Barix Announces First EtherSound Deployment
Church in Eastern Switzerland installs Annuncicom 1000 for EtherSound playout and control distribution to multiple PA points
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, March 24, 2009 – Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio, intercom, monitoring and control, announces that its Annuncicom 1000 Audio over IP devices are being used to receive and play out EtherSound audio during worship services and live performances at the Stadtmission church in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The Annuncicom 1000 devices have been configured by Sphinx Connect, the exclusive Barix distributor in Switzerland; and installed by systems integrator R+R SonicDesign. They were selected for their reliability, simplicity of use, audio quality and price-to-performance ratio.
The EtherSound system was installed in a new building to provide high quality, lowest latency sound for live concerts and theater performances, as well as sermons and other traditional church services.
“This project showcases an outstanding solution for any facility seeking a high-quality, pro-audio solution using Ethernet via standard LAN cabling,” said Mr. Roman Surber, system engineer for R+R SonicDesign. “Stadtmission saved about 70 percent using the Barix Annuncicom 1000 compared to other EtherSound-to-Audio converters, and based on the low price point, dual audio channel outputs and contact closure controls, they can easily expand the system to other rooms and speaker systems.”
Barix first announced plans for EtherSound compatibility at Infocomm 2008, unveiling its partnership with Digigram to implement Ethersound ES-100/spkr technology within Barix Audio over IP devices. The Stadtmission project is the first published EtherSound installation for Barix, with R+R SonicDesign implementing the Annuncicom 1000 within the church’s existing IT infrastructure, using multiple Annuncicom 1000 devices for audio and control distribution throughout the building.
The Barix EtherSound (ES100/spkr) implementation not only allows playout of up to two independent audio channels per device, but also provides remote volume control, channel selection, and contact closure I/O using the standard EtherSound control APIs. Depending on the Barix hardware, the received EtherSound Audio channels are available on unbalanced (Exstreamer-100), balanced (Annuncicom-1000) or even digital AES/EBU interfaces (Exstreamer-1000) with very low latency and high audio quality. Two of the 64 audio channels provided by the EtherSound sources can be independently selected.
Barix will showcase its Annuncicom 1000, Exstreamer 1000 and other Audio over IP devices at the upcoming Pro Light & Sound show in Frankfurt (Hall 8, 8.0 K64). The Annuncicom and Exstreamer 1000 devices are premium, professional grade devices that combine intercom, paging and IP-based audio conversion for PA and BGM systems into a half-width 19-inch, rack mountable box. The devices include contact closure inputs for audio control, relay outputs for amplifier control, a serial port, and a redundant power supply input suitable for both 24 and 48 volt based systems (Annuncicom 1000).
All Barix products are inexpensive, low-power devices that are scalable to the growth of the operation; offer reliability through a PC-FREE design with no moving parts; and serve as a flexible platform for integration into virtually any operation requiring audio transport and delivery. Barix also offers its programmable BCL standard open to all customers to easily tailor applications for specific needs. Local control, audio relay, and low-latency streaming are a few examples of custom programs using Barix’ BCL software environment.
About Barix AG (www.barix.com)
Barix AG, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, specializes in the research, development and manufacture of IP-based audio and data distribution, communication, monitoring, control, and automation hardware solutions for commercial, industrial, security and military applications. Barix’ smart, reliable, compact, stand-alone components stream and communicate over standard network infrastructure and Internet, for local or worldwide networked solutions, eliminating the need for extra wiring and PCs. Barix provides customers with a wide range of additional services, including private labeling, licensing and OEM engineering.