Barix Audio over IP Technology Adds Scalability, Flexibility and Control to Bosch PA and Voice Evacuation Systems
Bosch Security Systems integrate Barix IP Audio technology to distribute supervised audio and contact closures
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, June 2, 2009 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio, intercom, control and monitoring, today announced that Bosch Security Systems is now shipping an IP Audio Interface based on the Barix Annuncicom 1000 for use with Bosch Praesideo and Plena Voice Alarm digital public address and voice evacuation systems. The Barix OEM device, labeled PRS-1AIP1, is used for distribution of supervised audio and control signals over standard IP networks according to the EN 60849 standard for voice evacuation in Europe and other regions.
Praesideo and Plena Voice Alarm public address and voice evacuation systems are high-end solutions for PA and emergency sound, covering applications such as tunnels, airports, railways, office buildings, shopping centers, universities, hotels and restaurants, large stadiums and exhibition centers. The PRS-1AIP1, built by Barix exclusively for Bosch, is based on Barix’ field-proven IP Audio technology and supports supervised contact closure inputs, redundant power and network connections as well as several device monitoring and supervision functions; and exclusively for Bosch, pilot tone supervision and generation. The complete solution ensures that operators can supervise extended PA and voice evacuation systems from a central location with more features and lower costs than competitive solutions.
The Barix OEM device extends the Bosch product range, and can complete Bosch solutions for onshore, single and multiple site public address and voice evacuation systems that cover a wide area of real estate. The devices offer a wide range of capabilities based on pilot tones, supervised contact closures, network and power redundancy, and compliance with the EN 60849 standard. By including eight contact closure inputs and outputs in a single box, this unit is a far more flexible and cost-efficient receiver solution than competing products.
Another strong point for the PRS-1AIP1 Audio over IP module is its ability to encode and decode in A-Law, MP3 and PCM, where others only recognize a single format. Customers using Praesideo or Plena Voice Alarm solutions with added Barix technology can easily route audio to multiple distributed amplifier channels that represent specific zones in various areas of the facility with just one send and one receive unit.
The Bosch PRS-IAIP1 device for Praesideo and Plena Voice Alarm public address and voice evacuation solutions is now shipping globally, and available through Bosch dealers and systems integrators worldwide.
“We are extremely pleased to announce this strategic alliance with Bosch Security Systems for the integration of our Barix IP Audio technology into Praesideo and Plena Voice Alarm digital public address systems,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and Founder of Barix AG. “Bosch is a distinguished leader in public address and voice evacuation, and the integration of our Audio over IP knowledge and technology will bring more flexibility and features to their end-to-end solutions, while eliminating the need for external control devices, complex wiring and other costly or time-consuming requirements.”
All Barix products are cost-effective, 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 as well as real world device control and monitoring. Barix also provides customers with a programming environment to enable them to customize the functionality of the products. Local control loops, audio relay, and low-latency streaming are a few examples of custom programs using Barix’ BCL software environment.