Recent Work

Ascent provides up to 32 channels of AES3, Analog and AES67 channels in two form factors, and is the industry’s first audio codec to support Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) protocol for reliability and security

CINCINNATI, March 7, 2019 — GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, will unveil Intraplex® Ascent, a scalable, multichannel Audio over IP transport solution that addresses the convergence of broadcast operations with IT infrastructure. Introduced as a technology demonstration at IBC in September, the 2019 NAB Show marks the official introduction of the complete working solution.

Ascent offers a direct connection to traditional digital and analog audio interfaces, and is compliant with both the AES67 standard and today’s leading AoIP networking solutions (Ravenna, LiveWire+ and Dante). Ascent is available in two form factors: a 1RU server, with configurable options for physical and AES67 channels; and a software-only solution that operates in a virtualized container. Both versions support up to 32 audio channels (AES3, AES67, analog) and are interoperable with most Intraplex Audio over IP codecs. GatesAir will demonstrate each at its NAB booth (N3303) from April 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The software-defined innovation is GatesAir’s first Intraplex system to live on a COTS x86 server, and provides broadcasters with a highly scalable, redundant and cloud-based transport platform for multichannel contribution and distribution. The platform streamlines installation and management by removing the need for many separate codecs and auxiliary hardware components, freeing multiple equipment racks in enterprise-level facilities.

Ascent adds further value by allowing users to manage many Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) streams on a centralized platform – an industry-first in Audio over IP networking for broadcasters. SRT is a low-latency open source media streaming protocol which provides packet encryption and re-transmission capabilities for reliability and security. To further strengthen stream robustness and reliability, Ascent integrates Dynamic Stream Splicing (DSS), an Intraplex technology that diversifies SRT data across redundant networks. The addition of DSS to SRT will add protection against certain types of packet losses and complete network failures.

“Audio over IP has become a widely accepted technology, with a growing number of hardware and software solutions for broadcasters to choose from,” said Keyur Parikh, Vice President and General Manager, Intraplex Product Line. “As an early innovator of Audio over IP codecs and networking solutions for broadcasters, GatesAir is taking the next logical step for our customers with direct integration into the IT infrastructure. With our Dynamic Stream Splicing application and SRT capability to fortify stream security and reliability, our customers now have a simple platform to manage many channels coming in and out of the studio or headend – all on a single, highly-redundant, multi-core server.”

About GatesAir   

GatesAir, Inc., a portfolio company of The Gores Group, provides complete solutions for over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, leveraging wireless spectrum to maximize performance for multichannel, mission-critical services. Powering over-the-air networks worldwide with unparalleled reliability for nearly 100 years, GatesAir’s turnkey solutions enable broadcasters to create, transport and transmit radio and TV content.  With customers in more than 185 countries, the company leads the industry in innovation and design breakthroughs, improving efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership with all products designed and assembled in the USA. Visit www.gatesair.com for more information, Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gatesair, and follow us on Twitter at @GatesAir.

About The Gores Group

The Gores Group, founded in 1987 by Alec Gores, is a global investment firm focused on acquiring controlling interests in mature and growing businesses which can benefit from the firm’s operating experience and flexible capital base. The firm combines the operational expertise and detailed due diligence capabilities of a strategic buyer with the seasoned M&A team of a traditional financial buyer. Over its 30-year history, The Gores Group has become a leading investor having demonstrated a reliable track record of creating value in its portfolio companies alongside management. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Gores Group maintains offices in Boulder, CO, and London. For more information, please visit http://www.gores.com.

New Barix XLINK by digigram family combines the two industry leaders’ hallmarks of quality and reliability with advanced functionality and highly-regarded local support

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND and MONTBONNOT, FRANCE, March 6, 2019 — Market-leading audio innovators Barix and digigram are partnering to bring a new family of high-end Audio over IP (AoIP) codecs to the United States and South America. The new Barix XLINK by digigram series continues the two companies’ reputations for outstanding quality and reliability while providing advanced features for broadcasters including fault-tolerant redundancy. The new codecs will make their public debut in the Barix booth (C1139) at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 8 to 11.

Barix is well known by broadcasters for providing reliable, high-quality and affordable IP audio products backed by world-class technical support. Digigram has developed some of the most advanced AoIP codecs on the market, but is best known in the Americas for the quality and reliability of their professional sound cards. The two companies have worked together on occasional projects in the past, and are expanding their collaboration with the new Barix XLINK by digigram series.

