Unit Boasts Dedicated Video Monitoring, Loudness Metering and Control, Mixing and Routing, and Dolby® Zoom
LAS VEGAS -- April 12, 2010 -- During Wohler Technologies' 2010 NAB Show press conference today, the company announced the release of the new AMP2-E16V modular audio/video processing monitor. The AMP2-E16V features dual 4.3-inch OLED displays that support dedicated video monitoring, loudness metering and control, audio routing and mix controls, and Dolby® Zoom functions. Combined with robust metering and monitoring features, as well as modular I/O options including SDI, AES, and analog, these capabilities make the AMP2-E16V not just an audio monitor with video, but a complete audio management system.
"The beauty of the new features debuting on the AMP2-E16V is that you can take just the 3G and Dolby options and have a simple, straightforward 16-channel audio and video monitor. But if you fill out the unit with additional modules, it becomes a whole different animal. We invented in-rack monitoring, and we have now changed the landscape forever. I am so proud of our team on this achievement," said Carl J. Dempsey, CEO and president of Wohler Technologies. "The AMP2-E16V in more advanced configurations really isn't just a monitor. It has the ability to completely take apart an SDI signal and put it back together again. It can perform many different tasks, such as embed raw AES audio streams into an SDI signal for broadcast, quickly adjust the level of something gone wrong in one channel, and control the loudness of an entire program. I can't wait to see what uses our customers come up with for this unit."
The AMP2-E16V allows operators to view 3G/HD/SD-SDI video while taking control over numerous audio channels from AES, analog, SDI signals, or encoded Dolby, depending on configuration. Each audio input is treated equally and can be monitored, metered, panned, trimmed, and routed freely. Flexible hotkey configurations make sure that the power of the AMP2-E16V isn't buried deep within menus; it is available immediately in live or other critical applications.
The integration of video, metadata, audio routing and mixing, SDI audio re-embedding, and loudness monitoring and control within a single AMP2-E16V unit can eliminate the need for numerous units that accomplish the same tasks, while features such as Dolby Zoom aid greatly in troubleshooting problems live. Dolby Zoom dynamically and instantaneously switches between the standard overview of monitored channels and monitoring of the decoded channels and metadata of an available Dolby bitstream.
The AMP2-E16V's mixing and routing features essentially create a complete mix environment for each installed output-capable module, providing full trim, pan, and bus routing per channel, as well as the option to meter output levels on the main screen in addition to input levels. These output mixes can also simply follow the monitor mix as it is heard through the speakers. This feature is so powerful that it actually allows facilities to eliminate mixing consoles and their associated space and costs.
When equipped with Wohler's new loudness control module, which applies industry-leading digital audio dynamics processing, an AMP2-E16V used in the transmission chain can aid in directly and transparently normalizing volume differences between program and commercial content to ITU-1770-1 standards, or to the broadcaster's own standard.
Arguably one of the most important features of the AMP2-E16V is the number of ways the eight front-panel rotary push encoders can be configured to behave, providing an actual 16 hotkeys in total. Every custom-named hotkey can be assigned to solo/mute any number of the 16 monitored channels, enter Dolby Zoom on a preselected encoded stream, or recall a system-wide preset that contains everything from meter colors to mix setups. The rotary push encoder itself can be turned for direct and instant adjustment of the volume trim of monitor mix channels or any mix setup output bus. All of this can be accomplished directly from the main screen without entering any menus.
The main screen of the AMP2-E16V serves as "Audio Central" with simultaneous color- and scale-adjustable metering of up to 16 channels of audio from a choice of input and output cards including 3G/HD/SD-SDI, AES, and analog. Also displayed are variable-integration time loudness metering and the metadata types chosen in settings.
The AMP2-E16V is the industry's first 16-channel audio and video monitor to feature concurrent loudness monitoring and control and complete mixing and routing freedom along with the ability to re-embed audio into an SDI signal. The monitor's modular design ensures that it can always be updated to meet facility requirements as standards and technologies evolve.
Information about Wohler and the company's products is available at www.wohler.com.
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About Wohler Technologies Inc.
Wohler Technologies Inc. offers a comprehensive range of products that simplify analog and digital source monitoring in facilities of all sizes and complexity. Wohler Technologies was founded in 1987 and, through constant innovation, continues to be a world leader in providing in-rack audio, video, and data monitoring and captioning solutions for the broadcast, motion picture, and professional audio/visual markets. More information about the company and its technologies is available at www.wohler.com.
