In anticipation of their presence at NAB2025 (Booth N315) Bridge Technologies has announced its AV synchronisation solution with the VB440. The objective of this innovation is to try to ensure that live broadcasts, especially those distributed across multiple networks from a centralised OB production point, maintain seamless alignment of audio and video, as the company has claimed in a statement.

Whilst the VB440 has for many years closely monitored and regulated packet-related sync issues, it now introduces a ‘first-line’ defence by embedding synchronisation data within the physical content itself, allowing for intuitive manual alignment and UI client-driven correction. With the addition of Bridge’s APIs to allow third-party access to the technology, Bridge’s AV Sync Generator introduces automated correction in the future, to try to allow other platforms to leverage this embedded sync data to power their own sync-capable tools.

The VB440’s AV Sync Generator features an on-screen rolling shutter with early and late zones, accompanied by a visual and auditory signal (‘blink and beep’) to try to facilitate manual synchronisation. It also displays a range of different colour bar types and allows for the insertion of broadcaster logos on the sync screen. However, the company highlights its visualisation of synchronisation. A built-in sync client in the VB440 displays, in real-time, the all-time deltas between video and individual audio channels or groups with high precision. It sees up to 64 individual channels in a stream, and integrates stream groups which include immersive audio and even multiple streams to focus on embedding machine-readable electronic markers directly into the audio signals and to use a client to read the synchronisation points of the video, thus enabling real-time detection and correction, and ensuring frame-accurate synchronisation with minimal intervention.

The VB440 is working on delivering the information needed for seamless synchronisation on a constant basis. It continuously updates and presents the timeline coordinates and sync metrics visually. This real-time functionality brings synchronisation within reach for day-to-day productions. With support for more than 40 resolutions and frame rates, including PSF.

Additionallt, his AV sync functionality is browser-based, and can be accessed by eight simultaneous users from anywhere in the world.

Chairman of Bridge Technologies Simen Frostad explains: “This content-based approach to AV sync is a true innovation, particularly in light of its precision and usability. The VB440 comes with an exhaustive list of tools and functionalities, all of which allow production professionals from a wide range backgrounds and job roles to work collaboratively on remote and distributed production tasks – from camera shading to audio mixing. whilst almost completely eliminating the need for additional hardware, complex cabling, and excessive power consumption. It allows production teams to do more with less – with higher precision, quality and creativity, in a shorter time frame, and with significantly reduced complexity and environmental impact”.

He continued: “By embedding synchronisation directly into the content, Bridge Technologies is setting a new standard in live production workflows, ensuring that broadcasters can deliver perfectly synchronised audio and video without guesswork or compromise”.