Recent Work

Enhancements include scheduled channel switching, pre-recorded message playback, expanded failover and optional Wi-Fi network support

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, July 29, 2020 — Audio over IP leader Barix is announcing new upgrades for its cost-effective RetailPlayer multi-site background music streaming solution that enhance its versatility, bolster fault tolerance,and expand the network connectivity options for its hardware endpoints. New Wi-Fi support is complemented by extended scheduling and failover capabilities along with automated or manual playback of pre-recorded announcements.

Offering the latest background music delivery technology on the market, the scalable RetailPlayer solution lets retail, hospitality, and corporate customers easily and securely manage streamed music and messages across any number of locations over the internet. Robust hardware playout devices at the receiving sites feature advanced buffer technology for fast channel switching and resilience to varying internet performance. Meanwhile, the cloud-based or customer-hosted RetailPlayer Portal provides centralized configuration, management, status monitoring and stream switching through a web browser or mobile device.

New channel management functionality in the RetailPlayer Portal enables playout devices to automatically switch between multiple audio streams on custom-defined schedules. For each hardware endpoint, administrators can schedule programming across a week by defining a playlist of which stream can be heard at various times.

“This enables customers to easily accommodate varying visitor demographics at different times or to create different moods,” said Davide Nossa, Product Manager, Barix. “For example, a location may be frequented by different age groups in the evenings or on weekends than during weekdays, or they may want to create a relaxing ambience during the day but a party atmosphere at night. Users could already manually switch streams on individual hardware playersthrough their mobile devices, but now they can schedule it to happen automatically. They can also now adjust the volume of each channel to handle variance between sources.”

Another major update to the RetailPlayer system enables scheduled or manually triggered playout of file-based messages and announcements. Recorded audio files can be uploaded to the centralized RetailPlayer portal for automatic distribution to the local storage of specified endpoints. The messages can then be played out at scheduled times, repeatedly at a specified interval, or when triggered via assignable buttons in the mobile interface.

“A common use case would be announcing that a retail store is closing in 30 minutes,” explained Nossa. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also received requests to play recurring messages every few minutes to remind customers to maintain physical distancing. Manual triggering of recordings could be used for something as crucial as emergency notifications, or simply for visitor experiences such as playing a birthday song while a cake is delivered at a restaurant.”

The latest updates for RetailPlayer hardware endpoints also add support for an optional USB Wi-Fi adapter to existing wired Ethernet connectivity. Last but not least, a new USB failover feature automatically switches audio to a playlist of music files on a connected USB drive if the live audio stream is interrupted, complementing the existing ability to failover to an internally-stored playlist or alternative stream.

“Barix has earned its excellent reputation for listening closely to our customers, and many of our latest enhancements are in direct response to requests from integrators and end-users,” said Nossa. “These updates are another great example of how we are constantly adding features and innovating with RetailPlayer to keep it at the forefront of the market.”

RetailPlayer’s new Wi-Fi support, USB failover, scheduled channel switching, and volume management features are all available immediately, with file-based message playout slated for release in September. For more information about RetailPlayer, please visit www.barix.com/retailplayer.

Barix: We Move Audio (www.barix.com)

Barix supplies simple and reliable solutions and components to systems integrators and end users worldwide.  We move high-quality audio across IP networks, adding value to customer solutions for more than a decade with hundreds of thousands of devices installed worldwide.  Background music distribution with dynamic advertising insertion for retail shops, bars and hotels; public address solutions for schools and public spaces; and intercom and entry systems for facility surveillance, protection and security are among the many applications of Barix solutions.  Barix also supports OEM projects for a number of Global 500 listed companies serving many industries worldwide.

Cruzeiro will draw upon her diverse sales experience with collaboration software, as well as her experience in AV distribution, to strengthen Atlona’s visibility and market share in Canada

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 23, 2020 – With a focus on strategic planning and continued growth, AV collaboration and control leader Atlona has hired Christina Cruzeiro as Regional Sales Manager for Canada. Based in Toronto and reporting to Jamey Swigert, Director of AV Sales and Business Development, Cruzeiro is responsible for working with Atlona’s Canadian distributors and integrators, and expanding Atlona’s business across the country.

Cruzeiro’s AV industry experience took shape 10 years ago as a Sales Manager for New Toronto Group, where she led the company’s Adobe Connect Software product division for five years. She later introduced Microsoft Surface Hub version oneto resellers throughout Canada as Senior Channel Account Specialist for Ingram Micro.

