We really like this news about a Road Tunnel project in Israel, it demonstrates the power of open systems that we have been advocating for more than 10 years; using IP to bring together audio, video and data into a single system that simplifies the operation of what is a highly complex installation.

http://thinkinghighways.com/Pages/View-issue/Magazine.aspx?id=0682dd32-8439-4df6-92f2-35036137a149&issue=d95a1bc4-d10a-46f4-a914-a744d3d41d9d

It’s NAB this week and, as ever, we have a strong team there spreading the word! If you’re at NAB, why not swing on by booth C1139 to find out what we’re up to?

You’ll be able to see the new Annuncicom PS1, which is ideal for use as a Broadcast production intercom, small footprint paging station and so much more…

If you’re not there, you can find out more here: http://www.barix.com/Annuncicom_PS1/1781/

Swedish company exclusively uses Barix to enhance the shopping experience through the power of music

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, March 5, 2012 — Barix is exclusively providing IP audio decoding solutions to Music in Brands for the delivery of unique music programming to retail stories and other public areas. The company uses Barix for both direct audio streaming and store-and-forward solutions in businesses around Sweden, providing flexible, low-cost playout solutions for in-store campaigns.

Based in Stockholm, Music in Brands creates musical identities for brands through audio, designing specialty programs that match the business and its customers. The company produces a custom radio station for each business, building unique playlists that update regularly to keep programming fresh and store environments lively.

“Music is a very important piece of the shopper experience, and we want to play music that matches the environment without repeating the same songs over and over,” said Anders Svensson, president of Music in Brands. “There is a lot of psychology involved because customers can shop elsewhere if they don’t like the music. We operate similarly to a radio station to improve the atmosphere. This results in increased loyalty, more committed personnel and increased buying behavior.”

Svensson points to several customers currently using Music in Brands audio branding with Barix in-store technology, including Swedish automobile manufacturer Volvo; telecom companies Telenor and 3; retail businesses JC and Polarn O. Pyret; and the Scandic Hotels chain. Barix Exstreamer IP audio decoders reliably receive and play out high-quality audio at multiple locations for these businesses, while minimizing expenses through low device cost and simple installation. Svensson and his team configure the devices and ship them to the store locations, where employees typically install the devices themselves.

Locations with plenty of network bandwidth receive continuous, high-quality AACplus audio streams, while those with stricter bandwidth limitations — like JC and Polarn O. Pyret — use Barix’s store-and-forward capability to download the streams to the devices for MP3 audio playout.

For Scandic Hotels, Music in Brands produces five music channels streamed simultaneously to the hotel. Staff can choose jazz music in the bar or easy-listening in the lounge using the Barix channel selector function. Svensson has found the Barix Exstreamer 200, featuring a built-in amplifier (2x25W), especially helpful in smaller stores such as those operated by Telenor and 3.

“We have mostly used Exstreamer 100s to this point, but the Exstreamer 200 is a very cost-effective and space-saving solution for small shops,” said Svensson. “We can provide an entire solution with an Exstreamer 200 and a few speakers, with Barix providing the IP receiver and amplifier in one device.”

Svensson also noted the importance of Barix’s open-source software, which allowed him to freely build a custom monitoring program to access information from every device in the network. “Barix takes care of all the in-store playout needs while allowing us to see everything that is happening across the network,” said Svensson. “They were clearly the best choice for cost, flexibility, audio quality and reliability.”

Milestone incorporates Barix IP Audio device support to bring “ears to the eyes”

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, November 10, 2011 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP audio, control and monitoring, today announced that Milestone Systems, the global leader for open platform IP video management software, has integrated Barix Audio over IP device support with Milestone XProtect® IP video management software (VMS). The collaboration enables bidirectional, high-quality voice and audio for XProtect deployments.

Milestone XProtect IP video software now supports Barix one-way (public address/paging) and two-way (surveillance and intercom) audio, marrying the “shout” and ears to the eyes across security operations. Barix Exstreamer IP audio devices introduce live paging and other one-way audio events, allowing operators to announce warnings, trigger alarms and deliver other notifications to external sites. Barix Annuncicom IP devices enable surveillance, intercom and other two-way audio streams for direct communication with subjects in security and general situations.

The open-platform nature of Milestone and Barix solutions ensures that video and audio streams are live over the same technology, simplifying integration. Barix one-way and two-way audio devices work within new deployments and retrofits of existing XProtect systems.

