AES San Francisco 2012
Broadcast and Streaming Media Session Details
Friday, October 26, 9:00 am — 10:30 am (Room 131)
B1 - Working with HTML5
Chair:Valerie Tyler, College of San Mateo - San Mateo, CA, USA
Panelists:
Jan Linden, Google - Mountain View, CA, USA
Greg Ogonowski, Orban - San Leandro, CA, USA
Charles Van Winkle, Adobe Systems Incorporated - Minneapolis, MN, USA
Abstract:
HTML5 is a language for structuring and presenting content for the World Wide Web, a core technology of the Internet. It is the fifth revision of the HTML standard. HTML5 has many features built into the code. One feature is the media player and how it handles media being downloaded or streamed. This session will look into the technical considerations for media to be played back as well as the user interfaces.
Friday, October 26, 10:45 am — 12:15 pm (Room 131)
B2 - Facility Design
Chair:John Storyk, Walters-Storyk Design Group - Highland, NY, USA
Panelists:
Kevin Carroll, Sonic Construction LLC
Cindy McSherry-Martinez, Studio Trilogy
Paul Stewart, Genelec
Abstract:
A panel of leading studio contractors and installation experts will provide a real-world users survey of specific products and acoustic materials commonly (and rarely) incorporated in professional critical listening environments. Optimal options for doors, glass, HVAC, variable acoustic panels, furniture, equipment racks, and other integral components of today's high-end (and budget conscious) TV and radio broadcast facilities will be discussed in detail. This is not an advertorial event. Contractor recommendations are based on personal field experience with these products. Their success is contingent on their ability to provide clients with cost-effective solutions to a myriad of technical and aesthetic issues.
Friday, October 26, 2:15 pm — 3:45 pm (Room 131)
B3 - Broadcast Audio Network Techniques
Chair:Dan Braverman, Radio Systems - Logan Township, NJ, USA
Panelists:
Tag Borland, Logitek Electronic Systems Inc. - Houston, TX, USA
Andreas Hildebrand, ALC NetworX - Munich, Germany
Kelly Parker, Wheatstone
Greg Shay, Telos Alliance/Axia - Cleveland, OH, USA
Abstract:
Broadcasting, especially in the studio arena has suffered mightily from lack of standards (or as the old joke goes; “from liking standards so much we created too many!"). Without any analogous MIDI-like control or serial protocol, integrating today’s studio remains a science project. But audio over IP presents—and more aptly demands—a standard protocol if our new industry hardware and peripherals are literally going to communicate.
This session will overview the current implemented broadcast VOIP standards with an emphasis on interoperability challenging the participating manufacturers to reveal their plans, issues and hurtles in adapting and implementing a standard.
Friday, October 26, 4:00 pm — 5:30 pm (Room 131)
B4 - Audio Encoding for Streaming
Chair:Fred Willard, Univision - Washington, DC, USA
Panelists:
Casey Camba, Dolby Labs
Robert Reams, Streaming Appliances/DSP Concepts - Mill Creek, WA, USA
Samuel Sousa, Triton Digital - Montreal, QC, Canada
Jason Thibeault, Limelight
Abstract:
This session will discuss various methods of encoding audio for streaming. What is most efficient for particular uses? Various bit rates and compression algorithms are used, what are the advantages, what are the disadvantages?
Saturday, October 27, 9:00 am — 10:30 am (Room 131)
B5 - Stream Distribution: IP in the Mobile Environment
Chair:David Layer, National Association of Broadcasters - Washington, DC, USA
Panelists:
Mike Daskalopoulos, Dolby Labs
Samuel Sousa, Triton Digital - Montreal, QC, Canada
Jason Thibeault, Limelight
Abstract:
The public has demanded the portability of stream listening, whether in a handheld or other mobile devices including the car. There are a variety of streaming technologies in the marketplace that can support portable streaming, and in this session representatives from three of the leading companies in this space will offer their insights and vision. Some of the specific topics to be covered include: Audio on mobile, the list of challenges; how mobile streaming can interact with traditional in-car listening; HTML5—savior or just more trouble?; and challenges in IP streaming and advertising interaction.
