Exstreamer P5 connects traditional speakers to IP Audio and SIP phone systems; design enables operation in high-temperature environments

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, November 11, 2010 — Barix AG is preparing to unveil its latest Audio over IP innovation at the InfoComm Asia show this month (November 17-19, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Booth 4B09).  The show marks the world debut of the Exstreamer P5, the company’s solution for IP Speaker applications.   It extends the popular Barix Exstreamer product range into new environments for end users and systems integrators.

The Exstreamer P5 is an all-in-one solution for SIP and hi-fidelity Audio over IP distribution, supporting universal IP standards including TCP/IP, RTP, SIP, Multicast and Ethersound.  The amplified device directly connects any 8-ohm speaker to an IP or Ethersound network.  It enables zoning applications for multi-speaker systems, and allows individual local/remote channel selection and volume control.  The Exstreamer P5 also operates reliably in high-temperature environments.

These features, along with exceptional, hi-fidelity audio quality and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) support, make the Exstreamer P5 the perfect choice for overhead/ceiling speaker systems.  Applications include:
Hospitality, including general and in-room systems for hotels, venues and cruise ships
In-store audio systems for retail stores, restaurants and other businesses
Background music and paging systems for office buildings and corporate facilities
Security applications, including PA playback points and SIP-based notification

The Exstreamer P5 connects to any 8-ohm speaker, in contrast to “IP Speaker” solutions where the system integrator is limited to certain speakers.  This gives integrators and end users the freedom and versatility to permanently install the Exstreamer P5 in diverse situations, including legacy upgrades.

“The first OEM project will incorporate Exstreamer P5 electronics into hundreds of ‘listening boxes’ throughout a performing arts center in northern Europe, giving the cast, crew and personnel the ability to monitor performances, adjust local volume levels and mute the audio by zone,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix AG.  “This is an ideal example of using the Exstreamer P5 for low-latency, high-audio-quality streaming to IP speakers.  The built-in 5W RMS amplifier exceeds the typical 1-to-3W requirements of IP speakers, providing plenty of signal power.  And the local interface for an infrared (IR) receiver or volume/source control provides more benefits for the user.

“For general applications, the biggest benefits are low-cost and flexibility, as the Exstreamer P5 does not lock integrators and users into a limited range of speaker choices,” continued Rietschel.  “You can IP-enable almost any speaker with this device, and take advantage of its PoE capability to simplify deployments.”

The Exstreamer P5 borrows design innovations, including PoE support and high-efficiency class D audio amplification from the Barix Annuncicom range of two-way IP audio devices.  Its reliable operation in warm installation points, ruggedized case and simplified mounting options draw inspiration from the recently-introduced Annuncicom 155 for the transportation industry.  The device can operate in temperature ranges of 32 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 55 Celsius) and withstand storage conditions to 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 Celsius).

The Exstreamer P5 begins shipping worldwide at the end of January 2011. A limited amount of samples are available now.

All Barix products are inexpensive, low-power devices that are scalable to the growth of the operation offer high reliability through a PC-FREE design with no moving parts; and serve as a flexible platform for integration into virtually and operation requiring audio transport and delivery over IP networks.  Barix also offers its programmable BCL standard open to all customers to easily customize applications for specific needs.  Local control, audio relay and low-latency streaming are a few examples of custom programs using Barix’ BCL software environment.

We are exhibiting in hall 3, booth 611, and will be happy to show you the latest innovations in Audio over IP and the use of our products in the security industry !

First one mentioning this blog enty will get a nice coffee of choice.

Greetings !

Johannes

Innotrans 2010 Outside Exhibits

A Barix OEM Product could be spotted at Innotrans in the Goldenpass panoramic carriage in the outside exhibition area.

Goldenpass Carriage, Innotrans

The product, called “Annuncicom VME”, is effectively an Annuncicom in a VME card form factor, which fits in a common 19” VME rack and draws the power from the backplane. It features a ruggedized design, able to be compliant with EN50155, -40..+70’C temp range etc, with balanced audio, 2 RS-485 interfaces and digital I/O.

Goldenpass Carriage, Inside view

The Annuncicom VME is used by Railtec Systems GmbH in various projects as part of their Passenger Information Systems (IP based PIS). It is already the seccond product from Barix which is compliant with EN50155.

Hmm, in here:

In here .. which one is it ??

Being an OEM product, the Annuncicom VME is not available to the general market, if you have projects where you think this product can be of use, please contact me.

Johannes

the Annuncicom VME card

Hi,

we are currently exhibiting at Innotrans in Berlin, Hall 4.1 – swing by to check out our offering, and the first one referring to this blog entry, approaching us at the booth, will be treated with a coffee 🙂

The favorite for our visitors is the brand-new Annuncicom 155, the first Barix Audio over IP product which is EN50155 compliant and thus fulfills the stringent requirements for on-board equipment in trains, busses, vessels. With IP65 rating and -40… +70’C operating range, it is also suitable for outdoor installations, bus stations etc. A great product for IP Audio call boxes too, especially when used with the SIP firmware …
Here’s a pic of our booth.

