30 l June 2013
www.psneurope.com
broadcastreport EUROPE TSL PPL plays the surround sound field
TSL PPL product manager Pieter Schillebeeckx tells Kevin Hilton about the challenges of providing surround for today’s broadcast market
SURROUND SOUND has been a contentious issue in pro audio for decades. There is little dispute about what multichannel audio has brought to the cinema but in broadcasting there are still doubts about its true value. SoundField microphones
have been at the centre of such discussions since the early 1970s, when surround sound music – in the form of quadrophonic – was supposedly the next big thing. More recently SoundField mics
have played a major role in delivering surround sound in
SoundField mics have played a major role in delivering surround sound in sport
sport. Many European broadcasters, notably Sky, have installed SoundFields at major sports venues to provide multiple audio channels to go with HD pictures. Despite this high profile use surround sound equipment still has a specialist image of being slightly outside the mainstream of professional broadcast audio. That perception could change,
for SoundField at least, now the technology is part of the TSL Professional Products Limited (TSL PPL) range. Known for its audio monitoring and processing equipment, TSL PPL bought the SoundField brand and technology just before last year’s IBC. During this year’s NAB TSL
PPL promoted the benefits of surround sound – and by extension SoundField – for broadcast sports. It launched the X-1 single unit surround-to- stereo/stereo-to-surround upmix/downmix processor, and highlighted the DSF-B surround mic package. This comprises a DSF-2 mic, DSF-2 controller and a DSF-3 processor, with the option of the DSF-3 control app. Pieter Schillebeeckx joined SoundField in 2000, later becoming head of R&D. He joined TSL PPL and as product manager for SoundField focuses on brand development. Live broadcast is the principal
market for SoundField and Schillebeeckx sees maintaining audio quality between different locations and skill sets as a major challenge here. “The right tools and approach can help in creating a consistent sound quality across a range of venues and engineers,” he says. “Broadcasters are using a range of approaches but all are aiming for realistic surround ambiences, simplicity of use, guaranteed downmix compatibility and consistency.”
In capturing surround sound, engineers have the choice between single source microphones, including SoundField, Core Sound TetraMic and the DPA 5100, and multi-mic arrays such as those offered by Schoeps. Schillebeeckx regards multiple
capsule set-ups as the traditional approach but says they have drawbacks in terms of set-up and de-rigging, as well as on the technical side. “Such arrays usually produce audio that suffers from phase incoherency creating several problems when the 5.1 audio has to be ‘collapsed’ to create a stereo soundtrack for broadcast over SD or legacy networks,” he says. Naturally Schillebeeckx sees single source surround mics as the higher quality option, particularly as some broadcasters and facilities are already beginning to look at extended forms of audio at a time when 5.1 is still not widely established for either standard definition or HD TV. The initial driving force was 3D but that format could be superseded by Ultra HD/4k, with set-ups from 7.1 to 22.2 the possible audio companions. “With the advent of 3D TV people are starting to ask where’s next for broadcast audio,” Schillebeeckx comments. “The cinema world is starting to evolve first and it looks like they are set to introduce 3D audio to the mainstream, with platforms such as Dolby Atmos, DTS MDA, Auro 3D and Iosono 3D all vying for position. Introducing 3D audio to live broadcast is a huge challenge and will take some time before we will start to see first implementation. There are three aspects to the challenge. First we need to find a way of producing 3D audio live while maintaining downmix compatibility with 5.1, stereo and mono. Secondly we need to get it to the consumers, so we need a transmission delivery format. Thirdly consumers need to have the means of playing back 3D audio in the home, either over loudspeakers or headphones.” All those extra speakers may not
appear in many homes but there’s more than a good chance mics like the SoundField will continue to be at the starting point for an increasing amount of TV audio.n
www.tsl.co.uk
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