Did the ATSC Let the Cat Out of the Bag on 3.0 Audio?
A slide used at the HPA conference in February said that Dolby AC-4 will be recommended as the ATSC 3.0 audio standard for the United States.
At the HPA Technology Retreat in Indian Wells, California last month, a presentation was made focusing on ATSC 3.0. It was nothing special, simply an overview of the technology, like ones often done before.
However, a slide came up that answered what might be one of the hottest unanswered questions lingering about the state of ATSC 3.0 audio.
Jim Starzynski, director and principal audio engineer for NBCUniversal, said the ATSC’s ad hoc group working on audio is “drafting candidate standard now.”
But the remaining question is which of two standards will win? Will it be Dolby AC-4 or MPEG-H? No one has said and the secrecy surrounding the subject has been deafening.
Well, maybe a slip up has answered the question.
A slide used at the conference revealed the answer. Dolby AC-4 will be recommended by the S34-2 committee for use in the United States, the slide said. For the rest of the world, each country or region is free to choose an audio standard.
Here is the slide. Sources have confirmed it was shown in public at the forum.
The ATSC slide shown in public at HPA.
You might also like...
Live Sports Production: Part 1 - New Sports Production Workflows
Welcome to Part 1 of ‘Live Sports Production’ - This new multi-part series uses a round table style format to explore the technology of live sports production with some of the industry’s leading system designers. It is a fascinating insight i…
Automating HDR-SDR Conversion
Automation seems like an obvious solution but effective conversion involves understanding what the image content is and therefore what the priorities are for how it should look.
IP Security For Broadcasters: Part 8 - RADIUS Network Access
Maintaining controlled access is critical for any secure network, especially when working with high-value media in broadcast environments.
Microphones: Part 5 - The Variable Directivity Microphone
The variable directivity microphone is very popular for studio work. What goes on inside is very clever and not widely appreciated.
IP Security For Broadcasters: Part 7 - Operating Systems
As well as providing the core functionality of a computer, operating systems have the potential to be a primary issue for security and keeping hackers at bay.