CONNECT CATEGORY BaM™Award Nominee: Connecting Data in the IP Audio Stream GatesAir paves a new foundation for secure, reliable data transport over IP networks
At the 2018 NAB Show in April, GatesAir introduced Intraplex IPConnect, a standalone hardware device with integrated award-winning IPConnect software for reliable, secure data transport. Previously available only as an option for IP Link audio codecs, the new device provides reliability and security for virtually types of IP data, including those from IP audio codecs, HD Radio streams and Web or SNMP-based remote-control applications. The device can be used as an IP Gateway or a LAN bridge to provide point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections.
As broadcasters gradually transition from legacy TDM networking solutions and toward IP, there is a greater urgency to strengthen transport reliability and network security as new digital services are launched and managed over the network. These new services are accompanied by sizeable data payloads that must be effectively managed and protected to ensure proper delivery and playout.
[bctt tweet = “GatesAir introduced Intraplex IPConnect, a standalone hardware device with integrated award-winning IPConnect software for reliable, secure data transport – BaM™ Product Highlights: GatesAir”]
The Intraplex IPConnect content transport solution is a standalone half-rack hardware device built to enhance that data protection capability across audio contribution and distribution networks. Acting as an IP Gateway or a local area network bridge device, IPConnect can support point-to-point applications (STL, studio-to-studio, remote contribution) as well as multipoint distribution (SFNs, DAB/DAB+ networks, content syndication).
IPConnect fortifies data transport across IP networks by minimizing data loss associated with dropped packets, employing a combination of packet protection schemes with network/time diversity and packet-level forward error correction. This includes the incorporation of Dynamic Stream Splicing (DSS) software, a unique GatesAir technology that sends multiple identical streams over the same network, or two separate paths viaspecialized, divergent routing. With DSS, each stream borrows data from companion streams to avoid artifacts and service interruptions from packet loss.
[bctt tweet = “IPConnect fortifies data transport across IP networks by minimizing data loss associated with dropped packets, employing a combination of packet protection schemes with network/time diversity – BaM™ Product Highlights: GatesAir”]
IPConnect can accept data from any external source, and is considered application-agnostic since it transports data at the IP layer. This gives the broadcaster tremendous peace of mind to reliably tunnel any IP data between one or more sites, without concern of packet loss or outside interference.
For network protection, IPConnect enhances security through packet encapsulation, which encloses the external IP data packets in a GatesAir protocol wrapper as it moves across IP networks. IPConnect uniquely provides this protection for studio-generated data, as well as IP data from external sources. While the former might include RDS data or SNMP control signals to trigger a command at the transmitter site, the latter may incorporate program or control data coming from a network operations center, satellite feed or advertising service.
In addition to strengthening data transport, the new IPConnect device adds new built-in monitoring features such as SafeIP to manage redundancy for external IP sources and bandwidth measurement capability tools to help broadcasters confirm network health and capacity before launching an application. This will be especially useful in HD Radio architectures, where broadcasters can install a redundant pair of HD Radio Exporters with automatic failover support via IPConnect and its SafeIP application.
With other emerging applications that includes reliable and secure network connections to the control elements of TV transmitters and exciters, IPConnect represents the latest evolution of intelligent IP networking solutions from the industry’s leading supplier of wireless content delivery solutions.
