Orban Announces OPTIMOD-DAB 6300 Multipurpose Stereo Audio Processor
Tempe, Arizona, September 12th, 2006 — Orban, listed number 192 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 in North America, has introduced the Orban Optimod 6300-DAB to the digital broadcast and professional audio markets. The 6300 is a high-quality, multipurpose stereo audio processor for digital radio, digital television, digital satellite, netcasts, STL protection, audio production, and digital mastering.
With 20 kHz audio bandwidth and 48 kHz internal sample rate, the 6300 succeeds Orban’s popular OPTIMOD-DAB 6200 audio processor while offering improved processing algorithms and more flexibility. The 6300 contains a stereo enhancer, AGC, equalizer, phase-linear multiband compressor/limiter with either two or five bands, and two independent stereo look-ahead peak limiters. Peak limiting can be "flat" or preemphasis-aware at either 50 or 75 microseconds, allowing the 6300 to protect preemphasized analog STLs. For video applications, broadcasters can activate the 6300’s included CBS Loudness Controller™ to prevent audience irritation and tune-outs caused by loud commercials.
The 6300 incorporates Orban’s new PreCode™ technology, which pre-processes audio to minimize audible artifacts in low bitrate codecs such as the iBiquity HDC codec used in HD Radio™, digital satellite codecs, and streaming audio codecs. Several of the 6300’s presets exploit this technology to provide "plug and play" processing at low bit rates.
Because of its versatile signal routing, the 6300 can be used as a combined studio AGC, digital radio/digital television/netcast processor, and low-delay talent headphone processor. Any of its three outputs (stereo analog x1; AES2 digital x2) can emit the output of any of the following processing chains:
- Stereo enhancement, equalization, and AGC without look-ahead peak limiting
- Stereo enhancement, equalization, and AGC with look-ahead peak limiting
- Stereo enhancement, equalization, and multiband processing (2-band or 5-band, including AGC) without peak limiting
- Stereo enhancement, equalization, and multiband processing (2-band or 5-band, including AGC) with peak limiting
In one typical broadcast application, the 6300 substitutes for the AGC in an Optimod at the transmitter and provides protection limiting for the STL. Digital output #1 emits the peak-limited output of the AGC to drive the STL. The AGC is turned off in the transmitter-side Optimod.
The 6300s AGC uses the same dual-band, window-gated, matrix technology as the AGCs in Orban’s 2300, 5300, 8300, 8382, 8400, 8500, 9300, and 9400 Optimods. It can therefore accurately substitute for the AGCs in these devices. Because the 6300s AGC is more advanced than the AGCs in Orban’s 2200, 8200, and 9200 Optimods, the 6300 can upgrade the performance of these older products when substituted for their AGCs.
The 6300’s multiband processing incorporates technology used in Optimod-FM 8500HD’s digital radio processing path. To help broadcasters match the sound of an 8400 or 8500 when using the 6300 as a studio AGC or HD Radio™ processor, the 6300 provides presets with the same names as those in Optimod-8400 and 8500. Moreover, because any 6300’s preset can be recalled by remote control, it is easy to automatically synchronize presets at the studio and transmitter.
Other important new features include soft knee and compression ratio controls for each of the bands in the multiband compressor/limiter. This allows mastering and production engineers to apply very subtle multiband compression while retaining as much of the original source’s dynamics as desired.
The 6300 employs mastering quality equalizers and crossover filters throughout. The three-band parametric equalizer’s curves accurately emulate an analog parametric equalizer, while a parametric low-frequency shelving equalizer with 6, 12, or 18 dB/octave slopes allows a user to add bass punch without muddiness. The filters and equalizers all use 48-bit fixed-point arithmetic to ensure excellent linearity and low noise. Moreover, the 6300’s low-IM look-ahead limiter is sonically competitive with the best "mastering" limiters, so it can be combined with the 6300’s multiband compressor and equalizer to make masters that are competitively loud and perfectly tailored for the program material being processed.
Orban’s VP and Chief Engineer Robert Orban stated: "We put a lot of thought into designing a successor for our well-accepted Optimod-DAB 6200. Not only will the 6300 offer higher quality in traditional 6200 applications, but its versatile routing, new features, and immaculate signal path will open up new applications and markets in broadcast and professional audio."
Orban’s VP Product Development Greg Ogonowski stated: "With the addition of Precode™ technology, Optimod-DAB 6300 is destined to be the high-end processing standard for today’s coded audio media."
For more information contact David Rusch at phone +1 480.403.8300, fax +1 480.403.8301 or email: drusch@orban.com
Orban Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Management’s anticipation of future events is based upon assumptions regarding levels of competition, research and development results, raw material markets, the markets in which the company operates, and stability of the regulatory environment. Any of these assumptions could prove inaccurate; and therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate.
About Orban
Orban is a manufacturer of high-quality digital and analog audio processing, transmission encoding, and noise reduction equipment. Orban is in the market for radio, TV and Internet audio processing. As technology evolves, CRL continues to innovate with state-of-the-art audio processing products for DAB, DTV and streaming media. The Company purchased Orban® in May of 2000. Orban was founded in 1970 by Bob Orban, who is the world’s foremost expert in transmission audio processing for broadcast. Orban leads the industry in the design and manufacture of audio processors for radio, television and Internet broadcasting. Recognized for its standard-setting Optimod® digital audio processors and the Opticodec® codecs, the Orban name has become synonymous with reliable, high performance products. Today, its versatile audio processing equipment and codecs are the products of choice in fast-paced production environments worldwide.
For more information contact David Rusch at phone +1 480 403-8300, fax +1 480 403-8301 or e-mail: drusch@orban.com. Information is also available at www.orban.com and www.orban-europe.com.