LAS VEGAS—At the 2018 NAB Show, Comrex will unveil EarShot, which delivers telephone-based IFB and live studio program audio to field-based remote broadcasts. As a simple hardware solution, EarShot helps TV stations reduce remote IFB costs, while providing greater flexibility.
While most other phone technology has moved to voice-over-IP (VoIP), remote IFB has largely relied on a legacy approach involving banks of telephone auto-couplers connected to expensive analog phone lines. This has left broadcasters paying for a dozen or more POTS lines to provide remote IFB functionality. EarShot pays for itself by eliminating the need for these phone services.
Up to 30 users can listen to program or IFB feeds by calling into EarShot with a mobile phone. It can handle up to four program feeds or two IFB feeds, but for higher fidelity, smartphone apps can be used to pull the audio in studio quality. EarShot, which will be available in mid-2018, can be connected to a low-cost cloud-based VoIP service, or tied to a station's VoIP PBX.
The 2018 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 9-12. Comrex will be in booth C2330. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.
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