What’s the future of Audio & Video compression algorithms and transmission technologies, both in hardware and software? What’s the role of 4G/4G+ and 5G now and what will be the 6G’s role in the future? Why tier 1 Radio and TV broadcasters, Media and OB/Production Companies all over the world are using audio and video codecs manufactured by the Spanish brand Prodys? How Covid situation affected Prodys’s products production procedure and what’s the situation now?
Text: Andreas Tzanakos
Images: Prodys' Archive
Radiotvlink.com had the pleasure to meet with Rafael Perez, Prodys' Sales Manager, during his visit to Athens in November. His answers to the questions of our Tech Online Portal will provide to our readers useful information and will definitely give an idea why the brand is doing great business globally, developing and producing new products for audio and video.
"Currently our equipment is recognised by international organisations such as the EBU or UEFA as reference equipment, so it is normal that their members end up turning to us."
radiotvlink.com: Would you be so kind as to say some things about yourself, so that our readers will know who our interlocutor is?
Rafael Perez: I have been with Prodys almost since its beginning and have worked in different departments. I started in R&D working on the design of our equipment until I moved on to support and sales. I am currently Sales Manager for Asia, Africa and part of Europe, including Greece.
radiotvlink.com: When Prodys established? What is the role of the brand for more than 2 decades in developing audio and video compression and transmission technologies? What are the very highlights of Prodys successful route till today and what are its technological achievements ? What’s Prodys’ philosophy concerning developing, designing, manufacturing and updating its Radio and TV products? Please refer to Prodys’ R&D team and how they taking advantage of the feedback they collect from the customers.
Rafael Perez: Prodys was born in 1995, and started manufacturing encoder cards for PC but soon we began to design equipment for audio transmission on dedicated X.21, ISDN, E1/T1 and finally IP telephone lines. From the very beginning we tried to ensure that our equipment was always among the most advanced on the market, trying to implement the latest generation audio compression algorithms to offer the highest possible sound quality, without neglecting the robustness of the transmissions. Soon our equipment became a reference in the broadcast world. We are very proud of those first steps because we worked very hard to achieve high quality equipment and we believe we succeeded fully. Over the years we have continuously added new features to our products, from the possibility of using more than two IP interfaces for transmissions and, more recently, the combination of audio and video transmissions in commentary equipment.
For my part, I always try to gather ideas from the customers I visit, and we try to incorporate them into our products as much as possible. It is a priority for Prodys to work hand in hand with our customers to produce the best products.
"The Greek market is a market that we have had to conquer little by little and thanks to our distributor, AV SYS, we are already achieving it. We have several projects in the pipeline that should be completed by 2023. We have full confidence in Antonis Vlastaras' ability to make us grow in the coming years."
radiotvlink.com: Please, tell us in brief what is now the portfolio of Prody’s Radio Products and the benefits each provides to the broadcasters and their technicians, journalists and talents. Can you also give us in brief some examples of effective use for the Prodys’ radio products?
Rafael Perez: Currently our portfolio consists of two groups of equipment: audio encoding equipment from the Quantum range and Ikusnet video equipment. Within the audio-oriented equipment, we have portable equipment for reporters (Quantum Lite) or for commentators (Quantum2 W or Quantum2 XL) as well as studio equipment (Quantum ST, Quantum One, Quantum 3U).
Our reporters' equipment allows you to work in any situation: interviews in the field, programmes in temporary locations or work from home, always taking advantage of the transmission means available at any time: fixed lines, Wi-Fi or mobile telephony.
radiotvlink.com: Covid situation was a nightmare not only for humanity, but also for the manufacturers (missing people, difficulties in finding and receiving several parts, delays in production row and many more). How covid’s situation affected Prody’s products production procedure and the economy of the brand and what’s the situation now?
Rafael Perez: At first the confinement was a boost to the sale of remote working equipment but soon stagnation set in and business suffered. As all manufacturers have experienced, the lack of manufacturing materials has been a real headache for everyone, with ridiculously high prices for many components. It has been a challenge for Prodys to continue to manufacture our equipment, and with the exception of occasional moments, we have had equipment with reasonable lead times. One of the advantages of being a development-driven company is that we have been able to redesign equipment to continue manufacturing. We currently have all our models in stock and continue to manufacture new equipment.
"I believe that 5G is not being the revolution we were promised, at least in the broadcast world. Not only its coverage is still limited, but the benefits of higher bandwidth are in many cases superfluous. If we are talking about encoded audio transmissions, the necessary bandwidth can easily be obtained on the 4G network."
radiotvlink.com: Now I believe is the right time for you to refer to the Prodys’ products for TV. Recently the brand presented Ikusnet3 HR. So please tell us about the Prodys’ range of TV products and gives us some examples of useful operation of these products.
