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The National Association of Broadcasters will not hold the NAB Show, at least in April, due to public health concerns about coronavirus.

NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith made the announcement. See the full text at bottom of this article.

“We are currently considering a number of potential alternatives to create the best possible experience for our community,” Smith said.

The show markets itself the world’s “largest and most comprehensive convention encompassing the convergence of media, entertainment and technology.” It drew approximately 91,400 people to Las Vegas in 2019, and featured some 1,600+ exhibitors.

International attendance is an important part of the event; last year about 26% of people came from abroad. Of those, about 30% were from Asia.

As of Wednesday afternoon the show’s website proclaimed “The show is on” and continued its message that organizers were “moving forward responsibly” while taking direction from the WHO and CDC. But the World Health Organization on Wednesday declared coronavirus a pandemic, and the NAB announcement followed quickly. The number of U.S. cases surpassed 1,000 this week, according to a dashboard published by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

“This was not an easy decision. Fortunately, we did not have to make this decision alone, and are grateful to our NAB Show community for engaging with us as we grappled with the rapidly-evolving situation,” Smith said.

Recent days had seen an increasing number of exhibitor cancellations including familiar video names like Ross Video, Avid and Adobe, and some separate conferences that had timed their events to the big show pulled out, such as PBS TechCon, as other event organizers watched and worried.

Beyond broadcasting, a number of major events in cities around the United States have been cancelled or postponed. In many cases their planners say they intend to conduct virtual events or to offer other platforms for dissemination of show content and product information.

Here is the NAB statement:

NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith Announces NAB Show Off for April, Reviewing Options for Event Later This Year

Washington, D.C. – NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith today issued the following letter to the NAB Show community regarding plans for NAB Show in light of coronavirus concerns:

Dear NAB Show community,

As you know, we have been carefully monitoring coronavirus developments both domestically and globally over the past few weeks.

In the interest of addressing the health and safety concerns of our stakeholders and in consultation with partners throughout the media and entertainment industry, we have decided not to move forward with NAB Show in April. We are currently considering a number of potential alternatives to create the best possible experience for our community.

We have decided not to move forward with NAB Show in April.

This was not an easy decision. Fortunately, we did not have to make this decision alone, and are grateful to our NAB Show community for engaging with us as we grappled with the rapidly-evolving situation. This Show is as much yours as it is ours, and it is important to us that we move forward together.

For nearly 100 years, NAB Show has provided superior value and the best possible experience for exhibitors and attendees. We knew that if we could not deliver on those expectations, we would not move forward. More importantly, keeping the community safe and healthy is NAB’s highest priority; therefore, we are deferring to the developing consensus from public health authorities on the challenges posed by coronavirus.

We are deferring to the developing consensus from public health authorities on the challenges posed by coronavirus.

We are still weighing the best potential path forward, and we ask you for your patience as we do so. We are committed to exploring all possible alternatives so that we can provide a productive setting where the industry can engage with the latest technology, hear from industry thought leaders and make the game-changing connections that drive our industry forward.

I want to stress that despite our disappointment at how this year’s Show has been impacted by global public health concerns, we are more excited than ever about the future of NAB Show and our relationship with you.

We are grateful for each and every member of our Show community. It is your passion for the industry that makes NAB Show a success year after year, and it is that same passion that will drive us into the future as we look ahead to new possibilities later this year and beyond.

The post Breaking: The NAB Show Is Off, at Least for April appeared first on Radio World.

One FCC commissioner is personally asking for the Senate to be mindful of one particular part of the newly requested Federal Communications Commission budget — and it involves the money the commission needs as it attempts to tackle pirate radio activity in new ways.

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly sent a letter to Sen. John N. Kennedy (R-LA), chairman of the subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, as the committee goes about reviewing the $339 million budget request of the commission. Specifically, O’Rielly asked Kennedy to give close consideration to the efforts the commission must now make to implement the new PIRATE Act.

[Read: It’s Official: PIRATE Act Signed Into Law]

Passage of the PIRATE act, short for Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act, in January 2020 was a welcome change, O’Rielly said, since it gives the commission new tools to combat pirate radio operators.

But those new tools come with an additional price tag. The commission has its work cut out for it, O’Rielly said, as it attempts to address the estimated 300-plus pirate operators that exist across the nation.

“With passage of the PIRATE Act, Congress has demanded that increased attention be paid to radio pirates and that enforcement action by the commission against pirate radio be as aggressive as possible,” O’Rielly said in his letter.

