Fraunhofer Completes MPEG-H Training In Korea as Part of ATSC 3.0 Launch

27/06/2017

Fraunhofer Completes MPEG-H Training In Korea as Part of ATSC 3.0 Launch Next-generation audio's first global deployment comes ahead of the 2018 Olympics By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Tuesday, June 27, 2017 - 7:55 am

Print This Story

Story Highlights

Fraunhofer IIS, developer of the MPEG-H immersive-audio codec, recently concluded training of South Korean broadcasters ahead of the format's deployment there as part of the country's launch of ATSC 3.0 as its television broadcast standard this year. The MPEG-H audio codec was included as part of the Korean standard for terrestrial Ultra High Definition Television after tests last year.

Stefan Meltzer, Fraunhofer's technology consultant who supervised the training process

Critical to that was a training program Fraunhofer developed to prepare Korean broadcast engineers in the use and applications of MPEG-H. Last September, the company brought four engineers from South Korean broadcasters MBC, KBS and SBS to Germany for a weeklong seminar to develop familiarity with the codec, which includes 7.1+4-multichannel and object-based audio.

Subsequently, Fraunhofer outfitted a training and demo facility in each of the three broadcasters' facilities in Seoul with 7.1+4 monitoring systems - including immersive soundbars, which are considered critical in helping to accelerate uptake of the new format by consumers - in order to disseminate that training to their audio staffs, and one of Fraunhofer's instructors will be available to assist the Korean engineers as they in turn train their colleagues. Fraunhofer has also set up its own demo and training studio in Seoul's Digital Media City complex. Systems used in these locations included Pro Tools and Nuendo workstation software and some 3D plug-ins developed for immersive- and object-based audio production, as well as an Authoring and Monitoring Unit (AMAU) from Junger Audio.

The AMAU unit receives PCM audio at the input and generates metadata based on the scene description, edited through the GUI of the AMAU software, explains Stefan Meltzer, Fraunhofer's technology consultant who supervised the training process. The output of the AMAU unit is PCM audio with a metadata track. This stream can be directly fed into a emission encoder, which reads the metadata and scene description and automatically sets the encoding mode and generates the emission metadata.

Writing The Training Manual As They Went Along

The audio component of immersive television is so novel that there are no established training regimes available. Instead, says Meltzer, We used presentations to explain the concepts and the technology. The concept of moving objects is easy to understand, but is not as important in the home environment as in cinema due to the much smaller room size. Most broadcasters tend to use a channel- or HOA-based immersive-sound bed and [then] add static objects like dialog, commentary or additional audio tracks to it. This combines the immersive audio with the personalization.

However, Meltzer said, the actual technical training was less of a challenge than the need to convince broadcasters that immersive audio would gain traction among viewers.

In the transition from stereo to 5.1 multichannel, they would ask how many people had multichannel [listening ability] at home, he said. So now in addition you need four height speakers, which created some understandable skepticism. Meltzer said the availability of a new 3D-capable soundbar went far in convincing Korean broadcasters that the public would be able access MPEG-H's features and benefits. In addition, Samsung is offering reduced-cost MPEG-H-enabled set-top boxes for sale in Korea, and ATSC 3.0-ready television sets are already available. Furthermore, he pointed out, the Korean government is allowing a full decade for the rollout of its ATSC 3.0 implementation, which will give viewers time to become aware of those features.

Also helping the training process was the fact that many in the Korean broadcasting industry feel that MPEG-H audio's features, such as the ability to remotely adjust an individual consumer's audio mix to change the balance between dialog and background sounds or music, in order to improve speech intelligibility or put more emphasis on the stadium atmosphere in a sports broadcast, or to choose between various commentators of a sporting event, are as important as the doubling of video resolution.

In fact, perhaps for the first time audio is on a level with video in terms of importance, or even more important, he said.

Meltzer also said that the first Olympics to use an immersive audio codec would also help uptake. SBS will show parts of its Olympics broadcasts using 3D sound. MPEG-H is also part of the DVB format, an open-standard broadcast format, and a competitor to the ATSC standard, which has been implemented in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Meltzer said the South Korean implementation of MPEG-H as part of its next-generation television platform is the audio codec's first flagship.

It's a showcase for the technology, he said. It's a demonstration of the benefits and features of a new approach to [broadcast] audio.

LINK:	http://www.sportsvideo.org/2017/06/27/fraunhofer-completes-mpeg-h-trai...
	See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026