Las Vegas, NV (April 20, 2023)—Sennheiser Pro Labs unveiled a working prototype of its AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio live renderer at NAB 2023 and is making it available for immediate field testing with broadcast partners. It is expected to be used primarily on sporting event broadcasts.
The technology translates larger immersive mixes into 2-channel immersive versions that work on any stereo device, according to the company, broadening the reach of an immersive mix. However, this 2-channel immersive processing was unavailable for live events—until now.
The first implementation of the AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio live renderer is running on Merging Technologies’ AES67 devices, used in many broadcast environments. At the NAB show, Sennheiser showed a prototype plug-in for the Anubis interface that extends the device’s Monitor Mission to include AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio processing.
Seen on the Scene at NAB 2023, Part 1
Renato Pellegrini, head of Pro Labs, Sennheiser, noted, “Today’s large, televised sporting events are increasingly produced in immersive formats. However, both distribution pipelines and viewer access to immersive speaker systems have limited its reach into homes, leading to a duplication of efforts between stereo and immersive mixes. Now, using our renderer, broadcasters can instead focus on immersive formats and know they can reliably translate those mixes into a far better stereo experience than could be previously achieved.”
Pellegrini added, “Live broadcasting presents special challenges, and productions must operate with tight precision and coordination. The sound mix must be ready within a few video frames, tools must fit within specific workflows, and gear must be dependable day-in, day-out. When we set out to build the live renderer, this environment was front of mind.”
The live renderer transforms, in real-time, standard multichannel surround and immersive formats into two channels of audio that reportedly can be delivered anywhere stereo is delivered today. Patented controls, adapted for use in a broadcast environment, allow for finetuning of spatialization settings to maintain mix integrity and dialog intelligibility.
