VORTEX To Showcase Latest Comrex Products At IBC 2018

VORTEX is exhibiting at IBC on Stand 12G11 in Hall 12 and will be showing the latest Comrex products being introduced for the first time in Europe.

ACCESS-NX is the latest incarnation of the industry-standard ACCESS IP Audio codec, providing a step-change in stability and resilience in live audio transmission using the public internet. As standard, it provides 2x Mic-Line switchable inputs with 2x Headphone outputs plus stereo Line-in and Line-out. There is an optional 4-channel add-on mixer, again adding mic and headphone connectivity making 6 channels in all. Fully-compatible with the huge installed base of Comrex studio codecs, it uses Crosslock that sets up a VPN connection to provide multi-streaming with clever forward error correction, error masking and load-balancing to ensure ultra-stable low-delay live 2-way stereo audio connectivity.

The studio back-end is generally the classic ACCESS-R which of course can be updated to the latest Crosslock technology to handle multi-streaming but Comrex's re-invented rackmount IP audio codec The ACCESS NX Rack – being introduced at IBC – features AES67 in addition to AES3 and standard analogue inputs and outputs. ACCESS-NXR features a new, user-friendly, web-based interface and includes EBU 3326/SIP modes for compatibility.

For users who need multiple audio codes at one location, ACCESS MultiRack  provides five audio codecs in a single 1-U rack unit. Perfect for larger operations, ACCESS MultiRack allows five separate simultaneous full-duplex connections to ACCESS Portables (Classic, 2USB, and NX), ACCESS Racks (Classic and NX), and BRIC-Link (Classic and -II) and other compatible codecs and provides a Dante Interface for full studio integration.

Also being demonstrated is LiveShot which is the "video version" of the ACCESS, again with ultra-low latency transmission. Probably live broadcast's biggest secret, LiveShot fits between the camera and the battery and incorporates many of the clever forward error correction and error masking techniques developed for ACCESS plus CrossLock multi-streaming, bonding and reliability. It too is designed for use on contended connections such as the public internet and unlike most video codecs, LiveShot additionally provides reverse video and audio plus a dedicated comms channel. This means that with a single connection, the presenter at the remote site can receive a live feed from the studio, also with audio as well as having 2-way talkback and communications, all whilst sending the Live HD feed with stereo. Weighing less than a kg and the ability to plug-in four or more USB dongles, LiveShot provides a reliable all-in-one package for News, Sport and Outside Broadcast. At the studio end, the LiveShot Rack provides HD and HDMI Outputs.

On another subject, the new Comrex EarShot IFB is designed to provide telephone-based live studio program and IFB audio to field-based remote broadcasts such as News and Sport OBs. Even though more telephone connections have become IP-based, studios have still tended to keep analogue lines for interface to talkback and studio systems. Using low-cost VoIP telephone services, EarShot IFB is a hardware-based system that delivers up to four audio feeds to remote callers. Up to 30 regular or 10 wideband connections can be made with easy selection between the four audio feeds which makes it possible to replace up to 30 PSTN/POTS lines with one simple box. 

www.vtx.co.uk

This article is also available in the August edition of Broadcast Film & Video. Available here.