Fraunhofer IIS introduces the latest major release of its professional ContentServer head-end technology for Digital Radio DAB+ and DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale).
Version R8 of this flexible and highly reliable solution is now readily available in products from Fraunhofer’s OEM partners. The new DAB/DRM ContentServer R8 enables broadcasters to put audio content and attractive data services on air with ease while benefitting from the latest standard upgrades and a range of new productivity features.
New features that come with the Fraunhofer DAB/DRM ContentServer R8 include, for instance,
- Convenient overview of the current on-air multiplex, including live content previews and source status
- Input and output of EDI/DCP and MuxEnc/DCP streams via SRT – Secure Reliable Transport
- A new Journaline encoder and XML documentation developed from ground up for streamlined content management
- Full support for Unicode and all regional text profiles, including Arabic right-to-left and bidirectional scripts as well as Indian, Chinese, Thai and African profiles
- Automatic audio loudness normalization and limiting
- Improved support for virtual machine environments
In addition, the ContentServer R8 includes the following new functionalities:
- Interactive graphical system status overview: shows the status of all system components in a schematic graphic overview, with direct links to the relevant documentation, logging and editor pages.
- EWF with CAP import: EWF (Emergency Warning Functionality) is the early warning dissemination mechanism for both DAB and DRM. It consists of alarm signaling plus an emergency program broadcast composed of an audio announcement and multi-lingual Journaline text. The standardized Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) or its derivatives (such as MoWaS in Germany) are used to distribute emergency warnings from a central authority to the broadcasters. The ContentServer R8 now has a native CAP import interface and automatically creates the EWF alarm announcements and EWF program content for DAB/DRM transmissions.
- JSON/XML RPC management and data interfaces: remote procedure calls (RPC) based on JSON/XML enable modern configuration and monitoring, announcement and reconfiguration triggers, linkage set activations as well as instant provision of content updates such as Dynamic Label/Text Messages, Journaline text pages and Slideshow images to the ContentServer.
- Audio Cross-Redundancy: Deploying a new Smart Silence Detection technology, it ensures perfectly valid multiplex outputs from all ContentServers of a redundancy group even if a live audio input source fails. This new feature enhances the existing Backup Audio Encoding functionality, which allows to define backup audio sources such as pre-uploaded file sets to serve as a ‘last resort’ in case of fully failing audio live inputs.
- EDI Switch for DAB: this built-in feature ensures that all peers in a ContentServer redundancy group output the identical multiplex data stream to downstream devices via EDI (the IP-based distribution protocol from DAB multiplexers to DAB modulators/transmitters).
- Localized multiplex output: allows multiple small-scale DAB multiplexes to be generated by a single ContentServer to enable low-cost DAB setups, for example.
- Automatic creation of playlists as Journaline pages: the list of recently played songs is derived from the Dynamic Label Plus information and accessible to the listener through Journaline.
- DAB V2.1.1 compliance: full support of DAB(+) versions V1.4.1 and V2.1.1 including OE (other ensembles) announcements, test (OE) alarm announcements and service component information (SCI). Correspondingly, Fraunhofer’s SDR based DAB receiver solutions are now also DAB 2.1.1 compliant.
- Stream monitoring: powerful tools to analyze and monitor incoming audio and Distribution and Communication Protocol (DCP)-based streams.
The Fraunhofer ContentServer R8 technology is available as part of Fraunhofer OEM partners’ head-end solutions for DAB+ and DRM broadcasting, as well as for receiver development and testing. Fraunhofer’s OEM partners also provide hardware, assistance with integrating the technology into virtual and cloud-based environments, and support services.
Visitors to the IBC show can experience the new features of the ContentServer R8 firsthand at Fraunhofer’s booth B.80 in hall 8 at the RAI Congress Center in Amsterdam, September 12–15, 2025, and at the booths of Fraunhofer’s OEM partners:
- IZT – hall 8, booth A.68
- Plisch and RFmondial – hall 8, booth 8.B63
- Dimetis – hall 1, booth 1.A48
- AVT – hall 8, booth 8.F76
About the Fraunhofer ContentServer technology
Fraunhofer’s ContentServer technology combines internal audio coding (including MPEG xHE-AAC audio coding for DRM, enabling the definition of backup audio sources), support for remote audio encoders, multimedia data management and multiplex generation with powerful redundancy features that work across remote sites. A convenient and user-friendly web interface supports configuration and system monitoring via remote access, enabling content-as-a-service operation scenarios. Its flexible configuration and out-of-the-box support for a large number of versatile interfaces for audio and content provision allows for straightforward integration into broadcasters’ and network providers’ broadcasting environments – from small-scale community stations all the way to large-scale and complex national networks.
DAB’s Service Multiplexer concept of remotely generated sub-multiplexes with STI-C and xSTI-C (Fraunhofer’s Extended STI-C) is supported, enabling the Service Multiplex operator to carry out autonomous and flexible configurations and dynamic reconfigurations – even when inserting their sub-multiplex into a range of regionalized, otherwise independently configured ensemble multiplexers.
The ContentServer supports all standardized DAB+ and DRM data applications such as Text Messages/Dynamic Label and Dynamic Label Plus (DL+), Journaline, Slideshow, SPI/EPG including station logo transmission, and EWF. In addition, it is possible to insert proprietary data at various levels of the DAB/DRM protocol stack. All uploaded data is checked and broadcast only if successfully verified.
Powerful audio processing and management functionality includes automatic Audio Loudness Normalization and Monitoring, audio signal monitoring with clipping and silence detection, and switch-over to backup sources or alternative audio streams from within the Redundancy Group setup in case of errors or silence. Audio signals can be acquired from a range of source types, including analog and digital XML connections, AES67-based Audio-over-IP streaming sources, consumer-type streaming via Icecast and ShoutCast, or audio files and playlist acting as a built-in last CD player. In case of RTP encoded audio distribution, the ContentServer acts as an end-point without requiring separate hardware decoders.
Typically located in the studio, playout center, transmitter site, or within dedicated network provider premises, the ContentServer enables full remote control for administration and data provision. In-house live audio and multimedia content monitoring is provided by the DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer that runs, for example, on a central Windows/Linux PC, with remote access via an HTML5 web browser from any workstation PC. At the other end of the transmission chain, receiver manufacturers benefit from the solution’s ability to achieve almost 100% test coverage with regard to signaling, audio configurations, data services and multiplexing options when operated in its specialized “Developer Edition”.
More information on Fraunhofer’s ContentServer technology: http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/broadcast