Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Tech Focus: Immersive Sports Sound, Part 1 - Venue Systems May Be the Next Logical Step

05/10/2022

Tech Focus: Immersive Sports Sound, Part 1 - Venue Systems May Be the Next Logical Step New technology to manage it can facilitate deployment in arenas and stadiums By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 - 7:00 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Immersive audio for broadcast sports is already far along in the process of establishing itself as a standard. Dolby Atmos has been used on-air in proof-of-concept stages since 2016, with a growing number of events sending it out for regular broadcast, including the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Premier League, Super Bowl LVI, and, most recently, US Open tennis.

However, immersive sound has also been making inroads into entertainment venues - theaters, performing arts centers - for theatrical performances and music concerts. New and updated venues like Resorts World and Park MGM in Las Vegas, the Beacon Theater in New York, and Broadway musicals have permanently installed so-called spatial sound systems, including Atmos, in the past two years.

Can sports stadiums and arenas be far behind?

Immersion in Memphis Memphis's 18,000-seat FedEx Forum may be the first to take that step. In July, Germany-based sound system developer d&b audiotechnik installed its immersive Soundscape system in the arena, home to the NBA Grizzlies and the University of Memphis's NCAA Division I men's basketball program. A temporary installation used for a non-sports-related event, the system served as a demo of a potential replacement for the venue's nearly 20-year-old sound system. Several interested parties - among them consultants and integrators in the sports sector - were able to listen to how immersive sound could work in an acoustically challenging environment like a sports arena. NDAs prohibit disclosure of who was there and any outcomes, according to Steve Seable, business development manager, d&b audiotechnik, but the event was positive.

Memphis's FedEx Forum served as a demo for d&b audiotechnik's immersive Soundscape system.

We had a vocalist in to sing the national anthem, and she began singing without an introduction or a spotlight, he explains, but everyone instantly knew where to look to see her, midway on the short end of the court behind the hoop. The sound is that localized.

Although immersive sound in cinema and television has taken the lead in the burgeoning sector, Seable says, its practical application in venues has depended on development of technology to manage it. Specifically, DSP had to reach a point where it could manage dozens of individual point sources and a matrix of delay speakers as a coherent single entity.

The technology for moving [live] sound objects around a matrix like that and keeping them all perfectly time-aligned didn't exist until four or five years ago, he says, referring to d&b's DS100 signal processor and R1 remote-control software, which handle those tasks for Soundscape.

Even with the most difficult processing challenges being addressed, sports venues will likely have to develop and evolve content to accommodate an immersive environment.

Most venue audio, such as sound effects and even music, is mono or at most stereo, says Seable. You need multitrack audio stems to best take advantage of immersive.

Moving Forward Cautiously Gino Pellicano, application project manager, L-Acoustics, whose L-ISA immersive sound system is in theaters and on concert tours, is generally sanguine about immersive's prospects in venues, but he wonders if, at least initially, immersive live sound in sports venues might best be reserved for special sections instead of the entire bowl.

L-Acoustic's Gino Pellicano: You want to think carefully about how you might deliver an experience [fans] can't get at home.

Arena-sound reinforcement is inherently challenging given the large volumes, hard surfaces, and corresponding long reverberation times, he says. Achieving acceptable speech intelligibility and preserving the impact and fidelity of music playback is a challenge under the best conditions. When you add that sports venues generally have audiences that surround the action on a field or court, adding immersive elements becomes very challenging. You need to consider what impact adding more speakers and sounds into these venues will have on the experience.

Immersive sound, Pellicano adds, can also be looked at as a pure effects proposition: moving live and prerecorded sound effects around a venue as a means of fan engagement. He also suggests the potential for immersive via hybrid solutions, such as the one offered by Mixhalo, a wireless-networking technology that can deliver high-resolution audio in real time to attendees' mobile devices at events. (L-Acoustics acquired an equity stake in the company last year.)

Ultimately, he says, immersive audio is feasible in sports venues, but it should be implemented and managed in a thoughtful way that is more than just having music/effects coming from all around the venue all the time.

You want to think carefully about how you might deliver an experience they can't get at home, Pellicano contends. Having smaller premium experiences in suites, coupled with subtly placed effects throughout the game/match, could elevate the experience, making it unique without becoming too fatiguing or gimmicky.

Installing Immersive Major systems integrators, which have been building much of the new loudspeaker-and-processing infrastructure for immersive broadcast audio, are also watching the sports-venue market develop. Diversified - whose sports-venue portfolio includes SoFi Stadium, Met Life Stadium, and Wells Fargo Center - obliquely entered the field in 2020 with the installation of a separate, parallel PA system in the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field in March 2020, part of a larger audio infrastructu
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2022/10/05/tech-focus-immersive-sports-sou...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

02/10/2025

The Institute of Technical Education, Singapore, Officially Opens Next-Generation Hybrid Learning Space with X2O Media's OneRoom

MONTR AL - October 2, 2025 - The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) last mon...

