. “The loft was the highest point in the area, and connected to its makeshift antenna, gave our troops a real-time link to home when they needed it most.”

Forces Network

online broadcaster for U.K. troops,” said Nicky Ness, director of Forces Broadcasting & Entertainment. “We provide entertainment, information and connectivity for the British military community; not just in Britain, but wherever they happen to be in the world. We also champion the armed forces community to the world at large, because we believe that fundamentally supports their morale and welfare as well.”

July 2018

Nicky Ness, director of Forces Broadcasting & Entertainment.

The radio/online content produced by the Forces Network is a mix of live local content produced at its terrestrial stations, plus network programming drawn from the BBC and commercial U.K. stations. It can be heard in the U.K. on AM/FM and DAB+; on FM in locations such as Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, and Northern Ireland; on satellite in the U.K.; via the BFBS Radio app; and online anywhere through www.forces. net.

The Forces Network’s content is designed to entertain the troops and help them stay connected to home; to inform them on military-centric issues through an independent news service, and to provide the troops with access to services locally through each station. In listening to BFBS Canada, U.K. troops posted at CFB Suffield have access to a community broadcaster who speaks their language, in an accent that they recognize as being from home.

“We offer three services,” said Ness.

“Our main service, Forces Radio BFBS, provides popular music and news produced locally; with additional programming sent over the internet via file transfer protocol by landline or satellite. We also offer BFBS Radio 2 for music, sport and spoken word content drawn from the BBC and commercial U.K. radio stations. Finally, Gurkha Radio offers Nepali language programs to our Gurkha troops, who remain an important part of the UK Armed Forces.” The Forces Network website (www.forces.net) hosts these channels, plus a wide range of content that is available on demand.

Today’s Forces Radio BFBS is as polished as anything you can hear on mainstream U.K. radio. (In fact, BFBS

NEVER DISCONTINUED SUPPORT on

We’ve

any of our products

nautel.com

Forces Broadcast Collection

WHAT’S ON

Sgt. Tom Moffatt reading the sports news in Cairo in 1949.

Forces Broadcast Collection

16

Forces Radio BFBS Presenter Gini Carlin’s OB from Kabul in Helmand Province.

radio had become to British culture, said Ness, “British Forces Experimental Algiers” signed on Jan. 1, 1944 broadcasting Vera Lynn’s iconic “Lili Marlene” on a salvaged German AM transmitter.

“The whole thing was what we would call a ‘Heath Robinson contraption’ [Robinson being a cartoonist who drew absurdly whimsical made of oddsand-ends that somehow functioned] put together of paper clips, strands of wire, and string that saw the transmitter

CONSTANT MISSION

After the Nazis were defeated, the U.K. established British Forces Network Hamburg; a source of British content for Allied occupation troops. As the world situation changed and British Forces were deployed to conflict zones such as Cyprus, Nairobi, Aden (Yemen), Singapore, Brunei, and the Falkland Islands, BFBS followed with radio stations that were either deployed on site using mobile equipment, or in local facil-

ities either existing or purpose-built. In the same vein, as hot spots cooled, BFBS pulled out; such as happened in 1994 when BFBS Berlin closed down following German reunification and withdrawal of U.K. soldiers.

During this time, BFBS engineers improvised as necessary. This includes employing cactus needles to play 78 rpm records when steel needles ran out in Benghazi, and rebuilding their station in 1951 after a herd of elephants trampled the first one into the dust. Interesting fact, apparently cactus needles can only be used for one play each before wearing out.

In doing so, Forces Radio BFBS has stayed current with advances in broadcasting technology. This is why the service is now on DAB+ throughout the U.K., and is pioneering audio services that can be accessed by smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

“We want to be wherever our listeners are,” said Ness. “When 5G comes online and streaming audio to cars becomes more practical, we’ll be there too.” At present, Ness estimates Forces Radio BFBS’ global listenership “to be in the millions”; comprised of the British military, their families, and wider communities — nationally and internationally — with an interest in the forces.