“Trends in the video surveillance business, particularly with the growing acceptance of IP, emphasize significant interest in improving the audio element,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix. “Milestone customers can now use Barix IP devices to enhance the audio surveillance and notification capabilities of their installations by strategically positioning audio and video components, and using existing IP infrastructure. This ensures that operators can page, monitor and distribute audio to communicate more efficiently, while using flexible positioning to capture far better audio quality compared to built-in camera microphones.”

Barix was first accepted into the Milestone Manufacturer Alliance Partner (MAP) program in 2009, when Milestone began supporting Barix Barionet IP control devices to integrate legacy hardware devices with Milestone XProtect software — effectively bridging the physical and software layers. Milestone customers can use the Barionet today to trigger camera movements and activate video recording based on motion, doorbells, lights and other security-related events.

“The integration of Barix Audio over IP devices represents the next evolutionary step between the relationship of the two companies, ensuring that Milestone customers can add yet another beneficial integrated functionality to our open-platform IP VMS portfolio,” said Martin Friis-Mikkelsen, Head of Strategic Alliances at Milestone Systems.

About Milestone (www.milestonesys.com)
Founded in 1998, Milestone Systems is the worldwide industry leader in open platform IP video management software, according to IMS Research. Milestone XProtect® products have been installed in thousands of customer installations, sold through authorized and certified partners in more than 100 countries. With support for the widest choice in network hardware and integration with other systems, XProtect provides best-in-class solutions to ‘video enable’ organizations – managing risks, protecting people and assets, optimizing processes, and reducing costs.

Barix IP solution supports multi-language communications for security, entertainment and public address

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, September 14, 2011 — Barix Audio over IP solutions are now live at the Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort in the Maldives Islands, distributing high-quality, multi-lingual voice and music to its guests in nine zones. The system, installed by local systems integration firm EIT Private Limited, delivers audio to multiple points, creating a unified, resort-wide notification and entertainment system.

The Kandooma Resort is a full-service, 160-room resort located on Kandooma Island on the South Male Atoll in the Maldives Islands, renowned for its world-class diving and surfing. Besides its beautiful, oceanside setting, the Kandooma Resort is noted for its advanced technology, providing free Wi-Fi, iPod docking stations, and flat-screen TVs with satellite programming to guests.

Barix met resort requirements for high performance, reliable presence and security applications over the IP network at a reasonable cost. Mohammed Afzal, director of EIT Private Limited, stressed the importance of the system’s scalable topology.

“Barix provides a multi-purpose PA system that is easily expandable to accommodate future growth at the resort, which was very important,” said Mohammed Afzal, director of EIT Private Limited. “The system streams in-house music, live paging and recorded messages. It also supports multi-language playback, which is helpful in emergency situations. No other company serving our market could provide a solution that met the resort’s requirements.”

Afzal added that Barix devices are open and easy to customize. “Barix gives us the flexibility to customize intercom and other applications with the existing hardware,” said Afzal. “The programming language is easy to understand and helpful to companies that want to build custom solutions for their customers.”

The complete solution includes a Barix Annuncicom PS16 Paging Station at the core. The PS16 is a multifunction, standalone IP intercom, paging and PA master station that connects to multiple end devices without the need for PCs or server software.

Resort staff can deliver live pages and announcements from the PS16 to Barix Exstreamer 100 IP audio decoders in nine zones with a single press of the button, targeting messages to specific zones or buildings; or initiating “all-call” announcements.

EIT Private Limited also installed one Barix Annuncicom 100 two-way audio device to override the network-wide audio stream in emergency situations. The Annuncicom is responsible for streaming pre-recorded security announcements to the Exstreamers in all zones. Nine amplifiers and 200 loudspeakers support playout across the grounds.

Built-in amplifier, local input adds value for businesses broadcasting “retail radio” and multi-room distribution applications

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, August 29, 2011 — Barix AG comes to IBC 2011 (September 9-13, RAI Exhibition Centre, Amsterdam, Booth #3A48) with its next-generation Exstreamer IP Audio device for multipoint networks.

The Exstreamer 205 IP makes retail and hospitality applications dramatically simple. Each room or location requires a single Exstreamer 205, a network connection and power outlet, two common high-quality audio speakers and minimal wiring.

The device delivers a wealth of features to simplify infrastructure and reduce deployment costs for in-store media systems. Its built-in 2×25 watt, power-efficient class-D amplifier minimizes equipment needs at the end point, lowering costs while retaining superior audio quality. Businesses can distribute branded retail radio broadcasts, customized “store and play” programs, or simple background music streams to as many locations as the network can support, without the need for separate amplifiers.

