..........Software ISDN Audio Codec for PC
...............Software Audio over Network for PC
........Software Audio over DSL, ADSL and Internet

What is AudioTX Communicator?

AudioTX Communicator is a combination of products in one. We call it a broadcast audio transmission device. It IS an ISDN Audio Codec, but can ALSO send and receive live audio over any IP network - from LAN/WANs to Satellite, WiFi and other RF IP links, over the Internet using ADSL/DSL/Cable Modems/Leased lines etc, or over larger networks like ATM, T1, T3... As an IP network codec, you can use it for permanent 24/7/365 connections with our sophisticated fallback functionality in case of network failure or for ad-hoc links just like ISDN.

OK - so you know what an ISDN Audio Codec is? An ISDN Codec allows you to make a live audio connection over ISDN lines. Broadcasters and pro-audio studios use ISDN Codecs to link studios, for remotes or outside broadcasts and also for studio to transmitter links. Because of the limited data bandwidth available over ISDN, all codecs use compression. The three most popular forms (in order of most regular usage) are MPEG Layer 2, MPEG Layer 3, and G.722. (All of these are supported in AudioTX).

Typically, an ISDN Codec comes as a 'black-box' - you plug in audio at one end and an ISDN line at the other. AudioTX Communicator is a software only solution. This brings several key advantages:

• It's cheap! The software will currently set you back between 15% and 25% of the price of an old-fashioned codec.
• It's portable - because Communicator will run on a Laptop, you can take it with you anywhere.
• It's easy to use - Communicator has an auto-detect algorithm built in... so when you make a call or someone calls you, the system recognises the type of codec, the compression used etc and just connects you - no fuss!

What PC Specifcation do I need to use AudioTX Communicator?

Communicator is written to be a very efficient program and will run on a Pentium 266 with 32mb (Win 98/NT) or 64mb (Win 2000). However we recommend a Pentium II 300 system or above as a minimum spec if you are choosing a machine to install on. As you'll see from these specs, practically speaking any PC you can buy today will be more than powerfull enough!

The system runs on Windows 98 and Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP - generally, we'd recommend Windows 2000 or XP for the best performance if you have a free choice.

What about the hardware or cards I need - Sound, ISDN or Network?

In practice, almost all Sound cards work fine - but there are some important criterion involved in choosing the right card for a professional audio application - these are outlined in the guide.

For ISDN cards, we do recommend that you go for one of the cards we have on our recommended list... happily, these are the most widely available cards from the biggest ISDN manufacturers and cheap. Again, see the guide. (CAPI is a standard specification that ISDN board manufacturers use - you should also check that the card is capable of making 'Bit Transparent' connections.)

Network cards: all cards - both Ethernet and other larger scale networking hardware - will all work as long as they offer an IP based networking connection to the Windows operating system... Communicator will simply try and connect you over networks by attempting to link to the IP address you enter as a destination or by using Windows DNS to resolve any hostname you enter.

We love the idea, but is a software ISDN audio codec really reliable and stable enough for, say, a 3 hour outside broadcast or a 24/7/365 permanent STL over IP?

Definitely!

Our software engineers are experts in both Broadcast Transmission and PC Audio systems. One of the most fundamental principles used in the design of Communicator was that it should be as reliable as an old-fashioned 'black-box' solution.

Our IP solution is unique in that it provides for a low-delay, robust audio connection, unlike the somewhat poorer solutions still being offered by our competitors based upon streaming media technologies.

Communicator is a professional broadcast-quality audio tool, and works as one, rather than a toy!

How good is the audio quality?

As good as it gets... in designing Communicator, we went to the biggest players in MPEG 2 and MPEG 3 coding and selected the best of breed in each case. These algorithms were designed and updated for our products and so contain the latest improvements to each.

Over IP networks, you can use MPEG coded audio at up to 384kbps, or even Linear (uncompressed) audio if you wish.

With our recommendations on audio cards (see the 'Guidelines on Sound and ISDN cards' section) or any decent professional audio card, you should get better sound than from an existing codec.

What's the transmission (coding) delay?

As an ISDN Codec, very low - in fact our tests show the delay to be shorter than most other ISDN products on the market today. expect around 100ms in MPEG layer 2 mode, slightly longer for MPEG Layer 3.

On a good network (e.g. over your existing LAN/WAN, private circuits, ATM etc) transmission times are slightly shorter than those shown for ISDN above.

In 'Internet' network mode, expect delays of between 200ms and 1second - for problematic Internet connections, Communicator also has a special mode (MODE 3) where the software automatically detects the available bandwidth for the connection during handshaking and uses as short but safe a delay as possible.

What ISDN codecs is AudioTX Communicator compatible with?

Pretty much any and every available codec.

That includes Musicam USA's entire range such as the CDQ Prima and Prima LT ranges, the CDQ 1000, 2000 and RoadRunner... Telos' entire range such as Zephyr and ZephyrExpress... all GlenSound products... all Philips, Dialog, Maycom and Mayah products... do you need us to carry on?

Communicator is compatible with MPEG Layer II, MPEG Layer III, G.722 and G.711 protocols at 64 or 128 kbits - that's one or two b-channels.

How does the IP codec functionality work?

Yes, take a look at the Multicast tab in Communicator. This allows you to Multicast audio over your network (beware: the Internet does not currently support Multicast technologies) - this is highly efficient... the audio is only sent once regardless of the number of receiving systems.

What limitations are there in the free trial version?

The trial version will run for 30 days from the date of installation. During this time, it functions exactly as a purchased version except that it will disconnect you in between 8 and 30 minutes on every connection.

OK, I'm convinced... how do I buy this thing??

Easy!

First you must download and install the trial version on the PC you intend to run Communicator on. (You should also install any new Audio or ISDN cards and ensure that everything works ok).

You then have a choice of two ways to buy:

Software Unlock Code:  make a note of the 'Product ID' which is shown on starting the application. Use this to purchase Communicator online from this site. You will be emailed a registration code - this normally takes only a few minutes. Enter the registration code into the registration screen shown at startup. This is a registration key which you can use to unlock the software on the PC from which you took the Product ID ONLY. If you change your PC or decide to (or have to) change major hardware components inside your PC change like your hard drive (say if it crashes) or motherboard, you will have to purchase another key. Reinstalling or upgrading the operating system or other software changes do NOT cause a problem.

Hardware Dongle:  a small, compact hardware key, available in USB or Parallel Port (LPT) versions. This offers more flexibility - you can move the software to another machine if you wish at a later stage, and, of course, you are protected against losing the product key, for example in the case of a system failure on your PC - e.g. hard drive crash.