Rafael Perez: Early on, Prodys sought to apply what it had learned in the development of audio encoding equipment to the video market. In fact, throughout the history of Prodys, both worlds, audio and video, have been feeding back into each other, and what we learned in one field we applied to the other. In fact, our BRAVE transmission protocol was born with the development of Ikusnet video equipment and we now apply it extensively to Quantum audio equipment.
The latest video equipment development is IKusnet3 HR, a small bidirectional codec ideal for small installations and mobile units, as it can use multiple LTE modems to achieve higher bandwidth. With this system it is possible to replace a satellite link with a much more economical solution.
radiotvlink.com: In your opinion, why tier 1 Radio and TV broadcasters, Media and OB/Production Companies all over the world are using audio and video codecs manufactured by the Spanish brand Prodys? Can you mention some of them? Can you also name some Prodys’ clients from Greece and the equipment they use. And why do you believe that some others should invest now in Prody’s equipment?
Rafael Perez: Although we are not a large international company, our equipment can be found on all 5 continents. Without leaving Europe, there are few countries in which our codecs are not marketed. Currently our equipment is recognised by international organisations such as the EBU or UEFA as reference equipment, so it is normal that their members end up turning to us.
In Greece, our main customer is ERT. They use both the Quantum Lite reporter's equipment and the Quantum W commentator's desk, as well as studio equipment to receive their broadcasts. As far as I know, they are quite happy with them.
"Over the years we have continuously added new features to our products, from the possibility of using more than two IP interfaces for transmissions and, more recently, the combination of audio and video transmissions in commentary equipment.
For my part, I always try to gather ideas from the customers I visit, and we try to incorporate them into our products as much as possible. It is a priority for Prodys to work hand in hand with our customers to produce the best products."
radiotvlink.com: What’s Prodys pre and after sales attitude? What’s Prodys’ policy concerning updating and upgrading several of its products?
Rafael Perez: For us it is of vital importance to have feedback from our customers, both before and after a sale. Without this feedback it would be impossible to evolve and create new products. This constant evolution means that we constantly generate software updates providing new functionalities on demand of our customers. As a general rule, these updates are free of charge.
radiotvlink.com: Having in mind that Prodys has now so great experience, what, according your point view, will be the future of Audio & Video compression algorithms and transmission technologies, both in hardware and software? And what can Prodys do about it?
"Our reporters' equipment allows you to work in any situation: interviews in the field, programmes in temporary locations or work from home, always taking advantage of the transmission means available at any time: fixed lines, Wi-Fi or mobile telephony."
Rafael Perez: I believe that compression and transmission technology will progressively move towards software solutions, especially in inter-studio links, although reporters' equipment will continue to be used as before, as smartphone solutions will never provide the degree of professionalism required for this type of situation.
radiotvlink.com: What’s the role of 4G/4G+ and 5G now and what will be the 6G’s role in the future? And what about the faster and more reliable fixed networks?
Rafael Perez: I believe that 5G is not being the revolution we were promised, at least in the broadcast world. Not only its coverage is still limited, but the benefits of higher bandwidth are in many cases superfluous. If we are talking about encoded audio transmissions, the necessary bandwidth can easily be obtained on the 4G network. In any case, today, it does not pay to pay for expensive 5G modems when 4G modems do the job just as well and are more widely deployed. Our customers are curious about 5G but are not really paying for it.
radiotvlink.com: What is Prodys position globally now? Are you optimistic about Prodys’ future? What is next in the brands’ business plan? And what are the prospects for Hellas (Greece) and Cyprus Markets? What are your thoughts about the collaboration with AV SYS, Prodys’ distributor for Hellas and Cyprus?
Rafael Perez: I have to be optimistic about the future of Prodys because I think we have a good product, quality and technologically advanced. Moreover, our company has the capacity to adapt to new challenges and to create new products thanks to our development department, so I think we will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
The Greek market is a market that we have had to conquer little by little and thanks to our distributor, AV SYS, we are already achieving it. We have several projects in the pipeline that should be completed by 2023. We have full confidence in Antonis Vlastaras' ability to make us grow in the coming years.
"From the very beginning we tried to ensure that our equipment was always among the most advanced on the market, trying to implement the latest generation audio compression algorithms to offer the highest possible sound quality, without neglecting the robustness of the transmissions. Soon our equipment became a reference in the broadcast world. We are very proud of those first steps because we worked very hard to achieve high quality equipment and we believe we succeeded fully."
radiotvlink.com: What else should all the pros of our Industry can expect from Prodys in the near future?
Rafael Perez: I hope there will be surprises, but it is still too early to say anything.
radiotvlink.com: Thank you very much for the fruitful conversation we had and I wish to Prodys and you all the best for the future.
Rafael Perez: Thank you very much, it was a pleasure to answer your questions.
Info: www.prodys.net & AV SYS *
* Distributor for Hellas and Cyprus
