LIVE REMOTE PRODUCTION USING VIRTUALIZED AUDIO SERVICES, AT NAB2017

Wheatstone and Artel team up to demo a simulated remote sporting event produced live from a ‘home’ studio using virtualized audio services across a WAN.

NEW BERN, NC, USA (April 18, 2017) – Wheatstone, a leader in IP audio networking, is partnering with real-time multimedia delivery company Artel this upcoming NAB show to demonstrate live remote production using virtualized audio services across a wide-area network.

Demonstrations will take place in Wheatstone booth N6531 and Artel booth N4511.

On one side of Wheatstone booth N6531, foosball players will be knocking around balls in a simulated sporting event that will be captured on camera. The feed will be picked up on the other side of the booth for final mixing and production using the Dimension Three (Touch) IP audio networked console. (Other Wheatstone IP-networked consoles will be available for demonstration as well, including the Series Two and Series Four mixers, D8-EX audio board, and large-format IP-64.)

Audio routing, control, mixing and processing are all done over the WAN through Wheatstone’s WheatNet-IP network of virtual audio services. I/O BLADEs, or access units, make up the WheatNet-IP and store the virtualized services that enable operators to manage almost any audio function from the network. Included in each I/O BLADE are two stereo 8x2 utility mixers and audio processing tools to mix various sources from the network and process the resultant mixes. In addition to gain control, pan/balance, and direct audio monitoring and metering, BLADEs also provide cross-point control for the entire signal matrix, so zero latency IFB feeds can be created and controlled at any location.

“With these and other audio services virtualized on the network as software, rather than as external single-point-of-use hardware devices or as features limited to the console, the WheatNet-IP audio network makes it possible to seamlessly integrate functions between a home studio and a remote event across a WAN,” said Wheatstone Director of Sales Jay Tyler.

Wheatstone’s popular WheatNet-IP is AES67 compatible and designed specifically for robust broadcast applications. WheatNet-IP audio networking is already in use across major U.S. and global markets.  

“This is very timely as broadcasters continue to strive for efficiencies in their operations,” said Rafael Fonseca, Vice President of Product Management with Artel.  For the NAB demonstration, an Artel InfinityLink IL6000 broadcast media transport chassis will provide the Ethernet links between the foosball sporting event and the IP audio console as well as the fiber link to Artel booth N4511 a few aisles away. On the same bidirectional fiber link, a GoPro feed from a drone in the Artel booth will be networked into the WheatNet-IP using an I/O BLADE.

Live remote production, also known as at-home production, is a growing trend due to the cost savings associated with having less equipment and fewer staff onsite at a remote location. For the NAB demonstration, a small rack of equipment not much larger than a mini refrigerator takes the place of a large mixing console with routing and outboard gear on the venue side. Included in the rack as part of the WheatNet-IP network of virtual audio services are I/O BLADEs, including one to retrieve SDI audio directly from the camera, de-embed it and send it ‘home’ as discrete audio, and another to ingest audio feeds. The M4IP-USB mic processor ingests audio feeds, but is also an I/O BLADE device on the WheatNet-IP audio network, so mic processing adjustments can be made locally at the venue or remotely from the home IP audio console. An Ethernet Cisco edge switch is also included in the rack to network it all together.

The demonstration will show how easy it is to control levels remotely from the studio IP console as well as trigger IFBs and turn mics on or off. It will show broadcasters how to mix and process the audio locally or remotely in real-time and how the WheatNet-IP audio network itself can serve as an IFB backbone that is routable by simply triggering cross points in the network – with zero latency between talent and crew in the field.

Visit booth N6531 or N4511 at NAB for a personal demonstration or watch Wheatstone’s Facebook page for live streams periodically throughout the NAB show.

In addition to the above live production demonstration, Wheatstone staff will be talking about virtualized audio services at several engineering sessions during the NAB show. On Saturday, April 22, at 9:00 a.m., Phil Owens and Lon Neumann will present The IP-Based Audio System and the At-Home Production Model, room N258. On Tuesday, April 25, at 2:00 p.m., Lon Neumann will present Extending the IP Audio Network Across a WAN, room N258. 

 

ABOUT WHEATSTONE CORPORATION

Located in New Bern, North Carolina, USA, Wheatstone Corporation designs and manufactures professional broadcast audio equipment under the WHEATSTONE, AUDIOARTS, and VOXPRO brand names. Products include digital audio consoles and control surfaces, analog audio consoles, networked digital audio systems, audio-over-IP, digital audio editing hardware and software, signal processing for on-air and studio applications, and software.

® Wheatstone, Audioarts, PR&E, and VoxPro are registered trademarks of Wheatstone Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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