Benefits of Intercom I.P.A.C.C.C.C.A.C.A.i.C.

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1 Technology White Paper I.V.Core: The Defining Technology for Intercom-Over-IP (IoIP) Communications Overview The goal of this white paper is to provide readers a clear understanding of the technology issues surrounding the current IP-based intercom solutions available in the market. The advantages and ubiquity of Internet Protocol (IP) have made it very compelling for communication providers to quickly bring to bear flexible, scalable and cost-effective communication solutions without the sacrifice of voice quality. While there exist several effective solutions for small-scale communication needs, most are based on Voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology, which does not provide the level of quality, efficiency and scalability necessary for professional-grade mission-critical communications. Recent advancements made among intercom system providers have now tapped into IP as the means to deliver more traditional intercom capabilities over IP connections/networks; however, they still present drawbacks such as audio latency, scalability limitations and quality degradation as more users use the system. Clear-Com s breakthrough I.V.Core technology brings significant improvements to this type of communication solution over standard Internet, LAN or WAN networks, enabling a new breed of Intercom-over-IP (IoIP) for a much improved voice communication experience. Background There are several factors to take into consideration when it comes to high-quality IoIP intercom systems, including: the number of users that need to be accommodated by the system the physical proximity of these users to a production system security the ability of the system to work within available system bandwidth ease of set up high-quality intelligible audio Page 1

2 While current IoIP systems offer basic communications, the fundamental technical approach is self-limiting on one or more levels. For instance, a current IoIP system might be able to accommodate 20 to 50 users, but at the expense of system bandwidth and processor limitations that can have a big effect on audio quality. In this era of instant global communications, potentially involving a limitless number of participants, why develop and deploy a system that is inherently limited? The problem becomes how to create a dynamic and scalable system that addresses the above issues in a way that works with existing and future network and Internet protocols. The Solution While others have implemented IoIP systems based on a narrow vision of intercom derived from current hardware paradigms, Clear-Com has taken an entirely new approach with the introduction of an IoIP system based on the proprietary I.V.Core technology, one that takes advantage of the full power of the Internet and local networks to develop a system that is both robust and scalable. The benefits of this vision are three-fold: Offering higher quality of audio performance over IP with efficient network-bandwidth utilization and low signal latency. Ubiquitous access to Intercom from anywhere an Internet connection is available to yield an all-inclusive system. Cost-effective and scalable implementation of communications from the simple inclusion of an additional user to the inclusion of remotely located creative teams and management. What is I.V.Core? Clear-Com s I.V.Core is a groundbreaking intercom technology that defines IoIP communications. Providing high-quality, low-bandwidth audio that will not stress an existing IP network, I.V.Core is an advanced set of software building blocks and engines for creating a real-time, dynamic distributed system with non-blocking intercom capabilities. I.V.Core s approach delivers a simple, cost-effective and scalable pathway to limitless communication options over an internal IP network or the Internet through a PC or laptop computer. The intrinsic power of I.V.Core involves routing packets of information to the desired end user s device instead of mixing signals and rerouting, creating a distributed network of devices that provide instant communication. Be it an add-on user in a studio with intercom, within a facility in an area that has no hardwired intercom, a remote management office, a creative group across town or in another city via the Internet, I.V.Core makes the full potential of IoIP a reality. Advantages of I.V.Core Intercom-over-IP and Voice-over-IP are based on similar standards-based technologies utilizing the same IP network and transport layers, making them interoperable. I.V.Core, however, has a different set of features than VoIP and other types of IoIP. I.V.Core is optimized for Page 2

3 conferencing and collaborative workgroups, while VoIP is designed for peer-to-peer communications and telephone conversations. Intercom-over-IP offers simple one-touch instant connection between users, work groups and conferences in addition to auto answer, listen only, and talk-and-listen instant voice communications over IP. Clear-Com s I.V.Core technology is optimized for IoIP with no call set up or codec negotiation delays unlike VoIP. The key difference between I.V.Core and traditional IoIP/VoIP systems is that I.V.Core does not mix and encode communications centrally at the server (as shown in Figure 1). Instead, some of the intelligence is passed to the client ends where they are processed locally.this distributed approach not only produces a very low latency routing core at the server, but it also means that multiple encode/decode/mixing cycles are avoided, preserving the integrality of audio packet data even when traversing multiple server environments. This unique approach of the I.V.Core technology minimizes audio corruption allowing very high quality codes to be utilized even when multiple users and conferences are receiving the same audio streams. Figure 1. Differences Between Traditional VoIP and I.V.Core Packett Jitter Time S1 S2 S1+S2+S3 S3 Packets Must be Buffered = Added Latency All Packets Are Decoded & Re-mixed = Heavy on Resources/Scalability Issues Central Mixing at Server = Scalability Issues on Larger Systems Audio Must Be Re-encoded = Loss of Quality Centrally Mixed Packets = No Individual Origin Metadata S1 S1 S3 S2 S3 S2 Jitter Buffer Eliminated = Reduced Latency Elimination of Decoded/Encode = Reduced Latency & Codec Flexibility Mixer Replaced with Decision Engine & Router = Ultra Low Latency Core Packets Only Ever Decoded Once = Improved Audio Quality Distributed Mixing at Clients = High Efficiency on Resources, Highly Scalable Page 3

