Wohler Debuts Audio-Monitoring Products

By Dan Daley

At a press conference on Monday, Wohler introduced a pair of 16-channel, 3-Gbps audio-monitoring products: the 2RU AMP2-16-3G and the 1RU 3-AMP1-E16-3G.

The AMP2-16-3G 1audio monitor addresses broadcasters’ migration to HD and their shift toward higher-capacity 3-Gbps video-transport infrastructure. The new monitor provides simultaneous display for up to 16 channels of embedded audio within a single multirate 3-Gbps signal.

Built on a fully digital system architecture featuring multiple Class D amplifiers, the AMP2-16-3G provides near-field monitoring for any mix of stereo and mono sources in a compact 2RU design. The monitor includes demuxed outputs of eight AES pairs on unbalanced 75-ohm BNC connectors and also provides a reclocked loop output of the 3-Gbps signal. The monitor’s high-resolution LCD display boasts colorful 210-segment high-resolution bar-graph level meters. The AMP2-16-3G is also available with AES and Dolby Digital and E options. It also addresses key issues in DTV-audio delivery, providing measurement of program loudness in adherence with ITU-1770/1771, which is displayed prominently on the unit’s LCD status screen.

The new AMP1-E16-3G and AMP1-16-3G, both with dual selectable SD/HD/3-Gbps inputs, are Wohler’s first 1RU 16-channel 3-Gbps audio/video monitors. They also serve as the company’s first 1RU audio monitors with Dolby Digital and E upgrade capability. The straightforward control interface and overall look and feel of each unit mirrors that of Wohler’s new AMP2-16-3G 16-channel audio monitor.

Like the AMP2-16-3G, the AMP1-E16/16-3G provides monitoring for up to 16 channels of embedded audio within a single multirate SDI signal, thus serving as an ideal solution for complex multichannel and surround applications in DTV production and transmission.

Three LCD screens offer flexible options for high-resolution 180-segment audio metering, displaying all 16 audio channels simultaneously, as well as video source and data. The screens also support the systems’ intuitive and easy-to-use interface for setup and configuration of monitor features. Integrated loudness measurement and dialnorm data are displayed on the monitor’s LCD screen to alert the operator if signals fall out of compliance with ITU-1770/1771 standards.

Flexible assignment of directional signals allows the operator to configure the monitor to the specific needs of a production. Likewise, user-selectable metering functions and eight user-defined presets provide speedy configuration of the monitor to meet various operational requirements and easy monitoring. The card automatically formats captioning data for insertion into the HD VANC space and simultaneously converts WSS and GPI data for subsequent insertion into HD VANC, which in turn allows that data to be recorded on an HD storage device or distributed via the facility’s digital-video-distribution network. In decoding mode, the HDCC-200A converts HD VANC data back for the SD-SDI output stream.