Two companies working to bring visual content to radio in the connected car are arriving at the 2026 NAB Show with a product integration designed to simplify how stations manage metadata and visual advertising with no extra hardware required.
Orban Labs and Quu have embedded the Quu360 Visual Radio platform directly into the updated Orban OPTIMOD 5950 HD, eliminating the need for external PCs in the broadcast chain. The integration allows broadcasters to capture metadata from cloud automation systems via HLS streams, normalize and correct artist and title data in real time, insert synchronized visual messaging for advertising and promotions, and deliver formatted metadata to the unit’s built-in RDS encoder.
Stations have traditionally relied on separate systems for automation, metadata correction, visual messaging, and RDS encoding. The embedded Quu360 option consolidates those functions into a single device.
Quu Vice President of Technical Success Joe Marshall said the integration removes “complexity from the broadcast chain while expanding what’s possible with visual radio,” calling it “a major step forward in making synchronized metadata and advertising more scalable.”
Orban President David Day said the partnership extends the company’s audio processing philosophy “into metadata and visual engagement, bringing everything into a single, powerful platform.”
