The acoustics lab of Fraunhofer IIS was one of 10 labs where the MPEG listening tests were conducted.
Photo: Kurt Fuchs for Fraunhofer IIS
Following a rigorous testing and selection process that included a total of 10 test labs worldwide, more than 50 listeners and more than 41,000 subjective responses, the standardization body Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) selected the Fraunhofer IIS channel/object-based proposal to provide a basis for the future MPEG-H 3-D Audio standard for the delivery of high-quality 3-D audio content.
Submissions from leading audio research facilities across the globe were considered and tested for two use-cases: channel/object-based and scene-based audio signals.
Fraunhofer’s proposal comprised an Extended HE-AAC based audio codec and a 3-D rendering engine. This technology supports the efficient transmission of 3D audio signals and flexible rendering for the playback of 3-D audio in a wide variety of listening scenarios. These include 3-D home theater setups, 22.2 loudspeaker systems, automotive entertainment systems and playback over headphones connected to a tablet or smartphone.
“Fraunhofer IIS is proud to develop leading audio technologies that meet the high standards of MPEG,” says Harald Popp, head of the Audio & Multimedia Business department at Fraunhofer IIS. “Similar to previous standardization activities of MPEG, Fraunhofer IIS’s proposal was selected once again for its superior audio quality and performance.”
The winning channel/object-based and scene-based proposals will be merged in the future standardization process to be finalized in early 2015. This technology represents the latest stage in a successful history of audio innovation for Fraunhofer.
Visit Fraunhofer at www.fraunhofer.de/en.html and the Moving Picture Experts Group at mpeg.chiariglione.org.
