Barix IP Audio devices are an excellent solution when it comes to special SIP interfacing applications. Being it an audio monitoring application, where a call should be placed if a microphone picks up sounds above a certain threshold, or a SIP door station – the standard SIP application, which can be loaded on all Annuncicom and Exstreamer devices, serves well.

But do you know that you can also use a Barix device as a SIP gateway to traditional, multizone paging systems ?

How do you then select a zone ?

The SIP firmware can control local relays on the device, if existing (Exstreamer 500, for example, offers 4 relays). These can be commanded in the SIP call by means of standard signalling (SIP Info and RFC2833). Many IP PBX’es also allow you to send specific commands when you initiate a call, this is the perfect time to select a zone automatically.

The Barix wiki contains a nice article describing the exact configuration necessary of an Asterisk instance to offer the luxury of direct zone selection by extension. If done this way, a user of the phone system can just dial one of a selection of extensions, and the Barix SIP Gateway (actually, an Exstreamer 500 or Annuncicom 1000 device) will select the specific zone(s) to page to automatically, based on the actual extension called.
Here is a link to the general overview of how this is done: SIP Paging

And here is the article detailing the bits and pieces on how to configure Asterisk to directly control the relays from SIP

Greetings !

Johannes

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, October 21, 2010 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio, intercom, control, and monitoring, announces that more than 1000 Barix Audio over IP devices were used for contribution, distribution and monitoring of live broadcast audio for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games, held from October 3-14, were considered the largest multi-sport event staged in India.  More than 6,000 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 disciplines.  Host broadcaster Prasat Bharathi, India’s largest public broadcaster, produced the official “International Signal” live from 12 competition venues.

Prasat Bharathi contracted Mahanahar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), a telecom service provider and the largest provider of broadband services in Delhi, to install and operate a redundant fiber network from all 12 venues to the International Broadcast Center (IBC), transporting IP audio over MPLS.  The IBC managed and delivered more than 40 contribution and 250 coordination feeds to and from the venues, and served as the origination point for broadcast signals delivered globally to rights holders.

Barix Exstreamer 1000 professional IP encoding/decoding devices were the core audio transport solutions, with special firmware from Barix to deliver very low-latency audio (between 20-30 milliseconds of delay).  Redundant pairs of Exstreamer 1000 devices contributed live sports commentary and broadcast-quality event audio from each venue to the IBC.  Many broadcast facilities receiving live feeds from the IBC used Barix Exstreamer devices to receive and decode the program audio.

MTNL, using Barix IP audio and CISCO network components, established an IP network that exceeded the performance levels of traditional telephone links, and met the signal quality requirements of all broadcast partners.  Barix IP devices additionally provided SNMP traps that allowed personnel to monitor the links from the MTNL network center at the company’s operational headquarters.

Mr. Jidendra Garg, Deputy General Manager of MNTL, recognized the success of the IP network, noting feedback from home broadcasters and rights holders that indicated high channel availability, reliable bilateral audio feeds, and superior quality of the coordination circuits.  He opined that the IP coordination circuits provided bandwidth capacity equal to the IP contribution circuits — not possible with traditional links.

Garg also observed that the production partner, SIS Live; and GTV, the official broadcasting partner to Prasar Bharathi, were very satisfied with the Audio over IP delivery achieved through Barix. He expressed appreciation over the high level of professional support that Barix and systems integration partners HCL Infosystems and BNA Technology Consulting offered through the duration of the event.

Senior officials from Prasar Bharathi expressed similar views, appreciating “the team efforts of the technology providers and the systems integrators for their efforts in making the Audio over IP delivery platform a grand success.”

Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO of Barix AG, expressed gratitude at the opportunity to show the world the value of using cost-effective, feature-rich Barix Audio over IP devices for contribution and distribution of broadcast-quality program audio; and the reliability of Barix devices for live broadcast events and network monitoring.

“We appreciated the opportunity to deploy more than 1000 Barix IP devices for the Commonwealth Games, which flawlessly distributed live broadcast audio from the venues to the world,” said Rietschel.  “We are proud to have delivered ‘incident-free’ performance for the 12-day event at an affordable cost, working in a fully-redundant link model in cooperation with the region’s leading broadcast, production, telecom and integration companies.”

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.

