GatesAir breaks new ground in IP signal transport

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Gates-AirGatesAir announced the radio industry’s first end-to-end, interoperable solution for transporting AES-192 signals over IP. The solution gives broadcasters the first truly reliable, cost-reducing way to move program audio — and all program-associated data — as a digital composite stereo signal, allowing a seamless migration from legacy analog connections.


“Broadcasters are interested in the higher quality audio signals that AES-192 transport can achieve, as it eliminates analog conversion processes that can degrade signals as they pass through the air chain,” said Rich Redmond, chief product officer GatesAir. “The GatesAir customer-first approach ensures that broadcasters will save a lot of money by requiring less conversion equipment, while maintaining the best possible signal integrity. We maximize opportunities for customers with the industry’s only solution to reliably carry a complete bit stream coming out of the on-air processor and packetizing it via IP, all while applying forward error correction and redundant streams.”

The complete solution utilizes the Intraplex IP Link and Flexiva FAX exciter at its core, giving broadcasters a transformational end-to-end architecture to leverage next-generation digital signal transport techniques. The IP Link, regarded for its robust and feature-rich transport capabilities, is the first codec in the industry to support AES-192 transport over the network. IP Link uses all available networks to ensure audio and data reach their destination intact and without interruption, feeding AES-192 streams directly into the FAX exciter for over-the-air delivery. This eliminates additional processing stages at the transmitter site, allowing broadcasters to safely move those components back to the studio.

The GatesAir solution works across any of three leading on-air processor brands (Omnia, Orban and Wheatstone) and is equipped to deliver stereo composite baseband over AES-192. This flexibility ensures that broadcasters aren’t locked into using a specific solution, freeing them to use their preferred processing platform to maintain a high-quality digital signal across the entire transport chain.

The solution means that broadcasters interested in using AES-192 to establish a high-quality digital link can safely rely on the IP network for transport. The high-speed nature of AES-192 transport — typically 4.5MB/s per stream — requires a robust solution to ensure successful delivery of these signals.