Cruzeiro’s experience with web conferencing and collaboration software over those eight years provided a natural bridge to the AV industry as Business Development Manager for Stampede Presentation Products. Cruzeiro has since become a broader AV enthusiast, co-founding the Toronto AVIXA Women’s council for AV professionals. She continues to co-chair quarterly networking events for what has become Canada’s largest AV group.

Cruzeiro foresees a changing tide in the industry and is preparing to take on the challenges that come with major shifts. “The industry will accelerate its transition to BYOD strategies in collaborative office environments, and businesses will invest more in technology for home offices,” she said. “Our priority is to show how Atlona’s growing product line, notably the Omega collaboration product series and Velocity IP-based AV control, can help our integration partners build all-in-one solutions for end customers.”

“Christina brings strong enthusiasm and a successful track record of introducing businesses to emerging technologies that change the way people work,” said Swigert. “We are fortunate to have her represent Atlona across the diverse provinces and territories of Canada and look forward to having her on our growing global team of sales and business development professionals.”

About Atlona

Atlona, a Panduit company, is a leading global manufacturer of AV over IP distribution, connectivity, and control solutions. The company designs and engineers innovative, award-winning products for a diverse range of residential and commercial AV and IT markets. Backed by an award-winning 10-year warranty, Atlona’s products are developed to enable our customers’ ability to connect and collaborate with simplicity. More information about Atlona is available at atlona.com.

About Panduit

Global connectivity leader Panduit Corp. creates innovative electrical and network infrastructure solutions for applications across the enterprise. Headquartered in Tinley Park, Ill. and operating in 112 worldwide locations, Panduit’s technology leadership and robust ecosystem help support, sustain, and empower business growth in a connected world. panduit.com

Aloha means hello and goodbye: Dielectric welcomes longtime RF sales expert John Macdonald as Federico d’Avis transitions to part-time role

RAYMOND, Maine, July 22, 2020 — Dielectric announces the retirement of Federico d’Avis from his full-time International Sales Director position, capping a successful multi-decade career in RF and microwave sales. Federico will remain with Dielectric as a part-time consultant as the company welcomes John Macdonald to the role he vacates.

Federico was responsible for Dielectric’s growth in the CALA region and Canada over 12 years with the company. He substantially raised Dielectric’s visibility and market share in these regions, and was responsible for the company’s largest regional projects. He also built partnerships in many countries that helped Dielectric get closer to its customers. This notably includes Brazil, where he established local manufacturing agreements to eliminate high import expenses, and minimize RF and antenna costs for Brazil’s broadcasters.

Federico’s sales achievements include complete RF and antenna systems for TV Azteca’s national ATSC DTV network in Mexico; an 8-channel FM radio antenna and dual-manifold combiner for CRP Medios y Entretenimiento in Peru; and multiple TV channel relocation projects for Canada’s recent DTV Allotment Plan, which reconfigured the 600 MHz band.

Federico joined Dielectric in 2009 after spending nearly two decades in microwave antenna sales with Gabriel Electronics and Radio Waves, covering the CALA region. Each company’s specialization in antenna systems made the transition to Dielectric a natural career step. Federico looks forward to spending more time with his grandkids and hitting the bicycle trails, though he is excited to remain with Dielectric part-time. He will continue to communicate with his Dielectric colleagues and advise on key projects, and assist with John Macdonald’s onboarding process.

“This was precisely the right time to slow down,” said d’Avis. “Dielectric is a special company in many ways, but the quality of their products, the company leadership, and the talented staff made my 12 years here unlike any other professional experience. I’ll miss seeing my customers and traveling to the countries where I spent my career. I do very much look forward to more downtime and enjoying the fruits of my career-long efforts.”

John Macdonald is no stranger to the broadcast industry, having spent more than 30 years with Broadcast Electronics, Thomcast, and most recently Nautel. His entire career to date has emphasized sales and support of over-the-air transmission systems in global markets including the CALA region, which made him the ideal candidate to fill Federico’s shoes. John will report to Jay Martin, Vice President of Sales, Dielectric, effective August 3rd.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Federico since 2015 and it has been a privilege,” said Martin. “His passion radiates whether meeting with customers or discussing grandchildren. He established many close industry relationships, and is a strong advocate for Dielectric and our customers. Federico’s caring, compassionate attitude is what makes him such an amazing person, and his presence will be sorely missed. Thank you Federico, and enjoy!”