Company will also showcase new Exstreamer 500 IP Audio device for radio broadcast program transport

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, October 19, 2010 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio, intercom, control, and monitoring, will bring its latest innovations for the radio broadcast industry to Broadcast India (October 21-23, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Booth E.510). The company will introduce a new time reference accessory for applications such as broadcast, in-store audio and IP-based data collection, while also showcasing its latest hardware and device firmware.

“For many years, Barix Audio over IP solutions have given broadcasters affordable and reliable options to deliver program audio and associated data between studios and transmission points,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix AG. “Our latest offering gives broadcasters using Barix devices more options in the way they configure their IP Audio links. Meanwhile, Barix continues to grow its product portfolio with new IP Audio hardware devices and associated accessories, such as our new RTC Dongle to be introduced at Broadcast India.”

RTC Dongle

The Barix RTC Dongle is a real-time clock accessory that provides a consistent time reference for embedded devices and control equipment. Thought to be the only product of its kind, the RTC Dongle attaches to any device, Barix or otherwise, that offers an RS232 serial port. The RTC Dongle keeps time for up to three days without power, and requires no batteries — eliminating service requirements. This allows connected devices to immediately retrieve accurate time information after returning to power, with immediate start-up for time-dependent applications such as firing station IDs, jingles and other scheduled events.

“The RTC Dongle fills a gap in the market where we could not find a device with similar functionality,” said Rietschel. “In a Barix IP Audio system, the device is only needed in cases where Barix devices are used offline or have no network connectivity when information is needed. Once set, the device will maintain time on its own, bridging periods of power loss.”

The RTC Dongle keeps time in the Unix format (seconds) with 32-bit resolution. The device has minimum charge requirements, operating with a “gold cap” of high capacity to store the necessary energy for two-to-three days of operation.

Exstreamer 500 Device and IP Audio Firmware

Barix will also display its recently introduced, cost-effective Exstreamer 500 IP audio device built specifically for radio broadcasters. The Exstreamer 500 is a one-half, 19-inch rack mount solution with encoding and decoding capability. Now shipping, it is essentially a lower-cost version of its high-end sibling, the Exstreamer 1000, 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 demonstrate its 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 Exstreamer 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. Applications supported through the new firmware include directed or unidirectional microwave-carried STL IP, remote contribution, and low-bandwidth internet streaming.

Barix has included the Reflector Service client into 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 multiple devices. Exstreamer 500 and 1000 customers 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 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.

NASA will stream the radio traffic of the full Apollo 11 mission – exactly 40 years later. And your Barix Exstreamer is an ideal playback device to hear that important piece of history – including the most famous words :). The stream has started already, here is the direct link you can put into your Exstreamer (use the Streaming Client Firmware with WMA playback capability):

mms://a828.l7713156827.c77131.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/828/77131/v0001/reflector:56827

The mission will end July 24th – and the great famous words will be hearable at 04:56 European Summer Time (MESZ – but no warranty i got this right !) Here is the NASA webpage for reference:  http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/apollo11_radio. Unfortunately, Barix with its reliable Audio over IP technolgies has not been around in 1969, otherwise, i bet the products would have been used in the mission 🙂

Johannes

It took some time, but now – finally – the Ethersound implementation in the Barix devices is ready for prime time !

Barix was able to implement the ES100/Spkr variant (output only, no daisy chaining), which integrates perfectly within an Ethersound system, in Software.

The Functionality is useable in all Exstreamer and Annuncicom products, so you now have a wide choice of interfaces from Ethersound to amplifiers, direct to speakers, AES/EBU …. everything Barix can offer !

Very low delay (much less than 10ms with Exstreamer 1000), 2 independent channels per device which can be configured and dynamically controlled to output any of the 64 Ethersound Channels, and a very affordable solution are the key reasons for using Barix devices in an Ethersound installation.
And, of course, the same device can also be used for standard IP Audio distribution (but not at the same time, Ethersound needs exclusivity of the network).
If you want dynamic channel selection, you can combine the Exstreamer with an IR remote control or the VSC – volume source control.

The first customer project has been successfully installed and announced: Barix Ethersound installation

Typical applications include

– audience speaker interface in theaters, dance floors, stadiums
– listening stations in dressing rooms in theatres
– Ethersound based transportation audio systems – speakers
– Retrieve an Ethersound audio channel/signal and feed into an IP network (2 Barix devices back to back)

Please contact Barix for any questions !

Johannes

read more on the Barix wiki – here is the direct link to the Ethersound page: Barix Wiki