Audio/Video-over-IP · Consulting · Training · Open Source
Making complex things simple.
Simplexity helps broadcasters, live-sound and ProAV teams move to IP – AES67, Dante, SMPTE 2110 and NMOS – and make it work in practice. We are independent of any manufacturer, so you get our honest, direct view. We consult, we teach, and we drive open-source projects that show what modern Audio/Video-over-IP can do.
What we do
How we support the industry’s move to IP
The migration to IP networking easily multiplies the complexity of an installation by ten. What limits a system in daily use is not its spec sheet, but how hard it is to operate. Every step in functionality needs a matching step in simplicity. We aim to help our clients take that step. We are also active in standards bodies to move these topics forward – most recently through our involvement in NMOS.
Consulting
- Vendor-independent advice
- System concepts for real-time audio/video networks
- Usability and hardware design reviews
- Product management and management coaching
Vendor-independent advice for users, system integrators and manufacturers in broadcast, live sound and ProAV: system concepts for real-time audio/video networks, usability, hardware design reviews, product management and management coaching. From the first concept to the reality check.
Training
- IP networking for audio/video professionals
- Professional audio/video for IT professionals
- Dante & AES67
- SMPTE 2110 & NMOS
Ready-made or tailored courses, public or in-house: IP networking for audio/video professionals, professional audio/video for IT professionals, Dante & AES67, SMPTE 2110 & NMOS. Explaining the new world in simple words.
Open Source
- NMOS
- PTP
- Debugging of real-time networks
We engage in open-source projects and drive them forward, with a focus on NMOS, PTP and debugging of real-time networks. They show what IP makes possible once you are free from the legacy constraints of some long-established control products. Our aim: to inspire users and manufacturers to actually make use of what IP-based audio/video has to offer.
What sets us apart
From strategy down to the bits and bytes
We work on every level – from strategy to debugging
We work on every level – from strategic consulting that sets the direction, all the way down to the bits and bytes of debugging real systems. Only this combination lets us give competent advice and know what we are talking about. What is promised and expected often differs from what actually runs in daily operation. We want to bring the two together: we stay down to earth and work with real systems and real-world conditions. And we help our clients build the knowledge to handle such questions and problems themselves.
Experience from products and projects that shaped the industry
Our experience comes from products and technologies we were responsible for at Studer and Soundcraft (by Harman) and at Lawo, and from the teams that made RAVENNA and AES67 a success. We led the development of the first IP-based commentary system, first used at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and were an active part of the team behind Metechno at SRF in Zürich – one of the first standards-based broadcast IP projects.
Independent of any manufacturer
And we are independent. Not being tied to any manufacturer allows us to tell you openly how we see things – directly and honestly, even when it is not what you hoped to hear.
Why IP?
Because the future of broadcast, live sound and ProAV runs on standard IT infrastructure. The technology is ready – but two things are still missing in many projects. One is the bridge between the people who know audio and video and the people who know networks. We are that bridge – in both directions.
The other is products that truly make use of the flexibility of IT networks: end devices and control software alike. Too often, IP simply replaces the cable, while the way systems are built and operated stays the same. That is where we want to push the industry forward.
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Out in the field
Some places we have been working
From broadcast facilities, universities and conference venues to trade-show floors – a few impressions from our work.
The team
People who have done this before
Engineers, consultants and coaches who know the industry from the inside – from strategy down to the bits and bytes, from the networks to the standards it runs on. And who still like explaining them.
Stefan Ledergerber
CEO
Profile
The guide in complex projects: he moderates discussions and workshops, structures the approach and brings in the perspective of a long-time head of R&D – along with a wide network across the industry. Co-author of AES67, SMPTE ST 2110 and some of the NMOS specifications; teaches at the ARD.ZDF medienakademie, SMPTE and the EBU Academy. An electrical engineer (ETH Zürich) with a postgraduate degree in Management, Technology and Economics, he started as a hardware developer at Studer, led the Vista console family and became head of R&D at Studer/Soundcraft, then at Lawo, where he drove RAVENNA and Ember+.
Oliver Ettlin
Network Architect
Profile
Our all-rounder for real-time networks – from design to debugging – and a driving force in our open-source projects. CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional); teaches at the ARD.ZDF medienakademie, SMPTE, ffton, ffakustik and TBZ. A sound engineer with a Swiss federal certificate, he led audio on numerous projects for Riedel, Habegger, Smartec and others before his search for more efficiency took him to networking.
Jan Egger
Project Manager & Network Engineer
Profile
Patient and methodical, he leads projects and sets up networks, with a focus on highly available, decentralised systems and time-critical applications. With a background in RF technology, he has delivered numerous projects as an RF and intercom engineer in Switzerland and abroad. Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering; master’s degree in business informatics with a focus on network technology and big data analytics.
Gabriel Leuzinger
Audio/Video Consultant
Profile
Our go-to person for everything audio and video. Focused and precise, he brings many years of experience from SRG SSR, where he was part of the team responsible for planning, implementing and operating the high-availability platforms of the broadcast distribution chain – DVB, DAB, streaming, baseband and monitoring. He sees the migration to IP as one of the most interesting challenges of his career. Earlier, he designed more than 20 boards for large telecom suppliers, supported customers in tenders and training, and worked in the security industry, where IP video was in large-scale use as early as 2002.
Meinrad Lienert
Electronic Engineer
Profile
Our hardware expert, with an instinct for circuits that is hard to match: he senses where a design has a problem – and why. His knowledge spans high-speed digital electronics, EMC, power supplies and especially analogue circuitry such as high-dynamic audio. Nothing scares him off: he gets into existing designs in no time and is ready to take them on, improve them or fix what is wrong. And he gladly passes on what he knows.
Jürgen Bopst
Management Coach
Profile
Our coach for leadership and strategy. Whether in a large corporation or an SME, he is an invaluable sparring partner in every aspect of running a company – and he takes care of the reality check. He was managing director of Studer Audio and AKG Acoustics, a member of the global management team of Harman’s professional division, and has led large turnaround and post-merger projects across Europe, China, the USA and the UK. MA in Public Policy and Management (University of Konstanz).
Contact
Ready to talk?
Whether you are planning a move to IP, want an independent second opinion, are stuck on a problem in a running system, or need training for your team: tell us what you are working on – we will get back to you.
Simplexity GmbH
Schärenmoosstrasse 78
8052 Zürich, Switzerland