02/10/2025

Ryval Studios Turns Hustle into High-Profile Sports Content

Ryval Studios Turns Hustle into High-Profile Sports ContentFrom cold emails to NHL media days, the nine-time Emmy-winning shop has built a reputation for conte...

02/10/2025

NBA Nets Cloud and AI Deal With AWS; Will Launch New NBA Inside the Game' Intelligence Platform

NBA Nets Cloud and AI Deal With AWS; Will Launch New NBA Inside the Game' I...

02/10/2025

Defeating Snafus: ISB on Bringing The World Games 2025 Global Streaming Platform to Fruition in Record Time

Defeating snafus: ISB on bringing The World Games 2025 global streaming platform...

02/10/2025

How ISB Brought 900 Live Hours of The World Games 2025 to Global Viewers

Cool club: ISB brings 900 live hours of The World Games 2025 to global viewers By Heather McLean Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 09:54 Print This Story Pa...

02/10/2025

WTF: With More Mics Everywhere in Sports Production, More Profanity Sneaks on Air

WTF: With More Mics Everywhere in Sports Production, More Profanity Sneaks on Ai...

02/10/2025

Release Rundown: What to Watch in October, From The Alabama Solution to Kiss of the Spider Woman

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna star in Bill Condon's musical feature Kiss of the S...

02/10/2025

A Little Fantasy Will Not Fail in Bill Condon's Kiss of the Spider Woman

Jennifer Lopez with Photographers (photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...

02/10/2025

Spotify and Nike's Make Moves Campaign Goes Global to Support Teen Girls' Mental Health

For so many of us, movement is about more than just exercise-it's a way to b...

02/10/2025

THE CALL FOR THE SIXTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME (PESP 6) FOCUSED ON THE AUDIO-VISUAL INDUSTRY IS OPEN

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...

02/10/2025

Clear-Com IP Transceivers Become the Preferred Choice for the West End and Broadway

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

02/10/2025

Nielsen Unveils Redesigned Weekly TV Ranking Reports

NEW YORK Nielsen has launched newly redesigned weekly TV ranking reports powered by Big Data Plus Panel metrics and has launched two new ranking reports, includ...

02/10/2025

TiVo Video Trends Report: Viewers Watching More Local Content

SAN JOSE, Calif. Viewers are increasing their consumption of local TV content according to TiVos latest report on video trends....

02/10/2025

Public TV Broadcasters Begin Eliminating Programming, Services

WASHINGTON Public TV stations are beginning to shut down operations and reduce services, particularly in rural areas after federal funding was cut earlier this ...

02/10/2025

NBA, Amazon Web Services Partner to Take Game Insights to the Next Level

NEW YORK NBA fans should have better insight than ever into the subtleties of pro hoops beginning with the 2025-26 season, thanks to a new multiyear partnership...

02/10/2025

YouTube TV Battling Carriage Disputes on Multiple Fronts

YouTube TV has found itself in multiple carriage disputes over the past week from NBC and Univision. Last night, Google, which owns YouTube TV, announced a shor...

02/10/2025

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Adds Two New Degree Programs in Collaborative Piano

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Adds Two New Degree Programs in Collaborative Pia...

02/10/2025

From Data to Decisions: Governments Can Save Billions with AI-driven Satellite Insights

Transforming satellite data into decision-grade intelligence strengthens soverei...

02/10/2025

Tribeca Festival Lisboa Announces Programming Lineup for Second Annual Edition, October 29 - November 1

October 2nd, 2025 TRIBECA FESTIVAL LISBOA ANNOUNCES PROGRAMMING LINEUP FOR SECO...

02/10/2025

Sky News launches Mornings with Ridge and Frost, a bold new offering starting this November

Thursday 2 October 2025 Sky News today announces the highly anticipated relaunc...

02/10/2025

Netflix Unveils Official Trailer for 'Amsterdam Empire' Starring Famke Janssen

Back to All News Netflix Unveils Official Trailer for Amsterdam Empire Starring...

02/10/2025

Queue' Becomes Tudum Magazine'

Back to All News Queue' Becomes Tudum Magazine' Krista Smith Head of Netflix Publishing Entertainment 02 October 2025 Global Link copied to cli...

02/10/2025

ESPN, FOX One Bundle Now Available for $39.99/Month

ESPN, FOX One Bundle Now Available for $39.99/Month Bundle Subscription Delivers Both Services, ESPN Content on the ESPN App and FOX Content on the FOX One Ap...

02/10/2025

Press Release: Broadcast Pix Expands into Italy Through Strategic Partnership with Leading Technologies

Tyngsboro, MA & Monza, Italy - October 2, 2025 - Broadcast Pix, a U.S.-based lea...

02/10/2025

RT announces a new season of The Lyric Feature, with the West of Ireland at its heart

At a time when world events can feel dark and overwhelming, The Lyric Feature on...

02/10/2025

Yeehaw! It's The Late Late Show Country Music Special!