The Exstreamer 205 is also the first Barix IP audio device to add a local, line-level stereo input. This allows direct connection of an in-zone audio source to the device for local playout. This is ideal where local, non-streaming content is available, whether from a guest’s iPod or a digital signage system.

“Exstreamer customers have requested an audio input to feed local content into the device, using its powerful, integrated high-quality amplifier,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix. “This gives our customers more options for where to use Exstreamer products. Hotel and spa treatment rooms in larger hospitality systems are perfect examples.”

Businesses operating digital signage systems can also benefit from adding the Exstreamer 205 to out-of-home networks. Operators can establish a general background stream for the entire network, with the flexibility to interrupt the stream and play out local content at any location. Offline content protection is enhanced via a MicroSD slot, which enables local playout of (encrypted) content directly from the device while minimizing opportunities for theft or modification.

The Exstreamer 205 also offers priority ports for connection into a master paging system, such as the Barix Annuncicom PS16. This allows a facility manager, security guard or other operator to break into the network stream to make a page or announcement — also overruling any local audio sources.

Like previous models, the Exstreamer 205 decodes and plays multi-protocol and multi-format audio streams, including MP3, AACplusV2, WMA, PCM, G.711 and EtherSound. Volume and channel selection is controllable via an API through IP or serial port, a built-in IR receiver or the Barix Volume Source Control (VSC) device.

ITvilla implements Barix Barionet devices at the heart of a major automated access control system for efficient traffic management

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, August 2, 2011 — Barix announced today that ITvilla, an automation consulting company in Estonia, has standardized on Barix Barionet IP devices for automated access control at four busy shipping ports in Estonia. The Barionet devices play a key role in solving access, traffic, and network management challenges, integrated within an automated ticket and traffic management system that more efficiently manages traffic flows and entry ticket validation for passengers and vehicles.

The Estonian ports serve as a base for vehicle ships taking passengers to destinations in Estonia on the Baltic Sea and to surrounding countries such as Finland. Traffic volume is significant all year, and is especially high during the summer months. This translated to traffic congestion and long delays for ticket and passenger validation when using the manual entry system at the port and onto the ships.

ITvilla, an Estonian automation consulting and system integration company, was contracted to support the E-Port Project for four passenger ports, with an objective to reduce load times and allow faster access to greater volumes of vehicle traffic.

“The manual validation process for vehicles and passengers prior to driving onto the vessels proved very time-consuming,” said Neeme Takis, CEO of ITvilla. “It was decided that automated entry ticket validation and traffic management of waiting lines would allow for more efficient access. The E-Port Project required an IP controller that could manage configuration data for all types of peripheral hardware, understand all communication protocols, and manage the entry and exit sensor behavior for multiple types of vehicles passing through the port.”

ITvilla chose the Barix Barionet as the automation controller between the periphery devices and the server of the access system. The Barix Barionet provides both the physical and logical interface between the server and the peripheral devices, storing the periphery device configuration and driver software. It also translates the signals and commands between the peripheral devices and the server, offloading the server from device-dependent processing. The Barionet controllers additionally offload the server from simpler tasks such as barrier closure decision-making, which happens after the expected number of vehicles has passed.

“The Barix Barionet controllers are the heart of the project, efficiently meeting all of the E-Port Project’s access and traffic management requirements,” said Neeme Takis, CEO of ITvilla. “The middleware based on Barix controllers features strong network management support, quickly finding and resolving problems with network peripherals, and remotely controls and monitors vehicles and their passengers. This results in vastly improved traffic management and vehicle flow even during peak volume seasons.”

The Barix Barionet controllers are also responsible for logging signals and actions onto an external network server, managing the manual control option for peripheral devices, and sending regular status and immediate action data to an external monitoring system. These controllers provide remote support, and track the status and health of all E-Port Project peripheral devices.

One Barionet controller located in the outdoor ticket terminal device controls the bar code readers, keypad, VFD, buzzer, barrier and numeric displays; and reads vehicle presence and height sensors for one entry lane to the port.

There are a total of 16 Barionet controllers and Barix IO12 extension modules in each port. The controllers are connected via a LAN, including an optical ring for the longest connections. The server is connected to the same LAN. The WLAN extension of the LAN enables control of the loading process from the board of the vessel, using PDA devices.

“The E-port Project is a nice example of the flexible and cost-effective use of the Barix Barionet in infrastructure projects,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix AG. “The open Barix approach provides Barix partners with easy integration and utilization of Barix product offerings. Integrators and project managers can quickly and easily build unique solutions for challenging installations. The ease of use, coupled with strong product functionality in remote monitoring and automated access control, enabled ITvilla to easily write a custom application on the Barionet controllers that operates reliably on our standard, cost-effective devices.”

