The Digital Broadcasting Symposium in Malaysia this week was accompanied by an exhibition of the latest professional digital equipment for radio and tv broadcasters.

While at the Symposium, radioinfo’s Steve Ahern found out about the latest features on the newest Orban Optimod, the processor of choice of some of the big radio broadcast networks.
 

OPTIMOD-FM 8600 is Orban’s flagship processor.

It features versatile five-band and two-band processing for both analog FM transmission and digital media.

Improved peak limiter technology decreases distortion while increasing transient punch and high frequency power handling capacity. The new peak limiter typically provides 2.5 to 3 dB more power at high frequencies, which minimizes high frequency loss caused by pre-emphasis limiting.

The result of the improved compression means that drums and percussion cut through the mix, high frequencies are more “airy” and “problem material” that used to cause audible distortion is handled cleanly, according to Orban.

Because the input/output delay of the new peak limiter is too long to permit talent to monitor off-air on headphones, 8600 processing is useful for remotes and outside broadcasts where off-air headphone monitoring is desired and the 8600’s low-delay monitor output cannot be brought to the talent.

Orban was displaying a range of models from the cheaper 5000 series to the top of the range 8000 series this week in KL. Peter explained them during a lunch break in the conference.

Contact Orban via this link.

For more reports on DBS 2015, see our AsiaRadioToday site.