“Broadcasters love the reliability and cost-effectiveness of Barix products, which are used by thousands of customers every day,” said Reto Brader, CEO, Barix. “Some of their projects, however, require codecs that offer more redundancy and advanced technical features than we have offered in the past. We are excited to cooperate with digigram to bring this new product line to the U.S. and South America, where Barix has earned a strong reputation for our knowledge of the broadcast market and for exceeding customers’ support expectations. We have worked closely together to make sure that what we offer meets our standards for quality, local support and price-attractiveness. With the new line, Barix can now meet even the most demanding broadcast audio distribution requirements.”

Barix XLINK by digigram audio codecs are designed to provide reliable, 24/7/365 delivery of high-quality audio for studio-to-transmitter link (STL), studio-to-studio link (SSL), DVB audio and Internet Radio applications. Four 1U rack-mountable configurations let broadcasters choose exactly the right model for their audio infrastructure and application requirements:
●        The Barix XLINK ST by digigram delivers one stereo source (or two mono sources) over IP, and can be used in legacy analog, AES/EBU and all-IP (AES, Ravenna and Livewire standard mode) audio infrastructures.

●        The Barix XLINK DUAL by digigram provides two codecs in one, delivering two stereo sources (or four mono sources) over IP. It can be used in analog, AES/EBU and all-IP environments.

●        The Barix XLINK AES67 by digigram supports up to eight stereo inputs and outputs and is purpose-built for all-IP audio workflows.

●        The Barix XLINK LE by digigram is a streamlined stereo audio IP codec that is ideal for single-protocol streaming.

All Barix XLINK  by digigram codecs feature redundant dual streaming technology, enabling reliable IP delivery over inexpensive IP connectivity. Four network ports on each unit enable full separation of IP traffic between local IP audio, dual streaming and remote management, while redundant internal power supplies ensure maximum reliability. Front-panel LEDs and VU meters allow fast and easy status monitoring, augmented by an LCD display and keypad on the ST, DUAL and AES67 configurations. The codecs’ powerful hardware platform and advanced processing engine enable simultaneous multi-format encoding on all four models, plus multi-protocol streaming on all but the LE version.

“We are pleased to be working with Barix to bring the new family of codecs to the U.S. market,” said Xavier Allanic, Regional Sales Manager EMEA/Americas, Digigram. “Our companies share the same commitment to quality and reliability, and Barix is well-positioned to provide the level of local support that broadcasters in the region require. Customers can trust Barix XLINK  by digigram to deliver their audio reliably, letting them focus on what really matters: their content.”

“We have invested heavily in developing this new product line, and Barix has all of the infrastructure required to support U.S. customers locally the way they are used to,” added Jérémie Weber, CEO, Digigram. “This combination two results in a real win-win solution for both companies and for all American radio broadcasters.”

About digigram

For over 30 years, digigram has developed innovative digital audio systems that make modern broadcasters’ rapidly evolving operations more efficient, more reliable and more effective. Used by thousands of journalists, broadcasters and industrial users all over the world, Digigram’s sound cards, audio processing software and pioneering IP audio technologies are designed with a consistent attention to quality and reliability. Digigram (DIG) is publicly listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange. More information is available at www.digigram.com.

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.

With its consultative approach and nearly 50 years of experience, professional firm brings a personal touch to residential and light commercial projects

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 6, 2019 – Atlona has named AMI Sales as its manufacturer’s representative for residential AV in Florida, effective immediately. The appointment will strengthen Atlona’s visibility and brand awareness throughout the state, given AMI Sales’ nearly five decades of experience serving the unique Florida market.

Founded in 1972, AMI Sales specializes in representing premier consumer electronics brands, and adds value through an array of professional consulting, design and engineering services. The company works closely with dealers and installers to create custom solutions and solve problems for residential and light commercial projects.

“We pride ourselves in providing richer consultative services instead of handing out pricing sheets,” said Bill Lipp, President, AMI Sales. “We are directly involved in the planning process, and meet often with contractors, architects and end users. These qualities are especially important in the very expansive Florida market. The fact that we only represent premier brands is another important differentiator, ensuring our dealers and integrators remain profitable. Atlona’s product reliability and reputation for staying ahead of the technology curve make profitability a reality.”

