Calrec Audio Launches New Fixed-Format I/O Boxes

Calrec Audio today announced the launch of a new range of fixed-format remote audio I/O boxes at NAB2007. These boxes range in size from 2U to 4U and include built-in power supply redundancy with either single or dual IEC power connections. The new I/O boxes complement the company's existing modular remote I/O box.

At NAB2007, Calrec will be showing the first three boxes from this range: the AD5603 and AD5608, both 2U analog I/O units, and the JB5607, a 3U unbalanced AES I/O unit. The AD5603 consists of 24 mic/line inputs and eight line outputs, while the AD5608 consists of 12 mic/line inputs and four line outputs. Both have phantom power indication and a tricolor signal LEDs indicating whether audio is present, normal, or at clip.

The JB5607 consists of 32 AES inputs and 32 AES outputs on BNC connectors. The AES unit is also available as a 110-Ohm XLR-based 4U variant.

The boxes link to the Calrec Hydra network using dual Cat5e Gigabit Ethernet ports for audio and control redundancy at distances up to 90 meters. For greater distances, the new I/O boxes also support optional duplex fiber GBIC connectors, which allow multimode fiber 50/125-micron or 62.5/125-micron operation up to 500 meters, or single-mode fiber 9/125-micron operation up to five kilometers.

The new range of I/O boxes also includes a 2U, 4-SDI input de-embed unit that extracts up to 64 channels of synchronous or asynchronous embedded audio from four HD/SD streams. The unit then makes these channels available to any console connected to the Hydra network. In addition, each SDI unit can process up to eight Dolby E signals to provide a further 64 decoded channels. Metadata from each Dolby E signal is also brought out as a serial interface.

Besides the AD5603, AD5608, and JB5607, being shown at NAB, the new range of I/O boxes includes the AD5600, with 48 mic/line in — 16 line out (4U); the JB5606, with 16 AES in — 16 AES out, unbalanced, BNC connectors (2U); and the VI5566 — 4 HD/ SDI in, Dolby E de-embedder/decoder (2U).