It might not been known well .. so i take this opportunity to explain the concept behind the Barix Exstreamer 105/120/205 “MicroSD” card slot – ideal devices for retail radio applications.

Thousands of the Exstreamer devices are in use in instore audio applications, both for realtime/live IP streaming as well as store and forward applications. Backup content (in case of realtime streaming) and offline content (for the store and forward applications) is typically stored on a USB stick.
Customers have asked for the content storeage to be “secured” by some mechanical means, and this is the main reason we came up with the Exstreamer devices supporting the MicroSD card.

A MicroSD card can be purchased by the system integrator, loaded with content or song libraries, without Barix or Distributor involvement, which is a big plus. The MicroSD flash card then can be inserted into the Exstreamer device.

Intentionally, the card completely hides in the slot, so it can not be easily removed (if you want to remove the content, use the USB version of the product). The system integrator or content provider can then secure the slot with a tamper-proof sticker, or – and this is largely unknown – use a different frontplate, available at a nominal fee, to completely hide the MicroSD card in the device !

So, with the Barix Exstreamer family you can have both – those who want removeable content, please use the “USB” device variant, those who want the content memory to be inside the device, use the MicroSD card versions.

.. and by the way, visit us at ISE in Amsterdam next week (Jan 31-Feb 2, booth E70) to talk to us in person and check out our new products we launch !

Johannes

Instreamer v3.17

http://www.barix.com/downloads/Instreamer_Standard_Firmware/1981/
- Mic audio input allows the FW to run on HW with Microphone input (e.g. Annuncicom)
- Use of DNS name in Streaming destination table (previously only numeric IP address)
- Support for Cisco Call Manager for Music on Hold applications

Streaming Client v2.24

http://www.barix.com/downloads/Streaming_Client_Firmware/1381/
- Triggered playback via metadata for Advert insertion controlled by the Broadcaster
- ASCII discovery for integration with ICgraph PC application
- Line-in support for the new Exstreamer 205, for local playback

SIP Client v1.12

http://www.barix.com/downloads/SIP_Client_Application/2331/
- Multicast socket for priority audio notification messaging, used for emergency and evacuation systems.

STL v2.12

http://www.barix.com/downloads/Studio_Transmitter_Link_STL_Application/2321/
- Mic audio input support for Annuncicom family devices
- SPDIF support for Instreamer HW
- Contact Input and Relay Output extension for Annuncicm1000

Use Instreamers at -50′C ?
icon4 10 6th, 2011| icon3Comments Off

All,

as you  might have heard in the past, Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremen (awi) has been using Barix products (namely, Barionet and Instreamer) in a science mission (PALAOA) in antarctica since quite some years now. The Barionets are used for general control and power management, while the Instreamer is used to realtime encode audio from Hydrophones and stream to Neumeyerstation located in Antarctica as well.

There is a very nice, detailed paper available from the PALAOA website (link: here), explaining details and difficulties of the whole setup.

Here is another link to the story, this time in german, with more the scientific view, sound samples etc: PALAOA.

And here is a direct link to the live stream from Antarctica, encoded by a Barix Instreamer: http://icecast.awi.de:8000/PALAOA.MP3

One thing to notice .. Barionet and Instreamer, both standard “consumer temp range” Barix products, work flawlessly since years in the setup in Antarctica, being operated sometimes at -50′C, constantly (24/7) delivering control and monitoring of the station and an IP Audio feed of the hydrophone(s).

What works that reliably in this remote location under extreme conditions should do well for you too, ain’t it ?

Johannes

Have you ever lost food due to a broken fridge or freezer, or did you ever find a door not shut on your kitchen fridge – after one day ?

Worst, of course, if these things happen in a place you do not regulary stay, such as a weekend cottage or vacation home !

I did this even better …. unplugged the freezer because i needed the power outlet to recharge the car battery .. then forgot to plug back in the freezer …. result, after 5 days …. quite a loss of food ! And a mess to clean up …

Barix Barionet devices can come to the rescue here ! If done right, you can monitor the fridge or freezer for both breakdown as well as open doors etc, without doing any modification or adding sensors to the fridge.

Here’s the secret: get a current sensor such as the RIBXKTF from Functional Devices (costs around $15 if you search online). you will need to install it, best in the electrical cabinet, so the source power for the fridge runs through it. The output of this specific type resembles a “contact closure” (it’s probably a transistor), so you can connect, depending on the type of Barionet you use, up to 4 or even up to 8 of these sensors.

