Live program streams to provide music enthusiasts with access to concerts across the globe

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, January 9, 2012 — Audio over IP pioneer Barix AG will bring the 2012 International Piano Festival to a global audience this year through the power of streaming media.

The International Piano Festival is a series of weekly piano concerts taking place from March 3 through April 7, 2012 at the historic 400-seat Teatro Miela in Trieste, Italy. The Association ‘Il Concerto, founded in 2007 to spread knowledge and love for music, hosts the annual event. Featured performers this year include internationally-known musicians Anna Fedorova, Natalia Morozova, Marcos Madrigal, Roberto Prosseda, Trio Maurice and the duo Chiara Soave-Cecilia Baccolo.

Barix will provide a complete Audio over IP solution to support the live audio streams originating from the theater. Listeners can access the streams at home or on the go at http://www.ilconcerto.eu/Il_Concerto/Live.html using desktop computers, smart phones, tablets and other web-accessible devices with audio reception.

The Association ‘Il Concerto cites broadcast-quality sound, flexibility and ease of use as key reasons for choosing Barix.

“Barix makes broadcasting applications dramatically simple,” said Riccardo Radivo, artistic director of the International Piano Festival. “In addition to supporting live streams in the theater, the Barix Audio over IP solution will enable listeners everywhere to hear the concerts on desktop computers, smart phones and other audio devices, expanding the vistas of the Association’s knowledge and love of music.”

The International Piano Festival audio feeds will originate from a front of house mixer in the theater. A Baix Exstreamer 1000 professional Audio over IP device will receive a balanced stereo signal from a mixer output, and encode the audio for distribution over a high-speed broadband connection. (A second stereo output from each mixer will connect to a digital recorder for live recording.)

Barix Instreamer firmware will encode the analog audio signals in the MPEG1 Layer III 48Khz format — the highest bit rate allowed for maximum audio quality. The broadband connection will transport the digital encoded signals to a remote Icecast server, which enables the live stream over fixed and mobile devices.

“Reflector” app delivers mobile monitoring to Barix Reflector Service customers

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, December 12, 2011 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP audio, control and monitoring, is launching its first, free iOS app for use on the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The new app, Reflector, is a mobile receiver for the Barix Reflector Service, allowing customers to monitor their audio streams on the go.

The Barix Reflector Service is typically used by radio broadcasters and service providers to stream audio between two or more points with tremendous ease of use. The service essentially offers IP streaming without the complexity of IP, simplifying the setup process for audio transport connections.

The Reflector app taps into the main Reflector Service audio feed to allow real-time listening and monitoring of contact closure status and network statistics. This gives broadcasters and service providers access to a wealth of information about their streams and channels from any location, following the ease of use concept.

The Reflector iOS application is now available through Apple’s iTunes store free of charge. Users simply download the app and register their mobile devices with the Reflector Service http://www.reflectorservice.com/ to begin monitoring audio feeds within seconds.

“The Barix Reflector Service is already ahead of the curve as something unique for the radio broadcast industry, making it simple to use IP for studio-to-transmitter links (STL) and remote contribution,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix. “The Reflector app just moves the bar a bit further, allowing broadcasters to listen and check streams from a common mobile device with trivial setup and at no cost.”

In a typical setup, 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. The service is hosted by StreamGuys, a streaming media provider and content delivery network that often works with Barix in radio broadcast streaming applications. More information can be found at http://www.barixreflector.com.

Bi-directional audio path also supports intercom communications

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, December 6, 2011 — Barix AG unveils its Annuncicom PS1 Paging Station at the ISE show in Amsterdam early next year (January 31-February 2, RAI Center, Booth 2E70). The compact, elegant device gives commercial businesses, office buildings, educational institutions, medical facilities and others a simple, fully-integrated hardware solution for paging and intercom over IP.

The PS1 features two backlit push-to-talk buttons, volume control and a built-in speaker and microphone, giving security guards, receptionists and other operators a simple way to make announcements to an entire facility. The device’s IP addressability enables a simple connection to the network, allowing systems integrators and end users to take advantage of existing infrastructure, reducing costs and equipment requirements. Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability further simplifies installation, requiring only a single cable to the device.

The PS1 can also merge with background music systems — ideal for retailers, restaurants, hotels, clubs and other entertainment venues that wish to break into a stream with announcements. Bi-directional capability enables intercom for facility-wide, two-way communications — taking the PS1 beyond a basic paging device for ski areas, university campuses and other large areas that require talkback capability.