The Barix Barionet is a network-enabled, programmable automation controller for industrial automation and facility management systems. It is pre-loaded with a web configuration and user interface application for monitoring and control of all on-board I/O functions. Custom applications can be developed using the built-in BCL interpreter (Barix Control Language).

The Barionet supports standard interfaces such as SNMP, CGI, HTTP, and Modbus/TCP to access local I/O and program functions. It supports a broad variety of standard protocols such as TCP/IP, SNMP, HTTP, and CGI. It communicates over a standard built-in 10/100 Ethernet port, making the devices ideal for automation and monitoring applications in buildings, industry and IT systems.

Balingen Police Department will showcase burglary alarm triggers over the network; Barix IP devices will link an alarm system and the C-MOR video monitoring solution

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, May 11, 2011 — Barix AG today announced its latest in a string of successful integration partnerships with leading software and solutions providers in the security and surveillance market. Barix has now partnered with za-internet GmbH, developer of the C-MOR remote video surveillance solution, to fully integrate Barix Barionet products into the C-MOR solution as universal, IP based I/O interfaces.

At IFSEC (May 16-19, 2011, NEC, Birmingham, England, Hall 4, Stand G155), Barix is planning a unique demonstration that will exhibit how Barix Barionet IP control and monitoring devices will be used in the burglary prevention center showroom of the Balingen Police Department in southern Germany to trigger alarms in C-MOR solutions.

C-MOR, a well-known, affordable remote video surveillance solution (www.c-mor.com) is available as software or as an appliance, targeting residential and commercial security markets. Popular commercial applications include surveillance in retail environments, horse stables, and gas stations.

The Barionet’s versatile I/O establishes communication between C-MOR and external “things” systems such as lights, security systems or motion sensors. Interfacing to sensors (motion sensors or a an alarm output of a security system) and actors such as lights, lock-down equipment and security system trigger inputs is fully supported. This functionality further allows C-MOR to serve as a versatile internet alarming upgrade for a traditional security system, as it can raise alarms over the internet to browser-capable mobile phones, supporting live video feeds of the site in alarm.

The Barionet product family is specially developed for automation and monitoring applications as well as interfacing solutions in buildings, industry and IT systems. Barionet devices provide an ideal link between hardware/hard-wired solutions and the IT world in an era of increased convergence.

In the case of the C-MOR integration, Barionet devices communicate with the surveillance solution via TCP/IP and with sensors and actors via traditional hardware interfaces such as contact closures and serial ports. Implementation with C-MOR is especially simple as the only tool needed is a standard web browser.

The Barionet 50 used in this application is a freely-programmable I/O device server with contact closure inputs, relay outputs and serial ports, so even highly specific and complex interface functions can be implemented. No programming is required for standard applications, and the device supports the most common IP-based standard protocols such as SNMP, web/cgi, Modbus/TCP and ASCII based I/O protocols.

SureView adds Barix Barionet IP control and monitoring solutions to Immix platform after success with Barix Audio over IP integration

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, May 10, 2011 — Barix AG announces that SureView Systems, a commercial security monitoring service provider, has progressed its integration of Barix IP devices to an advanced, second phase.

The first phase began in 2009, when SureView integrated Barix Annuncicom two-way IP audio device support into its Immix platform. The Annuncicom integration allows the monitoring of unlimited remote audio surveillance locations and integration of intercom/help points within the Immix management solution — often consolidated with video surveillance.

SureView has now added support for Barix Barionet IP control, automation and monitoring equipment. The Barionet integration vastly increases I/O and relay interfacing capabilities of the Immix system, enabling SureView customers to easily connect a large number of security devices and functions to the network. Immix users activate controls and functions connected through Barionet devices, such as switching on lights and opening doors, through a simple press of a control button at a remote monitoring station.

The Barionet also enhances remote monitoring operations, allowing Immix users to directly interface motion detectors or building management sensors tied to HVAC, water, temperature, lighting, alarms and other systems for monitoring environmental and security aspects.

“The Barionet integration gives our customers a range of flexible deployment options, solving existing challenges and providing a more integrated, value-added solution to meet new customer requests,” said Craig Evans, director of SureView Systems. “Like the Annuncicom, the Barionet integrates seamlessly into the Immix platform so that the product itself is transparent. The customer simply presses a button to initiate an action, turning features on and off as if working a light switch.”