The act gives the commission the authority to levy fines of up to $100,000 per violation and $2 million in total. The act also streamlines the enforcement process; requires the FCC to conduct mandatory pirate radio enforcement sweeps in cities with the highest concentration of pirate radio use; and seeks to ensure more coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement.

According to O’Rielly, now that the act is in place, the FCC needs the subcommittee to appropriately prioritize pirate radio enforcement, whether that be through new funding or a reallocation of existing resources.

“Thankfully, by substantially increasing allowable penalties and requiring annual sweeps … the act provides us with potential tools at our disposal to address this issue,” O’Rielly said.

 

The post O’Rielly Seeks Funding to Implement PIRATE Act appeared first on Radio World.

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The spring NAB Show is approaching. Between now and then Radio World will conduct several short Q&As with manufacturers about their plans and offerings, to help you get the most out of the big annual trade show. Jochen Richter is head of sales, Radio, while Clark Novak handles radio marketing for Lawo AG.

Radio World: How has business been for the company since last year’s NAB Show?

Clark Novak: Business has been excellent. AoIP networks have been installed by the world’s largest broadcasters, and now medium- and even small-sized radio stations are either actively planning for or investigating IP adoption. Lawo has always been a vocal proponent of standards-based networking, so the latest studies showing how AES67 has helped accelerate the AoIP transition are very encouraging. Those studies also theorize that ST2110 standards (for interoperability between audio and video systems) will spur AoIP adoption even further, which is why Lawo’s newest radio products are ST2110-30-compliant.

[Read: 2020 NAB Show: Schedule, Exhibitor Info, Updates]

RW: What are you hearing from your customers about their business outlook this year? In what areas should we expect growth or the most interesting projects?

Jochen Richter

Jochen Richter: We’ve seen more investment in AoIP technology for joint TV and radio facilities — the RadioFr MediaPARC project in Switzerland is one of the most visible, along with projects by large public broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada. Engineering managers are seeing with their own eyes the monetary benefits and economies of scale that IP networking and interoperability bring to their tables.

RW: The last year has proven rather rocky for much of the radio industry with the largest group owner making a big move to chart a new business/operational model. Stepping away from your particular segment, what is your feeling for the overall health of the radio industry?

Novak: It’s true that the landscape has been changing in the U.S.A., but Lawo’s presence in International broadcasting has shown us changes of a different nature in other countries. Mostly, it’s for the better. We believe that, from a global perspective, radio is very much alive and very healthy.

RW: You’ve been active in the radio broadcast equipment market for many years. What’s the biggest problem or challenge facing users in this segment right now?

Richter: The biggest challenge for users will be keeping and improving efficiency in daily workflows, as radio broadcasters are increasingly called on to serve multiple platforms for linear plus on-demand services. Top management expects high efficiency, and that means all workflows have to be streamlined. Lawo is a great fit for the radio part; our software applications, like VisTool, provide collaborative platforms that easily integrate with both third-party applications and the RƎLAY family of applications for IP-streaming and virtual radio scenarios.

RW: What new goodies will your company be showing? Why should attendees visit your booth, C3012?

Novak: Radio is always looking for ways to maximize budgets, so we think people will really want to see Power Core MAX. It’s a new version of our very popular Power Core AoIP mixing engine that can power two, three or even four mixing surfaces, depending on how you size them. Very powerful, and very cost-effective.

We’ll also be showing AoIP Stream Monitor, which is the first diagnostic tool expressly designed for radio plants using AES67-compliant IP networks. You can build monitor walls with information for up to 16 critical streams, and look at detailed statistics for each one. It can even be virtualized to allow multiple screen displays with real-time status on dozens of channels. It’s an indispensable tool for modern radio.

Clark Novak

RW: AoIP and touchscreens have been technology marvels that have dazzled at the NAB Show in the last few years. Any cool stuff we should know about this year?

Richter: I think we will continue to see more touch-based mixing interfaces. They’re intuitive, easy to customize, cost-effective, and younger broadcasters love them. They’re a natural fit for AoIP applications.

RW: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trend at the 2020 NAB Show?

Novak: The interest in virtualization, and moving applications to cloud-based servers continues to increase. I believe more vendors will showcase products aimed at serving this interest.

RW: Will you be attending any sessions or looking forward to any events?

