Glensound‘s GTM eSports Gamers Interface was introduced at last year’s NAB, and now they’ve added SDI embedding to it so that game audio and local analog sources can be inserted for forward distribution. GTM provides a single device that combines multiple functions required to support interfacing and communication during an eSports tournament. A simple-to-use panel with three-level mixes allows players to control their own audio mix quickly and easily, while headsets and headphones plug directly into the panel to deliver game audio, team comms and the player’s own voice. The device is fully remote controllable and configurable by tournament engineers. The system allows the game source audio to be picked up from multiple sources (SPDIF, USB, network, analog, etc.) depending on the tournament format and supports multi-channel mixing pre-configurable inputs from Glensound’s Dante platform or de-embedded audio from an SDI connection.

The announcement at IBC that Glensound joined the RAVENNA community opened the possibility of integrating with other similarly featured broadcast equipment and working with higher sample rates. The process of adding this capability to many products is ongoing, but the VITTORIA Network Audio Bridge has been an immediate success. This allows connection between two networks of different types, Dante or RAVENNA, in any direction with a Firewall in between. Higher RAVENNA sample rates can be input, and the two networks can be at different rates and operate asynchronously.

A direct microphone output has been added to the bestselling INFERNO Commentary Unit as an additional safety feature in case of network failure. This feature is welcomed by the many broadcast users that have standardized on this popular IP-connected unit.

Attention to detail leads to product enhancement and although it does not affect the performance of the belt pack units, a cosmetic upgrade featuring end bumpers ensures that the products stand up to the rigors of daily use. The following products have had this makeover: AoIP22, AoIP4O, AoIP4I, AoIP2M, AoIP22u, AoIP22 AES and AoIP44AES.

The recently introduced NOMAD and LODGE mobile telephone hybrids are also selling rapidly. Of particular relevance to customers in the U.S., these are now available with a pre-registered module for use with leading cellular operators, Verizon, AT&T and U.S. Cellular. This allows immediate hassle-free operation after the delivery of the product.

A new product, the Express IP Mini X Commentary unit, is now shipping. This has the addition of local analog audio outputs as with INFERNO. This compact unit caters to two commentators in a rugged desktop package. Dante/AES67 compatible, this unit has configurable talkback circuits, two microphone inputs with phantom power and compressor/limiter on each and four external monitor inputs. It is powered over Ethernet to minimize clutter in the operator area and has a headphone monitoring section handling multiple sources.