Lipp emphasizes that Atlona’s innovations for whole-home audio distribution, and integration with voice control, make them an ideal fit alongside Sony, Yamaha and other brands in their portfolio. He also sees opportunity to leverage Atlona in the quickly growing light commercial side  of his business.

“The lines between residential and light commercial are blurring,” said Lipp. “In both markets, Atlona’s addresses the triangle of IP, control, and the network that our dealers and integrators work within every day. And as end users adopt more networked products, Atlona’s approach simplifies the transition through products that are easy to install andoperate.”

“The residential AV market continues to grow and change as the connected home becomes more sophisticated, and consumer adoption of networked video and audio technology escalates,” said Scott Ettinger, Director of Sales, East Region, Atlona. “Therefore, it is important to work with partners such as AMI Sales that understand how the market is evolving, and what custom installers need to meet changing requirements around whole-home AV distribution, voice control and other key business trends. We are proud to welcome AMI Sales as our manufacturer’s representative in Florida and look forward to working together with them well into the future.”

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

The first product line under the company’s Red House Streaming brand, the STREAM family addresses virtually all single- and multi-camera production needs for live-streamed events and at-home productions

St. Petersburg, Florida, March 6, 2019 — CP Communications, a leader in innovative solutions and services for live event productions,will unveil its Red House Streaming brand of STREAM content acquisition packages at the 2019 NAB Show. The launch positions CP Communications as a leader in self-service content acquisition and streaming solutions for broadcasters, content creators and other media professionals with three distinct packages that cover single-camera shoots to larger multi-camera productions. CP Communications will demonstrate all three STREAM packages at the Mobile Viewpoint booth (C3307) as an official NAB Show co-exhibitor.

CP Communications has led the industry in RF-based live content acquisition for almost three decades, specializing in video and audio coverage for many of the world’s largest sports events. The company has increasingly adopted IP and bonded cellular technologies for content acquisition in recent years, in alignment with the industry’s shift toward IP and cloud-based workflows.

“The Red House Streaming brand is a natural evolution for CP Communications, due in large part to a convergence of many technologies and workflows in the broader marketplace,” said Jerry Gepner, COO, CP Communications. “Our STREAM solutions are a direct response to the changing content creation and distribution requirements taking shape around the industry as IP technology and cellular services become foundational in broadcast and production.”

The complete range of STREAM solutions to be introduced at NAB, all of which leverage Mobile Viewpoint solutions for multichannel signal encoding, include:

• CamSTREAM: A single- or dual-camera acquisition system with streaming support over Ethernet, WiFi and bonded cellularservice. CamSTREAM is an ideal plug-and-play, broadcast-quality solution for unattended operations including corporate events, distance learning, worship services, and modest TV studio productions.
• MultiCam STREAM: A scalable multi-camera acquisition camera system for live-streamed and at-home productions, MultiCam STREAM elevates productions with support for four cameras, 32 audio channels and data (including return tally and four-wire intercom) in the base configuration. All camera feeds are simultaneously ingested into the system, and can be decoded and delivered to service providers as individual SDI feeds or a multiplexed single stream.
• Production STREAM: Multi-camera flypack acquisition system for on-site and remote productions with larger I/O signal requirements. All-in-one system integrates Simplylive video switching and Dante-enabled audio mixing from Presonus to support more traditional broadcast and production workflows, with tally and four-wire intercom support.

The Red House Streaming brand represents CP Communications’ strategic direction as both a supplier and service provider, with options to rent or purchase any of the three STREAM packages. CP Communications’ remote production teams will also use the STREAM systems for content acquisition and live event services, including at-home productions that originate from the company’s new St. Petersburg, Florida studio.

Gepner adds that the STREAM packages eliminate the need for customers to assemble systems across multiple vendors and service providers. Simple to deploy and control, the packages can be set up in a matter of minutes, without a significant monetary investment in system design and specification, integration and commissioning.

“By offering packaged solutions that are flexible and often scalable, we enable our customers to produce more content at lower prices and without time-consuming engineering challenges,” said Gepner. “The STREAM family is aimed to serve virtually any content acquisition and live production need, and will be especially attractive for businesses that lack the in-house resources to put together a purpose-built solution.”

