Broadcast audio equipment manufacturer Wheatstone has announced its fourth generation WheatNet IP I/O unit, Blade 4, which continues to build on the intelligent AoIP network to combine studio facilities and create new workflows.
Blade 4 features an AoIP toolset of audio processing, codecs, mixing, routing, control and operating system in one rack unit. Included are optional dual OPUS audio codecs for streaming between studio facilities, home studios, or transmitter sites and updated CPU with GPU graphics acceleration for running customized scripts, apps and virtual interfaces directly on the Blade 4 itself.
Blades are the I/O units engineered and manufactured by Wheatstone making up the core of the WheatNet IP audio network, which can include 200-plus interconnected elements.
Now with the addition of Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST), an open-source transport protocol developed for transmission of video and audio in real time, Blade 4 adds enhanced network security and reliability as well as lower latency and higher quality audio streaming across the public internet, where links are less reliable and distance adds more delay.
This fourth generation Blade is AES67 compliant for interoperability with a range of AES67 devices and supports SMPTE ST 2110, including NMOS discovery.
The new unit puts I/O, control and audio tools in one AoIP unit for everything from streaming audio, mixing sounds and processing feeds, to turning mics on or off, controlling consoles and triggering mix-minus presets by show, location or talent.
