Telos Continues to Deliver Performance for Real-World Networks Over IP

By Michael Guta
TMCnet Contributing Writer

When the Internet was introduced, organizations across many different industries started to use the technology to improve communications capability.  Initially this was achieved through emails, and as the technology evolved Audio over IP (AoIP) became possible, and today you can use a wide range of IP communications solutions to talk to anyone on their mobile device, VoIP telephony systems or PCs. One of the pioneers of AoIP, Telos introduced Livewire, a solution which enables end-users to reduce cabling and I/O points, while at the same time maintaining pristine audio quality and simplifying the management of system infrastructure. The company has continued to produce new innovations including Z/IP ONE, a 1RU device that maximizes the audio quality of remote broadcasts over public IP networks and mobile phone data services.

With radio and television stations migrating online the need for a reliable solution that can ensure consistent audio quality even when the connectivity is not always optimal is very important. Bad Internet connections can result in poor audio quality and dropped transmission, which can translate to losing your audience.

To compensate for poor connection some broadcasters reduce their bit rate, but it results in significant degradation of the audio quality. The Z/IP ONE delivers the best quality audio from public IP networks and mobile data services — even when the connections are from behind NATs and firewalls.

The company achieved this by collaborating with Fraunhofer (News - Alert), developers of MP3 and many AAC breakthroughs, using a unique coding control algorithm capable of adapting to the fluctuating Internet conditions in real time with what the company calls Agile (News - Alert) Connection Technology (ACT), a propriety technology. With ACT users can maintain quality and stability on real-world networks because the platform adapts dynamically to changing network conditions, thereby minimizing the effects of packet loss and jitter.

The platform works automatically to lower bit rate and increases buffer length to keep audio flowing at maximum quality when there is congestion. This ensures reliable audio for broadcasters, even when network conditions are erratic without having to adjust settings or codecs. Z/IP ONE also employs a new codec based on low delay AAC called AAC-ELD (Advanced Audio Coding-Enhanced Low Delay), which produces superior fidelity at low bit rates with nearly inaudible loss concealment and very little delay.

The Z/IP ONE toolkit includes standard high-performance codecs: AAC-HE, AAC-LD, MPEG4 AAC-LC, MPEG2 AAC-LC, G.711, G.722 as well as linear PCM aptX coding from CSR (News - Alert). This includes support for LUCI LIVE and LUCI LIVE Lite smartphone apps, which allows reporters in the field to file studio quality reports and events using a mobile device.

“One of the challenges in transferring audio programming over IP networks, especially the Public Internet, is data loss caused by random packet loss and varying latency or jitter. There are any number of conditions that may cause these problems to occur. My presentation is designed to help broadcasters first identify the specific problem they're experiencing, and then present technical solutions that will counteract that problem, so that their IP remotes can be as smooth and error-free as a traditional remote connection,” said Telos Systems VP / Executive Director Kirk Harnack.

Edited by Maurice Nagle