Richter: Lawo has already gained a lot of experience with large cloud-based infrastructure projects, so we plan to focus on sessions that center around all cloud-based production and processing workflows. We are very interested to see and be a part of shaping the next trends in software orchestration and workflow optimization.

RW: You’re a show veteran, how has the show changed since your first visit?

Richter: Since the mid-’90s, NAB has very clearly decided not to concentrate only on technology, but has changed its focus to workflow and business needs as well. The attendance by top management has definitely increased and this means decision makers are attending, which is good for the whole industry, and definitely for the business of radio. Finally, the convergence of media and the focus on user experience, including streaming services, are central points now.

 

The post NAB Exhibitor Viewpoint: Jochen Richter, Head of Sales, Radio and Clark Novak, Radio Marketing; Lawo AG appeared first on Radio World.

This is one in a series of articles about what the industry is telling the FCC about all-digital on the U.S. AM band.

The National Association of Broadcasters says the FCC should allow individual radio stations on the AM band to convert to all-digital HD Radio transmissions if they wish to do so.

The FCC has proposed allowing AM stations voluntarily to broadcast in MA3 all-digital mode of the HD Radio in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio. Monday was the first comment deadline.

The NAB says experimental testing has demonstrated the viability of all-digital AM and that broadcaster interest in pursuing the technology is evident. “Allowing stations to voluntarily transition to all-digital AM service will benefit listeners with enhanced AM service and improve AM broadcasters’ ability to succeed in the increasingly competitive audio marketplace,” NAB wrote.

The carriers in an HD Radio MA3 signal are shown in a slide from the NAB Technology department.

The association believes digital for AM is the way forward and cites the propagation characteristics of the AM band as one of the reasons.

“Analog AM signals are vulnerable to RF interference from fluorescent and LED light bulbs, computer monitors, flatscreen TVs and other devices. NAB has noted that some automakers are choosing to exclude AM radio from their all-electric vehicle dashboard radios because of electromagnetic noise.”

Allowing a voluntary transition to all-digital AM operation “may help reduce or even reverse these trends since digital broadcasting is generally less vulnerable to interference and provides improved audio fidelity and a wider audio bandwidth,” NAB said.

In addition to better sound quality, all-digital will provide other benefits to listeners, NAB argues. MA3 digital mode allows AM broadcasters to provide auxiliary data such as song and artist information and emergency notifications that include text and images, according to NAB.

Existing analog-only AM receivers would not be able to receive all-digital signals. But NAB says there are nearly 70 million cars on the road equipped with HD Radio reception capability, with that number growing steadily. And any loss of listeners due to all-digital operation migration would likely be mitigated by the fact that so many AM stations now employ FM translators, NAB says.

“The commission points out that more than half of all AM stations now have FM translators, potentially softening the blow of any loss of listeners and serving as an important part of an analog to all-digital transition strategy for AM broadcasters,” the association says.

It said that field and lab tests by NAB Labs (now called PILOT) have illustrated successful operation of all-digital AM radio service. “These tests showed that all-digital AM provides audio quality on par with FM stereo, and acceptable daytime coverage even out to the 0.5 mV/m analog contour of most of the tested pathways.”

[Read a commentary about all-digital by Cris Alexander.]

NAB believes the chances of all-digital AM operations causing interference with analog AM stations “is a lesser concern compared to digital hybrid operations because the former produces fewer emissions at the outer limits of the occupied bandwidth.” But it concedes: “By its nature, the all-digital signal is a stronger interferer to co-channel analog signals than are legacy analog AM signals.”

NAB included in its comments a remedy to complaints against all-digital AM stations from neighboring analog signals. “For example, the station operating in all-digital mode may reduce power or reach some other arrangement with an aggrieved co-channel station.” It adds various technical and regulatory options already exist for reducing or eliminating unacceptable interference caused by hybrid digital stations that should similarly apply to all-digital service.

In addition, NAB supports the FCC’s proposal to incorporate the NRSC-5-D standard into the digital broadcasting rules.

[Learn about all-digital for AM in depth in Radio World’s recent webinar “Digital Sunrise for AM,” available on demand.]

 

The post NAB Is All-In on All-Digital AM appeared first on Radio World.

