connectivity for up to eight external Rio3224/1608-D remote I/O boxes. Dante also provides a migration path with the Audio- Video Bridging (AVB) open- standard, IEEE 802.1BA networking protocol, which is supported by such firms as Avid, Barco, Riedel among others. AVB offers guaranteed media delivery over a low latency, time- synchronised infrastructure that can coexist with other control and file transfer topologies. In addition, de-embedded audio streams can be distributed in an AVB-based synchronism with their video and embedded- audio counterparts, possibly eliminating the need for high-cost MADI or HD-SDI point-to- point AV routers.
KEEPING CALM With 31 December marking the date on which US broadcasters need to fully comply with the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act and implementation of the ATSC Recommended Practice A/85 for controlling level
differences between programming, interstitials and commercials – a number of European and Scandinavian countries also are planning or have implemented similar legislation – several companies were showing 5.1-channel level- monitoring solutions. RTW unveiled TM3, the latest addition to its TouchMonitor range with features derived from the larger TM7 and TM9 units, and whose 4.3” screen enables horizontal or vertical placement with PPM and true-peak displays. TM3 displays a user- choice of loudness scales, including single-channel and summing bar graphs plus numerical displays. Studer demonstrated an RTW TM7 metering option for Vista Series production consoles. Qualis Audio unveiled new
firmware for its Sentinel surround sound audio monitor, which adds a pair of unique dialogue balance and downmix loudness measurements. Dr Richard Cabot, Qualis Audio’s founder/CTO, has determined
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Also to be seen: TM7 and TM9 Loudness Meters, plus the LM2 Stereo Loudness Meter. Linear Acoustic unveiled the
The TM3 is the latest addition to RTW’s TouchMonitor range
that even relatively low levels of identical material in the left and right channels, plus surrounds, can result in a 3-4dB difference between the loudness level of a 5.1-channel mix and its downmix to two-channel stereo, thereby impacting SD soundtracks derived from HD programmes, with inventible consumer complaints. The Sentinel meter now includes a dedicated scale that shows this level anomaly; an optional alarm can be set to alert the content provider if the difference between these measurements exceeds user-set limits.
TC Electronic demonstrated
the new LM6 Radar Loudness Meter plug-in for monitoring mono, stereo or 5.1 productions that are being undertaken on popular AV workstations, including Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Nuendo, Wavelab and others. The unit displays loudness history in a single, radar-like view with each revolution spanning between 1 minute and 24 hours, and conforms to critical broadcast standards. Loudness history and other key information can be logged as a standard formatted text file.
new AERO.1000 high-density metadata-based transmission audio/loudness platform, which handles loudness control, up- mixing and metering using up to eight DSP engines. Each has UPMAX 5.1-to-stereo conversion, Dolby decoders/ encoders, watermark encoders and 3GHz SDI with included video delay. Proprietary CARBON hybrid processing implements a new version of dynamic-range control data already found in the Dolby Digital signals. All in all, NAB Conventions bring a sharp focus to the broadening definition of ‘broadcasting’, which now involves a growing number of content-creation technologies, encoding processes and delivery mechanisms; keeping up with these myriad divergent themes make this annual event an invaluable experience. www.nabshow.com