Lawo’s IP-native management platform HOME 4.0 updates its architecture and has a simpler licensing model, and will soon have a new software-based Audio Shuffler.
Lawo’s IP-native management platform HOME 4.0 improves the platform’s architecture and has a simpler licensing model. It allows greater flexibility for operations across broadcast and media applications and supports teams working in infrastructures from small to large scale.
Designed to manage and secure IP-based media infrastructures, HOME is built on cloud-native, containerized microservices. It allows users to connect, configure and control all HOME-native devices through equipment coming from Lawo and its ecosystem partners, as well as NMOS-compliant third-party products.
HOME is made up of apps for device discovery, parameter control, stream routing and intuitive system operation within a secure, standards-based environment, and can be deployed on-premise, across multiple locations or in the cloud.
Due to native support for SMPTE ST2110, AES67, NMOS IS-04/05, IEEE 802.1x, RADIUS and other standards, HOME is able to serve as the central control layer for an IP-based workflow. As well as the HOME Apps for signal processing, monitoring, commentary, transcoding and other media functions, it integrates directly with hardware and software in Lawo’s portfolio.
HOME Passes Licensing Model
HOME Passes are a key innovation in HOME 4.0 that replace Lawo’s earlier Core licenses and make it possible to scale a HOME system to exactly match the control needs of a specific install. These new device- or app-specific licenses are now required for all tools that users intend to access and control via the HOME management platform.
They work especially well for projects with temporary or variable device counts because they help users to plan more precisely and control costs. As infrastructures grow, additional devices can be licensed on demand.
The new passes are available as either perpetual or credit-based licenses under the Lawo FLEX subscription scheme, and can be swapped between devices in the inventory. Lawo devices and software purchased after the release of HOME v4.x come with an included perpetual HOME Pass. For any other devices, users can purchase either perpetual or credit-based subscription passes.
Platform access has also changed for version 4.0. The HOME software is now available at no cost so that users to HOME can be deployed even in smaller or temporary environments without initial licensing investment, supporting agile project planning and faster deployment.
With updated software architecture, open standards compliance and licensing model that better suits the way many productions are working today, HOME 4.0 is a platform that adapts to both the current needs and the longer-term evolution of broadcasters. It is now used in production facilities, OB trucks, remote workflows and cloud-based operations worldwide.
New Audio Shuffler App
Showing HOME’s flexibility at IBC was the introduction of its 15th app – the HOME Audio Shuffler, a software replacement for a traditional baseband audio matrix within an IP-based Dynamic Media Facility. Using embedded audio signals saves on complexity but leaves the challenge of re-configuring audio channels encoded into the digital signal. This may only involve adding a channel or re-assigining channels for consistency, but where it’s necessary to completely rearrange channel positions, an app like HOME Audio Shuffler becomes useful.
Available in six packages in different sizes, it will be available in the next few weeks and repackages incoming audio signals for different applications, allowing users to compile streams based on audio signals from a variety of sources, as needed, and otherwise customize an audio stream’s payload. This is convenient for downstream applications and devices without built-in audio matrix functionality.
Audio Shuffler supports ST2110-30 (24 bits) and -31 (32 bits, RAVENNA AM824 payload format with bit transparency), and conforms to AES67 and ST2110-30 (Levels A, B and C) with minimal latency. It includes redundancy options via ST2022-7 (Seamless Protection Switching) and the HOME App auto restart mechanism for continuous operation.
Incoming audio streams can be reshuffled and routed to the desired transmitters using the HOME Terminal Routing Matrix. Stream routing, shuffling and other operations can be controlled through workflow control systems like Lawo VSM that communicate with HOME Audio Shuffler via the HOME API.
The new app is suitable for master control rooms and applications requiring combinations of individually contributed, controllable audio sources. It gives users the agility to scale the audio environment adequately to make sure each stream is received and transmitted in the expected channel order and synchronized, without dedicated broadcast hardware. Johan Boqvist, Lawo’s Product Evangelist for Audio Infrastructure said, “While indispensable in Master Control Rooms, some users have already shown that the HOME Audio Shuffler leaves ample room for creative applications.”
Supporting up to 16,384 input and output signals, at symmetrical flow sizes between 64 and 2048 RX and TX streams, each accommodating up to 64 audio channels, HOME Audio Shuffler’s matrix size can be selected from the six packages. All signal inputs and outputs come with DSP functionality including Gain and Phase on the RX side, and Gain, Phase and Delay (up to 5 sec) on the TX side. www.lawo.com
