Wheatstone to Showcase Blade 4 at IBC 2024

NEW BERN, NC —Wheatstone has announced new capabilities for Blade 4, its fourth generation WheatNet IP I/O unit, that continue to build on the intelligent AoIP network to combine studio facilities, create new workflows, and eliminate costly studio hardware.

For the upcoming IBC show, the company is demonstrating the WheatNet IP audio network as well as streaming software for provisioning and processing streams on a local server, plus a DMX console system for going from analog to AoIP in a snap, Ethernet switch included. The products will be shown at the  Wheatstone stand 8.D91 during IBC 2024 from Sept. 13-16.

Unique to Blade 4 is its complete AoIP toolset of audio processing, codecs, mixing, routing, control and operating system in one rack unit, Wheatstone reported. Included are optional dual OPUS audio codecs for streaming between studio facilities, home studios, or transmitter sites and updated CPU with GPU graphics acceleration for running customized scripts, apps, and virtual interfaces directly on the Blade 4 itself.

Now with the addition of Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST), an open-source transport protocol developed for reliable transmission of video and audio in real time, Blade 4 adds enhanced network security and reliability as well as lower latency, higher quality audio streaming across the public internet, where links are less reliable and distance adds more delay ( read White Paper: RIST Explained ).

This fourth generation Blade is fully AES67 compliant for interoperability with a wide range of AES67 devices and supports SMPTE ST 2110, including NMOS discovery.

Blade 4 puts I/O, control and audio tools in one AoIP unit for everything from streaming audio, mixing sounds and processing feeds, to turning mics on or off, controlling consoles and triggering mix-minus presets by show, location or talent, the company said.

Blades are the I/O units engineered and manufactured by Wheatstone making up the core of the WheatNet IP audio network, which can include 200+ interconnected elements.