Greetings

Johannes

Barix Booth at Innotrans

Montreux-Oberland-Bernois (MOB) Railways (MOB Railways) invests in a modern passenger information system based on the new Barix Annuncicom 155 device

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, September 8, 2010 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio transmission, intercom, control and monitoring, announces that Montreux-Oberland-Bernois Railways in Switzerland will become the first customer of the new Barix Annuncicom 155, a networked Audio over IP device specially designed for harsh everyday operation on railways, buses and ships.  Barix partner Railtec Systems GmbH will exhibit a new panorama carriage with the device on the open-air grounds at the Innotrans show in Berlin, Germany (Stand FGSUED/FC/10), taking place September 21-24 at the Messe Berlin Exhibition Centre.

Railtec Systems, based in Switzerland, is currently outfitting 14 locomotives and railcars and about 60 passenger carriages operated by MOB Railways with networked Annuncicom 155 devices.  The devices are integral to the configuration of MOB Railways’ pioneering passenger information and announcement system.  The Annuncicom 155 is responsible for the bidirectional exchange of live announcements as well as priority, monitoring and control information over a TCP/IP network.

“The Annuncicom 155 is a very robust, flexible Audio over IP device and fits perfectly into our information systems,” said Lorenz Trachsel, Managing Director of Railtec Systems.

In Railtec’s system concept, the Annuncicom 155 components will typically be used for informational and emergency two-way communication between a passenger and a train conductor or guard.  In the case of an emergency call, the Annuncicom 155 can open a two-way channel with an external destination only accessible via radio transmission.

The system can also assume the functions of a public address system in addition to the intercom function.  It enables live and pre-recorded announcements, in manual or automatic mode.  Possibilities include selective announcements in individual zones or to groups of devices; or all-call announcements broadcast to all connected systems.

According to Trachsel, the zone-splitting function is of particular significance to MOB Railways.   “The ‘Golden Pass Services’ route is very scenic and attractive, and MOB Railways offers a very diverse range of services for tourists,” he said.  “With selective announcements, systems configured by Railtec enable the relay of commentary to travel groups as they pass by the mountain panorama.  This is an ideal feature as the 4,000-meter peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains are on this route.”  Pre-stored texts can also be retrieved using GPS, enabling specific and automatic commentary to be provided on particularly scenic places of interest.

The Annuncicom 155 also demonstrates flexibility in preserving the corporate identity of customers, as the operator buttons and intercom panels can be designed in accordance with customer requirements.  In terms of control, the system offers a broad level of adaptability to the tasks at hand.

“We can program Barix devices ourselves, enabling perfect tailoring to customer requirements,” said Carmelo Dimotta, Project Leader at Railtec Systems. “Crucial in our decision in choosing Barix was the fact that we can monitor all inputs and outputs in the system.  Every Annuncicom 155 also checks continually for short circuits and line breaks.  These readings are displayed in the locomotive or control car, providing the train conductor with a continuous overview of system status.  In addition, prioritizing of announcements is programmable, giving automatic priority to safety announcements.  The systems are certified for emergency calls through this level of safety.”

The first installations were delivered to MOB Railways in August 2010.  Most of the carriages have been in service for years and have been or will be upgraded to support Audio over IP.  Some new carriages are being ordered and outfitted as comfortable panorama carriages.

Please also visit Barix at Stand 216 in Hall 4.1 and Railtec Systems at Stand 210, Hall 2.2.

Company ships latest Exstreamer device, introduces new firmware for IP Audio links

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, September 1, 2010 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio, intercom, control, and monitoring, continues to innovate for the radio broadcast industry.  The company will showcase its latest hardware and device firmware at IBC 2010 (Booth 8.B16, RAI Exhibition Center, Amsterdam, September 10-14), giving broadcasters more options in the way they use Barix for delivery of program audio between studios and transmission points.

Now shipping, Barix will display its Exstreamer 500 IP audio decoder to international audiences for the first time at IBC.  The Exstreamer 500 is a professional Audio over IP hardware device designed specifically for radio broadcasters, offering a one-half, 19-inch rack mount solution with encoding and decoding capability.  It is essentially a lower-cost version of its high-end device, the Exstreamer 1000, while retaining important features like balanced inputs and outputs and contact closure interfaces.  Broadcasters can purchase the Exstreamer 500 through the Barix global network of established broadcast distributors, accessible at www.barix.com.

