COLOGNE, Germany—RTW today made available its V 1.3 software for its TouchControl 5 hardware meter, offering support for dialog-gated loudness measurement.

The free software update enables users to comply with dialog-based specifications aligned with Netflix delivery standards, the company said.

The new version also enables users to create custom loudness settings for other dialog-based targets, it said.

Download the latest version online.

More information is available on the company’s website.

COLOGNE, Germany—As new digital platforms have emerged in recent years in the broadcast industry—like Netflix, Apple, Amazon and others—RTW has updated its standards to ensure that streamers have their own loudness delivery guidelines.

In some cases, the guidelines are similar among different platforms in terms of Integrated Loudness (LUFS), but there are some variations when in comes to True Peak (dBTP).

“With so many different streaming services around these days, we saw a need for gathering all of the available information in one place so that content providers can get an easy overview,” said Mike Kahsnitz, RTW senior director of product management.

Kanhsnitz says that RTW has listed 35 different specifications that vary depending on region, individual country and content type. He also says that RTW will update the list in case specifications change at any point, or when new ones arise.

View RTW’s loudness delivery guide online. 

NEW YORK—U.K.-based Audio measuring and metering company RTW is expanding its operations to the United States, having recently opened its first U.S. office in New York. Claudia Haase has returned to RTW to head up the office.

"Reuniting with RTW and taking on this position and challenge is a great opportunity,” she said. “I am very much looking forward to get started and support our US dealers and service centers on a daily basis. The US is a huge market, and having a local office is the only way forward. I am proud to be the one to in charge of opening this next chapter.”

“Our new office in New York simply underpins our focus on the important US market, and I’m excited that we have now taken a huge step in our effort to bring the company closer to our American customers, and I am confident that Claudia Haase is a perfect match for turning this strategic initiative into real benefits for all of our US-based customers,” adds Andreas Tweitmann, CEO of RTW.

RTW also recently announced the appointments of authorized RTW service centers in New York (dBm Pro Audio Services) and Los Angeles (Advanced Musical Electronics Inc). 

COLOGNE, Germany – RTW, a vendor of visual audio meters and monitoring devices, is bringing its TM9 TouchMonitor to IBC 2018 as a 19-inch 4U rack-mount solution (MA4U). This reconfigured unit includes all of the audio monitoring features of the standalone RTW TM9, but offers a new design that is more easily accessible in broadcast studio applications. 

The TM9 panel-mount version is approximately 9.25 x 5.35 x 1.8 inches without the power supply and is designed for mounting into front panels. The unit comes standard with a USB extension to the front panel and the mounting kit is compatible with DIN 41494/IEC 60297 19-inch 4U racks. 

Equipped with RTW's nine-inch touch screens and an easy-to-use GUI, the TM9 TouchMonitor offers precision, performance, efficiency, and flexibility for audio monitoring. With the graphical user interface of the TM9, instruments can be scaled, randomly positioned and combined in almost every way for optimized use of available screen space. Multiple instruments of the same type, assigned to different input channels and configurations, can be displayed simultaneously. Additionally, a context-sensitive, on-screen help feature supports the user, allowing for easy setup changes. 

Read: RTW Announces Multi-License Server Solutions at BroadcastAsia 2018 

The latest firmware version of the TM9, also used with the TM7, expands the basic software to a four-channel display: 4x Mono or 2x Stereo/2x Mono. Additionally, 1x Stereo can be measured without the need of an activated multichannel license. Output routing can be individually adjusted for each preset and all presets can be exported or imported at the same time. 

Read: RTW Skates Into The 2018 Winter Games

PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA—The Olympics moment is here for RTW, as the company has announced that it has supplied Broadcast Network Connections GmbH with a number of TM3-3G Smart TouchMonitors for the International Broadcast Centre editing suites during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

RTW’s TouchMonitor TM3-3GS is equipped with all available software licenses for metering, deembedding and monitoring of 3G-SDI audio signals. The monitors have a 4.3-inch touch screen and a flexible user interface for preset selection and setting the monitoring level. With its integrated 3G-SDI demebedder interface, the TM3-3GS displays level and loudness of any eight 3G-SDI audio channels. In addition, up to 16 SDI audio signals can be sent to eight AES3 outputs.

