With new broadcast standards evolving all over the world and OTT streaming striving for the pole position in media consumption, both next-gen video and audio codecs are gaining momentum. While emerging video formats like VVC/H.266 or AV1 are the major drivers of such initiatives, Next Generation Audio (NGA) production workflows still require more attention and further research and development, especially when targeting live events. In on-premises environments, NGA workflows have been in use for many years. For cloud and hybrid pipelines, debate continues as to the ideal structure.
The production process for real-time events like sports and concerts is complex regardless of whether you are targeting TV broadcast or adaptive bitrate streaming workflows. The authoring step of immersive, object-based audio, which is required to create NGA content such as MPEG-H Audio, needs careful human interaction.
The NGA Codec in Focus: MPEG-H Audio Fraunhofer IIS is the primary driver behind one of the major NGA codecs: MPEG-H Audio. It delivers personalized immersive sound that offers an unprecedented user experience. MPEG-H Audio is included in the ATSC (North America), DVB (Europe), TTA (South Korea) and SBTVD (Brazil) TV standards. In fact, the world's first terrestrial UHD TV service in South Korea is already broadcasting MPEG-H Audio. In Brazil, it has been selected as the mandatory audio system for the country's next-generation DTV+ broadcast service combining the next-gen video codec VVC/H.266 with NGA MPEG-H. Other countries and organizations, including ATSC 3.0 in the US, DVB in Europe, and ARIB in Japan, have been evaluating MPEG-H Audio as their sole or supplemental audio format.
In contrast to traditional audio formats with their fixed stereo or surround mixes, immersive audio codecs such as MPEG-H handle the individual sound elements (e.g. dialogue, commentary, music, sound effects) as separate audio objects. Each object is accompanied by metadata that defines, for example, what the audio element represents, where it should be positioned, when it is active over time, how it should be rendered on different playback devices, what user interactivity is permitted, or its loudness characteristics.
Classic on-premises NGA production workflows are well established and have been running smoothly for many years now. However, broadcasters are tending to move parts of the MPEG-H production workflows to the cloud to reduce hardware costs and increase flexibility. As a result, we need to rethink and adapt the current approach where source video and audio (with or without metadata) must be transferred and processed differently. For NAB 2026, several leading software companies and technology providers put their heads together to introduce a Proof of Concept (POF) for how an MPEG-H production workflow in the cloud can look.
A Unique Partner Collaboration of Leading Media Companies
For the POC at NAB, five companies teamed up to present a real-time NGA production chain in the cloud. Each company contributes to the showcase with its proven expertise in the broadcast market:
Fraunhofer IIS, the research organization behind MPEG-H Audio technology, provides encoding, decoding, and player libraries that enable the entire NGA experience from production through playback.
J nger Audio brings deep expertise in audio processing with their flexAI platform, which handles the complex task of real-time metadata authoring and rendering. flexAI enables broadcasters to create and manage NGA audio and metadata streams in live production environments, supporting both S-ADM and MPEG-H Control Track workflows.
MainConcept provides their professional-grade AVC, HEVC and VVC Encoder as well as Decoder SDK technology combined with both MPEG-H contribution and emission encoding to ensure broadcast-quality video and audio throughout the complete production chain, including multiplexing and packaging for ABR formats like HLS, DASH and CMAF.
Techex contributes txdarwin, a sophisticated stream processing platform that demultiplexes incoming feeds, routes audio to processing systems, and remultiplexes the processed streams while maintaining frame-accurate time alignment - critical for professional broadcast applications.
AWS provides the cloud infrastructure that serves as a platform for the complete POC. All partner solutions are deployed on dedicated EC2 instances hosted by AWS.
NAB 2026: An NGA Production Workflow for the Cloud
Historically, the traditional live production workflow was based on on-premises infrastructure, i.e. Outside Broadcasting (OB) vans, studios, and dedicated hardware, that was capable of dealing with uncompressed audio, real-time metadata authoring, and contribution to distribution processing pipelines. Nowadays, cloud technologies have the ability to extend these workflows beyond physical facilities without compromising audio quality, latency or creative control while evolving toward greater immersion and personalization.
The solution that Fraunhofer, J nger Audio, MainConcept and Techex have set up on AWS for NAB 2026 is a first step to port the complete NGA production workflow to the cloud. Here is the solution architecture and signal workflow at a glance:
01 - Audio Capture: For live events, this first step is still happening on-site, i.e. at the event location where individual video and audio sources - such as commentary, ambient sounds, and effects - are captured separately as discrete PCM audio signals and processed in the OB van. The separation of the various feeds enables interactivity and immersive rendering later on. MainConcept's video and audio codec technology used in Contribution Mode receives video and audio (16 channels of PCM audio) over baseband (SDI). The MainConcept MPEG-H Encoder library - powered by Fraunhofer's immersive audio technology - encodes and o
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
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...
11/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, is participating in the Equity Forum Ge...
11/05/2026
Pirate Predator uncovers new information from victims and survivors of abuse on ...
10/05/2026
RT ALL-IRELAND DRAMA FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED DURING GALA AWARDS STREAMED LIVE ON RTE.IE/CULTURE
Kilmeen Drama Group hailing from Rossmore, Co. Cork Scoops ...
09/05/2026
New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance
Bastl Instruments have announced Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modelling, F...
09/05/2026
Compact sampling workstation gains new features
1010music have announced blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWless ...
08/05/2026
One-button synth generates random four-track ideas
Cyma Forma and French artist Bambounou have announced RND synth, a compact hardware synthesizer built aro...
08/05/2026
Portable four-layer granular and sampling instrument
Tasty Chips have announced the GR-2, a new granular synthesizer and sampling instrument that combines e...
08/05/2026
Video Show Report
Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Polyend Drums
Polyends big announcement for Superbooth 2026 is the Drums, a new drum machine that features both ...
08/05/2026
Deal agreed as NI enters new chapter
Native Instruments CEO Nick Williams has announced that a definitive agreement has been signed for the company to be ac...
08/05/2026
Video Show Report
Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Erica Bullfrog Drums
The Bullfrog Drums is the latest collaboration between Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin, and ...
08/05/2026
In our latest blog, Tim Pearson reflects on the recent launch of Play Snooker, the new digital home of snooker by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker A...
08/05/2026
Pete reunites with Dogs Trust for a fourth series and a two-part overseas special
London, Friday 8th May 2026: The award winning factual entertainment series P...
08/05/2026
Wuppertal May 8, 2026
Riedel to Support Glasgow 2026 as Official Connectivity Integration Provider Riedel Communications today announced its return as a spons...
08/05/2026
ICG is excited to share news of our official launch in Northern Ireland, marking a significant milestone in the agency's growth.
Led by Digital Marketing M...
08/05/2026
Over the past ten years, Thames Water, in partnership with Arqiva, has installed more than 1.2 million smart meters, creating one of the most extensive advanced...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Comscore to Announce First Quarter 2026 Financial ResultsRESTON, Va., May 7, 2026 - Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting a...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
With new broadcast standards evolving all over the world and OTT streaming striving for the pole position in media consumption, both next-gen video and audio codecs are gaining momentum. While emerging video formats like VVC/H.266 or AV1 are the major drivers of such initiatives, Next Generation Audio (NGA) production workflows still require more attention and further research and development, especially when targeting live events. In on-premises environments, NGA workflows have been in use for many years. For cloud and hybrid pipelines, debate continues as to the ideal structure.
