This additional functionality builds upon the core of the VB440's AV Sync Generator feature, introduced earlier this year. Its original purpose was to act as an innovative "first line of defense" for synchronization between audio and video components within a single service. Instead of relying solely on packet timestamps, the system embeds machine-readable electronic markers directly into the audio and video signals. When the entire service is reconstructed at the client, these physical markers are analyzed to evaluate, in real time, the precise frame alignment between audio and video. This ensures that synchronization is measured on the content itself, not just at the transport layer.
More recently, this capability was expanded to include ancillary data synchronization, allowing the client to accurately visualize the lag between video, audio, and metadata, including immersive audio. Additional visualization tools, such as rolling shutter simulation and visual “blink-and-beep” references, enhance usability and confidence in synchronization. All of this is critical for accessibility, regulatory compliance, and consistency across start and end points in complex workflows.
The new multi-service comparison capability builds on this foundation. In typical scenarios for live sports and premium broadcasting—where the same service may be delivered via multiple, virtually independent routes to ensure resilience—these routes inevitably arrive with different timing characteristics. With VB440, users can now place multiple incoming services on a shared timeline within the synchronization client, visually stacking them and comparing them to a selected reference. Engineers can instantly see frame-accurate offsets between streams and use this information to adjust delays as needed, ensuring seamless switching between sources.
As with all VB440 features, the user interface is designed to facilitate real-time decision-making with a smooth and efficient workflow: new services can be added to the timeline with just one click, where they are stacked in a highly intuitive environment that allows engineers to perform complex multipath alignments quickly and easily. The integration of APIs also enables users to develop additional automation tools for performing alignments, using frame-accurate data extracted from the probe to facilitate other synchronization-related processes.
Commenting on the development, Bridge Technologies President Simen K. Frostad stated,
“Multiple delivery methods for the same service are a practical reality in modern IP production, especially when cost and resilience are priorities. The key is not to eliminate that reality, but to provide engineers with the tools they need to manage it accurately and predictably, without compromising the final delivery.” He added
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“This development is another example of our commitment to creating the most comprehensive, multifunctional production probe on the market. With the VB440, we are bringing together an ever-expanding range of features and capabilities on a single platform, all designed to represent best-in-class performance. By consolidating what were previously multiple separate tools for audio, video, and engineering into a single, browser-accessible system, the VB440 reduces costs, space, power consumption, and the operational complexity associated with maintaining single-function devices, along with their displays and cabling.”
