Spokane Public Radio Sets AoIP on Fire

When Spokane Public Radio / 91.1 KPBX moved into a new facility, that new facility was actually anything but new. In fact, it was a historic firehouse, and therefore the station needed to meet certain requirements that would not only maintain the integrity of the structure, but allow Spokane Public Radio to update to an all AoIP studio, including a VoIP broadcast phone system, AoIP console, and IP infrastructure. 

“Part of the reconstruction was that we had to maintain the building's historical look, so we couldn’t run huge cable bundles," says Chief Engineer Jerry Olson. "We were interested in getting a more modern facility—where we were before was an analog plant. For the new facility, we wanted to go with Audio over IP.”

TWiRT 348 - VO Mics & Studios with Joe Cipriano

How does a top-shelf voice-over artist work on the road?  He makes a “MacGyver studio”! Joe Cipriano joins us to talk mics, pre-amps, processing, and how voice-over work gets done today.

Chris Tobin is here, too, from a hot transmitter room!

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

What the Heck, Where's the Tech?

ATSC 3.0 Next Generation Audio (NGA) System Demystified

Technology truly is a train that just keeps on rolling. With the world preparing for yet another advancement in personalized entertainment experience, acronyms are being thrown around like dice on the craps table. What does it all mean and how will any of it benefit the consumer?

Let’s take a deep dive into what a Next Generation Audio System can really do by looking at what’s happening in South Korea.

Topics: Television Audio, Linear Acoustic AMS, Next Generaton Audio

TWiRT 347 - Jeff Welton - IT Security and 400 Kilowatts

Canadians may be polite, but most don’t want you hacking their Internet-connected stuff.  Jeff Welton from Nautel offers advice for IT security at the transmitter site, plus describes hand-on a 400 kW AM transmitter, and what tools to keep handy nowadays for solid-state transmitter maintenance.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 346 - Live at NAB 2017

It was the last day of NAB 2017, but before it was over, Kirk Harnack and Chris Tobin brought us some of the best radio broadcast tech at the show. Simon Jackson with flow batteries at transmitter sites in Fiji, Telos Alliance CEO Frank Foti, Mark Persons, Fritz Golman, and more!

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

Telos Alliance Claims Three NewBay Best of Show Awards at NAB 2017!

Around this time every year, we introduce several new products coinciding with the big NAB show in Las Vegas. This year we were rewarded for all our hard work in product development as the proud recipient of three NewBay Best of Show Awards! From Telos Alliance's Radio Division NewBay recognized the Omnia VOLT™ broadcast audio processor and 25-Seven TVC-15 watermark analyzer and monitor, while on the TV Solutions Group side, Linear Acoustic was recognized for the AMS Authoring and Monitoring System. All three products were awarded Best in Show Awards for their innovation, feature set, cost efficiency, and performance in serving the broadcast industry.

"We are honored to receive these distinguished awards from NewBay," says Frank Foti, CEO of the Telos Alliance. "At Telos Alliance we are always pushing hard to create products that not only give our broadcasting family the solutions they need, but that are better, more innovative, and have incredible performance. It's gratifying to see the industry recognize that work."

Telos Alliance Welcomes Yellowtec as Latest Livewire Partner

The Telos Alliance announced this week that Yellowtech has joined its growing list of Livewire partners. Yellowtec is an award-winning manufacturer of a wide range of products for the Media Broadcast industry, including digital audio network routing, mixing, console control, and integrated intercom and talkback systems. Yellowtec chose Livewire to allow their complete product line to interoperate with the growing Livewire ecosystem of more than 70,000 installed devices worldwide. The organization's support of the Livewire protocol will allow users to send and receive audio with stream advertising, control, and program associated data throughout its entire audio network.

Marketing Manager Krissy Rushing recently sat down with Yellowtec CEO Hanno Mahr to find out why the German manufacturer chose Livewire.

TWiRT 345 - NAB 2017 Show Setup

Behind the scenes, we’re on location at the Las Vegas Convention Center during setup for the NAB Show.  Chris Tobin takes us on a tour of booths being set up, while Joe Talbot and Juan Punyed talk about why we get together every year in the desert.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

Explore Vegas' Past at the Neon Museum

When you think about night life in Las Vegas, particularly during the Rat Pack era, one of the first things that usually comes to mind is those amazing neon signs. They were everywhere, and can still be recalled on popular films of the time such as “The Godfather,” the 1960 “Ocean’s 11,” and the James Bond movie, “Diamonds are Forever.” While neon signage had been a staple of downtown streetscapes in America since the late 1920s, it was always different in Vegas. In a city where over the top is the norm, the signs were not only bigger, but their design and display had been elevated to an art form.

Topics: nab 2017, Las Vegas, Neon Museum

NAB 2017: Surviving the Show 

I've been attending NAB for the past ten years, and off and on before that. It seems like a long time until I talk with people who haven't missed a show in 40 years or more. It’s a big week, and it’s beneficial to prepare ahead. So I’ve devised a plan for surviving NAB with most of my sanity intact, one that I tweak and refine every year when I get home. Of course, the show changes over time as well, so it's a bit like trying to hit a moving target. If this is your first show, then some of the things I've learned the hard way may be beneficial for you at NAB 2017.

Topics: Telos Alliance, nab 2017, Las Vegas