In the IBC Future Zone satellite operator SES, in co-operation with France Télévisions, is showcasing results of a test combining UHD TV compressed with HEVC and using ECMA-407 – the world’s first 3D audio standard.
The test is simultaneously conveyed over satellite and to smart devices over IP. These smart devices optimise the internal NHK 22.2 channel audio representation and yield what is described as ‘a futuristic binaural sound experience’.
Partner to the project is Swissaudec, a Swiss confederation-funded project on whose technologies ECMA-407 is based.
ECMA-407 extends known audio codecs to provide an unrestricted 3D experience up to NHK’s 22.2 channel audio with the total payload less than 2kb/s. It uses modern encapsulation and is invisible during transmission with MPEG-4 or MPEG-D. It is also described as an elaborate upmix system, which extends 2D surround to 3D UHD TV signals in real time. New loudness features have been applied according to the ITU-R BS.1770-3 specification.
