[BC] counting the nines

[Dana Puopolo]

Then answer me this: How can someone who hates the sound of a Barix box also
like the sound of HD radio? To my ears at least, MPEG-2 at 128 (or higher)
kbps sounds one hell of a lot better then the 48 kbps a station that's running
an HD2 has on both their streams-expecially with that crap codec they use. 
It's the same codec that Sirius uses-and to my ears, XM sounds 100X better
then Sirius (XM uses HE-AAC+).

I've also worked in major market radio (Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston.
Long Island) and understand (and agree) with what you say...BUT you'd be
downright surprised how many major market stations use Barix Boxes as their
primary STLs today. When I quoted four nines reliability, I was talking about
T1s. I always try to get customers to go that route.

Let me also remind you that one Barix product (the Exstreamer 1000) does full
quality bi directional linear PCM with both analog balanced inputs and outputs
and AES/EBU digital inputs and outputs. It's also priced at under $2000 for a
complete system-about 1/3 that of the competition.

-D

From: Broadcast List USER <Broadcast at fetrow.org>

Dana:

I have had Cable Internet, then DSL, then Cable at my home.  I have
had DSL, Cable and T-1s at various other locations.

There is NO WAY cable or DSL is four nines.  Hey, I have bought and used the
Barix boxes.  I have used them to
monitor out of town stations, and as a listen line for multiple
people.  They work great, but they are no primary STL.  For one thing,
I will not accept the quality reduction of that much compression.

Then again, I always worked in major market radio, or more recently,
for small market radio that was run like it is in a major market.  No
cutting of corners (OK, some, but not much.).

--chip