LANCASTER, PA – Linear Acoustic, the leading authority in loudness control and upmixing solutions for digital television, today announced that its advanced loudness management and monitoring technology is being used by QOOK TV, formerly MegaTV, an HD IPTV service provided by Korea Telecom, South Korea’s main telecom operator. QOOK TV is using the Linear Acoustic AERO.air™ 10-channel transmission loudness manager with Dolby® Digital (AC-3) encoding and the LAMBDA™ professional digital audio and metadata monitor with Dolby E/AC-3 decoding to correct loudness during its live and video-on-demand broadcasting services to South Korean audiences.
Because the IPTV provider works with content from a variety of media sources and stations, it must manage loudness differences from program to program. In 2008 QOOK TV turned to Mediacube, a professional audio equipment supplier, integrator and consulting company located in Seoul, for a solution that would ensure an
even loudness and dynamic range across its entire program offering, while also managing Dolby metadata. To meet these needs, Mediacube installed two Linear Acoustic AERO.air loudness managers and one LAMBDA professional digital audio and metadata monitor at the QOOK TV facilities.
“Like many broadcasters today, QOOK TV was struggling with loudness issues, a problem that was compounded by the varying sources for its VOD content,� says Jae Kim, CEO of Mediacube. “After testing several solutions, the company decided upon the Linear Acoustic AERO.air and LAMBDA with the Dolby encoding and decoding options, which not only resolve loudness issues, but manage metadata as well. The equipment went live in November 2008, and since then, the loudness levels have been consistent across QOOK TV’s programs.�
The comprehensive AERO.air from Linear Acoustic is equipped with multiple loudness controllers, dual upmixers, metadata management, and full-time two-channel downmixing to support legacy stereo or analog paths. Built-in AutoMAX-IIâ„¢ processing detects incoming audio and automatically upmixes only when necessary, producing a full-time compelling 5.1-channel output. The processor accepts 5.1 channel network audio, two-channel local audio, SAP/DVS, and digital or analog auxiliary/EAS audio for processing. Available options include HD/SD-SDI input for de-embedding any of the possible 16 audio channels and vertical ancillary (VANC) metadata, internal 5.1+2 dual Dolby Digital (AC-3) encoders, and CrowdControlâ„¢ dialogue protection.
Designed to enable audio and metadata monitoring throughout the entire broadcast chain, the Linear Acoustic LAMBDA professional digital audio and metadata monitor displays and reproduces up to 16 audio channels from AES or embedded HD/SD-SDI input. The system accepts audio metadata via 9-pin serial input or extracts it from the VANC space of an applied HD-SDI input. Audio and metadata are displayed in combination to allow for accurate monitoring. Included loudness monitoring per ITU BS.1770 enables operators to verify program loudness quickly and accurately.
Any channel, channel pair, or downmix can be monitored with the LAMBDA through the powerful digitally amplified two-way aluminum alloy subwoofer and HF speakers, a front-panel headphone connector, rear-panel balanced analog, and AES digital output. Optional Dolby E/AC-3 decoding can be performed internally on any discrete AES input or any embedded audio channel. All encoded metadata can be displayed and applied to the decoded audio and metering signals.
“As the broadcasting world has been transitioning to digital television, the focus has primarily been on technologies for video conversion, but inconsistent DTV audio loudness is quickly becoming the leading complaint of viewers,� says Christina Carroll, vice president of sales and marketing for Linear Acoustic. “Our AERO.air and LAMBDA solutions can easily solve any loudness problem while including all of the necessary elements for metadata management and Dolby Digital encoding and decoding. We are proud to support MegaTV and others with our technology as they strive to provide a quality listening experience for their viewers.�
About Mediacube:
Mediacube is a system integrator and consulting company for the broadcast and pro audio/video market in Korea. Founded in 2001, the company is also known for providing Dolby sound consulting services nationwide.
About QOOK TV (formerly MegaTV):
QOOK TV is an IPTV service provided by KT, the biggest telecommunication company in Korea. They provide real time live broadcasting, VOD, interactive services.
About Linear Acoustic:
Linear Acoustic is a leading authority in multichannel loudness control, upmixing, and distribution solutions for digital television. The company designs and manufactures the AERO™ range of audio processing solutions, e2™ (e-squared) multichannel audio backhaul and distribution, and MetaMAX™ metadata processing products and licenses key technologies to OEM partners. The company is actively involved in standards and practices creation within the ATSC and other international standards groups, is a member of the AES and IEEE, is a sustaining member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and is a premier member of the Sports Video Group. Linear Acoustic is also proud to have provided its UPMAX:neo™ 5.1-channel upmixer and technical services for NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. Linear Acoustic is a member of the Telos group of companies along with Omnia and Axia. More information about Linear Acoustic is available at www.linearacoustic.com.
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