In Broadcast - March 2012 - 58


WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 6 - MARCH 2012

InTEST

Loudness Measurement And Logging Offers A Powerful Combination
By Andrew Sachs, Vice President of Product Management, Volicon
For broadcasters and video service providers, loudness compliance has become an increasingly important element of quality assurance as regulatory bodies worldwide, such as the EBU, have formalised requirements through loudness recommendations and technical speciﬁcations that are backed by the possibility of ﬁnes and other punitive measures. The relatively stringent demands of loudness monitoring mandates that broadcasters implement eﬀective means of demonstrating compliance for any given advertisement aired. Unlike captions or subtitles, loudness complaints from viewers are subjective, watching without the beneﬁt of loudness monitoring measurement tools. A perfectly compliant commercial broadcast inside of a quiet programme segment will certainly be perceived as loud but still be fully compliant. Broadcasters need to be able to avoid entanglement in these subjective judgments and demonstrate very clearly their compliance with loudness standards. Loudness measurement technology has become highly specialised and quite sophisticated. Nevertheless, practical solutions for capturing and storing an array of individual measurements, tied frame-accurately to video, have largely been absent from the market. For a broadcaster that needs to store numerous measurements over time – there has been no straightforward solution. The combination of digital video logging solutions, already employed for other compliance and quality assurance purposes combined with loudness measurement, is ﬁlling this void and making it easier for operators to monitor loudness and demonstrate compliance. Whether the ad in question aired yesterday, or a month ago, a logging system equipped with robust loudness measurement and reporting capabilities enables immediate assurance of compliance without the need to re-run and sample broadcasts for loudness levels. Engineered to record aired A/V content 24 hours a day, the logging system has more than enough capacity to measure loudness and store metadata as well. As a result, a logging system equipped with loudness monitoring capabilities can provide daily asrun logs of all the ads aired and key loudness data for those ads. In the event of a consumer complaint or EBU query, the broadcaster can quickly navigate through logged content to the suspect ad and export both audio and video, with the real-time loudness parameters burned into the video. No evidence is more convincing than this type of A/V aﬃdavit. Because this process can take less than a minute, broadcasters can speed troubleshooting processes and dramatically reduce the administrative burden of loudness compliance. In Europe and beyond, a pattern of complaints can be enough to cause issues with regulators. The introduction of loudness measurement into the logging systems that already brings value to broadcast operations can minimise the work necessary to demonstrate compliance, enabling the operator to focus on other aspects of providing a quality viewing experience to its customers. ■

58
Loudness Monitoring

Audio Conﬁdence Monitoring
By Don Bird, Chief Marketing Ofﬁcer, Wohler Technologies
When media facilities support targeted programming that relies on standardised content and infrastructure, a narrowly focused high-performance audio monitoring system can oﬀer just the right functionality at the right price. Purpose-built audio conﬁdence monitors can provide a perfect blend of features at a cost-eﬀective price point. With the global move to increased HD acquisition, production, and transmission, more and more facilities are upgrading aging infrastructures and standardising on SDI signal paths that support both standard and high deﬁnition workflows entirely within the digital domain. This shift has, in turn, created a need for simpler monitoring devices at production workstations and on OBs where operators don’t always have the time, inclination, or, in some cases, the expertise to quickly access and monitor audio from the 3G/HD/SDSDI streams associated with such SDI video feeds. For example, a video editor responsible for cutting together a sports programme segment may be working with multiple pieces of content and attempting to cut together timed segments according to a centralised audio track(s). In such situations, it is often critical that the operator can simply listen to and verify the correct audio. Within the OB vehicle, quick and simple access to embedded audio tracks within an SDI stream is essential in enabling operators to get the correct audio feed selected for monitoring. In the many cases in which audio monitoring requirements are limited to support for embedded audio in 3G/HD or SD-SDI streams, it has become clear that a dedicated, easy-to-use SDI audio monitor can provide a completely functional, cost-effective solution. Deembedding and monitoring any or all of the 16 audio channels in 3G/HD/SD-SDI signals, a dualinput SDI audio monitor can serve as just such a device. A compact unit can meet the need for basic push-button monitoring, as well as give users functions such as trim, balance, mute, and phase indication when the application requires a bit more ﬂexibility. Because such devices today are being equipped with Ethernet and USB connection, EICs or operators can set up units, establishing their preferred configurations for a particular job, and then store those conﬁgurations and later load them in quickly from a PC or a USB memory stick. Because the EIC can quickly reconﬁgure systems in the truck or studio, the operator can perform his or her work without even touching

Don Bird

the menu options. Wohler remains committed to ongoing collaboration with broadcasters to ensure development of the most advanced and complete solutions for conﬁdence monitoring and signal management, as well as the creation of simple, costeffective solutions where they are required. While the need for multifaceted products will always be present, oftentimes implementing the simplest solution is the optimal approach – and one that yields tremendous beneﬁts while contributing to eﬃcient, costeﬀective delivery of programming.

Wohler Technologies AMP1-16Mas

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In Broadcast - March 2012

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