The implementation of RTW’s TM3-3GS TouchMonitors is part of BNC’s efforts to boost its mobile editing suites capacity. The company is expected to use the TM3-3GS units for ski tournaments, Formula 1 races, cultural events and political coverage.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2017 NAB Show, RTW will highlight its Continuous Loudness Control (CLC), SurroundControl 31900 and 31960 series, and plugins, such as the MasterClass Loudness Tools and Mastering Tools. Also on display will be TM7 and TM9 TouchMonitors, now upgraded with version 6.0 firmware, and TM3 and TM3-Primus TouchMonitors, now with a new 19-inch TM3 rackmount solution that integrates up to two units in one carrier.

TM3

Designed for workstations and edit suites, compact TM3 TouchMonitors come with an intuitive 4.3-inch touchscreen interface that allows for vertical and horizontal operation, as well as easy-to-read instruments for level and loudness metering that can be preset.

The TM3-Primus TouchMonitor is a unique USB audio monitor that features RCA-type, two-channel analog and digital (SPDIF) loudness and level meters that meet global standards. With its USB hybrid mode, operators can visualize and process DAW metering points directly on the screen.

Version 6.0 of the firmware for the TM7/TM9 TouchMonitors offers new features and adjustments to stay current with global loudness standards. It supports up to four parallel instances of the stereo vectorscope, allowing simultaneous monitoring of transmission streams. A 12th octave filter bank has been added to the RTA (Real Time Analyzer) for a more refined, graduated frequency distribution analysis. A new password feature gives users increased security against unauthorized adjustment changes.

The 2017 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 24-27. RTWwill be in boothN7220. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

COLOGNE, GERMANY—A new version of firmware is available for RTW’s TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 series, taking into account some customer-requested features according to the company’s press release. The TM7 and TM9 units are 7- and 9-inch touch-sensitive displays for loudness monitoring.

The firmware version 6.0, among its updates, now offers up to four parallel instances of TM7/TM9’s stereo vectorscope, allowing for simultaneous monitoring of transmission streams. A 12th octave filter bank is also part of the update to the units’ Real Time Analyzer feature set for frequency distribution analysis. In addition, a custom selected password feature is now available for increased security against unauthorized adjustment changes, as has support for four-channel operation of a TouchMonitor. RTW also reports that it has addressed previous bug issues and made adjustments to meet new changes to global loudness standards.

The new firmware can be installed into all TM7 and TM9 series instruments, as well as TMR7 units. TM7 and TM9 “TC Electronic” devices can be updated to benefit from the bug fixes. To implement the new firmware, all devices must be upgraded with the SW20021 TC Conversion Kit.

Craig Newbury, vice president of sales for Wohler The one constant in the broadcast industry, despite its reputation for being staid and conservative, increasingly seems to be change these days. The growing momentum behind the adoption of IP networking and transports is accelerating the rate of that change, and manufacturers of certain products are beginning to feel the pressure.

Craig Newbury, vice president of sales for Wohler, the San Francisco-based provider of audio and video monitoring gear, noted that, with a previous employer, it would take 18 months to plan and launch a new TV channel. “Now I go back to the same building in London where I used to work and they’re putting channels on-air in two days,” he said. “Customers see an opportunity to monetize content in a different way or in a new territory and they can’t wait six months to be able to do that; they need to do it immediately.

Newbury adds that broadcasters have to recognize these changes and be prepared for them. “The companies that survive will be the companies that can react to customers’ demands,” he said.

THE MOVING FORMAT TARGET

TSL’s MPA1-MixSolo MADI audio monitor The migration to IP is in full swing, agreed Matthew Colman, audio product manager for U.K-based audio monitoring provider TSL Products. With that adoption has come a proliferation of new standards.

“TSL is going to follow the standards,” he said. “But we also support some of the proprietary audio-over-IP formats.” TSL’s PAM audio monitor will add support for AES67-compliant Dante and Ravenna transports at the 2016 IBC Show, according to Colman, who adds that the company’s entry-level MPA products include a Hydra2 option for interoperability with Calrec AoIP signals.

“We remain impartial,” he said. “If a customer comes to us and says they want to do this or that, if the volume is there then we’ll support that. We see a lot more demand for Dante than we have for Ravenna, yet we still offer Ravenna,” Colman offered as an example.

