Barix AG - Experts & Thought Leaders

Barix has unveiled the Exstreamer M400 IP Audio Decoder, the first model in a new generation of the company’s renowned Exstreamer IP audio decoder family. The new hardware continues the Exstreamer series traditions as robust and reliable, but also cost-effective devices. It offers end users and systems integrators, a modern, extensible, and easy-to-deploy decoder platform, supporting the latest technology standards. Exstreamer M400 IP Audio Decoder Our earlier Exstreamer products helped make Barix a leader in streaming decoders" “Our earlier Exstreamer products helped make Barix a leader in streaming decoders and earned a strong reputation for their longevity, exceptional audio quality, and feature-richness,” said Davide Nossa, Product Manager at Barix. Davide Nossa adds, “We are excited to continue the Exstreamer family’s hallmarks on a modern hardware foundation that offers customers more of everything - more power, more flexibility, more security features, more protocols supported, and more extensibility for the future. More than 20 years of IP audio experience and market expertise went into our development of the Exstreamer M400, creating a decoder platform that integrators and users can trust for their AV needs today and in the future.” Powered by IPAM 400 audio module Powered by Barix’s Linux-based IPAM 400 audio module, the Exstreamer M400 has higher processing power than previous Exstreamer models and a more programmable, software-driven architecture for easier expansion, rapid prototyping, and customisation. An increased buffer size and advanced buffer management technology improve network performance disruptions. Expanded support for IT security standards includes HTTPS, support for audio streams and the web-based management interface, plus secure, encrypted SIP (voice-over-IP) communications using TLS and SRTP. System Configuration Tool Installation of multiple Exstreamer M400 units can be integrated via the System Configuration Tool. A dash board enables multiple devices to be grouped in zones and to specify up to five prioritised source streams for each unit. For example, emergency notifications can be set to override background music playback, as well as the relative volume of each stream. Settings can be copied from one Exstreamer M400 to multiple others simultaneously to significantly speed up multi-unit configuration. Ideal for IP audio applications The Exstreamer M400 features stereo, line-level, analogue audio output with RCA-type connections The Exstreamer M400 features stereo, line-level, analogue audio output with RCA-type connections and can decode streams in MP3, AAC-HE, FLAC, PCM, Opus, and Ogg Vorbis formats, as well as supporting SIP and secure SIP in peer-to-peer and server modes. Other new features relative to earlier Exstreamer models include IPV6 support, internal audio file storage with externally-triggered playback, and support for Singlewire Software’s InformaCast and Syn-Apps (now part of Intrado) emergency notification platforms with automatic endpoint registration.  The Exstreamer M400 initially targets IP audio applications in the professional AV market, including background music, paging, SIP/VoIP integration, and emergency notifications. Direct support for Barix’s flagship IC Paging and Simple Paging solutions, scheduled for release later in Q2, will allow Exstreamer M400s to be easily added as endpoints. AES67 support for high-quality audio transport The highly extensible device will also be expanded with robust functionality for radio broadcasters in future firmware updates, such as AES67 support for high-quality audio transport between facilities and interoperability with Dante-based devices. Such upgradeability is a key advantage of the Exstreamer M400 IP Audio Decoder’s Linux-based architecture, supporting Barix’s mission of continual improvement, while enabling Barix engineers to quickly customise device firmware to meet customer requirements. Modern API A modern Application Programming Interface (API) is planned for future release for developers, replacing earlier Exstreamer models’ older CGI control specification, as part of Barix’s commitment to support the latest technology standards.