Although Forces Radio BFBS’ distribution has changed profoundly since its initial pigeon loft station in 1943, the service’s mission has not: To serve the British Armed Forces with the most entertaining, informative, and moralebuilding content possible, no matter where their audience is; 365 days a year.

“All of us are here to do our very best for our listeners, and based on the surveys we regularly conduct, our troops are very satisfied with what they hear on Forces Radio BFBS,” said Ness. “At the end of the day, there can be no better heartfelt thought for a broadcaster than that we are serving an audience who enjoy and value what we do.”

James Careless reports on the industry for Radio World from Ottawa, Ontario.

Welcome to

Broadcast 3.0 ruby – Radio never looked so good.

Join us @

IBC 8.B50 DOWNLOAD ruby BROCHURE bit.ly/2kT8Obi

Feast your eyes on the new ruby mixing console.

Intuitive. Uncluttered. Powerful, yet so refined. Streamlined from every angle.

Optimized controls: everything you need, nothing you don’t. Only 5 cm (2”) tall, from the bottom of its exquisitely cast side frames to the tops of its carefully chosen rotary selectors.

But great design goes beyond mere good looks. Which is why ruby is expertly crafted for both speed and accuracy — controls perfectly placed to fall naturally to hand. Premium-grade displays, faders and switches. Standardsbased AES67 networking. Powerful features like AutoMix smart mixing and instant one-button switching between live and production modes. Up to 96 channels of DSP and 1,920 routing crosspoints*. The cherry on top? A customizable, context-sensitive touchscreen GUI that puts virtual control of

Welcome to your command cockpit. Graphical, intuitive, customizable: ruby’s onscreen interface, powered by our VisTool GUI builder, is so much more than just meters and a clock. Multi-touch controls instantly give what’s needed to control studio devices, tweak dynamics, adjust virtual faders, meter true loudness — even design your own custom screens. The possibilities are virtually limitless.

mixer functions, playout software, studio devices, even Web feeds, social media and video, right at your operator’s fingertips.

No other console is this smart. Slim, trim, and sharp as the cutting edge.

Engineered and built without compromise by German craftsmen.

Sprechen Sie deutsch?

www.lawo.com

Who says small can’t be mighty? ruby’s mixing engine, Power Core, is equipped with redundant IP networking, dual-redundant power capability, and tons of built-in I/O – 384 stereo channels, standard – with room to add even more. There are dozens of DSP channels, and a built-in routing switcher, too. It’s like 12 rack units of power, packed into only 1RU.

18

BUYER’S GUIDE

RADIOWORLD

Smartphone/Tablet Apps for Radio Technology

July 2018

Enterprising Remotes With Tieline Report-IT

to any Tieline IP codec.

There are a few key reasons why I really like Report-IT: • I t is so simple for anyone to use; • The audio quality is far and above the quality of a standard phone line; • Portability: you can do remotes from anywhere with a cellphone or Wi-Fi connection.

For us Report-IT is extremely flexible. It is primarily used for live remotes like news; we also broadcast high school football and basketball games for a variety of towns in the area. It is also frequently used for cut-ins during remote

T he audio quality is far and above the quality of a standard phone line.

Simplicity and signal quality please Illinois broadcaster

◗USERREPORT

BY SCOTT SIVERS

Chief Engineer SJ Broadcasting LLC

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois — I have worked

as a radio and/or TV engineer for more than 25 years, based in the Champaign/ Urbana region the entire time. Working in broadcasting I have worn many hats; but I have always been an engineer first.

I first heard about Tieline’s ReportIT Enterprise smartphone codec app in Radio World magazine and was intrigued about trying it for live remotes.

We already owned a Tieline Commander G3 field and rackmount codec but required another option for our reporters to go live, particularly nontechnical users. I sought more information on how it works, then purchased 10 TieServer subscription licenses to use on any of the four radio stations we own and operate in east central Illinois. So far we have used Report-IT to go live on WSJK(FM), WGKC(FM) and WQQB(FM).

