NAB 2016: Linear Acoustic Demos Gear for Distributed AoIP; Updates AERO Platforms

Linear Acoustic (Booth SU11921) is featuring new products that apply its loudness-control and upmixing solutions to distributed AoIP audio. In addition, the company has announced an update for its AERO.soft enterprise-wide audio- and loudness-management system, as well as added a 2+2+2+2+2 configuration for the AERO.10 DTV Audio Processor and added a AMX5x2 processing instance, which provides five stereo loudness managers (2+2+2+2+2) per instance for the AERO.100 DTV Audio Processor and AERO.2000 Audio/Loudness Manager. 

AERO.soft is an enterprise-class solution for high-density distributed audio I/O environments and provides the same AEROMAX processing and UPMAXIII up/downmixing algorithms found in AERO.10/100/2000 hardware products.

Each AERO.soft Processing Engine hosts up to eight processing instances in 5.1+2+2, 2+2+2, or 2+2+2+2+2 channel configurations. Each instance can include Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), and Dolby E encoding and decoding as well as Nielsen® watermark encoding.

Audio I/O is handled by the half-rack–width SDI xNode, which provides two independent HD/SD-SDI inputs and the ability to de-embed all channel pairs and convert the audio to Livewire or AES67 formats for processing or distribution. Audio can then be shuffled as needed and re-embedded into two HD/SD-SDI outputs, each with its own compensating video delay. Each SDI xNode includes an internal AC power supply and input for the included external DC supply.

At NAB 2016, the Linear Acoustic demo room features a fully integrated compact AoIP TV-studio mock-up using several allied AoIP solutions from Telos Alliance partners.

PathfinderPRO is Windows-based router-control software that combines routing control for all Livewire+ AoIP-format system entities with features like an event scheduler, advanced GPI/O management, user-definable software control panels, and networked-audio monitoring and protocol translation to map the audio-routing layer with third-party plant video routers.

The complete xNode product family offers a range of compact, 1RU, half-rack–width signal-crossconvertor bridges capable of interfacing mic and line-level analog, AES and SDI embedded audio signals with Livewire/AES67 AoIP networks.

The IQ Series Mixing Console, though designed primarily for radio broadcast, is a suitable mixing platform for small TV facilities — such as news affiliates, houses of worship, and local community stations — and combines ease of use with flexibility and economy.

VOCO 8 is a highly flexible premium voice processor featuring a built-in Sound4 HQ192 processing engine and support for analog I/O and AES67 audio.

For additional AoIP control, the company is showcasing the xSelector, a source-monitoring controller that combines the routing functions of an X/Y router-control panel with the audio outputs of the xNode. Users can quickly program six convenient “radio buttons” for instant access to favorite sources.

Also on display is IP-Audio Driver PC software, which allows users to send and record single or multiple channels of stereo PC audio directly to and from Axia networks via Ethernet without the need for sound cards.

And the iProbe Audio Network Management Software is exhibited, a solution that ties together encompassing device management, updating, and remote control of any system component.

AERO.soft Has AMX5x2 Processing Option
AERO.soft is deployed on new Processing Engine hardware and uses AoIP to connect to xNodes for completely flexible I/O. It features the audio-processing quality and tools found in the entire AERO range. New since the product was introduced is the option for the AMX5x2 processing instance, which provides five stereo loudness managers (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2) in a single instance, allowing for a total of 15 stereo loudness managers in a single AERO.soft Processing Engine.

AERO.soft includes the AEROMAX adaptive wideband and multiband, multistage, ITU-compliant, loudness-control algorithm. Loudness, spectral balance and image shifts are controlled while preserving more of the original content than previously possible. Upmixing is provided by the Hollywood-approved UPMAX algorithm, which provides a 5.1-channel audio experience from two channel sources. All instances include support for SAP/DVS, local emergency audio, local voiceover and optional Audio Description (warble tone) functionality. ITU-R BS.1770-3 full-time metering and logging is included for all program outputs with units in LKFS or LUFS for EBU. NfRemote is included for control and display of all features and parameters. An HTTP server enables control of I/O, loudness-control presets, upmix presets and individual loudness control, and processing parameters using simple IP commands.

Also included is Linear Acoustic Intelligent Dynamics (ID), a patented hybrid of single-ended and metadata control. It is an infinitely and automatically adjustable balance between permanent and reversible processing and the overall amount of control — all driven by the content itself.

Each AERO.soft Processing Engine is capable of handling up to eight AMX processing Instances. Each can have any combination of AMX5.1 (5.1 + 2 + 2) or AMX2.0 (2+2+2) or AMX5x2 (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2) instances. Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby E decoding and encoding, and Nielsen encoding are optional.

Updates for AERO.10, AERO.100 and AERO.2000
AERO.10: Linear Acoustic is announcing updates for its AERO.10 DTV Audio Processor at the 2016 NAB Show (Booth SU11921). AERO.10 provides the same high quality processing found in the entire AERO product range, but at a significantly lower price point. New since the product was first introduced at IBC 2015 is the option for a 2+2+2+2+2 configuration to support up to five simultaneous stereo programs.