Barix Audio over IP Devices to Support Public Address at NJ TRANSIT Stations Statewide
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ZURICH,
SWITZERLAND, May 18, 2010
— Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio, intercom, control, and
monitoring, announces that NJ TRANSIT, the public transportation
corporation for the state of New Jersey, has standardized on Barix
Audio over IP equipment for IP-based distribution of public address
(PA) announcements at rail and bus stations across the state.
NJ
TRANSIT is in the process of building out an IP-based PA and digital
display network that will disseminate audio and visual passenger
information from one to many points. NJ TRANSIT and consultant Baran
Design Associates specified Barix Exstreamers to receive and decode
PA messages at every NJ TRANSIT location. The devices are currently
operational across the River Line light rail system and Northeast
Corridor rail lines, as well as a number of bus stations.
Audio
messages with relevant passenger information are continuously updated
and streamed to pre-assigned, IP-addressable Exstreamers to ensure
that stations are receiving the right message. The messages
originate as WAV files out of a centralized text-to-speech engine
before being encoded to mp3 for distribution to rail and bus
stations. The Exstreamers convert the streams back to audio at the
stations and send them to various digital processing systems and
amplifiers for immediate playout over the speaker systems.
"We
are improving the quality of our PA systems as part of our efforts to
improve customer communications,” said David Rountree, Manager of
Public Address Communications for NJ TRANSIT. “It is important
that our customers hear announcements in the rail station
environment, and this new system is very clear and concise. Barix
plays a key role in both maintaining the audio quality and giving our
customers up-to-the-minute, accurate information.
NJ
TRANSIT is also using Barix Instreamer audio encoders to monitor
audio quality and levels at every station. An Instreamer will be
connected to every digital processor in the network, capturing live
audio picked up by ambient noise sensing microphones on each rail and
bus platform. The Instreamer encodes the audio and streams it to
offices where personnel can confirm signal intelligibility, send test
signals and adjust audio levels in response.
Rountree
added that he is planning to add Barix Exstreamer 200 IP decoders at
remote bus stations that cannot connect to the network
infrastructure. The Exstreamer 200 features an integrated amplifier,
ideal for installations where space is at a premium while reducing
equipment costs.
NJ TRANSIT is currently testing the Exstreamer
200 at selected sites, co-located with two speakers and a small
digital sign. Passenger information is delivered over a wireless
connection, providing audio and visual information to bus stations
where only print schedules were previously available.
Mark
Ramsay, president of Baran Design Associates, has been using Barix
Audio over IP devices for several years, including web jukebox
applications that use Instreamers to stream music over the internet.
He said that Barix offers an excellent price point and gives NJ
TRANSIT a lot of flexibility in a very complex system.
Barix
provides a low-cost solution for audio distribution and gives NJ
TRANSIT an openly programmable box that can use different firmware to
build custom functionality,” said Ramsay. “We considered other
IP delivery systems but they were far more expensive and difficult to
customize."
Rountree
added that IP distribution was the only efficient way to improve the
way NJ TRANSIT disseminates passenger information across the network.
"We
realized that IP-based network technology was the best way to reach
all of our stations,” he said. “The older systems were using
drop lines and individual copper lines that would run 40-to-50 miles.
The information was somewhat unintelligible by the time it reached
the end of the line. There is virtually no loss the way we are doing
it now thanks to Barix and other IP-based technology. We simply fire
a packet down the line and the quality and intelligibility of the
announcement is maintained throughout the system."
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’s BCL software environment.