I use the Android TieServer Console app to configure Report-IT user accounts

and have found it very easy to set up.

Since setting up the user accounts, I haven’t needed to make any last-minute changes; but if I did, it’s nice to know that I have the convenience to do it any time I like using my phone and the TieServer

Console app in the field.

With Report-IT Enterprise we connect back to our Tieline Commander G3 rack unit using the Tieline Music algorithm; and from a compatibility perspective the Report-IT app is able to connect

broadcasts. Sometimes we use it when our Commander G3 field codec is in use elsewhere, or if it is not feasible to use the Commander G3 in a particular situation; for example, in a car while driving. I have also used Report-IT while away from the area just to check a station’s audio.

Since switching to Report-IT, our reporters and station staff have commented that the audio quality is so much better than using a phone call for studio cut-ins. The audio quality is far superior (continued on page 21)

◗TECHUPDATE NEOGROUPE PUTS USERS IN CONTROL MAROLLES EN BRIE, France — Software developer NeoGroupe has released two new mobile apps — NeoScreenerSmart and NBSSmart.

The NeoScreenerSmart app is designed to operate with the NeoScreener talk show call management solution and allows remote radio hosts to visualize and broadcast calls that are presented on the NeoScreener call screening system in the studio.

NeoGroupe says NeoScreenerSmart offers comprehensive user control, rights and action logging, allowing users to know who has access to their phones at all times.

The company has also introduced the NBSSmart application, which works with NeoGroupe’s asset tracking system, NBS. NBSSmart allows a technician at a transmitter site to, for example, easily carry out an inventory check or scan an item and immediately access its historical information, including details about the vendor as well as scanned documents such as an invoice, manual or a configuration file.

The applications run on smartphones and tablets and are available for IOS and Android.

For information, contact NeoGroupe in France at +33-9-72-23-62-00 or visit www.neogroupe.com.

FOR RADIO BREAKING RADIO SILENCE

SCALABLE

MODULAR NATIVE AOIP

calrec.com

20

RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

July 2018

BUYER’S GUIDE Smartphone/Tablet Apps for Radio Technology

Comrex Opal Opens Doors for New Life Radio Hardware box brings quality audio to smartphones

◗USERREPORT

BY JOE EMERT

President Life Radio Ministries GRIFFIN, Georgia — New Life Radio

is a Christian format station that plays a mixture of music and syndicated programming from different parts of the country. We have two nonprofit, noncommercial FM stations in Atlanta (90.7 and 91.7 MHz). As part of our nonprofit model, we also help build radio stations in other countries. We’ve built nine stations in Papua, New Guinea, and we helped build a station on the island of Bonaire with Trans World Radio that covers a lot of South and Central America.

Because we do so much work internationally, we were interested in Comrex’s Opal for overseas call-ins. Initially, we tested Opal in our studio for two weeks through Comrex’s demo program. We tested it locally, and it performed well enough that we decided to buy our own.

We installed it right before I went on a trip to Israel, which provided an opportunity to test it internationally. I tried it from the iPhone on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The network we had access to on the water was patchy, but we still managed to get some good quality audio.

Then, from the hotel room near Tiberius, using the hotel’s wireless, the connection and audio was spot-on. Studio quality, with no perceptible delay whatsoever!

So far we’re very pleased with performance. From hotel rooms and places with 4G services, the audio sounds excellent. We do a lot of interviews with authors and artists, and we hope to use

Opal for those. All they have to do is click a link to get connected. Even if they use it on their smartphone, it’s going to be a much better connection than a standard telephone connection.

Jim Stewart, operations director, with Opal in hand. Access and Opal rackmounts can be seen in the rack behind him.

