Barix Instreamer ICE Audio-Over-IP Encoder Offers Free Streaming Service
With in-person gatherings around the globe suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Barix has upgraded its affordable Instreamer ICE audio-over-IP encoder to enable simpler installation and is offering new customers a free audio-streaming service for their websites for the next six months.
Barix is offering a free streaming service to help customers share their events online.
Barix’s Instreamer ICE was originally designed to encode high-quality, bandwidth-efficient AAC+ or MP3 streams for Icecast-based streaming applications, such as internet radio and multisite audio distribution. Streams can be sent to an external Icecast system or third-party service provider for unlimited propagation, or they can be distributed directly to up to 100 listeners via the unit’s built-in Icecast server.
The updates to Instreamer ICE help users overcome firewall issues and user limits, enabling them to deploy the unit for streaming audio through their website in less than 30 minutes. Barix provides the customer with a configuration file comprising customized streaming parameters. The user simply plugs a microphone or audio console into the analog input of the encoder, connects the device to the internet, and loads the configuration file. The audio stream is now ready, and, once a button for it has been placed on the organization’s website, visitors can start listening.
In addition, Barix is offering a free streaming service to help these customers share their events online, expanding the number of listeners they can reach while avoiding the cost of a third-party streaming service or the time and effort of setting up their own Icecast server.
“Such streaming services are normally paid month by month and offer significant value for the money, but we decided to offer Instreamer ICE with free streaming included to help the community cope with the current situation,” says Manuel Merki, head of marketing, Barix. “Streaming is an important tool in helping people stay connected to community touchpoints, such as their churches, even when they’re physically isolated, so we’re happy to play even a tiny role in helping groups do so. At the same time, for those new to streaming, getting set up can be challenging when integrators and technicians may be unable to visit them, so we wanted to make Instreamer ICE even easier to install.”
Customers who want to stream beyond their websites – for example, for internet radio services – still have the option of using a paid third-party streaming host of their own choosing. Alternatively, after the six-month period, users can continue to stream for free but with the standard limitation of 100 simultaneous listeners via Instreamer ICE’s built-in Icecast server.
With the 2020 NAB Show canceled, Barix will host “Virtual NAB” sessions to let broadcasters and video professionals discover its solutions online. The company will discuss its broadcast-product news – including its new M400 SIP Opus codec, uncompressed STL offering, Silence Monitor audio assurance device, and some previously unannounced sneak previews — during live-streaming presentations on April 20 at 10:00 a.m. CT, 2:00 p.m. CT, and 1:00 p.m. ET. Barix is also offering personal one-on-one “Virtual NAB” online meetings with customers and prospects to privately discuss specific topics and products of interest. To reserve a spot in the broadcast webinar or schedule a one-on-one meeting, please visit www.barix.com/virtual-nab.