Codec manufacturer Tieline will unveil the new Gateway IP audio codec for the first time at the NAB Show. The Gateway is a compact and powerful multichannel IP audio transport solution for radio broadcasters and can stream up to 16 IP audio channels with support for AES67, AES3 and analog I/O as standard

[Read: 2020 NAB Show: Schedule, Exhibitor Info, Updates]

The Gateway’s applications include STL, studio-to-studio and audio distribution missions, as well as managing multiple incoming remotes at the studio. It is interoperable with all Tieline IP codecs and compatible over SIP with all EBU N/ACIP Tech 3326- and 3368-compliant codecs and devices.

Tieline VP Sales, APAC/EMEA, Charlie Gawley said, “The new Gateway codec increases channel density with 16 bidirectional mono or eight bidirectional stereo streams of IP audio in 1RU to reduce rack space requirements.”

The Gateway also has Tieline SmartStream PLUS redundant streaming and Fuse-IP data aggregation technologies.

It is configurable through an embedded HTML5 Toolbox Web-GUI interface, the Gateway can also interface with the TieLink Traversal Server for simpler connections and is controllable using Tieline’s Cloud Codec Controller.

An optional WheatNet-IP card is also available.

NAB Show Booth: N6214
Info: www.tieline.com

 

The post NAB Sneak Peek: Tieline Opens the Gateway appeared first on Radio World.

The NAB says the 2020 NAB Show is still on, as of Tuesday, March 10.

A spokesperson told TV Technology that “the show is moving forward as planned.” The association updated its coronavirus update page on Tuesday, announcing that it is “continuing to evaluate the national and international situation carefully.”

The NAB says it is taking its direction from global, federal and local health officials, like the WHO and CDC, which at this time have put no travel notices or restrictions on public gatherings for the U.S.

[Read: 2020 NAB Show: Schedule, Exhibitor Info, Updates]

Concerns over the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on large gatherings has prompted a number of cancellations, including SXSW, which was expected to attract several hundred thousand to Austin, Texas, this month. PBS TechCon, which holds its annual gathering in Las Vegas just prior to the NAB Show, also cancelled its event last Friday.

Several high profile exhibitors backed out of the show on Monday, including Ross and Adobe. NAB says that 96% of its exhibitors are still planning to attend, and of the 4% no longer attending, the association claims more than 80% would be coming from China, which has implemented travel restrictions.

“Ross has been at every NAB since 1974 and this has not been an easy decision to take, but we have a clear duty to our employees, our customers and families,” the company announced, adding that is was looking for alternative “virtual” ways to get its NAB Show news out to its customers and attendees.

Adobe said in a blog post: “Over the past few weeks, we have been closely monitoring and evaluating the situation around COVID-19 and have made the difficult but important decision to cancel our presence at the show this year.” Adobe had previously cancelled its summit that was also scheduled to be held in Las Vegas.

NAB is working on ways to both minimize the risk of transmission on the show floor — including implementing a “no handshake” policy — and to add value to in-person attendees remotely.

For the latest updates on how the coronavirus is impacting the NAB Show, please visit the NAB Show’s dedicated page, as well as TV Technology’s coronavirus updates.

 

The post NAB: “The Show Is Moving Forward as Planned” appeared first on Radio World.

One of the benefits of travelling to Las Vegas for the NAB Show is the number of unofficial industry events taking place coincidentally.

One such event is the Davicom Exchange Forum, scheduled for April 21, starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Wheel House at the High Roller.

The DEX, as it’s nicknamed, “serves as a platform for technical exchanges between Davicom community users, specialized training and support professionals and those new to the benefits and flexibility of Davicom’s remote site management systems.”

Planned are brief presentations, informal discussions along with lessons of practical experience shared by the user community. Registration required and a breakfast provided.

Go here to register for this free event, limited number of tickets available.

 

The post NAB Sneak Peek: Davicom Exchange Forum Scheduled for April 21 appeared first on Radio World.

I’m still a fan of the classic AKG K240s, once a familiar sight in many a radio station, with their open-backed design and rather open sound as well. However, the AKG K275 and AKG K371 headphones reviewed here are closed-back and more in line with modern performers/recordists who like the tight isolation, extended bass and high SPLs of closed-backs.

AKG K275 K275

The K275s offer a round, closed-back, over-ear design and slow-retention foam ear pads. They don’t look like it, but they fold right up for easier transport, with a three-axis hinge and rotatable cups, and they come with a nice cinch-top storage bag. At 295 grams (0.65 pounds), these AKG headphones are slightly heavy in use, but still comfortable because of the soft ear pads. These headphones will only go so small, however, as the headband tension defines fit, so smaller people and those with bald heads might want to try them on before purchase.

