ITU achieves major breakthrough in audio standards

The International telecommunications Union (ITU) has completed a draft recommendation for next-generation ‘immersive’ and ‘personalised’ audio systems for television and radio.

According to a release from the ITU and published on its website, “Audio is an essential part of the television experience as the quality and ‘perception’ of sound enhances the image on screen”.

In addition, it said a number of new techniques have been developed that would heighten the experience and bring it to a new level, while allowing the audience to personalise their experience.

Twenty years ago, the ITU Radiocommunication Sector’s Study Group 6 approved Recommendation ITU-R BS.775 which established 5.1 channels as the surround sound system for broadcasting.

This involved the optimum use of five loudspeakers set at ear level surrounding the audience, plus a low-frequency sub-woofer.

Now, Study Group 6 has developed a system for the next-generation ‘immersive’ and ‘personalised’ audio system, which will allow TV audiences to be ‘‘enveloped’ in the sound as it traces the source of the audio track both laterally and vertically across the screen.

The release said deciding which technique the ITU-R should specify had been one of the hottest subjects of the audio world for many years. A single coherent approach was needed that could provide sufficient flexibility to allow a variety of techniques to co-exist, adding that “The newly agreed system has now achieved this”.

In the new approach, the audio landscape that surrounds the viewer is delivered either by supplying more channels of audio that can be ‘rendered’ for use by any additional loudspeakers that may be present, or by delivering audio elements that are ‘dynamically rendered’ into the existing speakers.

The audience can make use of the new sound system with existing stereo and 5.1 channel speakers systems; or they can choose to enjoy more ‘immersiveness’ by installing additional speakers around the room, including elevated speakers.

The key to the new system is that the delivered channels and sound elements are fully described by metadata labelling that drives the rendering, as well as the reproduction.

The new system may be used with forthcoming ultra-high definition or UHDTV systems, existing HDTV or even older SDTV, as well as for immersive audio without images such as in radio and audio compact discs and packaged media.

The system enables an environment where the user can interact with the receiver to create the audio landscape that he or she wishes.

This new draft Recommendation ‘Advanced Sound System for Programme Production’ is being submitted to ITU member states and sector members for the combined adoption and approval procedure.

The ITU-R Study Group 6 is undertaking further work to precisely define the universal labelling (‘metadata’) system needed.

“Good quality sound is an essential part of enjoying television programmes,” the release quoted the ITU Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, as saying.

He said ,“The new ITU-R recommendation will add tremendously to the overall experience of television viewing and this agreement comes at a time when we are progressing rapidly towards transitioning to digital broadcasting and adopting ever higher standards for television such as UHDTV.”

The Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau, Mr François Rancy also noted that “This is a really important achievement for the media world and we are proud that the ITU-R has been the means to achieve it.”