audio
are following developments with great transmissions to mobile devices and the Many broadcasters have adopted 5.1,
interest," said DTS' recently appointed Internet. An emerging open format for even with some still debating on how to
director of marketing for Europe, Anthony lower bit-rate applications is MPEG Surround, implement it, but there are those, inspired by
Wilkins. "It's in line with a general trend we which can produce data rates on a par with the onslaught of BD, who are considering a
are observing towards extremely rigorous stereo, doing away with the need to simulcast step up to 7.1. "Those broadcasters that are
quality demands. As with all our codecs, surround sound and two-channel signals. most interested see it as a way to offer a
DTS-HD Master Audio was designed to be Dolby became part of the consortium Blue-ray experience," said Jason Power,
scalable and has expandability built in to developing this technology, which also "and as sales of BD players and discs
take it to 22.2 channels and beyond if includes Philips, LSI and the Fraunhofer increase more consumers will have
required." Institute, when it bought Coding Technologies. expectations of what the additional audio
For Dolby Laboratories Jason Power, That acquisition raised doubts over the channels can do."
director of broadcast systems, commented: "It future for DTS, which had worked closely This shows that broadcasters do not see
is yet to be seen how many consumers would with Coding Technologies to develop its TV surround sound as one set format and those
equip for and benefit from audio beyond the surround offering using HE-AAC. Struggling with the resources continue to test and
5.1 and 7.1 currently offered by DVD and to sell its digital cinema business did not help evaluate the options. The BBC is using Dolby
Blu-ray. If there is demand, the two audio matters. DTS eventually finalised that deal in Digital for its HD transmissions but BBC R&I
formats identified by the EBU and EICTA as May and then instigated a programme of re- is looking at HE-AAC, 22.2 and Ambisonics,
ideal for HDTV, Dolby Digital Plus and HE- organisation. Under this the US parent the surround system developed in the 1970s
AAC, are extensible well beyond 7.1. Instead, company retains its corporate headquarters in by the late mathematician and recording
we are seeing more interest from European California and now operates in Europe as engineer, Michael Gerzon.
broadcasters in interactive features such as DTS Licensing, with new head offices in Ambisonics is based on the concept of
audio description for the visually impaired as Limerick, Republic of Ireland. The research recording all the spatial information in a
alternative ways of using sound to offer and development and certification centre in soundfield and is being tested as an eight-
enhanced services." Bangor, Northern Ireland remains in place. channel system by BBC R&I. "We're looking
The two leaders in the field are not being New products for this year included at the next generation of audio," explained
complacent, however, and have been version 1.6 of the DTS-HD Master Audio research engineer Andrew Mason. "One of
exploring new opportunities as well as Suite and, with further development of 7.1 the advantages of Ambisonics is that it can
consolidating in established areas. During loss-less coding. DTS is keen to promote the transcode to any number of loudspeakers,
IBC Dolby introduced the first result of its adoption of 7.1, which is linked to the which helps with stereo and mono
acquisition of Coding Technologies, success of BD. "It is developing at a faster compatibility."
exploiting the latter's work in MPEG4 and rate than DVD - it's going to be a big, big There was a time when surround sound
low-bit rate technology to produce Pulse. format," said Anthony Wilkins. DTS is also was regarded as either a gimmick or as
This bit-stream format/encoder/decoder continuing its work in broadcast, with a something appealing only to diehard
package uses High Efficiency Advanced system for the audio component of the Riks audiophiles - in the case of quadraphonic
Audio Coding (HE-AAC) codecs and Power TV digital terrestrial platform in Norway. As sound it was probably seen as both of those.
describes it as being for situations where for the perception that the Dolby-Coding Now it is both a valuable extra for home
"efficiency is king and there is pressure on Technologies situation would marginalise entertainment and broadcasting and viable
the amount of bandwidth available". DTS, Wilkins says that as the HE-AAC technologically too. But whether 5.1, 7.1 or
This includes digital TV networks with algorithm is an open standard the takeover 22.2, where are all those loudspeakers going
restricted space on the multiplexes, IPTV, did not have a big effect. to go? And who is going to pay for them?
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