Broadcast sector technology suppliers AEQ, CB Electronics and The Telos Alliance have joined the OCA Alliance, the professional A/V industry alliance, promoting awareness and adoption of Open Control Architecture (AES70).

AEQ is a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of audio communication, automation and production systems for radio and television broadcast, and multimedia applications. Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, with offices in the US, the company has supplied products, services and solutions to leading broadcast organizations and major broadcast events for 35 years.

‘When approaching control protocol compatibility in IP enabled equipment, we observed several proprietary solutions – some open to other manufacturers and others exclusive and closed,’ says R&D Director, Miguel Sancho.

‘We also noticed the group of manufacturers concerned about interoperability for the benefit of users, collaborating in the AES working group X210 that eventually published the AES70 common. We participated as observers in AES X210 and, once the results were published as the AES70 standard, presented our application to become an associate member in the OCA Alliance.

‘Our aim is to actively participate in the alliance, to contribute in the implementation of AES70, to facilitate the integrated control of audio equipment connected through IP networks in broadcast and other professional applications, and to promote the unified control of equipment from different manufacturers via AES70; and to make possible the unified control of previously released equipment, either by AEQ or third-party manufacturers prepared to share information about proprietary control protocols.’

For more than 30 years, CB Electronics has designed and manufactured specialist machine and system control interface solutions for the film, video, and TV and radio broadcast industries. The company’s products are to found in dubbing theatres and post production facilities around the world.

‘CB Electronics has specialised in machine control using the Sony P2 protocol,’ explains Design Engineer and MD, Colin Broad. ‘For some time though we have been looking for a way forward using Ethernet but could not find a unified control protocol. There is AES67 but it does not define a method by which audio streams are discovered, connected or controlled. This year though the AES published the AES70 specification, based on the Open Control Architecture protocol, which can be used to control audio streams and networked audio devices.

‘As a result of discussions with the OCA Alliance, we felt it important to participate in defining the standard. Subsequently CB has commenced a project to develop applications using AES70. Initially we are adding AES70 to our TMC-1 – to enable control of networked inputs and/or outputs – as the first stage in developing a complete networked monitoring system. Interfacing old and new technologies has been a part of our business model for 25 years, and we will be designing similar solutions for integrating AES70 devices.’

The Telos Alliance is an international organisation and world leader in broadcast technology and parent company to Telos, Omnia, Axia, 25-Seven, Linear Acoustic, and Minnetonka. In three decades of developing game-changing technologies and products in radio and television, each of the brands has earned its reputation for specific areas of expertise.

‘Leveraging networking technology is strong strategy, which is the very reason we invented Livewire, the first Broadcast AoIP protocol, years ago. We believe so strongly in interoperability, we helped drive AES67’s development both financially and technically,’ says Greg Shay, CTO of Telos Alliance. ‘Axia is always looking ahead toward the facility of the future, when multiple standards will coexist to make broadcaster’s workflows more manageable. We believe OCA (AES70) standard – a modern, well-thought-out design—is key to furthering the use of network technology in broadcast facilities. By joining OCA, we add our weight to the gathering momentum for using this open, vendor-interoperable standard for control and for the future the Facility-over-IP concept.’

Speaking for the OCA Alliance, chairman of the Marketing Working Group, Marc Weber, said, ‘The ratification of OCA as AES70 has been a significant influence on traction, both in increasing and widening interest in, and take up of, the standard. We are delighted that these influential broadcast companies will now drive OCA (AES70) with us. This is a significant milestone for the OCA Alliance.’

‘OCA (AES70) now offers a promising solution for users of the AES67 audio transport standard, providing uniform connection management,’ he continues. ‘The AES67 standard does not fully specify the rules for making and breaking media stream connections, with the result that not all of today’s AES67 products are readily interoperable. AES70 can solve this problem. On top of which, OCA (AES70) can cooperate with a wide variety of other audio transport types, such as AVB / TSN and Dante.’

 More: www.ocaalliance.com