The sensor will not detect the usual “standby” current of a fridge (while the compressor not being active), but it will definitely transmit “on” when the compressor runs.

A fridge/freezer should not be active all the time, there should be alternating periods when the compressor is active and inactive.

A typical graph is here:

Freezer Activity example

Freezer Activity Example

By monitoring the sensor for activity, you can now derive quite some information about your fridge !

- constant “off” tells you the fridge is probably plugged out, switched off or fuse blown, compressor dead etc
- constant “on” tells you the fridge is using a lot of energy, probably because the door is not shut correctly or ice buildup

By calculating the duty cycle (percentage of the fridge being on in a certain period) over time, you can even detect growing inefficiency, when a de-icing makes sense etc – of course, the “nominal” values vary by fridge and average load and need to be determined.

Calculation and alarming can be programmed right into the Barionet or done in a higher level home automation system (such as XTension for the mac – i’m using that myself).

One time rotten food/loss of content can easily cost more than the “Barionet freezer monitor”, if you already use Barionets in your house, just add the sensor …. and of course, this functionality can also be applied to heaters, fans, pumps – about anything which is meant to be on “some times” but not always …

If you want a programming example for the Barionet, contact me – happy to provide that to you as source code.

Home automation that makes sense – with the Barionet, the real-world I/O interface from Barix !

All the best,

Johannes

When Barix announced the Reflector Service, our customers wondered what this would be useful for …
Barix is well known for its Audio over IP streaming products such as the Exstreamer. So far so good – the devices are perfectly useful and reliable for a host of IP Audio applications, from STL (Studio Transmitter Link) to Paging, Intercom and Surveillance applications.
The AoIP (Audio over IP) devices from Barix are easy to configure and use, but setting up Audio Distribution over the Internet is not very easy for non- IT techies.
In addition, “static IP” addresses are needed for a reliable link – something often not easily available from the ISP, if at all, or at a cost.
Barix realized there is something to do .. and invented the Reflector Service. Because we are not hosting providers – this is not our core know how – we teamed up with the leading, high quality partner Streamguys to provide a reliable service to Broadcasters and other customers who easily want to set up a point-to point or point-to-multipoint audio distribution solution over the internet.
StreamGuys are a professional hosting organisation with all the necessary infrastructure in place to operate and support the service 24/7. Customers who are interested in the Reflector Service just need to purchase a Barix encoder and a Barix decoder device (for example, 2x the Exstreamer 500, which can serve both purposes). Depending on the device type, firmware might need to be loaded to support the Reflector service (Exstreamer 500 comes preloaded !).
From there, things are very simple – at least for 90% of the customers:
- Install the encoder and the decoder at the locations between which you want to establish the audio feed
- Go to the reflector website, set up your project, add the two MAC addresses of the device, specify encoder and decoder
- you can do some tweaks in regards to the encoding quality, attenuation, output level and buffering, if you dislike the defaults
.. and that’s it ! The devices will, within seconds, start establishing the tunnel for audio and contact closure forwarding and streaming will commence.
The “zero config” capability of the devices, of course, only works if your local network where these are installed supports DHCP and a “free view” of the internet. This is the case in most places where a DSL or cable router is used. If you need to manually configure an IP address, net mask, router, you can of course do so using a standard web browser.
To find out more about the Barix Reflector Service, visit http://www.barix.com/Reflector_STL_made_simple/1551/
To sign up for a trial, customers can simply request an account using the following links:
US Customers: http://us-reflector.streamguys.com
European Customers: http://eu-reflector.streamguys.com/
StreamGuys will then contact the customer and arrange all the necessary details.

So, do not limit your imagination about where to use the Reflector Service to Broadcast, Studio Transmitter Links ! The service can universally be used where Audio needs to be reliably transported from “a” to “b” over the Internet, being it for contribution, commentary or STL in the Broadcast area, being it for remote surveillance, or being it to deliver Audio to a remote bus or train station … wherever you want to distribute Audio over the Internet, the Barix Reflector solves the mystery of IP and lets you focus on the important things of your business !

Johannes

Barix Instructional Videos
icon4 09 21st, 2011| icon3Comments Off

All,

Barix is proud to announce the launch of the BarixAG YouTube channel.

