Miranda Awarded Patent for Audio Latency Reduction in its NVISION Hybrid Routers

Miranda Technologies, a provider of integrated solutions for production, playout and delivery systems for television broadcasters and multi-system operators, has been awarded U.S. Patent 8359417 for a process invented by its NVISION routers team to dramatically reduce audio latency in its NVISION 8500 Hybrid Router series.

Researched, designed and manufactured at Miranda’s Grass Valley, California facility, Miranda’s NVISION hybrid routers significantly streamline television infrastructures and eliminate audio-to-video delay issues by incorporating highly advanced, integrated audio processing.

The method patented by the NVISION team vastly reduces the delay inherent in most audio disembeders and re-embedders. With their patented design, NVISION routers are able to reduce the delay of the disembedder (typically 20 lines or 24 audio samples), the TDM (memory based time switch) audio crosspoint (typically one or two audio samples), and the embedder (typically 20 lines or 24 audio samples), down to as short as one line of delay when the video formats are the same, and up to three lines worst case with mixed video formats (like 625i/50 and 720p/59.94). The latency reduction technique is a huge advance in hybrid audio/video routing that results in the industry’s fastest router processing, and therefore shortest audio-to-video delay.

Scott Murray, Miranda’s senior vice president for Core Products said, “Our Grass Valley team continues to set the standard for world-class signal distribution technologies. This patent is further confirmation of our leadership position as the most respected brand in professional routing systems and reinforces our ongoing drive to develop innovative solutions for the broadcast industry.”

NVISION routers achieve unparalleled efficiencies by integrating high-level functionality within a single device. The NVISION 8500 Hybrid router series takes advantage of Dynamic Hybrid Pathfinding (DHP), which routes signals through audio processing modules within the router whenever required, either automatically or under manual control. Importantly, the DHP capabilities reduce costs by enabling facilities to use the 8500 series without having to fully populate it with hybrid-only modules.

Murray adds, “We have redoubled our commitment to disciplined innovation throughout our product range, evidenced most recently by the return of Chuck Meyer as chief technical officer for Core Products. Chuck’s previous tenure at the helm of NVISION means that he returns to us with a wealth of invaluable experience that we’ll leverage to the benefit of Miranda customers.”

As a whole, the signal processing capabilities of NVISION hybrid routers, powered by Miranda’s patented technology, provide a considerable benefit to broadcast facilities by eliminating the need for external devices to process those signals separately.