4 IoIP Versus VoIP Comparison Chart Application Call Setup Network Efficiency Traditional VoIP Provides point-to-point communications that emulates and integrates with traditional telephone systems. SIP & H.323 feature and codec negotiation for every call. Dial a number and wait for other end to answer. The point-to-point nature of VoIP, along with centralized audio mixing for conferencing, limits the amount of connections and can put a strain on networks that are not optimized for VoIP. The G.711 codec, which is standard on most systems, requires 64 to 256 kps per connection. Clear-Com I.V.Core - IoIP Enables mission critical communication, instant secure conferencing, text messaging and presence for collaborative work groups. Instant, always-on connection negotiated upon secure login. One-to-calling and conferencing, with auto answer. I.V.Core utilizes intelligent routing, distributing audio efficiently and allowing for a large number of users with limited bandwidth and network load. I.V.Core utilizes adaptive codecs, which will average between 30 to 90 kps per connection on typical installation. Audio Quality Traditional toll quality voice (G.711) is only 3.5 KHz. I.V.Core offers multiple codec choices for wideband audio clarity and quality (7 10 Khz). Call Processing Scalability Answering initiating calls and participating in conferences requires a number or code to be entered and then waiting for confirmation or connection. Given the constraints of audio mixing and the large kps required with most VoIP systems, there is a limit to the number of simultaneous calls and conference participants. I.V.Core is optimized for instant secure communications with simple one-touch drag and drop connection between users, work groups and conferences in addition to auto answer, listen only and talk-and-listen. I.V.Core is designed to support a high number of users simultaneously with low bandwidth requirements. 500 Users = ~10 to 27Mbps 1000 Users = ~20 to 53Mbps High Quality Audio Over IP, Efficient Use of Network Bandwidth and Low Signal Latency While typical TDM-based and other VoIP systems simply mix or switch data, the I.V.Core bases its intelligent routing decisions on the audio needing to be routed, effectively making it an intelligent dynamic-priority system. This maintains a very low latency in the core while keeping control over network bandwidth. Only the active audio signal gets directed from source to destination(s), allowing for very efficient network-bandwidth utilizations, which in turn permit the system to use wider-band codecs for a given system size. The I.V.Core protocol uses only one IP connection port for linking all IP clients, simplifying the IT management while making audio quality of service (QoS) management possible. It does this by prioritizing audio packets in one IP port, making it a good choice for widely used NAT (Network Address Translation) port mapping protocols. In addition, the protocol supports fixed IP and DHCP, offering more flexibility to the configuration. This is of great benefit to installed IP systems that are bandwidth-challenged due to extensive traffic. Page 4

5 When combined with additional Forward Error Recovery and noise reduction algorithms, the user can now experience high-clarity and low-noise voice communication, even with such challenging connections as the Internet, where IP-traffic priority is not guaranteed. With a client engine that sends and receives voice packets, I.V.Core is capable of simultaneously handling multiple voice communications. It allows many clients to connect at the same time, forming a complete intercom network operating over a standard IP one. Ubiquitous Access to Intercom Where an Internet Connection is Available The engineering approach for I.V.Core is based on transporting information using existing Internet protocol, allowing users to instantly take advantage of the inherent power of I.V.Core. In effect, I.V.Core partners with existing infrastructures, allowing an end user to expand their LAN and WAN networks at will and still enjoy the convenience and power of true IoIP communications. Cost-effective and Scalable Implementation of Communications Utilizing AES 128-bit encryption for secure audio transmission, I.V.Core works over both wired and wireless packet-based networks such as the Internet. This technology can also scale much more effectively to larger numbers of users while maintaining a high tolerance to poorer quality or traffic-laden IP networks. I.V.Core Network Considerations The client will first establish a temporary TCP/SSL connection to the EMS 1 on UDP port 6001, a port that uses the Datagram Protocol. This is a communications protocol for the Internet network layer, transport layer and session layer, allowing a datagram message from one computer to be sent to an application running in another computer. The connection will remain active only to verify the username and password credentials of the user. If the wrong credentials are given, the connection is terminated with an error message. If the credentials are good, the EMS will return an encryption key to the client to be used for his connection to the IVR 2, thereby terminating the TCP/SSL connection. Upon successful login, the client will then establish a permanent IVP 3 connection on UDP port 6001 to the IVR using the securely negotiated encryption key. 1 Element Management System (EMS): Configuration, registration and management system for the I.V.Core. The Element Management System maintains a permanent connection with all Instant Voice Routers (IVRs) in the system. The Intelligent Voice Protocol connection is then used to synchronize the Presence feature of I.V.Core, allowing each member of a designated user group to see when a member of that group is active. The EMS also receives login requests for all users using an SSL-encrypted connection, and forwards the login approval with connection credentials such as encryption key to the IVR. 2 Instant Voice Router (IVR): The IVR is the media router which maintains a permanent connection with all connected clients. The IVR maintains conference routing tables for all its clients and forwards incoming audio or text frames for the conference participants. 3 Intelligent Voice Protocol (IVP): Proprietary protocol of the I.V.Core. It uses a single UDP (Universal Datagram Protocol) port for all incoming connections. The IVP connection is fully encrypted and contains all voice, presence and text packets. Page 5