We are currently producing a series of instructional and marketing videos for our IP Audio devices and also the Barionet product family. The first video, a basic introduction to the Exstreamer, has been released and posted !

Here is the link to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/BarixAG

.. and here is the direct link to the Video: Barix Audio over IP Video

More videos will follow soon and we will inform you via this blog.

If you have any suggestions, comments etc, please let us know via our contact form on the website or send us an email to “info” at barix.com – we are happy to learn from you what we do good and what we can do even better !

Johannes

Dear customers,

Barix has identified a rare issue with the Exstreamer 100 devices shipped over the course of the last couple of months. Under specific conditions, a device may show marginal ESD rejection, get affected by an ESD discharge, and, as a consequence, use more power than normal. In extreme cases, this could trigger the power supply’s internal fuse to be blown. Due to overload.
Fortunately, the problem can be easily solved by ensuring a good grounding of the case, or making a good connection between case and logic board of the device. This can be ensured, without opening the device, by adding a small piece of metal (Copper or brass) to the DB9 connector cut-out. Specific instructions are available on request from Barix.

Domenico Gambino
Head of technical Sales & Support

Folks, i just wanted to share the picture of the recent installation of a Barionet with the C-MOR video solution.

The photo nicely shows how the Barionet works as a central component of the video surveillance solution.
The IP based IO device does not only integrate sensors to trigger alarms, but also actors to activate visual and audible notifications.

Barix Barionet in Police showroom

Barionet in Cmor demo

Johannes

A Barionet is a great product to monitor environmental parameters, power useage, contact closures etc.

If the Barionet detects an alarm condition, it will need to notify you. But how?

Sample code for sending email, operating a SMS modem etc is already available from us.

Here is a very nice method to do this via the popular iPhone by using an application called “prowl”. The Prowl makers operate a public server and manage the delivery to the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch “prowl” app via the standard iOS notification scheme (so, very little consumption of power/bandwith on the iOS device).
You need to purchase the prowl app from the app store ($2.99), register and generate an API key on the prowlapp website, and you are good to go!

On the Barionet, you will need a small application which
- opens a TCP connection to the prowl api server, api.prowlapp.com, port 80 (http)
- sends an “add” command with a meaningful notification message to the server (see example below)
- close the connection.

That’s it!
The alarm message will arrive within very short time at your iPhone, where you can configure quiet times, alarm tones etc.

here is an example for a string you would need to send (replace the xxxxx… with the API code you get from the website):

“GET /publicapi/add?apikey=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx&event=alarm%20temp%3e65F%20too%20high&application=fridge HTTP/1.0″ (plus 2x CR/LF)

Note: you will need to do the URL encoding (%20 for space etc) in your program if your message contains blanks or special characters.

We can provide a sample BCL program on request.

Johannes

P.S: Once you have implemented this, let us know so we can feature your application!

All,

there is a new application firmware out for the Barix IP Audio devices. SIP Client version v01.07 brings a major change intended to make the use of the devices much more easy.
The Web UI, through which the device is configured, now offers “profiles”, to allow easy configuration of different use cases

1) SIP phone
This profile is intended for applications on bidirectional devices, for applications which are similar or identical to a SIP phone. The Barix devices can be used ideally in call stations, help points etc, preconfigured numbers can be called using the contact closure inputs etc.

2) SIP paging endpoint with Background Music support
This profile works on all devices which provide output capability (all Exstreamer and Annuncicom devices) and is typically used for “IP Speaker” application or to drive a paging amplifier.

3) SIP door station
This profile enables typical door station functionality, is able to operate in automatic “half duplex” mode to support simple door intercom panels (Aiphone), and also allows to activate a relay via SIP Info/DTMF to open the door.

4) SIP gateway
An interesting “glueware” application, when this is selected, the device can work as a “SIP to standard Multicast RTP” converter, will serve as an endpoint, and re-broadcast (or multicast) the received audio stream so it can be used with any device which can play audio from a standard RTP stream.

5) SIP based audio monitoring
This mode is typically used for audio surveillance, covert operations, etc. In this mode, the device can establish a call silently to a configured destination if it picks up audio above a certain level.

The SIP application firmware now supports the PS16, the desktop IP paging station from Barix, and on the Annuncicom 155, even the microphone and speaker supervision are supported.

The firmware can be downloaded, as usual, from our website free of charge and devices can be updated via browser.
Johannes

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