NEW OPTION

We’ve been using Comrex equipment for a long time. We started out years ago with one of the early devices that came out, then purchased an Access hardware codec. We have a broadcast trailer, effectively a fancy RV that lets us connect back to the studio. We take it out to county fairs and concerts and various events and set it up and use our Access to broadcast live.

But the Opal gives us another option.

We’ll be able to be on the air with the Access unit from a county fair, and have two of our staff members somewhere else in the fairgrounds on Opal, all linked together back in the main studio.

We can use Opal as a tool to let staff members report in from an event. This gives us the option to be able to have staff mingling with the crowd on their smartphone through Opal.

One of the other things we’re planning to do is to use it in studio. We host events from our studio, like our annual fund-raisers called Sharathons. We often have staff members who will be in the telephone room rather than in the primary studio, and we’ll want to check in with them live. Opal will let them do drop-ins without any fuss, live from our own office building.

We were pleased to learn that when we set up our Opal, there’s a way to put our station logo into Opal. So when our guests click our link through their iPhone or computer, they see our logo on the Opal

home page. It’s really helpful for artists and authors who are doing press tours and don’t know much about us — they can look at their screen while talking and the name of our radio station, which will make it easier for them to name drop us.

Opal fits right into our tight nonprofit

budget. We’re excited about it; it’s going to open up a lot of doors for our programming.

For information, contact Chris Crump at Comrex in the United States at +1978-784-1776 or visit www.comrex. com.

◗TECHUPDATE BURK TECHNOLOGY ARC PLUS TOUCH FOR PHONE OR TABLET LITTLETON, Massachusetts — The Burk ARC Plus Touch is intended to bring remote facility management to the smartphone or tablet. It uses a combination of distributed I/O units and an integrated SNMP manager, offering what the company calls comprehensive transmitter site monitoring and control.

Each ARC Plus Touch unit connects up to 256 channels of metering, status and commands. In addition to physical I/O and SNMP connections, virtual meter channels can be used to monitor calculated parameters such as heat rise, efficiency or VSWR, allowing early detection of degraded performance

before failures can occur.

User access to the ARC Plus Touch is available via PC, smartphone or tablet. User-defined message templates and email lists enable customization of email and SMS text alarm reporting. Alert messages can include hyperlinks to the alarmed site for one-click smartphone response. Burk says ARC Plus Touch is “bandwidthfriendly,” optimized for real-world broadcast links and reducing communications cost.

Burk’s AutoPilot software helps operators monitor and control remote equipment at multiple sites, manage alarms and organize data into custom reports.

Multiple ARC Plus and ARC Solo remote controls can be managed from one AutoPilot interface. Warp

Engine in AutoPilot makes it possible to monitor hundreds of sites at a rate of 100 sites per second, using tiny, efficient data packets. Intelligent automatic site control is available using Jet Active Flowcharts with easy drag-and-drop flowchart design.

For users of legacy Burk remote control systems, upgrading is facilitated by Plus-X Dual IP8 and GSC adapters.

For information, contact Burk Technology in the United States at +1-978-486-0086 or visit www.burk.com.

July 2018

BUYER’S GUIDE Smartphone/Tablet Apps for Radio Technology

radioworld.com | RADIOWORLD

The Axia IP-Tablet Experience Moving the radio studio into the future

◗USERREPORT

BY JÉRÔME GAHERY

Owner IP-Studio

PARIS — Moving the radio studio forward into the future — that’s what RTL Reunion Island and a famous rap format radio station in Paris, who would like to remain nameless, are aiming to do by using the Axia IP-Tablet Virtual Radio Software. IP-Studio is a Telos Alliance Livewire partner and broadcast solutions provider. When they came to us, these two stations both wanted to build new studios with Axia Fusion and were also interested in using all the technology

the rap radio station, the goal was to allow access to a virtual fader for the console for simultaneous microphone switching and hybrid control. The system was set up so that the speaker could control the guest microphone and hybrids from their seat with a touchscreen directly in front of them. There can be a real advantage when studio talent has the ability to see everything that they need for doing their job right at their fingertips.