Evans added that the Barionet integration requires no addition training or expense for Immix customers. “It is exactly the same user-friendly experience,” he said.

The Annuncicom integration continues to prove successful in the professional security marketplace. Evans noted that Corps Security in Glasgow, Scotland, a leading security solutions provider in the UK, is the most recent customer, deploying the integrated remote surveillance solution to more than 50 sites in the UK.

“The success of the Annuncicom integration for improving audio quality at the surveillance point has been an ideal blueprint for how we can extend the partnership, notably through enhanced I/O and relay/sensor capabilities,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix AG. “The Barionet will allow Immix users to bring more devices onto the network for control and monitoring purposes. This includes “actor” capabilities such as switching on lights and opening doors, as well as monitoring functions with motion and other sensors for surveillance purposes. The possibilities are boundless.”

The announcement comes as both companies prepare for the IFSEC 2011 professional security show, taking place from May 16-19 at NEC in Birmingham, England. Barix exhibits in Hall 4, Stand 155.

About SureView Systems (www.sureviewsystems.com)
SureView Systems owns, develops, sells and supports the Immix(R) product line. Immix(R) Enterprise and Cloud are video centric software platforms designed to receive alarm events from video, video analytics, access control, automation systems and GPS location aware devices. The products are UL Certified in the USA and BS8418 compliant in Europe.

Sureview Systems UK, Technium 1, Kings Road, Swansea SA1 8PH, UK. Tel. +44 1792 485600
Sureview Systems US, 400 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa, FL 33602, USA. Tel +1 (877) 712 8766

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, March 16, 2011 — Barix comes to the 2011 NAB Show (April 11-14, Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth C8316) with new updates to its Reflector Service for STL, Syndication and Remote Contribution aimed at simplifying integration within existing broadcast infrastructures.

The Reflector Service simplifies the setup of audio transport connections by removing the need for specialist knowledge. Hosted by Barix partner StreamGuys (www.streamguys.com), the application serves as an online center to configure and monitor the audio transport bridge while providing a straightforward relay of the audio feed. The Reflector Service is paired with Barix Audio over IP hardware at the send and receive points, creating a plug-and-play installation that can have broadcasters streaming audio over IP links within minutes.

Barix has added a host of new features to extend the service:
· Tunneling of encoder inputs through to decoder relay outputs
· Ability to flag stream loss on local encoder and decoder output relays
· Automatic failover to locally stored content at decoder
· Automatic generation of e-mail alerts
· Improved performance with lower bandwidth connections
· Modifications for tuning system performance and resilience

“The Reflector Service has been delivered to the market with the help of many willing customers who took part in the beta test last year, including successful deployments with Bell Media Group in the United States and Total Star Network in the UK,” said David Gostick, product manager for Barix Reflector Service. “In addition to enriching the service with new features, the user interface has been updated to provide all significant information at a glance, with enhanced reporting and status information for all components.”

The Barix Reflector firmware comes pre-loaded on the currently shipping Exstreamer 500 and Exstreamer 1000 professional Audio over IP devices for broadcasters. In addition to standard STL connections for program audio transport, broadcasters and service providers can use the Reflector Service for syndication and remote contribution.

Syndication
Organizations of any size can use the Reflector Service to distribute programming to multiple Barix Exstreamer decoders. A single uplink to the service using a standard DSL connection supports programming feeds to any number of affiliates. StreamGuys hosts the Reflector service and provides the necessary bandwidth to route the single audio feed to multiple destinations.

Remote Contribution
Broadcasters and news organizations armed with Barix audio encoders can access the Reflector Service in the field to stream live audio back to a flagship or affiliate station. A simple connection to the internet via a fixed network cable or wireless 3G router allows reporters to stream live interviews and event coverage to a station or studio. Remote production personnel can also quickly establish a live stream from an arena or stadium to support a live sports broadcast.

The Reflector Service simplifies installations for broadcasters using broadband internet connections by eliminating firewall poking and costly static IP addresses that require specialist knowledge to configure. The Reflector Service even eliminates basic router forwarding configuration, as the devices are automatically partnered following connection to the Reflector Service via the World Wide Web.

StreamGuys, a streaming media provider and content delivery network that has earned high marks in the broadcast industry for performance and reliability, offers the Reflector Service as a subscription service. Once signed up, users register their devices and make simple decisions regarding audio setup. The auto-configuration process enables communication between the server and the two devices to begin streaming live audio within minutes.

Individual stations, broadcasters and small networks that wish to host the service themselves can request the Reflector Service framework instead of using the hosted service option.