The large 50 mm drivers operate at a low-ish 32 ohms, enabling efficient use with a 109 dB SPL/V rating and wide response from 16 Hz to 28 kHz. Sonically, I found the 275s to have a warm high end, with more of a bottom end emphasis and plenty of low-mids, not the carved out middle that is so common. The low end isn’t terribly defined, so I had trouble making mix decisions, but I found that performers liked tracking through them quite a bit. Bassists and guitarists appreciated the full, warm response, even if they weren’t such a hit with vocalists.

The stereo imaging was strong, with a well-defined phantom center, and dynamics were slightly constrained at higher volumes (like most headphones). Although I wasn’t able to mix on the 275s solely, I did find them a useful mix check for excessive low-mids and to make sure that higher-pitched elements were well represented.

The two big steel bands that are the backbone of the 275s seemed amply strong and durable, and the three cables provided (coiled, short straight and long straight) are connected via a nice LEMO connector, ensuring long life and durability.

K371 AKG K371

Even though the 371s are foldable, over-the-ear and closed-back, they’re really nothing like the 275s. Here, the ear cups are oval, with a softer slow-retention foam, and their lighter 255-gram weight (0.56 pounds) makes for a comfier fit. These cans have ear cups on sliding bands, unlike the sliding headband of the 275s, which allows for a snugger fit. Plus, they still fold up (the ear cups and their support arms snap and fold inward).

Once again, we’ve got 50 mm drivers, but this time with pure oxygen-free voice coils (and the accuracy that reportedly brings). These phones have 32-ohm impedance but yield a very efficient 114 dB SPL/V, with an extremely wide frequency response of 5 Hz to 40 kHz.

The K371’s sonic signature is decidedly different from the 275, with a tighter and more defined low-end response, more punch, still a warm top end, and upper-mids that are much more forward. Dynamics and imaging seem comparable to the 275s and sufficient.

I found performers liking these AKG headphones, too, with instrumentalists and vocalists enjoying them, but bassists not so much (nor myself when mixing). As much as I loved the comfort and fit of these phones (I can wear them for hours without fatigue), I never could get over one prominent midrange frequency bump (around 600 Hz) that got in the way of my mix decisions. This response made vocal and upper instrument decisions tough, but I still found the 371s to be a great bottom-end reference checkpoint. Their nicely moderated bass response is well distributed and quite even across the spectrum, providing great insight to bass and drum mix decisions.

The three cables and storage bag complement the 371s as well, making them a good choice for users who wear headphones for very long periods of time, who want effective isolation and comfort, and those who like their guitars/vocals/snares more prominent than their kicks/basses/toms.

Product Capsule

AKG K275 and K371

Headphones

Thumbs Up

+ Comfortable to wear for extended listening sessions

+ Foldable

+ Solid sound quality

+ Ships with three cables

Thumbs Down

– Not completely accurate for critical mixing

– Flattish low end (K275)

– Sound bump around 600 Hz (K371)

Price: K275 — $99; K371 — $149

Contact: AKG at 1-888-452-4254 or visit www.krksys.com

The post Product Evaluation: AKG K275 and K371 Headphones appeared first on Radio World.

Italy has been at the forefront of digital radio adoption in Europe for two decades, with three national and several local DAB+ multiplexes on the air today.

The Plan de Corones site serves Italy’s South Tyrol region, a mountainous area by the Austrian border.

Approximately 83% of the Italian population can receive DAB+ broadcasts today, with well over 150 different transmission sites from the three national broadcasters. These networks stretch from the northern border south through Italy’s famous boot-shaped peninsula — with some networks extending into Sicily and Sardinia.

EVOLUTION

Of the three national services, DAB Italia has perhaps the most interesting history. The network operator, owned by private radio service providers, launched its initial tests in Northern Italy in 1998, and was actively involved in regulatory development for the emerging medium. Those developments stretched into the second decade of the new century, resulting in DAB Italia’s 2012 commercial launch.

The Torcegno site covers the Trentino region not far from the Austrian border.

The technology has continued to evolve and change in those ensuing 13 years — changes that brought new challenges and benefits. Notably, the introduction of a second-generation audio codec in 2007 shifted testing from DAB to DAB+ due to the enhanced service and quality capabilities that the latter offered.

“The launch of the MPEG-4 AAC+ Version 2 codec presented us with a more efficient audio encoding standard,” said Hanns Wolter, technical director, DAB Italia.