For RTL, there was a desire to remove the traditional large main console screen in order to reduce the amount of screens

Below: At the Parisian rap radio station the center screen is a standard display for conveying information while the touchscreens on each side provide information and control via software.

At RTL Reunion tablet-based touchscreens can be seen in several roles, circled. One is in the studio itself giving the host access to certain controls.

Two others are in the control room — one on top of the console and another embedded within it providing the engineer with flexible control options that do not necessarily have to be hard-wired in.

There can be a real advantage when studio talent has the ability to see everything that they need for doing their job right at their fingertips. available to them to make the studios of their dreams. In the end, they both decided to use two types of consoles — the traditional hardware one and a new virtual one. Mixing the virtual and physical is a solid step forward to a nextgeneration studio.

Powered by an Axia StudioEngine, the configurations are based on sharing the console’s resources and features with more than one operator or at more than one location in the studio. In the case of

Tieline (continued from page 18)

in comparison with a regular phone call. Plus the transition to Report-IT was simple because it is so easy to use.

Our staff doesn’t need any technical expertise whatsoever. All settings are configured by an engineer, usually me, and they simply open the app, log in and go live.

Verizon is the main carrier in our region and connections are usually pretty reliable; however, you do need to be a bit wary at large events in case

in the studio and display only the information that they needed. There are three tablets integrated into the studio for this project running Axia IP-Tablet virtual radio. The first one in the hardware console is a tablet module used to access a virtual fader, hybrid control and Omnia VOCO preset control. The second tablet has replaced the original large HD screen to display console information and optimize the space in the studio. The there is cellular network overcrowding.

In fact we often prioritize using Wi-Fi instead of cellular connections if it is available.

The best thing about using IP is the ability to do remotes further away from the station with exceptional audio quality. Report-IT Enterprise affordably delivers the flexibility we require with a simple user interface, which is also an important consideration when it is used by non-technical personnel.

For information, contact Charlie Gawley at Tieline in Australia at +618-9249-6688 or visit www.tieline. com.

third tablet was put in for displaying console information (VU meters) and hybrid control for doing game shows, and sits directly in front of the main talent.

REUNION ISLAND

In addition, we worked with Reunion Island to build four news booths with a consoleless concept by displaying the virtual mixer on the editing work station.

These configurations just need a Telos Alliance Mixed Signal xNode (microphone input, speaker and headphone outputs). In these four booths the IP-Tablet software is running on a PC that includes the VX hybrid for conducting interviews.

At the rap radio station in Paris they are using two large touchscreens in front of the console. These display virtual faders, hybrids control and more in a new “open console” concept. They can display external information from sources such as the station’s website, SMS stream from the listeners and video streams from back of the studio cameras. On these larger displays, the user can control and supervise all the information they need for the show directly. In addition, the main host has

a Surface PRO tablet for controlling the hybrids, switching the guest microphone and displaying console information as they see needed.

These two configuration examples demonstrate how the hardware devices (console, hybrids, voice processing, codecs, etc.) can be controlled in a number of new ways, based on sharing the resources throughout the studio in order to provide unique broadcast workflows.

Increased connectivity, reducing console size and studio costs, and improving the access to the studio resources are just a few ways that the IP-Tablet Virtual Software is pushing the envelope forward.

For more information, contact Cam Eicher at The Telos Alliance in the United States at +1-216-241-7225 or visit www.telosalliance.com.

NVLT Series

3.5 kW – 40 kW Outstanding Efficiency Digital/Analog FM at Exceptional Value

nautel.com/NVlt

21

22

RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

July 2018

◗MARKETPLACE Mozart Next: DB Elettronica has introduced Mozart Next, a new line of FM transmitters. According to the Italian company, the new range features high modulation, low maintenance and an efficiency of up to 75 percent.

