BCD Audio press announcement
London 22nd May 2012
Mike Law of BCD Audio comments on the proposal for multichannel audio using AES3
AES-3 is the standard for interconnection of stereo audio signals between studio equipment. The standard originated from the SPDIF format used in CD players in the 1980s , and has evolved to allow sample rates to 192KHz stereo, and to transport multichannel compressed audio at the 48Khz sample rate.
AES3 is the standard for interconnection of stereo audio signals between studio equipment. It originated in parallel with the SPDIF format during the 1980s, and has evolved to allow sampling frequencies to 192 KHz stereo, and to transport multichannel compressed audio at the 48 KHz sampling frequency.
An AES standards committee now has an active project, with which I am involved, that would allow more audio signals to be carried with similar hardware to AES3. The project title is AES-X196, Multichannel Audio in AES3 . The standard is in early draft form, as it is a new concept, and interested parties are welcome to visit http://www.aes.org/standards/meetings/init-projects/aes-x196-init.cfm or to the current project status at http://www.aes.org/standards/meetings/project-status.cfm or to the SC-02-02 meeting reports at http://www.aes.org/standards/meetings/ to access more information on the project.
AES-X196 is based upon the idea that eight 48 KHz signals could be carried across a 192 KHz link, and four 48 KHz signals across a 96 KHz link.
This idea is attractive, as broadcast audio has standardised on 48 KHz sample rate, but most AES3 compatible hardware is capable already of operating at the higher sample rates.
Currently in a Broadcast environment, the transport of surround sound and multichannel audio requires either encoded compressed audio , or multiple linear stereo links, and the new idea would simplify this.
Compressed audio requires expensive hardware and introduces considerable signal time delay. The distribution of multichannel audio across multiple stereo links is also unattractive, as many links are required and great care is needed to ensure that the correct audio signals are distributed and routed as a group. AES-X196 would solve both of these problems.
Another advantage of AES-X196 is in point-to-point links. If a single link is available between two locations that currently carries stereo, the new standard would allow that same link to carry more audio signals. This is important in existing installations, as it is often impossible to add more cable without lifting floors, digging up roads etc. Existing point-point transports ( such as ATM) might be able to pass the new signal.
An AES-X196 transmitter would be capable of operating with 2, 4 or 8 audio signals, and would be fully compatible with AES3 in 2 channel mode. Channel status information is carried with the audio, to identify the new modes.
An AES-X196 receiver would detect the correct mode, and extract 2, 4 or 8 signals accordingly, that would be fully compatible with existing AES3 2 channel signals.
Completely asynchronous routers, bypass switches, would be directly compatible. Existing AES3 distribution amplifiers might be compatible , provided they can carry the higher rates, and sample rate converters if present are disabled.
Large audio routers would need to be adapted to handle the new signal. If only a few inputs and outputs were required to conform to AES-X196, this could be easy to implement. New designs could be capable of all modes on all ports, including AES3.
There might be resistance to change from the existing AES3 standard, as some of the currently installed hardware would not be directly compatible. Initially it can be imagined that AES-X196 signals would only be used where the equipment was compatible, and this in itself is useful, as in point-to-point links.
Units that combine AES3 signals into AES-X196 feeds and split out AES-X196 into AES3 signals would be available that would make the migration easy to implement anyway.
BCD intend to develop units to implement the standard that will arise from project AES-X196. These units will be based on FPGA technology, to allow for a degree of experimentation. Other parties are expected to implement practical designs too.
The applications of AES-X196 set out here are as seen by BCD and should be read as my opinion, and not the AES; others will no doubt see other advantages and disadvantages.
About Mike Law:
Mike Law started out with an early passion for electronics and a summer job allowed him to work at UK mixer manufacturer Alice, where he learnt about broadcast audio, and 3 years at Birmingham University where he learnt about PA systems, lighting and putting on bands, culminating in an honours degree in Electronic Engineering.
Mike worked at Alice, designing audio mixing consoles until redundancy allowed him to set up his own UK company with the help of two Swiss recording studios, with the aim of producing a digitally controlled music console. The ideas behind that console is the basis of much digitally controlled analogue audio in use today.
His company, BCD Audio continues to this day, and Mike has become a specialist in designing digital and analogue audio systems, and has kept up with the times, and can now talk DSP and VHDL when he can find someone to converse with.
Mike is an associate of the IPS, a member of the AES, and is on the SC-02-02 committee, and is a member of the IET.
About BCD Audio:
Established 25 years ago to provide high quality audio systems for radio and television broadcasting, BCD Audio s in-house skills were immediately sought after by prestige clients including the BBC and ITV companies. Today, BCD Audios designs are heard and seen all over the world, keeping broadcasters on air 24/7.
The product range has grown from pure analogue engineering to fully embrace todays digital w
Most recent headlines
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...
31/05/2026
Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Original Work at Gaud Centennial in Barcelona The Berklee graduate and faculty member will debut her choral symphony with...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
BCD Audio press announcement
