How to load an Audio file in Bosch Cameras?

[#1]

NOTE: This is only experimental, not an Official feature!

You need to first create an audio file in a compatible format (PCM, Mono, 8kHz, 16Bit).

• You can do this by using the free tool like Audacity:
  https://www.fosshub.com/Audacity.html/audacity-win-2.2.2.exe

Step-by-step guide

1. Open an existing audio file (wav, mp3, etc)
2. Convert Stereo to Mono (if applicable): Tracks →Mix → Mix Stereo Track to Mono
3. Tracks -> Resample -> 8000 Hz
4. Effect -> Volume and Compression → Normalize -> Remove DC offset -> Apply
5. File -> Export -> Export Audio -> Save as type: 'Other uncompressed files', Then click on ‘options’ Header: Raw (header-less), Encoding U-Law -> Save
6. Rename output file from [xyz].raw to [xyz].g711

_____________

Now we need to load the audio file into the camera

1. Using the WEB GUI->Configuration->Service->Maintenance-> Configuration upload.
   Note that not always the progress will be shown but upload will happen.

2. The audio file can be played using the RCP+ command CONF_AUDIO_OUTPUT (0x09b9), payload=4 (Sample), which can of course also be sent to the device itself using ATSL scripting.

3. A trigger can be any alarm or event:
   In web browser:
   
   Play the Audio file: 
   https://<IPaddress>/rcp.xml?command=0x09b9&type=T_DWORD&protocol=TCP&direction=WRITE&num=1&payload=4 
   
   Stop the Audio playback:
   https://<IPaddress>/rcp.xml?command=0x09b9&type=T_DWORD&protocol=TCP&direction=WRITE&num=1&payload=0 
   
   

4. In the Alarm task Editor of the IP Camera Copy the below ATSL script:
   

   //{{audio_begin
   // Create 2 RCP commands, one to Play the file and one to stop playing the Audio
   RcpCommand playAudio := { Command("rcp.xml?command=0x09b9&type=T_DWORD&protocol=TCP&direction=WRITE&num=1&payload=4") };
   RcpCommand stopAudio := { Command("rcp.xml?command=0x09b9&type=T_DWORD&protocol=TCP&direction=WRITE&num=1&payload=0") };

   // E.g. For easy testing simply use the relay to trigger, but can just as easily be connected to IVA, Alarm Input etc.
   if(Relay(1)) then playAudio else stopAudio;
   //}}audio_end

   
   If there is no sound coming out of the camera then check in the audio settings for the output volume and always press ‘set’

 Notes

• there is no direct way to check it the audio file was loaded or not
• if the file was not successfully loaded, the previously loaded audio file is not available too
• the only way to check if the audio file was loaded is to send the rcpp command to play it, if it returns error then the file is not loaded
• there is no official known audio file limit, only the testing for the article maintenance discovered: 250KB
• this function is not available in CPP 13 and CPP 14 devices