In addition, the company says the Mozart Next line offers easy maintenance, allowing users to safely remove individual modules from the front during operation; Automatic Current Sharing; and maximum redundancy.

The system can be used with an app available for Apple or Android.

Info: www.dbbroadcast.com

Double Streaming Feature: AETA Audio Systems’ new “Double Streaming” feature is now available for AETA codecs via a simple software update.

The system, designed to correct packet loss issues and improve the robustness of an AoIP connection, is made up of two simultaneous SIP links configured to run on separate paths, with the second link transporting a copy of the main audio stream. Users can select a specific interface on each codec for the two AoIP connections to create two independent paths, where possible losses are not correlated. The codec then subsequently receives the two identical streams and recombines them, discarding duplicates.

The system, which runs on SIP architecture and is compatible with any SIP server, also lets users create links without a SIP server.

Double Streaming is now available for AETA’s ScoopTeam (v1.05 minimum); Scoopy+ S (v1.11 minimum); Scoop5 S and Scoop5 S-IP (v1.11 minimum); and μScoop (v1.07 minimum).

To use the Double Streaming feature with the SIP protocol, the device must have two SIP accounts.

AETA codecs will now be provided with two free factory SIP accounts.

For units already in use, customers can utilize a Premium SIP account or contact an AETA distributor.

Info: www.aeta-audio.com

BROADCAST EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE

RADIOWORLD

July 2018

Rebuilt Power Tubes 1/2 the cost of New! ol spañ E a l ab Se H

ECONCO

Se H abla Espa ñol

Tel: 800-532-6626 Web: www.econco.com Intl +1-530-662-7553 Fax: +1-530-666-7760 This listing is provided for the convenience of our readers.

Radio World assumes no liability for inaccuracy.

ADVERTISER INDEX page

advertiser

website/url

9 Axia - The Telos Alliance 19 Calrec 1 DB Elettronica Telecom.

5 Digigram, S.A. 23 Inovonics Broadcast 17 Lawo AG 8, 16, 21 Nautel 10 NeoGroupe 24 Orban 1, 14 RFE Broadcast 15 Save Diffusion 7 Tieline Technology 2, 11, 13 Wheatstone

www.axiaaudio.com www.calrec.com www.dbbroadcast.com www.digigram.com www.inovonicsbroadcast.com www.lawo.com www.nautel.com www.neogroupe.com www.orban.com www.rfebroadcast.com www.savediffusion.fr www.tieline.com www.wheatstone.com

ADVERTISING CONTACTS EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: RAFFAELLA CALABRESE +39-320-891-1938 Fax: +39-02-700-436-999 raffaella.calabrese@futurenet.com

NORTH AMERICA: JOHN CASEY 212-378-0400 x512 Fax: 330-247-1288 john.casey@futurenet.com

MICHELE INDERRIEDEN 212-378-0400 x523 Fax: 301-234-6303 michele.inderrieden@futurenet.com

, R E V E T N E M N O IR V N E E IV IT T E P M O C T S E H G U O IN THE T i 0 0 7 8 M F D O IM T P O S E D U L C IN Y G E T A R T S G IN A WINN â„¢ S S E N D U O L L IA T N E WITH XPON

S R O S S E C O R P IO D U A L DIGITA .

S D R H IT W D H D N A M F R FO

BCA18 STAND NUMBER 4Q1-01 ORBAN Headquarters Orban Labs, Inc. 7209 Browning Road A Pennsauken, NJ 08109, US 00 .99 19 6.7 [p] +1 85 ORBAN Europe GmbH Monreposstr. 55 71634 Ludwigsburg DE [p] +49 7141 22 66 0 [f] +49 7141 22 66 7 sales@orban-europe.com

OPTIMOD-FM / HD 8600

OPTIMOD-FM / HD 8600SI OPTIMOD-FM / HD 5700I

OPTIMOD-FM 5500I

m o c . n a b r o . w w w

OPTIMOD-FM 5518