Huntsville, Alabama – March 28, 2012 – PESA, a leading U.S.-based custom design and build manufacturing company for professional audio and video signal distribution, today introduced its new DRS audio distributed routing system with Enterprise Data Exchange Engine (E-DXE) at the 2012 NAB Show (Booth SL9615), which runs April 16-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. A full-featured 24-bit, 96 kHz routing system for audio and time code signals, DRS uses high-speed multiplexing technology for signal distribution, rather than a crosspoint matrix array, and its modular architecture makes it easy to tailor the system to fit specific configurations.
At the heart of every DRS is PESA’s DXE frame, where the actual signal routing function takes place. It provides all the essential signal processing features, including input sample rate conversion, input gain, and phase inversion. AES3, AES3id, time code, analog audio, and MADI (AES-10) signals can be processed within the same system without external converters, and each DRS can be sample rate adjusted to support 44.1kHz or 48kHz. Packetized data is routed over a gigabit Ethernet network between frames through the DXE to deliver desired input signals to desired output connections.
In addition to the traditional I/O audio remedies, input and output delay can be set independently on every I/O channel. With up to two seconds of delay available to every I/O, external audio delay systems are unnecessary.
Offered in three package sizes, DRS can accommodate a variety of audio requirements. The compact DRS Series-C uses an internal control card to support 64 mono I/O in a 1 RU frame, and two frames can be combined via an Ethernet port for 128x128 I/O (no DXE processor frame necessary). DRS Series-M supports small and mid-range routing needs with up to four 512x512 I/O frames, which combine to deliver up to 2048x2048 I/O. DRS Series-E systems, which accommodate enterprise-wide systems with E-DXE, support up to five 1536x1536 I/O frames to increase the I/O count to 7680x7680. All three packages are shipping now.
For Series-M and Series-E systems using the DXE or E-DXE processor frame, each 1 RU I/O frame provides 128 signal ports and can be located virtually anywhere within a facility – up to 300 feet away from the main processing frame (or more than six miles using optional fiber optic extender modules). Interconnections are made using common CATx cable and standard RJ-45 connectors. Stereo analog inputs as well as analog outputs are converted to digital using high performance 24-bit converters. Inputs may be switched as mono channels, stereo pairs, or up to 16 channels to support any audio environment.
“Whatever the application, DRS technology will dramatically reduce the complexity of your audio setup,” said Chuck Tillett, PESA president and COO. “With PESA’s unique signal processing technology, complex and cumbersome wiring schemes and cable routing are a thing of the past. And less complex wiring requirements with fewer cables keep signal quality high, which saves time and money in both installation and maintenance.”
Any DRS audio system using the DXE or E-DXE can be configured for complete system redundancy. A second interconnect allows for two parallel data paths in the event signals are lost on the primary path. Plus, each frame supports redundant power and control, as well as front load, hot-swappable logic cards. Frames are available in a variety of interconnect options, including BNCs, ELCO, or 6-pin pluggable connectors for analog, AES, and time code.
In addition to standard signal I/O frames, DRS includes two special purpose circuit cards for embedding and de-embedding digital audio, which marries the video routing capability of the Cheetah video matrix routers with the audio routing capability of the Cheetah DRS audio router. The Cheetah MUX-3G card provides 16 SDI video output channels and embeds any of up to 256 audio signals selected from DRS input sources to any of the HD or 3G video output signals. Any audio input signal to DRS – AES, embedded, MADI, or analog – can become the input source for the video MUX card for embedding onto a video output signal.
The Cheetah DEMUX-3G card provides 16 SDI video inputs and de-embeds all audio groups and channels from all video signals. Up to 256 de-embedded audio signals may be selected as input sources for the DRS channel group. In DRS system configuration, the DEMUX-3G card functions as a signal input frame, and the MUX-3G card functions as a signal output frame. Full digital signal processing and stereo remedies may be applied to embedded audio signals.
Both cards are compatible with SDI video signals up to 3Gbps and are compliant with SMPTE 259M, 292M, and 424M. Audio signals present on an incoming SD video signal are passed through to the output with no modification, even if the audio signals are de-embedded for use elsewhere. The cards are used in place of the HD/3G-SDI video input buffer and video output combiner
