Traditional
telephone hybrids/TBUs have been around for years
and generally plug directly into a POTS telephone
line (or an analog extension on a PBX).
Now
that IP telephony systems (IP/VoIP based PBX's)
are fast becoming the norm - as they generally offer
enhanced functionality, cost savings and new ways
of working - a new solution is needed where previously
a POTS hybrid would have been used. That's where
AudioTX TBU-IP comes in.
With
AudioTX TBU-IP, call
quality is significantly better than with analog
(POTS) TBU units as calls are carried digitally
right through to the studio. TBU-IP is a dual-hybrid
(it has 2 fully independent TBUs within the 1RU
rackmount unit) and each acts as a standard SIP
phone, meaning that it will work with any IP phone
system or, if you wish, directly with a SIP/VoIP
provider's lines.
It's
worth noting that an IP PBX may well use analog,
digital or SIP trunk connections from your telecommunications
provider - or a combination of all three - and that
calls may come from any of the 3 types of telephony
networks - but the important common factor is that
all phones within your organisation are 'IP phones'
and are connected to your PBX over the LAN (IP network)
rather than by fixed, dedicated, telephone wiring.
Call
answer/establishment & progress
In
most cases, you'll use your phone system and existing
standard handsets to answer, make/dial and route
calls, put them on hold, perform queue management
etc. In most cases this will be the same phone system
used for your office telephony, though maybe call
producers on a talk show might use larger, more
functional handsets - e.g. operator consoles or
on-screen phones with headsets. When you want to
put a caller on-air, you simply transfer the call
to one of the extensions you've allocated to your
TBU-IP unit.
* Of course, if you wish, TBU-IP can be setup to
directly receive incoming calls (from a DEL, direct
exchange line), or even direct from a SIP trunk
- Even
without a phone system, TBU-IP can act as 2 independent,
standalone SIP telephones that connect directly
with any SIP trunk provider..
TBU-IP
can be setup to auto-answer or you can answer/accept
a call manually.
The
controls
TBU-IP has a GPIO interface which allows for connection
to studio signalling systems and for Answer/Hangup/Revert
functionality from external control panels with
simple 5v logic level connections. This also allows
you to dial a pre-set number directly from the unit.
You can also manage and control the unit from the
web-browser based management interface from any
PC on your network. And there's a simple Telnet-style
interface (with simple one-line text commands) that
allows for integration with external management/control
systems over IP for answer, hangup, revert, direct
dial and call status.
At
the end of a call
You
can choose to hangup on the caller, or 'revert'
the call to a pre-set extension. This is a very
powerful feature... this extension could just be
a single phone, or it could a ring group you might
choose to setup on your PBX - for example with the
reverted call identified as 'Call released from
TBU-IP-1 in Studio A' for example. Or maybe even
an extenion that plays a pre-recorded 'Thanks for
calling and being on-air' message you've setup on
your PBX.
Initial
Setup
TBU-IP
is a 1RU rackmount unit housing a dual-TBU (2 lines)
and has professional balanced analogue line-level
inputs and outputs and AES digital connections on
XLR connectors and a GPIO port providing control/signalling
integration with existing studio equipment and systems.
Setting
up AudioTX TBU-IP for use with your phone system
is a simple one-off process as each of the digital
hybrids behave as standard SIP phone extensions.
Set the extensions up on the PBX and enter the correct
info into the TBU-IP unit.
All
of the additional functionality of your PABX can
be integrated with your studio TBU - including call
conferencing, ring groups, operator consoles and
on-screen call handling software from any manufacturer.