6 Once connected to the system, the client uses only one UDP connection for all signaling, voice, presence and text messaging. This one-port feature allows for easy connection of multiple users from outside a Local Area Network (LAN), while maintaining network security and respecting network bandwidth a dream come true for IT. I.V.Core also solves the many problems encountered when working with voice streams, which are more sensitive to network congestion than data streams. Quality of service can be negatively impacted in many ways-with high latency, jitter and packet loss being the three most common ailments found with streaming audio. With Forward Error Correction and adaptive codecs, I.V.Core minimizes these effects. When combined with voice routing, which distributes network loads and requires less bandwidth than conventional VoIP and IoIP systems, I.V.Core delivers superior quality audio over any IoIP system on the market. Real-world Applications of I.V.Core To date, I.V.Core is already fully integrated into Clear-Com s Concert software-based intercom system, delivering IoIP capabilities to new and traditional intercom systems. Groups of any size can be easily formed by simply dragging and dropping a name or group of names into the appropriate communications group on the screen. Along with instant and ad-hoc communication, the Presence feature allows users to see who is active on the system and available for communication, while the Texting feature allows for instant text messaging to anyone on the system, offering users management and creative options not available on traditional VoIP and IoIP systems. Page 6

7 The Hybrid Network World With I.V.Core, areas that traditionally have been left out of the intercom loop because of inaccessibility or high cost for involvement can now be included. For example, a remote production truck with Internet capabilities can actively access the intercom system back at the studio offering enhanced production capabilities for a previously inaccessible situation. A creative team in one city can link up to a studio in another, delivering production options previously not possible while saving on travel costs and reducing potential scheduling conflicts. A meeting room within a studio can be readily converted into an active production space through a studio s existing LAN, obviating the need to install the infrastructure necessary for an expensive hardwired system. Additionally, management and remote staff can now participate to a degree not possible in the past, offering involved oversight of a production. I.V.Core also allows outlying support staff to instantly access and connect into the intercom network. Armed with a laptop, USB headset (or embedded microphone and speaker) and a connection to the Internet, any computer screen now becomes a soft panel intercom system. This avenue opens up intercom communications to a wide range of users and locations, streamlining work flow, increasing productivity and allowing for more creative participation in, and control of, a production, be it a high-level conference call between staff located at geographically separate divisions of a company or those on different floors of the same building. Page 7

8 Conclusion Clear-Com, with its advanced I.V.Core technology, provides an IoIP intercom solution that not only addresses the traditional working model of an intercom system, but offers increased system flexibility, intelligibility and IT-friendly integration with low-cost setup. Because the inspired design is protocol independent, I.V.Core is fully compatible with existing network and Internet infrastructures and will remain viable as these standards evolve in the future. I.V.Core offers broadcasters, content producers and other types of end users new levels of participation from creative teams, administration, researchers, writers or anyone with a computer and Internet connection who might be vital to a project. The future is now with Clear-Com and that is why I.V.Core is the defining technology for IoIP communications. Page 8

9 About Clear-Com Communication Systems For more than 40 years, Clear-Com Communication Systems designed, developed and marketed professional communication systems into environments where a high level of reliability, scalability and flexibility is critical to effectively achieve business goals. Clear-Com systems can be found in broadcast networks, theatres, schools and medical facilities around the globe. Americas Headquarters: 850 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, California 94501, USA, Tel: Europe, Middle East, and Africa Headquarters: 7400 Beach Drive, Cambridge CB25 9TP, UK, Tel: Canada Office: 1440 Hocquart, Suite 221, St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, J3V 6E1, CAN, Tel: +(450)