Barix introduced its first master paging station, the Annuncicom PS16, in 2009 to support complex, multi-zone paging and intercom applications. The PS1 addresses market needs for a simple and reliable, yet elegant and affordable solution.

“Many Barix customers have reported the need for a simple, compact one-to-two button desktop paging station for universal use,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix. “Hospital and school receptionists, for example, can page doctors and teachers or make general announcements without a learning curve. Ease of use and reliability were of paramount importance in its design.”

The compact PS1 design accommodates wall-mount and desktop installations, with minimal real estate requirements. This makes the PS1 ideal for central offices and control rooms, as well as secondary rooms and remote points. A belt clip also enables mobility for those that need IP intercom on the move.

Existing Barix customers can easily integrate the PS1 with other Barix devices on a network, including Instreamer IP encoders, Exstreamer IP decoders and Annuncicom two-way IP devices — enabling a complete, customized Barix IP audio and control solution that meet the requirements of the facility.

We’re really excited to announce the first of many Apps to be coming your way, The Barix Reflector iPhone app is now available for download from the App Store!

The app enables Reflector customers to listen in to their station, check the status of all their registered devices, see stats for network performance and monitor the state of the encoder contact closures. Broadcast engineers on the go can stay informed!

Watch this blog for announcements of other Apps!

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.

Instreamer v3.17

http://www.barix.com/downloads/Instreamer_Standard_Firmware/1981/
– Mic audio input allows the FW to run on HW with Microphone input (e.g. Annuncicom)
– Use of DNS name in Streaming destination table (previously only numeric IP address)
– Support for Cisco Call Manager for Music on Hold applications

Streaming Client v2.24

http://www.barix.com/downloads/Streaming_Client_Firmware/1381/
– Triggered playback via metadata for Advert insertion controlled by the Broadcaster
– ASCII discovery for integration with ICgraph PC application
– Line-in support for the new Exstreamer 205, for local playback

SIP Client v1.12

http://www.barix.com/downloads/SIP_Client_Application/2331/
– Multicast socket for priority audio notification messaging, used for emergency and evacuation systems.

STL v2.12

http://www.barix.com/downloads/Studio_Transmitter_Link_STL_Application/2321/
– Mic audio input support for Annuncicom family devices
– SPDIF support for Instreamer HW
– Contact Input and Relay Output extension for Annuncicm1000

The Exstreamer 205, announced at the recent IBC trade show, is now in stock and available for order. Innovations on the device include a line level stereo input and a microSD card slot, making the Exstreamer 205 perfect for its Retail and Hospitality target markets.

Music from a hotel guest’s iPod or phone can be played, or the user can select a radio stream to listen to. In addition, the Exstreamer 205 listens on a priority channel which means that it can be built into a facility’s emergency communication infrastructure, keeping guests informed in case of any incident.

More information can be found at:  http://www.barix.com/Exstreamer_200_205/451/

The introduction of a SIP gateway is the most effective way to merge audio over IP distribution with an already established SIP-based phone system. This is most useful when you are directing background music, paging and public address to loud-speaker systems as opposed to simply routing phone calls.

IT Telephony Article

All,

as you  might have heard in the past, Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremen (awi) has been using Barix products (namely, Barionet and Instreamer) in a science mission (PALAOA) in antarctica since quite some years now. The Barionets are used for general control and power management, while the Instreamer is used to realtime encode audio from Hydrophones and stream to Neumeyerstation located in Antarctica as well.

There is a very nice, detailed paper available from the PALAOA website (link: here), explaining details and difficulties of the whole setup.

Here is another link to the story, this time in german, with more the scientific view, sound samples etc: PALAOA.

And here is a direct link to the live stream from Antarctica, encoded by a Barix Instreamer: http://icecast.awi.de:8000/PALAOA.MP3

One thing to notice .. Barionet and Instreamer, both standard “consumer temp range” Barix products, work flawlessly since years in the setup in Antarctica, being operated sometimes at -50’C, constantly (24/7) delivering control and monitoring of the station and an IP Audio feed of the hydrophone(s).

What works that reliably in this remote location under extreme conditions should do well for you too, ain’t it ?

Johannes

So, do not limit your imagination about where to use the Reflector Service to Broadcast, Studio Transmitter Links ! The service can universally be used where Audio needs to be reliably transported from “a” to “b” over the Internet, being it for contribution, commentary or STL in the Broadcast area, being it for remote surveillance, or being it to deliver Audio to a remote bus or train station … wherever you want to distribute Audio over the Internet, the Barix Reflector solves the mystery of IP and lets you focus on the important things of your business !

Johannes