LONDON: Fraunhofer IIS announced that the BBC has selected its MPEG Surround format to allow its audience to download the radio drama “Private Peaceful” in 5.1 surround sound.

The show, which will be available for download Feb. 4–11 from BBC Radio 4 Play, tells the story of more than 300 World War I British and Commonwealth soldiers that were executed by firing squad.

“The BBC is committed to finding new ways to present high-quality audio content to our audiences,” said Rupert Brun, head of technology for BBC Audio & Music. “The presentation of ‘Private Peaceful’ in MPEG Surround is the latest of a successful series of public experiments in which we have explored ways to deliver a compelling immersive audio experience. We hope this experiment will reach a new audience as it is the first experiment of the series to focus on drama rather than music.”

Fraunhofer suggests that listeners should download the Fraunhofer Surround “Peaceful Player” application for the best listening experience.