At ISE 2018, audio over IP company Barix will introduce the third generation of AudioPoint, the company’s audio signage platform that brings digital signage and TV content together with BYOD. AudioPoint helps end users deliver audio associated with video content to mobile devices over a local Wi-Fi connection, driving a more intimate connection with consumers and lending a voice to the screen.

AudioPoint 3.0 increases the value proposition for systems integrators and end users with an all-in-one integrated solution that removes the need for an external channel server. AudioPoint 3.0 is based on a brand-new hardware platform, engineered by Barix, that builds the channel server into the Barix Audio Signage Encoder to significantly reduce cost and integration time, according to the company. The encoder supports both single- and multi-channel audio streaming for up to 250 simultaneous users.

Enhanced networking intelligence underneath the hood also ensures that AudioPoint 3.0 works with most professional and off-the-shelf routers to immediately enable Wi-Fi streaming. As previous generations required a specific type of router, this flexibility in router choice removes testing and configuration headaches in advance of deployments.

Barix says that AudioPoint 3.0 reduces latency even further to tighten lip-sync. This optimizes AudioPoint 3.0 for new applications to serve hearing-impaired audiences, live translations and presentation support in corporate, worship and education environments. These benefits also make AudioPoint 3.0 an ideal audio delivery system in live event venues, where fans can see and hear the action in concourses and at concession stands in real time. That also means that for traditional AudioPoint applications in hotel lobbies, sports bars and museums, real-time, synchronized delivery is possible.

Beyond integrating components into a single platform, the AudioPoint architecture remains unchanged. Audio associated with a video feed is streamed from a mixer and/or microphone to a Barix Audio Signage Encoder’s analog audio input; that audio is sent to a Wi-Fi access point that consumers connect to from their mobile devices. The Barix Audio Signage App immediately enables the live stream on the consumer’s device. Channel selection is made available to consumers when multi-channel streams are enabled, allowing users to select another language or an alternative soundtrack for another local screen.

Barix says the latest version of Audio Signage Encoder that comprises the technical core of AudioPoint offers the company’s fastest signal processing to date. This ensures robust and reliable streams, while the devices remain plug-and-play for quick and simple deployments. Barix is here.