The 2009 NAB Show Product Preview
Linear Acoustic
Booth N1725 Linear Acoustic Contact:
Christina H. Carroll
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Tel: +1 717-735-3611
Fax: +1 717-735-3612
E-mail: christina@linearacoustic.com
www.linearacoustic.com
Agency Contact:
Netra Ghosh
Wall Street Communications
Tel: +1 801-266-0077
E-mail: netra@wallstcom.com
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/LinearAcoustic/AERO.zip
Company Overview:
Linear Acoustic, a Telos company, is the leading authority in loudness control and upmixing solutions for digital television. The company designs and manufactures the award-winning AERO range of audio processing solutions and licenses key technologies such as UPMAX 5.1 channel upmixing to OEM partners. The company participates in standards work within the AES, IEEE, BKSTS, and EBU, is a member of the ATSC, and is a sustaining member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Linear Acoustic is also proud to have provided its UPMAX:neo™ 5.1-channel upmixer for NBC's coverage of the Beijing Summer Games. More information is available at www.linearacoustic.com.
Linear Acoustic will be demonstrating how its end-to-end solutions help to manage loudness at each section of the broadcast the workflow, resulting in audio that satisfies viewers and program producers. Linear Acoustic offers innovative and cost-effective solutions for the production, distribution, and transmission of high-quality loudness-controlled surround sound for digital television. Starting with live production and content ingest, the new AERO.qc Ingest Quality Controller combines ITU loudness measurement with tools for manual or automatic correction of program loudness, metadata handling, and selectable upmixing. For distributing audio-rich content, the company's StreamStacker-HD e-squared™ system allows up to 16 channels of audio plus metadata to be sent over a single AES pair. The low-latency e-squared format is highly error-resilient and is video frame rate independent, allowing for editing or switching at any point with any video format, including 50p and 60p. Production crews can monitor the resulting audio with the LAMBDA Professional Audio and Metadata Monitor, which displays and reproduces up to 16 audio channels applied as AES or embedded HD or SD-SDI.
At the network level, audio can be upmixed using the UPMAX:neo™ 5.1 Channel Surround Synthesizer, which uses proprietary processing to create an infinitely adjustable multichannel signal that is completely downmix-compatible. The Linear Acoustic UPMAX:neo also provides the most effective and compatible solution for integrating legacy two-channel material into today's 5.1-channel programs. The LAMBDA is also useful at this stage for quick verification of audio channels and metadata prior to distribution to local stations. At the affiliate stations, the AERO.air™ and AERO.one™ series of transmission audio/loudness managers act as a final catch-all to balance local and network programming, automatically provide correct metadata, and Dolby® Digital (AC-3) encode the surround audio for transmission to consumers. The LAMBDA monitor with built-in Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoding and included ITU BS.1770 loudness metering is invaluable in ensuring compliance with federal regulations, as well as viewer satisfaction. Linear Acoustic offers a wide range of products covering each stage of the chain with solutions to fit every budget.
Linear Acoustic Product Offerings at the 2009 NAB Show
AERO.air™ 10-Channel Transmission Loudness Manager
Engineered on the foundation of the company's supremely successful first- and second-generation digital television audio processors, the third-generation AERO.air™ enables broadcasters to deliver compelling 5.1-channel surround sound while saving time, money, and space. The AERO.air also represents the world's first TV audio processor to feature built-in Dolby® Digital (AC-3) encoding.
The comprehensive AERO.air is equipped with multiple loudness controllers, dual upmixers, metadata management, as well as full-time two-channel downmixing to support legacy stereo or analog paths. Built-in AutoMAX-II™ 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 CrowdControl™ dialog protection.
The AERO.air is available in three configurations to support needs ranging from simple dual stereo to 10 channels. Customers can purchase with confidence knowing that their investment can be upgraded to the fully featured version by purchasing an update that can be installed via the front panel in just minutes.
AERO.qc Ingest Quality Controller
The AERO.qc allows users to fix loudness problems automatically and in real time as audio enters the plant and is fed into the ingest server. This ingest quality control system from Linear Acoustic provides all of the tools necessary to get audio loudness right. The AERO.qc couples the ITU BS.1770 loudness-measurement specifi¬cation with proprietary signal evaluation techniques to evaluate content and make adjustments. Operator intervention can range from full control of measurement and audio adjustment to highly automated processing that requires little oversight. Front-panel metering offers instant go/no-go feedback and precise loudness adjustment. Options include Dolby® E/AC-3 decoding, additional advanced production upmixing algorithms, AERO-style multiband loudness and dynamic range control, metadata generation and monitoring, multichannel analog output with speaker EQ, and HD/SD-SDI input and output. A hardware remote volume and speaker control is available separately.
AERO.pro Production Audio Maximizer
The Linear Acoustic AERO.pro production audio maximizer enables users to achieve commanding sound quality in news and other locally produced content. The processor takes control of audio quality, providing specialized processing that makes it easy to combine studio content with prerecorded spots, insertions, and live remotes without fear of overload or audible side effects. By helping to ensure that sound quality is maintained all the way to the viewer, the AERO.pro gives local content the same high-impact sound that previously characterized only network-produced audio. The AERO.pro features multiband stereo processing with analog and digital inputs and outputs.
AERO.one™ DTV Audio/Loudness Manager
Inconsistent DTV audio loudness, the leading complaint of television viewers, is solved easily by the Linear Acoustic AERO.one™ DTV audio/loudness manager. This third-generation audio processor offers broadcasters the simplest and most cost-effective solution for guarding against loudness shifts and loss of surround sound available today. Built-in loudness control, metadata control, and optional transmission encoding make AERO.one an ideal solution for affiliate stations seeking to match local and network content and thus deliver a seamless surround-sound experience for their viewers.
Upmixing is provided by the renowned Linear Acoustic UPMAX algorithm, which provides compelling 5.1-channel audio with complete downmix compatibility. The AERO.one also includes the new AutoMAX-II™ auto-detection algorithm, which smoothly and automatically bypasses upmixing when applied content is already 5.1 channels. Options include dual, redundant power supplies, built-in Dolby® Digital (AC-3) encoding, and HD/SD-SDI audio I/O.
LAMBDA Professional Digital Audio and Metadata Monitor
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 through the powerful digitally amplified two-way aluminum alloy subwoofer and HF speakers, a front-panel headphone connector, or 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.
UPMAX:neo™ 5.1 Channel Production Upmixer
The Linear Acoustic UPMAX:neo™ eases the challenge of creating consistent, continuous 5.1 channel audio at a high standard of quality. The innovative audio processor creates an infinitely adjustable multichannel signal that is completely downmix-compatible and also serves as a uniquely effective solution for integrating legacy two-channel material into today's 5.1-channel programs.
Based on the award-winning upMAX 2251 product, the UPMAX:neo provides advanced processing in a compact, rugged 1-RU chassis. Additional upmixing capabilities have been incorporated to offer increased flexibility in post-production applications. Metadata input is standard, along with GPI inputs to control upmixing. Available options include HD/SD-SDI audio I/O and built-in metadata generation.
StreamStacker-HD™ e2 (e-squared) Codecs
The Linear Acoustic award-winning StreamStacker-HD™ high-density audio distribution system is capable of carrying 16 channels of audio and metadata in a single 48kHz, 20-bit AES pair to support multiple programs with surround sound and alternate languages. The e-squared system offers reference quality audio, minimal latency, superior resilience to transmission errors, and an automatic soft-bypass mode to allow the system to be installed in series with other coding systems such as Dolby® E to support legacy content. A software development kit (SDK) allows OEM customers to incorporate a software version of the e2 decoder into their products.
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