Through aggressive marketing, Audinate has surged ahead of most other AoIP mechanisms, in terms of licensees and the number of products now supporting Dante. Bel, one recent example, introduced its BM-A1-64DANTE rack-mounting confidence monitor last year, and has recently started shipping the unit. Capable of monitoring up to 64 channels from Dante’s 512 maximum, either individually or simultaneously in any combination of inputs, the unit enables both broadcast and live production sound engineers to check the presence of audio on their systems, with at-a-glance front panel visual feedback.

WHO WILL WIN THE RACE?

RTW’s 31900 audio monitor Not every audio monitoring product manufacturer is ready to jump on the IP bandwagon. As Mike Kahsnitz, technical director at RTW, a U.K.-based pro audio monitoring provider, observed in response to the question of whether Dante might ultimately win out over the competition: “It might be AES67; I have no idea.”

RTW is well known for its monitoring products, which principally take the form of very sophisticated metering instruments. The company makes just one audio monitor, the 31900. It’s not a new system, said Kahsnitz, but it handles 16 digital and 16 analog inputs with a variety of Dolby decoding, and incorporates all of the company’s metering capabilities.

Any new monitoring product designs would demand a great deal of thought, said Kahsnitz. Never mind the IP options, just look at the multichannel formats that have been introduced since the launch of the 31900, he noted. “There’s the NHK-driven 22.2 system, Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D,” he said. “It doesn’t make it easy for the manufacturers, because who will make the race?”

Wohler has addressed this environment of constant change with a new hardware platform, iAM, which enables the company to be iterative in its product development through software updates. ���A two-year development cycle just doesn’t cut it anymore,” Newbury pointed out. “You’ve got to be able to talk to customers, react to their requirements, to new standards, to new methodologies and technologies. We can add those to the product over time, and help our customers get a return on investment.”

OUTSIDE THE BOX

With the packetization of audio and video comes its attendant data and metadata, which monitoring manufacturers must also address in their products. TSL, which also makes control systems, is looking forward to the standardization of the VSF Technical Recommendations TR-03 and TR-04 in SMPTE 2110, said Colman. “Perhaps the industry will look to standardize network discovery, communication, and the control aspects of IP. We’re going to make sure that our products are totally aligned, so that we’re at the forefront of what’s going on.”

Wohler, too, is adding third-party control, said Newbury. “We can’t be isolationist. Customers want to be able to use our devices to drive other systems within their workflows. So we’re developing capabilities in our products that allow us to integrate more fully into a much more automated way of working.”

The company’s monitoring boxes and the new iAM platform also enable remote monitoring. “Customers can see the metering through a web browser interface,” Newbury said. “They can consume that data wherever they are, on any device, as long as they can network to the monitoring unit.”

With IP infrastructures, said Newbury, “you’ve got to have a full router inside the box. Our platform will enable those types of applications that allow our customers to not just monitor signals but to be able to utilize those signals within their workflows, which is becoming increasingly important.”

As to the future, Wohler plans to move into software monitoring, according to Newbury. “I can imagine moving towards a scenario where we have a range of different form factors that customers can enjoy, whether they want rack-mounting, handheld, or software devices,” he said.

Wherever the future takes the industry, said Colman, “I think you’ll always have a need for a humble audio monitor. But I think you’re going to see virtualization of television stations, so some kind of software, cloud-based audio monitor is inevitable.”

IP infrastructures are enabling the transport of thousands of channels of audio, observed Newbury. “If you layer in Dolby and audio description the number of audio tracks becomes incredibly large. The management of those audio channels is a real headache.”

Technologies such as MADI could handle that in the baseband domain, he continued. “The IP realm is marketed as being a lot simpler, but in my experience it’s simply not the case,” Newbury said. “Customers are running into a bunch of new problems that haven’t yet got a solution.”

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS–At this year’s IBC Show, RTW, a U.K.-based provider of audio metering and monitoring technology, will show its latest line of loudness solutions as well as some products new to the European market.

APRO-CLC01

The APRO-CLC01 for Continuous Loudness Control audio processor allows users to control program-loudness value and its loudness range.