CP Communications will demonstrate all three packages operating off four live Sony cameras in the Mobile Viewpoint booth throughout the 2019 NAB Show, which takes place April 8-11 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

About CP Communications

For more than three decades, CP Communications has provided high-quality, cost-effective live event production solutions to major broadcasters, sports leagues and teams, and event and production companies. Our solutions include access to experienced professionals, state of the art equipment, and innovative technologies and techniques for wireless audio & video content acquisition, transport and delivery. Our culture of innovation, coupled with the highest quality assurance standards and passion for customer service, promote collaboration with our clients to determine the best custom solution for each live event, whether it’s the U.S. Open, Super Bowl, World Series, Kentucky Derby, Tony Awards, or a political convention, corporate conference, fashion show, parade or marathon. CP Communications offers six HDRF Mobile Production trucks, two ENG Vans, five motorcycles, and a full-service machine shop, and offers a custom design for each event from box rentals through to turnkey production solutions.

Solution streamlines the integration of analog audio and Dante network patching while providing professional, transparent A/D>D/A cross-conversions

Glendale, CA – March 5, 2019 – Bittree, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio and video patchbays and patch panels, will bring the world’s first Dante audio patchbay to market in time for the 2019 NAB Show. The company will demonstrate its innovation at Booth SU6221 in the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 8-11.

Bittree’s Dante patchbay eliminates the complexity of analog and Dante audio patching in the broadcast infrastructure. It provides a ramp to instantly move 16 channels of analog audio on and off of Dante networks, and serves as a natural bridge to unite legacy audio equipment with IP systems. Beyond broadcast, the Dante patchbay provides connectivity solutions to recording studios, post-production facilities and commercial AV environments (houses of worship, live event and performance venues, and large corporate and higher education campuses).

Consultants and systems integrators benefit from reduced labor and integration costs by removing the need to hard-wire devices into the patching systems. This eliminating extraneous cabling and conversion equipment – and the costs that come with it.

The Bittree Dante patchbay will interface with Dante Virtual Soundcard, countless Dante devices, and almost any analog component in the same system, including audio distribution equipment, digital audio workstations (DAWs), digital signal processors (DSPs), mixing consoles, multi-track recorders and video routers. The compact standalone or rack-mounted 1.5RU powder-coat enclosure carefully incorporates TT patching for audio I/O (16×16), redundant DC power in, external word clock I/O, network status, and audio VU multi-level LED metering.

Bryan Carpenter, senior sales consultant at Bittree, notes that the company’s Dante patchbay continues Bittree’s legacy of innovation over four decades. Bittree’s industry-firsts include the E3 connectorized audio patchbay and its patented, front-programmable audio technology.

“This is an ideal meeting of true innovators in engineering,” said Carpenter. “Audinate’s Dante innovation has been an undeniable gamechanger for integrators and end users in several industries, and has an exceptionally wide rate of acceptance within the manufacturing community. This patchbay streamlines the integration of analog and digital network audio patching, and establishes a foundation for interconnectivity across facilities within central equipment rooms, production studios, and IT closets among other locations. Itis flexible enough to immediately solve problems in existing facilities, or optimize flexibility from the start in new facility designs.”

Bittree’s Dante patchbay supports a wide variety of audio sample rates ranging from 24-bit 44.1 to 192 kHz. The design integrates balanced TT connections to Dante analog and digital conversions, maintaining signal integrity and audio quality without requiring specialized patchbay circuit programming. Settings will be configurable using Dante Controller, including sample rates and channel assignments to and from Dante networks.

About Bittree:
Established in 1978, Bittree is dedicated to offering state-of-the-art patchbays and patch panels that streamline signal routing and troubleshooting in media and entertainment operations of all sizes. The company offers an innovative line of audio, video, and data patchbays for use in broadcasting, postproduction, and pro A/V operations. Tailored for use in the post-production, pro A/V, systems integration, and radio and television broadcasting fields, Bittree’s patching solutions are rigorously tested to ensure long-term functionality and dependability, especially for mission-critical operations and live events. To ensure consistency, performance, and adherence to rigid quality standards, all of the company’s patching products are designed, assembled, and tested in its state-of-the-art facility in Glendale, California. Bittree is an active member of industry trade organizations NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), and SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers). For more information, please visitwww.bittree.com.