In Broadcast - July 2012 - 39

ISSUE 10 - JULY 2012 | WWW.INBROADCAST.COM

InSOUND
Dynaudio Professional DBM50 Desktop Monitor
From the handcrafted Dynaudio drivers to its beautiful exterior, DBM50 is speciﬁcally engineered to faithfully reproduce desktop mixes…
The Dynaudio Professional’s DBM50 – active desktop monitor features a 7.1” woofer and a 1.1” soft dome tweeter. All aspects of its design point towards desktop use. The angled front over the waveguide around the tweeter to the optional addition of a level controller, never compromises the all-important level interrelationship between speakers. Each and every one is handcrafted in Denmark with attention to the tiniest detail. More than 20 years of expertise in speaker design, development and manufacturing guarantees a set of monitors that go the extra mile to recreate even the smallest and most subtle details of any recording or production. The DBM50 comes with the option of adding a sleek controller that puts the user squarely at the helm of volume control in any situation. Levels can be set and manipulated with precision and ease, completely independent of the computer or workstation in use. The DBM50 controller provides perfect tracking, which, say Dynaudio Professional, “guarantees spot-on stereo imaging”. Main features of the DBM50 desktop monitor: • Perfectly Angled for Desktop Mixing; • Every Driver Handbuilt in Denmark; • Optional Master Volume Control; • 7.1” Woofer / 1.1” Soft Dome Tweeter; • 50+50 Watts; • 117 dB SPL; • Frequency Range: 46Hz to 21kHz; • Dimensions: 230 x 348 x 335 mm (9.1 x 13.7 x 13.2 in); • Weight: 7.2 kg (15.9 lbs); Dynaudio Professional’s DBM50 is available now in the EU and in the US. ■

39 Observer systems serve as powerful tools for quickly identifying and resolving issues, preventing chronic issues, providing a clear afﬁdavit of compliance for regulators, and verifying ads. The Volicon product line is engineered to record aired A/V content 24 hours a day, along with metadata and continuously collected loudness measurements. Providing a historical, LAN/ WAN-accessible A/V record of the broadcast content with frameaccurate measurements, the Observer system not only enables proactive monitoring, but also allows the operator to “dial back the clock,” export questionable content, identify the problem, and isolate the cause of it. Volicon’s Observer logging systems enable frame-accurate loudness measurement, loudness reporting, graphing, and alarms. The unit’s loudness module continuously performs and logs the M (400ms), S (3s), and I (programmable) - with up to seven short-form and seven long-form measurements - that are outlined in EBU and ATSC recommended practices. Along with continuous loudness measurement, integration with automation/ad system asrun logs facilitates automated program loudness reporting for network certiﬁcation.

Simplifying The Logistics Of Loudness Monitoring
By Gary Learner, Chief Technology Ofﬁcer, Volicon
New loudness regulations being enacted by governments across the globe are increasing pressure on broadcasters and video service providers to address the issue of loudness. Today’s providers now consider loudness a critical element that must be closely monitored, corrected, and managed. The expanded dynamic range of digital audio, as compared with analogue audio, has made it possible to push content into the headroom portion of the audio and, in turn, to create television ads that are perceived by viewers as being louder than surrounding content. While perceived loudness is greater, levels remain within an apparently acceptable range. As a result, the peak metering techniques used to level analogue audio content cannot be applied effectively to monitor and control loudness in the digital audio realm. Responding to this monitoring problem, global industry groups such as ITU and ATSC have created new loudness standards designed to improve the user experience while maintaining the ﬂexibility - and more theatre-like sound of content - enabled by digital audio. With the publication of Loudness Recommendation PLOUD R128 (based on the BSU 1770 speciﬁcation) in August 2010, the European Broadcast Union (EBU) created a framework for measuring and normalising audio using loudness meters and monitors. Throughout Europe, regulatory bodies such as AGCOM in Italy and CSA in France are in the midst of enacting loudness legislation based on this recommendation. At the same time, broadcasters and video service providers are working to identify and install loudness measurement and monitoring tools that not only protect them from regulatory fees and penalties, but also support provision of a quality viewer experience. Volicon is meeting this need with its Observer line of digital video logging and monitoring systems. Combining a compliance logger with loudness measurement,

Gary Learner, CTO Volicon

Even without the as-run log, operators have the means to check and conﬁrm compliance with loudness measurements made ondemand and after the fact. Faced with a viewer complaint or regulatory query, the broadcaster can use the Observer’s browser-based interface to navigate quickly through logged content to the ad in question and subsequently export both audio and video, with the real-time loudness parameters burned into the video, into an unambiguous A/V afﬁdavit. There is no shortage of loudness monitoring tools on the market, but the Observer system is unique in leveraging logging to facilitate practical and ﬂexible monitoring and compliance. ■

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In Broadcast - July 2012

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