“It has been a pleasure to work, travel, and get to know Federico over the past 12 years,” said Keith Pelletier, Vice President and General Manager, Dielectric. “He is a man of integrity, and we could always count on him to carry the Dielectric flag in his markets. He built enduring relationships and landed several large and unique jobs in his territory. The world would certainly be a better place if it had more people like Federico.  It will be tough to see him go, but we are encouraged by knowing he will spend more time with his wife Melanie and his family, as he deserves.”

“With Federico’s departure, we are very excited to welcome John Macdonald to the company,” adds Pelletier. “His track record of sales success, depth of transmission expertise, multilingual fluency, and strong relationships and experience in the CALA region will allow him to build on the foundation that Federico leaves behind.”

About Dielectric

Based in Raymond, Maine, Dielectric LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Dielectric is a leading provider of innovative broadcast products. Now celebrating its 78th year of operation, the company builds and delivers antennas and RF systems optimized for every TV and FM radio broadcast need since 1942. Dielectric is an innovative, customer-centric organization with a long history of engineering excellence in designing and manufacturing high-quality broadcast solutions. As a trust partner of broadcasters worldwide, Dielectric maintains its legacy of advanced, precision RF solutions while building in features that prepare broadcasters for the future. More information can be accessed at www.dielectric.com

Secure integration with Wasabi Cloud storage, enhanced visibility into QoS/QoE performance, and detailed on-demand reporting among new features and benefits

MELBOURNE, Florida, July 20, 2020 — Qligent, an innovative provider of cloud-based media delivery quality assurance solutions, has released version 3.10 of its flagship Vision software for media monitoring and analysis. Free to existing customers with a valid support contract and running on the Linux CentOS platform, Vision v3.10 enables full integration with Wasabi’s Cloud platform for agnostic video, audio, and data storage and retention. Vision v3.10 also strengthens software security, improves measurement, and more efficiently communicates performance through scheduled reports.

Qligent Vision is a software-based solution that combines intelligent architecture, intuitive display, and limitless scalability for the monitoringand analysis of media service delivery. Available as an on-premises, cloud-native or cloud-hybrid solution, Vision provides a true picture of media performance across multiple delivery platforms out to the last mile, with actionable insights across QoS, QoE and regulatory compliance.

Qligent began partnering with Wasabi for cloud storage last year on select projects to offer customers a lower cost, cloud provider-agnostic alternative to expensive proprietary cloud storage platforms. Vision’s enhanced security features are now fully compliant with Wasabi’s enterprise-class cloud environments, allowing all Qligent customers to leverage Wasabi’s low data storage costs, fast performance (uploads and downloads), unlimited capacity, and redundant infrastructure.

The latest Vision software release also strengthens stream measurement for cable and telco customers. Vision customers in these markets can now scramble each sub-stream, or elementary stream, within each transport stream at the physical layer. This provides greater insight into QoS monitoring for the video, audio and data encoded within each elementary stream moving through the headend.

Qligent has also unlocked broader access to on-demand reports, allowing all Vision customers to schedule enhanced reports detailing media performance at specific times. The reports leverage Vision’s real-time data inherent analysis capabilities to gather specific performance information and generate detailed reports for presentation on Vision’s customizable, centralized dashboard.

“Our latest Vision release provides value for all of our customers seeking to accelerate their transition to cloud by offering a lower cost, highly secure and infinitely scalable storage and management platform,” said Lang Cooksey, Product Manager, Qligent. “We are also excited about Vision’s new innovations that provide greater visibility into performance, whether a content distributor seeking to strengthen its QoE monitoring reach, a service provide seeking better penetration and visibility into the physical transport layer, or an operations manager looking to better understand the health of their media streams and network performance.”

Available immediately, existing customers can reach out to support@qligent.com to schedule Vision upgrades, while new customers can contact sales@qligent.com for a Vision demo or purchasing inquiries.

ABOUT Qligent

Qligent provides complete monitoring, visualization and delivery analytics solutions for broadcasters, content distributors, ad agencies, regulators and network operators. Based in Melbourne, Florida, Qligent’s software-defined approach provides an open, vendor-agnostic platform to monitor performance, integrity and compliance of multiple signals, streams and systems across enterprises of any size. Its solutions provide the same consistent quality of content and service across multiple delivery platforms simultaneously.

