Orban Labs and Quu Inc., bringing visual content to broadcast radio in the connected car, have brought to market a strategic integration — just in time for the 2026 NAB Show.
This sees the embedding of the Quu360 Visual Radio platform directly into the updated Orban OPTIMOD 5950 HD. This eliminates the need for external PCs and simplifies the broadcast chain.
“Traditionally, radio stations have relied on separate systems for automation, metadata correction, visual messaging, and RDS encoding — often requiring dedicated Windows-based PCs in the airchain,” Quu notes.
The embedded Quu360 option allows broadcasters to capture metadata directly from modern cloud automation systems via HLS streams; normalize and correct artist/title data in real time; insert synchronized visual messaging for advertising and promotions; and deliver formatted metadata directly to the built-in RDS encoder.
External Quu360 PCs are not needed, Quu adds.
“By integrating Quu360 directly into Orban’s industry-leading processor, we’re removing complexity from the broadcast chain while expanding what’s possible with visual radio,” said Joe Marshall, Vice President of Technical Success at Quu. “This is a major step forward in making synchronized metadata and advertising more scalable.”
Orban President David Day added, “Orban has long been known for best-in-class audio processing as well as innovation to improve the broadcast experience. Partnering with Quu allows us to extend that philosophy into metadata and visual engagement—bringing everything into a single, powerful platform.”
Quu embedding will be available as an extra-cost option on the OPTIMOD 5950 HD; availability is scheduled for Q2 2026.
Curtis LeGeyt said that radio needs to evolve into a “screen-driven” experience. Optimization of the screen requires video.
TV is radio with pictures. Replacing audio content with audiovisual content turns the station’s website into a digital TV station: the audiovisual is streamed on the station’s website; simultaneously the audio from the audiovisual is broadcast on the station’s transmitter.
I’m calling the stream and simultaneous broadcast of audiovisual content by a radio station “telestreaming” and I have the patent on it: https://patents.google.com/patent/USRE47819E1/en?oq=re47819.
Nielsen combines a station’s digital audience with its terrestrial audience if the digital stream is a simulcast of the over-the-air broadcast. Audiovisual ads sell for 4x as much as audio-only ads.
Telestreaming works for pre-recorded content and for live events such as concerts, performing arts performances and sporting events.
Happy to discuss further.