Comrex ARC Provides Practical Solution for NPR Program Contributor

Devens, Massachusetts – July 19, 2010 – Since the release of its new ACCESS Reporter Codec for Android® (or ARC) in late May of this year, hundreds of Comrex customers have downloaded ARC to allow them to connect to either a Comrex ACCESS or BRIC-Link audio codec via their Android 2.1 smartphone’s Wi-Fi or 3G/4G data connection.  This free application provides wideband, fully bi-directional audio with very low latency making it perfect for audio contribution by radio news reporters, expert hosts and program contributors.

Recently, ARC was used to by James Fallows, National Correspondent for The Atlantic and NPR Contributor, to connect to NPR News’ All Things Considered for an interview with ATC host, Guy Raz.  Mr. Fallows installed ARC on his Google Nexus One Android phone and connected to NPR’s ACCESS Rackmount IP Codec for the Saturday evening interview.  The audio can be heard by following a web link found at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128133680

Click on "Listen To Story" to hear ARC in action on ATC.

 ARC provides Comrex users the ability to add wideband audio contribution from various sources without having to allocate a hardware codec, such as the Comrex ACCESS Portable, for a short interview or news hit.  Instead of having to depend on bandwidth limited telephone/cellphone quality audio, ARC significantly broadens the range and quality of audio contribution sources that are available to radio broadcasters without having to overstretch resources.  Comrex also recently announced support for Media5 Fone, a soft codec for the Apple iPhone, which provides functionality similar to ARC.

Media5 Fone: Connect to ACCESS and BRIC-Link from your iPhone

For all of you iPhone users who have been suffering from "ARC Envy", you'll be happy to know that we've tested and approved a very cool app that will let you connect to your ACCESS or BRIC-Link codec with your Apple iPhone or iPod iTouch. It also works with the iPad but, personally, we think you'd look silly holding that thing up to your ear.

Media5 Fone is available from the iPhone App Store as a free demo download that will allow for calls of one minute in duration.  If you'd like the unlimited call feature, you'll need to pay $4.99 USD for that luxury.

All of the details, including simple setup instructions for your ACCESS or BRIC-Link, are available at: http://comrex.com/arc/media5.html

World Cup: Eyes of the world are on South Africa

As the attention of the world focuses on the Republic of South Africa, so does that of radio and television stations from around the globe.  Several Comrex customers have contacted us to let us know about the all of the World Cup excitement.  We just received these photos from Comrex customer Radio Bio Bio in Chile.  Pictured above is ESPN Radio Bio Bio Desportes commentator and former Chilean football star Patricio "Pato" Yáñez reporting from Nelspruit where Chile and Honduras will meet this week for their first round Group H match.

Below, Pato talks with ESPN Radio Bio Bio Deportes commentator Miguel Cajas Pino about the upcoming matches and what fans can expect from the Chilean national team.

If you're broadcasting from South Africa on Comrex gear and have photos you'd like to share, please send them to info@comrex.com

Comrex ACCESS Provides Vital Coverage in Chile

Not unlike many new Comrex ACCESS customers, Bio Bio La Radio in Chile was very excited to put their new IP Audio codecs into use to cover late breaking news and sporting events. Not long after receiving their codecs, they were pressed into service to report on the Chilean Presidential elections and for coverage of the national soccer championships on ESPN Radio Bio Bio Sports.  ACCESS even provided play-by-play of the Liberators Cup from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Peru.

But when catastrophe struck the South American nation on February 27, 2010, Bio Bio used their ACCESS units to provide critical information to devastated listeners in a country torn apart by a massive 8.8 Magnitude earthquake that left hundreds dead and destroying much of Southern Chile.   Journalists Maria Carrasco, Richard Jimenez, Rodrigo Pino, Jorge Muñoz used ACCESS Portable codecs to report on the devastation from Concepcion, Santiago, Talcahuano and Dichato.  The journalists were deployed throughout the country in Bio Bio radio station vehicles and also in police vans to help establish vital communications.  According to Alejandro Marnich, Bio Bio Manager of Operations, immediately after the earthquake “all of the cell lines were down for two or three days before we were able to start the news coverage of the devastated areas of the central region.”  But once service was restored, he continues, “with the help of the Access we were permitted to go and cover where there was no other form of transmission. The most important for Bio Bio was the quality of the audio transmission.”

While everyone at Comrex were aware that their products had been used in situations like this around the globe, they were particularly impacted by photos that they recently received from Bio Bio. Says Comrex Managing Director, Kris Bobo, “We were setting up for the NAB show in Las Vegas when we received the photos from Bio Bio. We were awestricken by the utter devastation.  We’ve all dedicated ourselves to making quality products for just these kinds of situations but there was something much more profound in seeing these photos.”  She adds, “We are proud that our products were used to provide vital coverage in light of these tragic circumstances.”