Audio & Accessories News

Leveling the paradigm

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:42

Colin Wainer

South African Dolby agent Inala Broadcast supplies most of the top audio facilities in South Africa and offers the latest technology and upgrades for the Dolby range.

With direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting and the abundance of video channels that will be available once digital terrestrial television (DTT) is implemented, many broadcasting unions and regulatory bodies are introducing policies for fundamental changes in audio.

“These changes include all the levelling paradigms from peak normalisation to loudness normalisation,” says Colin Wainer, Inala Broadcast GM. “Loudness metering and loudness normalisation will signify the ‘true audio levelling revolution’. The changes are vital because of the problem which is a major source of irritation for television and radio audiences around the world – the variations in audio levels at commercial breaks, between programmes and channels.

“Inala Broadcast together with Dolby has provided a number of audio broadcasters / post-production houses with the new Dolby Media Emulator to evaluate as beta test sites. The software tool provides metadata emulation for Dolby broadcast audio formats, which is a key tool for mastering, authoring and broadcasting. This device enables the customer to emulate how your mix will sound when it’s played back through a TV or set top box.”

Dolby Media Emulator also simplifies the monitoring of metadata for use with Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, Dolby E and HE AAC, adds Wainer. Its ability to configure and control the monitoring environment and evaluate metadata parameters makes it an essential product for post-production, DVD and DTV facilities that master, author, or broadcast programme material with Dolby surround sound audio.

“The Dolby Media Emulator,” concludes Wainer, “runs as an Avid Pro Tools RTAS plug-in and as a VST plug-in for popular programmes such as Nuendo,” he explains.

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