MPEG-H at Globo

Grupo Globo, the largest media group in Brazil, showcases the most advanced audio technology as adopted in the TV 3.0 standard, currently under specification by the Fórum Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital (SBTVD Forum). Globo has equipped one of their venues in Rio de Janeiro with a dedicated broadcast setup, where every match of the tournament will be distributed using MPEG-H Audio immersive and interactive sound together. This project was made possible by an excellent cooperation between Globo and its partners: Ateme, Fraunhofer IIS and LG Electronics.

“For the upcoming TV 3.0 standard, MPEG-H Audio was selected for efficiently providing the best possible sound experience for broadcast and new media services to the Brazilian viewers,” explains Carlos Cosme, researcher at MediaTech Lab, Globo and coordinator of the SBTVD Forum Audio and Video Group. “This pioneering project during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 not only shows the bright future of broadcasting but also demonstrates the commitment of its partners and helps to educate the Brazilian broadcast technology community as we get closer to the TV 3.0 project finalization led by the SBTVD Forum. We are excited to see products from Ateme and LG ready for TV 3.0 broadcast in Brazil, which is expected to launch in 2025.”

The main highlight of Globo’s TV 3.0 showcase is the LG TV used to receive the live stream. It enables viewers to personalize the sound with an integrated MPEG-H Audio user interface. The experience is complemented with the support of MPEG-H Audio HDMI passthrough for the reproduction of immersive sound over MPEG-H Audio enabled AVRs and soundbars.

“Fraunhofer IIS is committed to the success of next generation TV in Brazil and partnering with LG to showcase the full capabilities of the TV 3.0 selected audio system demonstrates the next level of user experience and the readiness of the industry for a successful rollout of the TV 3.0 standard,” says Stefan Meltzer, Chief Business Development Manager at Fraunhofer IIS. “We are excited to see MPEG-H Audio used in live broadcast over the existing TV 2.5 terrestrial system as well as for the first TV 3.0 test conducted by Globo”.

The immersive 5.1+4H feed received from Qatar is enhanced with advanced audio interactivity and personalization options at Globo in Rio de Janeiro using Linear Acoustic’s Authoring and Monitoring System (AMS). With the authoring of additional metadata during this stage, viewers get access to a new experience allowing them for example to select a different commentator or enhancing the sound of a fan curve. Finally, Ateme’s TITAN encoder is used for real time encoding and DASH streaming, while Sennheiser’s latest AMBEO Plus soundbar is used for the creation of the immersive sound experience at the venue in Rio de Janeiro.

The Globo demonstrations will run live during all matches of the international football tournament in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022.