Barix will also introduce new easy-to-configure device firmware that provides more technical options and functionality for program audio transport.  The new “STL software package,” pre-loaded onto new 500 and 1000 devices, is also available as a free update at the Barix website and can be loaded onto all existing Barix Instreamer encoders and Exstreamer decoders.  This enables new features including full-duplex audio transport (48kHz sample rate PCM, full-duplex devices only) and trap-based alarming, while reducing external hardware requirements previous necessary for such enhancements.

“The new universal, feature-filled Barix software is a fully configurable application that fits well into many different scenarios a broadcaster may have for program audio transport, such as directed or unidirectional microwave-carried IP, remote contribution, and internet-based low-bandwidth applications,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix AG.  “Through manual fine-tuning of the software, we offer many of the professional features that broadcasters rely on for high-quality audio transport between locations.  This, along with quick set-up, is especially ideal for Exstreamer 1000 users that want more freedom to configure various options onto their devices.”

Barix has included the Reflector Service client on the same software load.  This previously announced service simplifies connections for broadcasters via a plug-and-play scenario.  The Reflector Service completely removes any need for user configuration:  The hosted application serves as an online center to configure and monitor the audio transport bridge while also providing a straightforward relay of the audio feed, enabling almost immediate audio streaming between two devices.  Users of the STL software package can switch between the new STL software (the default on Exstreamer 1000) and the Reflector client (default on Exstreamer 500) via web browser.

All Barix products are inexpensive, low-power devices that are scalable to the growth of the operation; offer high reliability through a PC-FREE design with no moving parts; and serve as a flexible platform for integration into virtually any operation requiring audio transport and delivery over IP networks.   Barix also offers its programmable BCL standard open to all customers to easily customize applications for specific needs.  Local control, audio relay, and low-latency streaming are a few examples of custom programs using Barix’ BCL software environment.

Hi, the Mass Transit Magazine published a nice article about the use of Barix IP Audio devices in a passenger information system, to be installed statewide in New Jersey. Read the article here:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=11301

Greetings

Johannes

First day of ISE today – Barix is on site, showcasing the complete product portfolio of Audio over IP and IP control applications, including the new IO device server “Barionet 50”.

Visit us at the booth, mention this blog post to Marcel or myself and get invited for a Coffee !

Johannes

Have you ever wished you could listen to Internet Radio in your car, send a live audio feed from anywhere to your studio, or have a mobile paging/intercom station for your Barix based campus emergency paging system ?

Well, this is now all possible and actually quite easy to achieve. The little gadget you need is called a “wireless access router or “3G Wireless router” or similar. Such devices are made by various manufacturers, and they typically allow you to connect Ethernet or Wireless, IP based devices to the internet via a mobile broadband connection.

Achievable data rates of course vary, depending on the technology, provider used, contract etc. Barix Audio devices support, depending on the model, various Audio Codecs, and with a modern 3G or 3.5G network connection, which you now get in many cities and areas of Europe, you can perfectly stream CD quality, stereo audio to a studio.
The typical CDMA or EVDO based networks, common in the US, are quite a bit slower (similar to EDGE in Europe, which you get almost everywhere now), but even these are quite suitable for audio streaming.

You can find a bit more information and one device suggestion on our wiki.

As you probably have seen, Barix is supporting SIP since about 15 months now. A complete SIP stack and application, which is provided in source form, is in the Barix ABCL kit.

While requirements for an Audio over IP and a Voice over IP (VoIP) system are typically quite different, the Barix solution can serve both!

The SIP application can be used for emergency call posts on Annuncicoms (full duplex communication, initiated by a button press from a user), but also for output only applications, such as Paging speakers or interfaces to existing PA systems. In that case, the application supports multicast and also Auto Answer.

For use in Parking Systems or door access control, the built-in relay of an Annuncicom can be controlled via SIP Info.

So – where comes Audio over IP in place ?

Supporting MP3, AACplus, Ogg Vorbis and WMA (select hardware), the devices provide excellent capabilities for IP Audio distribution.

We are working on integrating both the Audio and Intercom/Voice/Paging functionality into one single application, when available, this will allow you to
do IP Audio distribution in high quality (for example, in Hotels, Cruise ships etc), yet, at the same time, have the device register as a VoIP “phone extension” on an IP based phone system.

For the Audio over IP functionality, the high quality music encoding can be used, and the devices automatically switch over to VoIP codecs when such functionality is required.

An alternative is to use one Barix device as a SIP gateway, allowing easy paging zone selection via “DTMF” (actually, SIP Info): The advantage here is that only one extension is used, which could save license cost on the PBX, and also enable synchronous paging on multiple devices via Multicast, which is not supported by many VoIP PBX’es so far.

A third option, available now, is the use of Bell Commander from Acrovista , a partner. It provides the same functionality on a PC, with an extensive Bell Scheduling and PC based Paging solution.