Barix has announced the schedule for its newest series of webinars, which are designed to inform and inspire systems integrators, installers, service providers and AV managers with in-depth, technical insights about key trends in audio over IP. Two of the sessions will focus on key considerations and opportunities in upgrading analog speakers and audio installations to IP, while the remaining webinars explore the use of streaming audio over IP for background music systems in retail environments and other public spaces. Upcoming webinars Pros and Cons of Upgrading an Existing Audio Installation to IP – Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 10 am CET and 10 am PDT (1 pm EDT). This webinar will discuss why IP is important for systems integrators in project tenders; key system design considerations; differences between analog and digital installation processes; an overview of IP-enabled functionality and applications; and security factors. It will conclude with a live demonstration of Barix’s IP Former analog-to-IP speaker upgrade solution. Effectively Making Audio Installations IP Manageable – Tuesday, May 18 at 10 am CET and 10 am PDT (1 pm EDT). This webinar will explore important steps in upgrading analog audio installations to IP, including key details the IT department needs to know; effectively planning the transition; common challenges and solutions; connecting and configuring the networked audio devices; and customisation. It will wrap up with a live demonstration of Barix’s IP Former hardware and management interface. Building a Scalable Background Music System (for Music Providers) – Tuesday, June 22 at 10 am CET and 10 am PDT (1 pm EDT). This session will instruct music service providers on key considerations when designing and implementing a multi-site background music streaming system for retail, hospitality, and corporate environments. Discussions will include the solution architecture; device distribution; maintenance planning; ad insertion; local announcements; and a live demonstration of Barix’s RetailPlayer platform. How to Reduce the Installation Cost and Maintenance of a Background Music System – Tuesday, July 20 at 10 am PDT (1 pm EDT). Deployment and operational costs can be among the most important elements of any background music (BGM) system. This webinar explores ways to minimise installation time and costs; functions that make a BGM system more valuable; the advantages of cloud-based management; ad insertion; and more. It concludes with a live RetailPlayer demonstration. Partnering for Webinar Barix will also be partnering with AVIXA to offer an Italian-language webinar, Audio over IP for Distribution of Background Music: Planning, Management and Control, on Wednesday, May 5. This session will cover technical issues related to distributing background music for “in-store” applications, including key components and techniques; installation planning; and the interaction between embedded audio devices at multiple endpoints and centralised, cloud-based control.

IP audio and control pioneer Barix this month celebrates its 20th anniversary. Over two decades, the Swiss company has grown from a control and automation upstart into a globally recognised Audio over IP innovator primarily serving the professional AV, broadcast and security industries, while supporting a variety of vertical markets within each. Barix has shipped nearly one million devices to serve control, streaming and transport applications for end-users, OEM vendors, service providers and systems integrators. Current CTO Johannes G. Rietschel founded Barix in 2001 to escape the trappings of corporate operations that slowed his product development ideas, which evolved from standard legacy network components to IT-focused control products by the turn of the century. “I had spent too much time traveling to tradeshows doing ‘research’ with little to show beyond expense reports,” he said. “My vision was to build a product that would fit the market and adapt to customer requests from there, instead of overthinking. That’s the premise on which Barix was founded.” Four core product lines Barix’s roots took shape in residential automation, an area the company remains active in through partnerships with Aiphone, Crestron and other companies. Rietschel soon added audio distribution to his vision, introducing products to move voice and music throughout homes. Commercial markets came calling in search of inexpensive ways to move audio and control signals over then-novel IP networks. Barix’s four core product lines were established before long, with proven hardware devices for voice and intercom (Annuncicom), automation and control (Barionet), and music/audio streaming (Instreamer encoders, Exstreamer decoders). Broadcasters adopted Barix Broadcasters approved Barix to transport live program signals between studios and transmitter sites over IP networks The broadcast industry was among the first to take an interest, with radio engineers recognising that Instreamer and Exstreamer products offered a low-cost alternative to expensive microwave STL systems. It wasn’t long before broadcasters adopted Barix to transport live program signals between studios and transmitter sites over IP networks. Around the same time, Barix saw quickly rising interest in its Annuncicom products for IP paging and intercom systems, and its Instreamer and Exstreamer systems for background music (BGM) delivery. Visionary integrators and service providers were soon moving BGM, paging, intercom and even control functions (HVAC, lighting and more) over a common IP architecture using Barix hardware. Global partner network By 2006, Barix had a global partner network, including the highly successful Barix Technology USA division, long managed by the late Andy Stadheim and a worldwide presence in education, government, hospitality, medical, radio