REMOTE EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING AUDIOTX

[ChiefOperator]

This is a follow-up to the previous topic of "Streaming from Laptop."

For your remotes, how many of you are using POTS connections? If so, what equipment are you using?

Also, I'm now interested in the AudioTX products. One poster had some experience with this product. Anyone else? The AudioTX looks like it may be a low cost alternative to the Comrex access or other Comrex products. Yes? The AudioTX softwre loads onto existing computers, although AudioTX now offers a 1 RU studio codec.

THanks!

 

[Chuck]

That looks like a good idea, but a little pricey, don't you think? It does do what I have in mind, and may well be worth every penny. I'd like to know more, especially from someone who is actually using it. Their logic of using a laptop to run this makes a lot of sense to me.

The Raduga folks have something called "Airlink" that is an IP based STL system. http://www.raduga.net/airlink.htm

I think you could turn it around and use it for remotes just as well. You would have to provide a computer at the station for the receiver, but if you don't have one sitting around doing duty as a door stop, used ones that are up to the task are easy to find for around $100 or less.

 

[ChiefOperator]

I've seen "Airlink" but it doesn't do full duplex audio for sending cue, talkbalk, and program audio from the studio to the remote. It does look good though....

 

[Robert Bass]

I've seen "Airlink" but it doesn't do full duplex audio for sending cue, talkbalk, and program audio from the studio to the remote. It does look good though....

Sounds like a ssimilar approach to what we used to have. We used to have a closed circuit cable audio system, that was a part of the closed circuit TV station. The sound quality was extremely good, but it wasn't a full duplex system. Our work around for that was to have a separate POTS connection for off air cues, etc. The cable system was at every high school gym, baseball field and football stadiums within the district.

Sadly though, no one really maintained that system, and it gradually died. It would be nice to restore that system for all the home games, reserving POTS feeds for all the away games.

R

 

[Chuck]

I've seen "Airlink" but it doesn't do full duplex audio for sending cue, talkbalk, and program audio from the studio to the remote. It does look good though....

You could use a cell phone for cue and talkback purposes.

 

[BofH]

You could download a trial version of the AudioStar software codec from MusicamUSA

http://www.musicamusa.com/products/audiostar/astar.htm

I think its about US$1200 per end.

 

[biamp]

We use Gentner AP-10 all by itself. Full duplex audio with Mix-Minus built into the Gentner. If you are using a more conventional mixing board you can recieve on one channel and use Aux send off of studio mic channel to to talk to the remote. We use this same system for our on air phone calls. Good clean audio with no echoor hum. In addition send any program audio from studio to the remote by using Aux send. Easy hookup with balanced send and recieve on back of Gentner and Pots line plug.

Unit has front line sieze button and dip switches for automatic gain control, send boost, recieve boost, etc. These were originally used for conference calling and could be configured many ways. They can be had on ebay for $50.00 sometimes.

 

[The F Mister]

This is a follow-up to the previous topic of "Streaming from Laptop."

For your remotes, how many of you are using POTS connections? If so, what equipment are you using?

Also, I'm now interested in the AudioTX products. One poster had some experience with this product. Anyone else? The AudioTX looks like it may be a low cost alternative to the Comrex access or other Comrex products. Yes? The AudioTX softwre loads onto existing computers, although AudioTX now offers a 1 RU studio codec.

THanks!

If you are refering to me, yes we are using AudioTX for reports/live broadcasts from location. It works well with a dsl connection. You can select various bitrates and you have the choice between mpeg2, 3 and PCM encoding. Like I said before. You need to set up a VPN to the other site for it to work good (in my case at least). When a connection is made it remains stable. After "a glitch" it resumes fast and almost inaudible. The program also offers many options like backup dialers/routes. And the latency is so low, allmost real time. I've used it with P4 workstions and this gives about 1% cpu usage. But even on older P3's it works just fine. Get an old system and throw it in a flightcase and you got yourself a isdn codec over IP.

I'm going to test it soon from a notebook with a HSDPA connection. I don't know about the availability in the US but here in the Netherlands it supports speeds up to 1.8 Mbit/s down and 384 kbit/s up, this will extend to 3 Mbit/s down and 1 Mbit/s up later this year. This would be very handy, just plug in a console or a mic directly into the notebook and start streaming. It could get expensive if you use a lot of data though.

 

[The F Mister]

Well, I've tested AudioTX from my notebook with a HSDPA wireless connection. I made a vpn to the studio, set audiotx to both transmit and receive at 128 kbit/s 44khz mpeg3 encoding. Works like a charm. The delay is far less than a second, so okay for live broadcast if you ask me. Nice stuff .

 

[BofH]

What VPN software do you use?

 

[The F Mister]

On the server side a Windows 2003 Server (routing and remote access service). Client side just add a vpn connection in windows XP.

 

[gtomas]

I'm going to test it soon from a notebook with a HSDPA connection. I don't know about the availability in the US but here in the Netherlands it supports speeds up to 1.8 Mbit/s down and 384 kbit/s up, this will extend to 3 Mbit/s down and 1 Mbit/s up later this year. This would be very handy, just plug in a console or a mic directly into the notebook and start streaming. It could get expensive if you use a lot of data though.

It works just fine HSDPA. Here in Croatia the speeds are up to 7.2 Mbps (download) now, but it worked over 1.8 Mpbs flawlessly as well.


Regards,
Goran Tomas

 

[techie2]

This is a follow-up to the previous topic of "Streaming from Laptop."

For your remotes, how many of you are using POTS connections? If so, what equipment are you using?

Also, I'm now interested in the AudioTX products. One poster had some experience with this product. Anyone else? The AudioTX looks like it may be a low cost alternative to the Comrex access or other Comrex products. Yes? The AudioTX softwre loads onto existing computers, although AudioTX now offers a 1 RU studio codec.

THanks!

If I can't get a Marti shot, it's old fashioned analog POTS with a Zercom Max-Z if I can get a POTS line from the site. If it's a PBX phone, I use a Konexx Mobile Connector to hook the Zercom through the handset or use a RemoteMix Sport. If I can't get a land line, then it's cell phone with a JK "Daptor One" to connect the Zercom.

We dial into a Circuitwerkes DR-10 to control the automation.

I would like to try out an EVDO card and see if I can use some VOIP stuff to make a good connection from a laptop.