Immersive audio: A multitude of possibilities

Embracing a new technological movement can be challenging at the best of times, but the difficulty is magnified when the parameters of that movement are still in the process of being defined.

To no small extent we have witnessed that on the video side with 4K/UHD – and we can say much the same for immersive audio.

Of course, this not the first time ‘round the block for what we might term ‘more than stereo’. Surround formats, notably 5.1, were marketed heavily during the 2000s – with decidedly mixed results. But the potentially significant qualitative benefits of immersive and object-based audio technologies – often collectively referred to as Next Generation Audio (NGA) technologies – mean that the current buzz of excitement feels more substantial.

With multiple technologies – led by Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H – competing for attention, and a broad consensus on best practice for immersive audio broadcasts still some way from taking shape, vendors inevitable face a challenge in determining the best R&D pathways.

Not surprisingly, many are presently putting the emphasis on developing multifaceted tools that can support a variety of different workflows – while accepting that these will almost certainly change substantially as more immersive broadcast services are introduced and consumer set-ups evolve.

As Lawo Senior Product Manager Christian Struck observes: “The demand for ever-higher picture quality in the broadcast world goes hand in hand with a quest for an equally compelling audio stage. [But it’s also] safe to say that the interest in immersive audio production essentially depends on how effortlessly it fits into consumer homes.”

Supporting different scenarios
Lawo has been supporting immersive audio for many years, with landmark early projects including its support of 22.2-channel audio for NHK’s Super Hi-Vision project around the 2012 London Olympics. This led the company to develop its Immersive Mix Engine (LIME), which allows any mc2 series console released since 2003 to function in an immersive audio scenario – whether it be channel- or object-based.

All relevant 3D/immersive audio formats are supported: Dolby Atmos (7.1.2 & 5.1.4 bed), MPEG-H (5.1.4), AURO-3D, DTS:X, NHK 22.2, IMAX 6.0 and 12.0, as well as Sennheiser AMBEO 9.1 and higher. Lawo consoles are also ready for MPEG-H’s Low Complexity Profile #3 format for personal audio and broadcast applications.

Struck says that “one important asset of…