“The previous MPEG-1 Layer II standard limited us to around 10 DAB radio services for each multiplex. The second-generation standard doubled that capacity while also reducing the associated transmission costs. It was an important development in efficiency that has allowed us to protect our investments over many years.”

To serve the Piedmont region, a large Kathrein 10-bay, Band III Yagi antenna is top-mounted to the tower. The same tower supports a large, top-mounted Aldena antenna.

Naturally, as with any early digital radio service, there weren’t many possibilities of reaching an audience. “There were no DAB+ receivers in 2007,” he said.

“It took us at least four months to procure a DAB+ receiver for our own tests, and we could only verify the operation with test equipment. We immediately heard the audio quality improvements, and soon followed the efficiency benefits.”

The efficiency largely comes down to the number of transmitters required. “We need 40 to 50 FM transmitters to achieve the same results that we do with 10 DAB transmitters on a single frequency network,” said Wolter. “This really opened the door for commercial DAB+ radio in Italy, because those tests proved we could deliver cost-efficient digital transmissions.”

EARLY INNOVATION

DAB Italia’s efforts have paid off. With more than 120 live transmission sites from the Austrian border south through Naples, Italians with DAB+ receivers — currently estimated at more than 4.5 million — can receive 16 DAB Italia digital radio programs (three other channels are used for testing). Many are broadcast exclusively in DAB+, while others are also available as FM simulcasts.

“We cover much of Italy, but we are still building the network,” said Wolter. “We add between 20 to 30 transmitters a year. It’s a continuous rollout intended for national diffusion.”

That national perspective is mainly focused around road travels. “Italians drive a lot and are often stuck in traffic. Therefore, 70% of Italian radio consumption happens inside the car,” said Wolter.

In the northwest corner near the Swiss and French borders, the Gerdaz site covers the broad Aosta Valley region.

The early rollouts focused on major cities to address the most heavily traveled regions. Italy’s geographical footprint expands over 116,350 square miles, which means there are plenty of open highways, expansive countryside areas, and challenging terrain. Italy’s two mountain ranges, the Alps and the Apennines, are monumental, with the latter running north to south through much of the country.

All of this means that to make a true impact, DAB Italia soon looked beyond the major metropolitan areas. “We sent a strong signal to the automobile industry: We are providing Italy with a network, and it’s time to get DAB receivers into your cars,” said Wolter. “Our tests showed that the performance and propagation were especially good in the valleys, and we were penetrating the more challenging mountainous terrain. We were achieving capabilities that we simply could not do in analog.”

TACTICAL APPROACH

By the seaside in northwestern Italy, the Monte Fasce site covers the Liguria region, including the capital city of Genoa.

The DAB Italia team tries to locate each transmitter site based on what will provide the best coverage, including rooftops and traditional high broadcast towers in cities, and hilltops to penetrate valleys in rural areas.

Regardless of location, each new site involves extensive planning and theoretical studies. “There are a number of hurdles and constraints in an SFN deployment,” said Wolter. “We have to precisely calculate the delays across each transmitter for the receivers to decode the signals accurately. If the signals are outside a time interval of 246 microseconds, the RF interference contributed by the different transmitters will disrupt reception. Staying within that time interval will both influence and limit site selection.”

The site buildouts are simple by comparison. DAB Italia favors simple antenna systems from Kathrein or Aldena Telecomunicazioni, both of which Wolter says are simple to install and control. DAB antennas are approximately half the size of FM antennas, which makes it easier to place and position the antenna.

The network includes a mix of transmitters from six vendors, some of which are no longer in business. The most recent phases have utilized GatesAir S.r.l. (formerly ONEtastic) and Syes transmitters, both based in Italy (GatesAir S.r.l.’s parent company, GatesAir, is located in the United States). Wolter notes that both companies strike the balance of price, performance, and space-efficiency they are seeking as their network grows.

“Over the last years we have supported these manufacturers in the development of their DAB transmitters with the capabilities we needed to operate correctly our network,” said Wolter. “We worked closely with them on the software development side to access information on system performance. An important recent development is the integration of satellite receivers into the most recent transmitters they shipped. That removes the cost of external receivers. They are active listeners and respond to our requests.”

DAB Italia has deployed 15 GatesAir’s Maxiva transmitters since early 2019 covering a range of power levels and network requirements. “The first GatesAir transmitter we installed provides DAB+ service to the city of Verona, but we also have a number of medium-power transmitters and gap fillers.

