Tribune Broadcasting used the Linear Acoustic Octimax digital television surround-field synthesizer to provide 5.1-channel sound for this year's coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena, Calif.
The parade feed originated from an NHK high-definition truck and was fed to Tribune's flagship KTLA-HD operation in Los Angeles. Stereo audio from the parade remote was fed to the Octimax processor, which upmixed it into a 5.1-channel audio track.
"The Octimax produces a very good 5.1-channel mix; I challenge anybody to tell the difference between our mixes and those prepared discretely," said Chris Neuman, director of broadcast operations and engineering for KTLA. "Our sound and pictures from the Rose Parade broadcast--despite the torrential rain--were outstanding."
In addition to Tribune stations, the feed was also sent to the Discovery Channel for distribution to cable and DBS subscribers.
