Recent Posts
Old World Meets the New Tech
Another new distributor has joined the Axia Audio network of worldwide representatives: Magnetic Media, of Poznan, Poland. Piotr Kubacki, Magnetic Media’s owner and General Manager, took a few moments to speak with Axia’s Clark Novak.
IP links: Ready for STL?
Your STL is your lifeline. Everything you are travels over that STL. Ideally, the STL should be a “nailed up” connection, whether via microwave, or leased lines. It should be always there, always on.
But, because of the rising costs of leased lines and other “nailed up” lines such as a T-1, or switched lines such as ISDN BRI, some stations are looking for an alternate path for their STL. If the station is willing to accept the slight risk of audio (and sometimes control) interruption in STL usage, a connection from ISP to Internet, and back to ISP can be considered.
Read MoreFor Mobile-Savvy Broadcasters, High-Quality Audio Encoding is No Longer An Option
In an effort to retain their customers, the five leading cable companies have collaborated to give them the best possible wi-fi experience. Bright House Networks, Optimum, Xfinity, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable have banded together under the brand name CableWiFi to share this access in metropolitan areas. The move will give customers access to over 50,000 hotspots across the country. Each of the companies will now be adding CableWifi to their existing branded Wi-Fi hotspots so that users know which are participating in the program.
At the same time, International Data Corporation (IDC) has just published some amazing growth figures for the tablet, smartphone and PC markets. In short, IDC says total shipments will pass one billion for 2012, and we'll see closer to two billion in the year 2016!
Read More
Connecting Zephyr XStream codecs over IP
Kris Karb of Clear Channel writes, "Will our two Zephyr XStreams with v.3.7.9p and v.3.7.3p firmware talk over IP?"
Telos Tech support replies, "Yes, the Xstreams will talk over IP. You need to set the INTERFACE in the TEL menu to either RTP or SIP mode, depending on which method you want to use. Then when you press the DIAL button, you will see a field to enter the IP address of the box with which you want to connect. For two way audio, you would need to use the SIP mode.
Read More
Save KRE!
It has been dubbed the West Coast center devoted to all things radio. But today, the California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is in danger of losing its headquarters. The beautifully-restored art deco KRE building that has been home to CHRS, the Bay Area Radio Museum (with its hundreds of vintage San Francisco airchecks, listenable on-line), and Hall of Fame for the past nine years, is being sold. The landlord has gone into bankruptcy, and CHRS must quickly raise $750,000 to purchase the building.
Read MoreCounterfeit cabling? Say it ain't so!
As everyone in broadcasting knows, the cost of copper has skyrocketed in recent years. Tight supply (fewer mines and refineries due to economic and regulatory issues) and increased manufacturing (China now accounts for 40% of the global demand for copper) have combined to create a classic seller's market[1].
Read More
Radio Free Asia's D.C. Digs
IP-Audio, VoIP and International broadcasting
Radio Free Asia (RFA) was an early adopter of Axia technology. Starting in 2005 with its Asia bureau facility located in Bangkok, and then later in Seoul and Hong Kong, RFA has essentially become an All-Axia house, eventually completing the upgrade with its Washington, DC headquarters, which has 35 studios.
Read More
Railroading and Audio Processing
Think these two topics don't have anything in common? It's amazing how many broadcast engineers are model railroaders, too!
Read More
IP Radio for STL: Saves Hassles, Saves Money
The Joy FM puts 22 Z/IP ONE codecs in STL service
For The Joy FM, a contemporary christian radio station in Florida, with satellite stations throughout the state, things had reached the breaking point. They had been using C-band satellite feeds to distribute the signal, leading to a number of bottlenecks and inefficiencies. "All of our automation computers were at the transmitter sites, which are inhospitable environments," according to contract engineer Dave Anderson. "When the computers inevitably failed, our IT guy had to drive out to the sites." Clearly, it was time for a change. "We started looking for a replacement," adds Anderson. "but nothing had a price point that made sense for us." Enter the Telos Z/IP One.
Multipath? SSBSC technology may be your solution
Recently, we were privileged to receive some interesting on-air results about our proposed alternative method of using SSBSC (Single Sideband Suppressed Carrier) as the transmission method for FM-Stereo broadcasting. The intention here is to see if SSBSC will reduce the effects of multipath within the coverage area of the broadcast signal. Our proposed method is fully compatible with existing radio receivers.
Read More