Quality, ease of use and feature richness of SK-UHD4000 cameras improve experiential learning while helping attract new students to program

Woodbury, NY, July 15, 2020 — At North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, N.C., the mission of the Department of Mass Communication’s NCCU TV Studio is to train students in the professional world of visual broadcast production through engaging instruction and critical hands-on experience. Renovating the studio with new state-of-the-art equipment, the university purchased three SK-UHD4000 Ultra HD cameras from Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, Ltd. (Hitachi Kokusai) to provide high-quality, future-proof video acquisition.

For more than 100 years, NCCU has embodied a strong tradition of teaching, research, and service while preparing students to become global leaders and practitioners who transform communities. At the NCCU TV Studio, students learn experientially while producing, scripting, directing and editing productions that reflect the NCCU community. Looking to step up from legacy standard-definition equipment as part of the overhaul, the TV Studio took a forward-looking approach to selecting new cameras.

“We want to give our students hands-on experience on professional equipment like studios and TV stations in the area use, so they already know how to use it when they go out into the working world,” said  Felecia Casey-Hicks, NCCU TV Studio Manager. “Our leadership wanted to get the best possible cameras when we had Title III funding available, so we wouldn’t need to upgrade again a few years later. While we’re working in 1080p HD today, we chose 4K cameras so we’re ready to roll into Ultra HD when the time comes.”

Systems integrator Digital Video Group recommended Hitachi cameras to Casey-Hicks, and she agreed they would be a good fit. “The SK-UHD4000s seemed like they would give us very good bang for our buck, and Hitachi cameras are also a wise choice as far as their quality and reputation are concerned,” she explained. “Our Hitachi Kokusai representative was very knowledgeable and took the time to show me advanced capabilities I didn’t even know today’s cameras had.”

Students began working with the new Hitachi cameras in February 2019, and the renovated NCCU TV Studio officially opened with a formal ceremony in April. Deployed in the studio on Vinten Osprey Light pedestals, the SK-UHD4000s are used on productions including soap operas, newscasts, public affairs shows and special programming such as recent Black History spots. Other university departments also make use of the studio, with broadcast curriculum students running the equipment for them.

Casey-Hicks appreciates the visual quality enabled by the cameras, while noting that it has forced them to pay more attention to surrounding details. “The quality is amazing, and the cameras can show everything – even things I might prefer not be seen,” she laughed. “We have a large-screen monitor in the TV Studio lobby that we route our signal to, and the results look very professional. People are impressed, and it draws them into our studio to see what’s going on, which is great for our program.”

The Hitachi cameras’ short learning curve has also proven beneficial educationally, allowing students to master operation while still concentrating on the creative side of production. “We’re more concerned about the students being able to frame a shot, do a smooth zoom, do a trucking shot, and so forth than spending a lot of time to teach them camera buttons,” explained Casey-Hicks. “The ease of use of the SK-HD4000s is very good, so once they are focused and white balanced, the students don’t need to worry about anything but learning their craft.”

From a feature perspective, Casey-Hicks notes the cameras’ flexible focus assist functions as particular favorites. “The SK-UHD4000 has multiple ways of telling when you’re in focus, from a color that highlights the in-focus area to an enlarged focus assist box,” she said. “I can have students use a different method on each of the three cameras for instructional purposes.”

Overall, the SK-UHD4000 cameras are not only helping the school enhance student learning, but are also attracting more students to the program. “Just the fact we have these state-of-the-art cameras, people want to come in here and learn,” said Casey-Hicks. “The students are very excited, and some of our first group of students that used the cameras last year came back this past semester to help train the next students behind them. If they’re learning well enough to subsequently teach somebody else, then we’re doing our jobs right – and the Hitachi cameras are a big part of that.”

About North Carolina Central University

North Carolina Central University, located in Durham, N.C., prepares students to succeed in the global marketplace. Consistently ranked as a top Historically Black College or University, NCCU offers flagship programs in the sciences, education, law, business, nursing and the arts. Founded in 1910, NCCU remains committed to diversity in and access to higher education. Our alumni excel in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. Visit www.nccu.edu.

About Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.

Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a company that manufactures broadcasting systems, security and surveillance systems, wireless communications and information systems. Fiscal 2018 (ended March 31, 2019) sales totaled 85,932 million Yen. For more information on Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc., please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi-kokusai.co.jp/global/en/index.html.

https://www.hitachikokusai.com/