broadcast, retail, scientific, transportation and worship environments. Product developers, enthused by positive feedback, soon came to Barix requesting modular solutions to help them build their own products, a mission made easy thanks to Barix’s openly programmable IPAM modules at the core of their own products. Assisting with IP transitions “Many of today’s primary Barix applications were discovered by chance, or developed through early enthusiasts,” said Rietschel. “That’s especially true in broadcast, where many AM and FM radio stations didn’t have the budget for STL systems that ran tens of thousands of dollars." "We also saw strong interest from music service providers and retail operations that urgently needed to transition from expensive satellite systems, and transit companies that were replacing copper with fiber. Barix was in a perfect position to assist these customers with their IP transitions, as our devices offered the combination of price, reliability and performance they needed.” RoHS environmental regulations Rietschel recounts one challenging period in this timeframe when RoHS environmental regulations forced a substantial product redesign. Barix ran low on cashflow, and one shareholder opted out of the further investment. Rietschel worked for months without pay and invested more of his own money to redevelop products and meet regulations. Within months, Barix sold several thousand of the then-new Exstreamer 100 decoder — a product that remains available today. Software & cloud-based products The company’s focus has increasingly shifted to more software-defined and cloud-based architectures While Barix continues to develop new IP audio and control hardware devices, the company’s focus has increasingly shifted to more software-defined and cloud-based architectures. These have led to recent game-changing, enterprise-level BGM streaming solutions like RetailPlayer and SoundScape; cloud-based radio signal distribution solutions like Reflector; and fully networked communications systems like Paging Cloud and Simple Paging. Technology trendsetter Barix was also an early innovator of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) technology, first adopted by security customers for efficient VoIP connections and now gaining traction in broadcast; and among the first to merge digital signage and BYOD mobile applications with its AudioPoint solution. Meanwhile, the company’s OEM business continues to flourish; Barix is now on its fourth-generation IPAM Series module (IPAM400), and most recently introduced its IP Former solution to help loudspeaker manufacturers transition their legacy products to IP networks. Innovative spirit The unending innovative spirit and sense of creative freedom at Barix has been instrumental in the company’s global growth. The company continues to attract engineering talent from inside and outside its core industries, and recently opened a new innovation centre in Portugal that focuses on research and development for new and existing markets. Current CEO Reto Brader, who has accelerated the company’s transition to more cloud and SaaS solutions, jumped at the opportunity to join Barix after growing familiar with Rietschel’s continuously evolving vision. He finds Barix inescapable even while just going about his daily business. Efficient use of Barix devices “I take the Swiss federal train system to work every morning, and I smile knowing that the platform announcements come from an Annuncicom at a dispatch center hours away,” said Brader. “The same is true when I’m on the New Jersey Transit train system heading into New York City, or the Metro in Rio de Janeiro. When I go skiing at the Titlis resort in the Swiss mountains or drive onto the BMW campus in Munich, Barix solutions deliver the music and open the entrance barrier. I was recently communicating with a university research department using Barix for remote-controllable construction digging. I’m constantly surprised at where and how Barix devices are used, most of which tie back to efficient use of the public internet.” Case study The creativity and innovation at Barix compel the partners and customers to find new ways to use the productsOne of Brader’s favourite stories is from a farmer in a rural northwest area of the United States who uses Barix to play music for 3000 cows on a 30-acre dairy farm. “It’s been running in a very harsh weather environment where the temperatures are very extreme and power issues abound, yet it all keeps running,” he said. “The creativity and innovation at Barix extend to our partners and customers that continue to find unique and compelling ways to use our products.” Products longevity  Rietschel adds that the longevity of their installed products correlates with the longevity of Barix. “Our products are reliable and hold up well over years and even decades, and the more recent generations of our products will have even greater longevity through firmware updates,” he said. “While we have never been the biggest company, we remain profitable and have made it through 20 years and challenging business environments without ever laying off employees.” “The loyalty of our customers and our embrace of open standards and creative, programmable IP solutions have been at the foundation of our success to date,” he said, “We can now look forward to the next 20 years and beyond.” Customer-driven innovation For Brader, that means continuing to drive innovation as CEO that embraces customer-driven innovation in broadcast, AV, automation and all of the key vertical markets Barix addresses within these markets. “Just as in the early days, our strategy is to be the first to help businesses turn their IP audio and control visions into reality,” he said. “Our customers can count on Barix’s engineering team as an experienced, affordable and hyper-innovative development partner for years to come.”