Month: September 2023

Pioneering streaming and podcast solutions provider StreamGuys will demonstrate a new metadata workflow with Xperi (NYSE: XPER) at IBC that will help radio broadcasters publish rich visual content alongside their online audio streams. The demonstration will prove how broadcasters are assured consistency across their terrestrial and streaming platforms through the reliable integration of AIM Rapid and SGplayer, StreamGuys’ HTML5 solution for consumer playback and content navigation. Both solutions support reliable metadata throughput and delivery to multiple consumer platforms.AIM Rapid delivers visual content, notably album art, to radio stations alongside music track details, enhanced show information, news alerts and more. It can do so for FM, DAB+, and HD Radio™ delivery systems, as well as connected cars, websites and mobile platforms. Working with StreamGuys will ensure that the same album artwork is used across all delivery platforms, including websites and mobile platforms using SGplayer. StreamGuys’ SGmetadata service for metadata management enables reliable handoff between the middleware (AIM Rapid) and playout (SGplayer, mobile app) workflow elements.“Xperi has provided metadata solutions to broadcasters for more than 16 years,” said Chris Gould, vice president for All in Media, the Xperi division that manages AIM Rapid. “We have a wealth of experience building middleware that is reliable, simple to use, and can also interface with a wide range of third-party systems such as SGplayer from StreamGuys. The interoperability between AIM Rapid and SGplayer ultimately means that the online audio consumer enjoys a richer experience with track metadata and artwork approved and delivered from the broadcaster, who will no longer worry about a lack of consistency across different audiences. Working with StreamGuys, we have made the process of delivering rich visual content to online platforms as simple and reliable as possible.”

Eduardo Martinez, Vice President of Technology for StreamGuys, explains that the workflow originates within the playout automation system, which feeds Xperi Rapid. The Rapid middleware grabs additional metadata related to the track from Xperi’s TiVo® music library, including album art, and feeds the streaming encoder. The SGmetadata service then pulls and converts the standards-based metadata for translation to SGplayer and mobile apps, which display the album art and other visual content alongside track information for the consumer.“This is an intelligent and interoperable metadata workflow that solves a very common problem for the broadcaster,” said Martinez. “Many broadcasters have immense song libraries with incomplete metadata, and Rapid intuitively steps in to provide that missing metadata as needed. Interoperability with SGmetadata extends these capabilities to the broadcaster’s online audio streams, ensuring reliable transport through the CDN ecosystem and to the output for presentation on SGplayer. Working close with the Xperi team, we developed, tested and confirmed a solution within one week that is simple to setup, quick to deploy and consistent in service.”StreamGuys will demonstrate the interoperable workflow between AIM Rapid, SGmetadata and SGplayer at the ENCO stand (8.C73), where StreamGuys is an official IBC co-exhibitor. IBC begins Friday and runs through Monday, September 18. […]

GatesAir, a Thomson Broadcast subsidiary dedicated to wireless content delivery, will bring its timing and signal reference solution for broadcast and telecom facilities to IBC for the first time this week. The GatesAir Maxiva GNSS-PTP is a standalone 1RU solution with a sophisticated switching algorithm that assures high-precision 10MHz and 1 PPS reference signals to mission-critical components in the signal chain, including transmitters, networking, and studio equipment. Internationally, the Maxiva GNSS-PTP brings strong value to national broadcast and network operators operating headends with multiple transmitters, for example. GatesAir exhibits at Stand 8.C82.The Maxiva GNSS-PTP speaks to modern navigation technologies used in second-generation Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and supports all major global satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS). Each GNSS-PTP device feeds up to twelve 10 MHz and 1 PPS references in the technology infrastructure, removing the need to integrate a standalone timing source in each component. This substantially reduces equipment costs and installation timelines while providing a single, yet highly redundant, point of failure for engineers.Precise timing and frequency generation is assured because of the GNSS-PTP’s high level of redundancy. The product design includes redundant AC power supplies with built-in battery back-up for “always-on” protection. Diverse timing sources include redundant GNSS receivers, which incorporate OCXO temperature control to prevent frequency changes. Timing sources also include a PTP hardware module and an external 10 MHz and 1 PPS reference. Built-in switching control logic ensures reliability and flexibility for always selecting the highest priority source as a reference.

Support for the Precision Time Protocol v2 (PTP) adds further reliability and flexibility for customers. Available as a modular option, users can prioritize PTP as a facility’s primary source, or configure PTP as a backup to one of the GNSS receivers. The PTP module can function as a master or slave and, same as the unit’s GNSS receivers, provide reliable timing and frequency reference to 12 external devices.GatesAir has further simplified the user experience with an integrated web interface that allows users to select frequency bands easily and flexibly for each GNSS system, and configure timing source selection in automatic and manual modes. The user interface also offers useful visual aids, including detailed tracking maps and tables, satellite status and signal quality.“GatesAir has strong experience in the area of timing and synchronization for video, audio and telecom networks with our Intraplex SynchroCast solutions, including the single-frequency networks that our customers are increasingly deploying for FM radio and digital TV delivery,” said Keyur Parikh, Vice President of Engineering, GatesAir. “The Maxiva GNSS-PTP represents a new era in timing reliability, network redundancy and cost reduction for GatesAir and giving our customers a proven and reliable solution that will work in any broadcast studio, RF plant and telco facility worldwide.” […]