Priscilla Presley and John C. Reilly join The Late Late Show Country Music Special to celebrate 10 years Priscilla Presley | John C. Reilly | Daniel O'Donn...

02/10/2025

RT Announces Series of Debates as part of its Presidential Election Coverage

Key Presidential Debates to help voters decide First Debate this Sunday 5 October on RT One & RT Player Over the course of the 2025 Presidential election ...

02/10/2025

GeForce NOW Brings 17 Games to the Cloud in October for a Spooky Good Time

October is creeping in with plenty of gaming treats. From thrilling adventures to spine tingling scares, the cloud gaming lineup is packed with 17 new games, in...

01/10/2025

Program Productions Acquires Payroll Services Company Barney Monk

Program Productions Acquires Payroll Services Company Barney MonkBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Wednesday, October 1, 2025 - 9:13 am Print This Sto...

01/10/2025

Women Fans Are Powering the Rise of Female Artists in Colombia

In Colombia, the sound of success for female artists is unmistakable, and much of that success is fueled by female fans. According to Spotify data, 58% of liste...

01/10/2025

Las fans estn impulsando el boom de las artistas femeninas en Colombia

En Colombia, el sonido del xito de las artistas femeninas es inconfundible, y gran parte de ese impulso viene de las fans mujeres. Seg n datos de Spotify, el 5...

01/10/2025

Spotify Gives You Even More Control With the Ability to Exclude Tracks From Your Taste Profile

Personalization is at the heart of Spotify. When you ask listeners what they lov...

01/10/2025

Spotify Unveils New Advertising Partnerships and Product Updates

Earlier this year during Spotify Advance, we announced a series of updates to make advertising on Spotify more flexible and automated. Today, we're building...

01/10/2025

Adam Hills: The Last Leg legs it to a new home on SBS

Adam Hills: The Last Leg legs it to a new home on SBS 1 October, 2025 Media releases New season premieres Wednesday 22 October at 8:30pm on SBS On Demand a...

01/10/2025

US Space Force Declares L3Harris' ATLAS Mission Ready, Advancing Space Domain Awareness and Strengthening Space Superiority

The U.S. Space Force has declared operational acceptance of the Advanced Trackin...

01/10/2025

A Proven Partner in Pioneering Undersea Autonomy

Leading the way in naval undersea systems, L3Harris has achieved a series of historic firsts that are ready to scale for the fleet....

01/10/2025

L3Harris Sets Date for Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Release

MELBOURNE, Fla., Oct. 1, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its third quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, Oct...

01/10/2025

AgileTV Increases EBITDA by 55% and Strengthens Cash Conversion in the First Half of 2025 Thanks to Solid Operational Management

Growth and improved profitability: Revenue and EBITDA both up; OFCF multiplied b...

01/10/2025

Cobalt Wins Best of Show Awards at IBC from TVBEurope and TV Technology

AMSTERDAM 29 September 2025 - Cobalt Digital's success at IBC 2025 was amplified by winning two more Best of Show awards from TV Tech and TVB Europe. The...

01/10/2025

Nielsen Appoints Sacha Weinberg as Head of Global Brand Marketing

Weinberg recently led brand strategy for Amazon Prime Video, with prior marketing strategy experience at Starbucks, Nike, Mattel, and Disney NEW YORK - Septemb...

01/10/2025

Perception of CTV ad effectiveness hampered by use of narrow targeting tactics

According to Gracenote, 80% of marketers still use performance-oriented targeting tactics despite citing brand awareness as top objective NEW YORK - Oct. 1, 20...

01/10/2025

Foreign Streamers Spend Less Time Watching U.S.-Produced Content: Study

BRISTOL, U.K. The popularity of U.S. content from three major streaming services with foreign viewers has declined over the past five years, while those same vi...

01/10/2025

Berklee Student Attends Elite Conducting Symposium in Japan

Berklee Student Attends Elite Conducting Symposium in Japan Dominican musician Alejandro Tavmed was just one of 10 people from around the globe chosen to atte...

01/10/2025

Student Spotlight: Sebastien Hollich

Student Spotlight: Sebastien Hollich The trombonist and film and media scoring major talks about finding mentors, writing for orchestra, and competing in the ...

01/10/2025

IBC2025 Talking Points: FinOps, Cloud Pragmatism and the Pace of Change

With the dust now settled on IBC2025, TV Tech sister brand TVBEurope took the time this week to reflect on the biggest talking points and trends of the show in ...

01/10/2025

FOR-A America Partners with Tim Russert Department of Com...

FOR-A America has partnered with the Tim Russert Department of Communication at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, providing an HVS-1200 video...

01/10/2025

Clear-Com IP Transceivers Become the Preferred Choice for...

Clear-Com 's IP Transceivers are rapidly gaining traction in the professional theatre world, becoming the first choice for some of the most ambitious produ...

01/10/2025

Harmonic and Comcast Work Together to Expand Fiber Broadb...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Comcast are joining forces to expand fiber broadband access as the Internet provider continues to expand its network into new market...