Overview
Guest interviews don’t have to be complicated.
Expert guests (like entertainers, political pundits, athletes, and others) don’t always have access to engineers. They need something as simple to use and familiar as a phone call. But that doesn’t mean a radio program should settle for phone quality audio.
Opal is an IP audio gateway that enables guests to connect to the studio by simply clicking a link. It provides HD quality audio from consumer-grade equipment, like a cellphone or a computer with a microphone. It’s easy enough to use without a technical background, and most importantly, it sounds great.
Features
- Interoperable with Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera
- Compatible with PCs, Android and macOS/iOS devices
- Supports two discrete connections at once
- Occupies ½U rackspace
- Opus encoder
Simplicity
Opal enables guests to connect to the studio by simply clicking a link. Unlike Skype and other apps, the remote guest doesn’t install a thing – they just click a button, and go live. This simplicity means that guests with no technical background can connect and transmit HD audio.
Compatibility
Opal works by activating the Opus encoder built into commonly used browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, and Opera. As a result, Opal can connect to any computer, Android, or iOS device with one of those browsers installed. All a remote guest needs to transmit audio is a browser and a microphone.
Opus Encoder
Opus is a ubiquitous encoder that is built into commonly used browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, and Opera. Opus transmits high-fidelity, low delay audio in both directions. It uses very little network bandwidth, so it’s highly reliable.
Setup
Opal has a few requirements for setup on the studio end.
Specifications
Audio Connections
- Balanced Ch 1/2 XLR line-level audio input (0dBu)
- Balanced Ch 1/2 XLR line-level audio output (0dBu)
- AES3 XLR Digital audio input (through Ch 1 XLR input when switched)
- AES3 XLR Digital audio output (through Ch 1 XLR output when switched)
Other Connections
- Ethernet port (1000Base-T)
- Contact closures (9-pin mini DIN)
- Serial port (8-pin mini DIN) (for future use)
- Power (4 pin connector for external 24VDC supply)
Audio Levels
- Balanced audio input level: 0 dBu
- Balanced audio output level: 0 dBu
- Full scale is 20 dB above nominal
Power and Physical
- External supply (24VDC 20 Watts)
- Size (8.5” W x 6.25” D x 1.75” H; 21.59 cm W x 15.88 cm D x 4.45 cm H)
- Weight (2.16 lbs; 0.98 kg)
Monitoring
- L & R tri color LEDs display channel status/audio level
