Harmonic Makes Audio History with First Live, On-Air ATSC Trial of Dolby AC-4
Date:
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
KQED-TV Demonstrates Superior Entertainment Experience With Harmonic Electra X2 Advanced Media Processor and Dolby AC-4 Audio Format Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, today announced that it recently played a key part in the world's first live, on-air ATSC demo of Dolby AC-4, the new audio format that addresses the current and future needs of next-generation video and audio entertainment services including broadcast and Internet streaming. During the trial, KQED-TV, one of the nation's most watched PBS television stations, based in San Francisco, California, utilized Harmonic's Electra X2 advanced media processor for real-time video and AC-4 audio encoding. Harmonic and Dolby successfully demonstrated how the Dolby AC-4 format improves bandwidth efficiency for broadcasters to enable the delivery of enhanced audio content.
Recently, members of the ATSC audio subcommittee convened with Dolby in San Francisco to evaluate Dolby AC-4 for use within the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard. During the meeting, Harmonic and Dolby helped KQED become the first television station in the U.S. to broadcast live audio encoded with Dolby AC-4, a major, and historic, milestone for the next-generation format, said Bart Spriester, senior vice president, video products, Harmonic. This trial is another example of how Harmonic leads the industry in supporting new technologies. Having the Electra X2 media processor provide native Dolby AC-4 encoding for this trial, Harmonic allows broadcasters to deliver the future of audio entertainment.
Harmonic's Electra X2 advanced media processor today provides real-time AVC encoding of SD and HD video, as well as audio encoding of E-AC-3 (commonly known as Dolby Digital Plus) content, the predecessor to Dolby AC-4. This enables broadcasters to deliver market-leading video and audio quality at a low total cost of ownership. For the trial at KQED, Electra X2 added native Dolby AC-4 encoding, enabling the station to deliver 5.1 surround sound and HD video at a low bit rate of 2 Mbps.
Harmonic and Dolby are industry leaders and trusted partners in broadcast delivery solutions, and we are committed to collaborating with them as a part of our public service mission to enhance our audience's experience said Lee Young, director of engineering and facilities for KQED TV. I was impressed by the quality of the Dolby AC-4 broadcast at such a low bandwidth and see technology like this as an essential element to the future of KQED TV. We are pleased to play a central role in this historic event.
Dolby AC-4 solves a range of broadcast challenges, offering significant benefits to stations and television viewers. Bandwidth efficiency is one of the key advantages: the format offers up to 50 percent improvement in compression efficiency for the same audio quality level compared with E-AC-3 and comparable codecs. This means broadcasters can deliver industry-leading audio quality at low bit rates, reducing operating expenses. Dolby AC-4 also provides enhancements for dialog management, making it easy for broadcasters to substitute dialog tracks for multilingual audiences, and gives viewers greater control over dialog levels, making the spoken part of the program more intelligible.
Dolby already provides seamless broadcast audio solutions the world's biggest events - the Oscars, the Grammys, and more. We revolutionized next-gen audio in the cinema, at home, and on mobile with Dolby Atmos, and now, with Dolby AC-4, we can solve for the broadcast challenges of today and tomorrow, said Giles Baker, senior vice president, broadcast business group, Dolby Laboratories. We are thrilled with this successful Dolby AC-4 trial with KQED and could not have done it without the encoding expertise of our friends at Harmonic. Harmonic was one of the first partners to implement Dolby Digital Plus, and we are glad to work with them again on this next audio innovation.
Further information about Harmonic and the company's products is available at www.harmonicinc.com.
About Harmonic
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) is the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure for emerging television and video services. Harmonic enables customers to produce, deliver and monetize amazing video experiences, with unequalled business agility and operational efficiency, by providing market-leading innovation, high-quality service and compelling total cost of ownership. More information is available at www.harmonicinc.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements related to the anticipated capabilities and benefits of Harmonic's Electra X2 advanced media processor products. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that Electra X2 products with native Dolby AC-4 audio encoding may not meet some or all anticipated capabilities or provide some or all anticipated benefits, such as audio bandwidth efficiency and quality.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, such as those more fully described in Harmonic's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec.31, 2014, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Harmonic as of the date hereof, and Harmonic disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statemen
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Harmonic Makes Audio History with First Live, On-Air ATSC Trial of Dolby AC-4 
