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AcuLab this week launched its new Prosody X media processing resource card, its highest-density card to date and one that combines IP technology with AcuLab's expertise in T-1/E-1. Aimed at carriers, solution providers and systems integrators/platform builders, the new card sets new AcuLab benchmarks for density and cost.

"We come from the traditional TDM side into a range of products," said Mike Maxwell, head of product marketing for AcuLab. "With the emergence of IP technologies and transport being predicted for the future, we have been evolving our product line."

The result of that evolution is Prosody, its highest-density, lowest-cost card with TDM and IP connectivity on a single card for greater flexibility. "The big thing is flexibility," Maxwell said. Previously, equipment and solution providers would need to make early design decisions, based on the type and limitations of the circuit cards available, he said.

"If they get that wrong or customer requirements change, they may need to introduce a new card," Maxwell said. "Because Prosody is a single card and software controlled, it is incredibly flexible and can adapt to many changes. Companies are able to have one type of stock holding and train their people on one product. That minimizes cost and improves total cost of ownership."

According to Maxwell, Prosody "offers a comprehensive selection of firmware algorithms that can run independently on its [digital signal processors] as well as the option of adding a primary rate trunk module."

Since up to four DSPs can be selected to run the algorithms and each DSP is capable of supporting up to 150 channels, each card supports a total of 600 channels. Key media processing resources include record and playback with a range of compressions, DTMF tone generation and detection, matrix conferencing, echo cancellation, fax processing and data transmission protocols.

"Each algorithm can be used separately or in combination to develop more sophisticated solutions," Maxwell said.