Most of these transmitters deliver power levels of 100, 250 or 450 W. But we have gap fillers as low as 25 W, and a few higher power systems that go up to 2.5 kW. All have a 40% efficiency rating, and the higher power transmitters reduce energy use by 15 to 20%.”

The multiplexes come into the transmitter sites from eight radio content providers, using a Factum Radioscape system that takes in signals via IP, satellite and fixed radio links. DAB Italia ingests the various contributed signals into the Factum multiplex, which combines and distributes the signals to the various transmitter sites.

“Our system is really a server farm,” said Wolter. “Audio processing is handled by the content providers, and we manage distribution of the finalized signals. The Factum Radioscape system integrated encoders, which leverage Dolby or Fraunhofer audio codecs. Each has a digital audio interface or AoIP.

The DAB Italia network has a mix of transmitters, including GatesAir (formerly ONEtastic) transmitters for recent deployments in Ferrara and Asti.

“We can adapt a broad range of bitrates based on the quality of the originating signal we receive,” explained Wolter. “We rely on our content providers to appropriately process the audio for DAB, which is quite different compared to processing for FM. DAB offers more bandwidth, which means less processing is required. Too much processing will create a loss in audio quality.”

The majority of DAB Italia’s 19 channels are currently encoded at 48 kbps using HE-AAC+ Version 2 coding. Some are encoded with lower bitrates of 32 kbps, while others leverage higher bitrates of 64 kbps.

[Read: 2020 Looks Good for Digital Radio, Smart Speakers]

“It’s an interesting compromise that still results in exceptional audio quality for the broadcast, provided the source signal is pristine,” said Wolter. “You cannot correct a bad source with higher bit rates; the quality will not improve. The listener will just notice the problems more easily.”

DAB Italia leverages the ETI protocol for contribution and distribution, but is looking at EDI for backup streams. “EDI had just been finalized as we began rolling out the network, and the modulators and transmitters at the time did not support it,” he said. “We are looking to roll out a system that will seamlessly switch between ETI and EDI sources, which gives us the option of having either IP or satellite as the backup.”

The Radioscape system includes an ETI output, and additional equipment then converts the signals to ASI before being sent into a DVB-S2 multiplex. The satellite receivers at each transmission site extract the ETI signal before sending the streams into the transmitters. Where older transmitters without integrated satellite receivers are used, DAB Italia leverages external extractors and receivers from 2wcom.

CAREFUL INVESTMENTS

As DAB Italia works with private radio service providers, they are limited to a certain annual budget. That budget is used to manage the rollout of new sites and maintain the existing network.

“We’re funded by FM revenues, which means we don’t have the budget to roll out 100 to 200 transmitter sites a year in a way that public networks can afford,” said Wolter. “It forces us to make thoughtful investments, and it has provided the opportunity to gain experience in building DAB networks.”

This also means that the network operator needs to use existing resources wisely. Therefore, labor and system maintenance require some very careful planning.

“DAB maintenance is a complex subject in Italy, as a large majority of the existing engineering base is not trained for digital,” said Wolter. “It’s mostly a different generation of technicians that have years of FM experience, but don’t quite understand digital radio. It’s very difficult to convince them to take a laptop to the transmitter site.

“But we have found that most DAB transmitter failures are generic — things such as the power supply, or a software issue. The simplest and easiest way is to change out the transmitter at the site and take it back to the lab.”

Wolter notes that GatesAir has reduced the maintenance burden with more modern and clever designs. “It’s almost like a Lego box, especially with their smaller transmitters,” he said. “They have interlocking parts and no cables. These are compact transmitters with separate amplifiers. It also makes for an interesting tunnel coverage solution, which we are now evaluating.”

Wolter expects to significantly expand the network over the next two years, taking the DAB Italia service to smaller cities, towns and roads, one by one. The most recent GatesAir transmitters recently went on the air in Ferrara and Asti, which represents their expansion strategy into smaller cities.

“We will extend highway coverage further, focusing on areas that are underserved,” he said. “Our second step is to install a local transmitter in every major regional or provincial towns. We ultimately expect to have a network of more than 400 transmitters throughout Italy, and to run it at approximately one-tenth the cost of a comparable FM network.

“Italy is closely interconnected with other European realities and we always keep an eye on new technical developments to keep our system at the highest level of reliability and efficiency,” concluded Wolter.

The post A Look Inside Italy’s Digital Radio Rollout appeared first on Radio World.

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