RTW will also show its Loudness Tools and Mastering Tools software with it’s a v4.0 update, which now supports Mac OS X 10.11 “El Capitan,” a new a selectable 12th octave RTA and cinema loudness.

Also on display, RTW’s TM3-Primus and USB Connect, now with a new software version that adds support for both Mac OS X 10.11 “El Capitan” and the new standard changes in the EBU Loudness Recommendation.

To see all of RTW’s new products while at IBC visit their booth, 8.D89.The IBC Show takes place at the RAI in Amsterdam, Sept. 8-13.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2016 NAB Show, RTW will display its Continuous Loudness Control Software, Masterclass Plug-ins and TM3-Primus with USB Connect tool for broadcast, production and postproduction signal processing. CLC Software allows users to regulate audio loudness to a particular program’s loudness value, and definable loudness range, with continuous control in real-time.

Loudness Tools menu

During processing, the CLC’s complex adaptive morphing algorithm “learns” the dynamic structure and intention of the sound signal, and adapts as it predicts what comes next. It handles most DAW software, audio and files, and meets EBU-R128 among other major global loudness standard specifications.

A new addition to the company’s Touch Monitor range of audio meters, the compact TM3-Primus serves entry-level applications across multiple markets. It provides everything needed for loudness and audio metering, including commonly used standard instruments. With its USB Connect Tool, it can plug into a DAW environment.

Compliant with SAWA and TASA cinema loudness standards, RTW’s scalable Masterclass Plug-ins of Mastering and Loudness tools provide RTW meters, audio signal analysis and visualization as standard-format plug-ins for all major DAW software tools.

The 2016 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 18-21. RTW will be in booth C2336. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

AMSTERDAM—IBC 2015 is just getting underway and among the exhibitors attending is RTW, a provider of visual audio meters and monitoring devices for professional broadcast, production, post production and quality control. RTW comes to IBC 2015 with its latest product, the TM3 USB Connect Tool, which is designed to enhance the company’s Masterclass plug-ins.

TM3 USB Connect

The TM3 USB Connect software provides a direct connection between a TM3-Primus as a plug-in within a DAW environment. It offers a remote control within the DAW for start, stop and reset on the TM3-Primus. The new software allows the TM3-Primus to be connected to any channel or group in the DAW project by inserting the plug-in into the desired channel. TM3 USB Connect can also be used as a standalone remote control for the TM3-Primus, if the Primus is operated as an output device. The TM3 USB Connect can be operated with both Mac and PC products.

RTW will be located at booth 8.D89. IBC 2015 runs from Sept. 11-15 in Amsterdam.

AMSTERDAM—RTW looks to bring the noise to the 2015 IBC Show, or more precisely the noise control. Among the products the video audio meters and monitoring devices provider will bring the Amsterdam for IBC 2015 includes its new Loudness and Mastering Tools, and Continuous Loudness Correction software. RTW will also be demonstrating its new TouchMonitor firmware and TM3 USB Connect.

The Mastering and Loudness tools are part of version 3.0 of RTW’s Masterclass Plug-ins for both Windows and Mac OS. The new update makes the software compliant with SAWA and TASA cinema loudness standards and its windows and instruments are modified to be freely scalable. Version 3.0 also supports a 12th octave RTA and comes with RTW’s newly developed USB connect software.

Available as both a plug-in and standalone software, the CLC software has been implemented into RTW’s broadcast equipment. The CLC technology allows users to adapt the level of audio they are working on, against a given program-loudness value, along a definable loudness range in real-time. CLS software can handle DAW audio, live audio and files.

Designed for its TM7 and TM9 devices, the new firmware for RTW’s TouchMonitor will feature 12th octave RTA mode with 125 bands, a high resolution with bandpass filters. The new firmware includes a LF dedicated analyzer, cinema loudness modes, and asymmetrical and individual adjustable tolerance ranges for the loudness measurements. An additional numerical display will provide the length of an integrated measurement.

Also, the new TM3 USB Connect software enables a direct connection between a TM3-Primus as a plug-in within a DAW environment. The software provides a remote control within the DAW for stop, start and reset on the TM3-Primus. This device allows the TM3-Primus to be connected to any channel or group in the DAW project by just inserting the plug-in into the desired channel.

IBC 2015 takes place from Sept. 11-15 in Amsterdam.