NAB PREVIEW: TSL showcases low-cost HD audio monitoring

TSL is showcasing at NAB two major audio monitoring
advancements as part of its philosophy of offering customers easy
migration to HD with multi-standard HD video down-conversion and
affordable Dolby E monitoring.

TSL is offering HD/SD audio monitoring units for the same price as its
industry standard SD equipment. The all-new HD/SD AMU range offers all
the usual facilities for which TSL units are justly renowned and, in
addition, allow video signals of any of the new HD standards to be
down-converted for display on a standard SD or composite picture
monitor. The units also provide HD/SD pass-through with re-clocking.
A huge benefit of using TSL s technology is that only one connection to
any given operator position is required to enable both video and audio
to be monitored on low cost equipment. Both the 2RU AMU2 8HD Dolby and
the Tektronix -style AMUT range now have this facility but other
products will be following shortly.

The unique AMU2 8HD Dolby unit enables the audio channels from Dolby E
and Dolby Digital signal streams to be decoded and accurately monitored
for level and phase in a wide variety of real world system applications
such as MCR, server ingest and transmission. Up to eight individual
audio signals are displayed on eight 53-segment tricolour bargraphs
with both PPM and VU scales and are available in analogue form for LS
monitoring. A separate alpha-numeric display shows Dolby metadata
information. SNMP monitoring of errors and metadata further extends
the use of the AMU2 8HD into more sophisticated third party alarm and
error detection systems.

A greater emphasis on multi-channel audio within the overall broadcast
infrastructure has been a major challenge in systems design over the
last year. The use of Dolby E and Dolby Digital together with HD can
add dramatically to the cost of any new system or upgrade. TSL has
recognized this fact and has provided an economical solution with its
new Dolby and HD audio monitoring products, each with innovative new
features helping to provide that cost-effective route forwards for most
systems – large or small, explains Russell Grute, Head of Sales at TSL.