Saturday, October 27, 10:45 am — 12:15 pm (Room 131)
B6 - Audio for Mobile Television
Chair:Brad Dick, Broadcast Engineering Magazine - Kansas City, MO, USA
Panelists:
Tim Carroll, Linear Acoustic Inc. - Lancaster, PA, USA
David Layer, National Association of Broadcasters - Washington, DC, USA
Robert Murch, Fox Television
Geir Skaaden, DTS, Inc.
Jim Starzynski, NBC Universal - New York, NY, USA
Dave Wilson, CEA - Arlington, VA, USA
Abstract:
Many TV stations recognize mobile DTV as a new and great financial opportunity. By simply simulcasting their main channel an entirely new revenue stream can be developed. But according to audio professionals, TV audio engineers should consider carefully the additional audio processing required to ensure proper loudness and intelligibility in a mobile device’s typically noisy environment. The proper solution may be more complex that just reducing dynamic range or adding high-pass filtering.
This panel of audio experts will provide in-depth guidance on steps that may be taken to maximize the performance of your mobile DTV channel.
Saturday, October 27, 12:45 pm — 1:45 pm (Room 131)
B7 - Maintenance, Repair, and Troubleshooting
Chair:Kirk Harnack, Telos Alliance - Nashville, TN, USA; South Seas Broadcasting Corp. - Pago Pago, American Samoa
Panelists:
Dan Mansergh, KQED
Bill Sacks, Orban / Optimod Refurbishing - Hollywood, MD, USA
Kimberly Sacks, Optimod Refurbishing - Hollywood, MD, USA
Mike Pappas, Lakewood, CO, USA
Milos Nemcik
Abstract:
Much of today's audio equipment may be categorized as “consumer, throw-away” gear, or so complex that factory assistance is required for a board or module swap. The art of Maintenance, Repair, and Troubleshooting is actually as important as ever, even as the areas of focus may be changing. This session brings together some of the sharpest troubleshooters in the audio business. They'll share their secrets to finding problems, fixing them, and working to ensure they don't happen again. We'll delve into troubleshooting on the systems level, module level, and the component level, and explain some guiding principles that top engineers share.
Saturday, October 27, 2:00 pm — 4:00 pm (Room 131)
B8 - Loudness and Metadata—Living with the CALM Act
Chair:Joel Spector, Freelance Television and Theater Sound Designer - Riverdale, NY, USA
Panelists:
Florian Camerer, ORF - Austrian TV - Vienna, Austria; EBU - European Broadcasting Union
Tim Carroll, Linear Acoustic Inc. - Lancaster, PA, USA
Stephen Lyman, Dolby Laboratories - San Francisco, CA, USA
Robert Murch, Fox Television
Lon Neumann, Neumann Technologies - Sherman Oaks, CA, USA
Robert Seidel, CBS - New York, NY, USA
Jim Starzynski, NBC Universal - New York, NY, USA
Abstract:
The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act was signed by President Obama in 2011. Enforcement by the FCC will begin in December of this year.
Television broadcasters and Multi-Channel Video Program Distributors (MVPDs) are required to put in place procedures, software and hardware to “effectively control program-to-interstitial loudness … and loudness management at the boundaries of programs and interstitial content.” Objective data must be supplied to the FCC to support compliance with the legislation as well as timely resolution of listener complaints. Similar rules have been developed in the UK and other parts of the world.
Members of our panel of experts have worked tirelessly to either create loudness control recommendations that have become the law or to bring those recommendations to implementation at the companies they represent. This session will cover the FCC’s Report and Order on the CALM Act, the development of the ATSC’s A/85 Recommended Practice that is now part of the U.S. legislation, and both domestic and European technical developments by major media distributors and P/LOUD.
Saturday, October 27, 4:00 pm — 6:00 pm (Room 134)
B9 - What Happens to Your Production When Played Back on the Various Media
Chair:David Bialik, CBS - New York, NY, USA
Panelists:
Karlheinz Brandenburg, Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT - Ilmenau, Germany; Ilmenau University of Technology - Ilmenau, Germany
Frank Foti, Omnia - New York, NY, USA
George Massenburg, Schulich School of Music, McGill University - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Greg Ogonowski, Orban - San Leandro, CA, USA
Robert Orban, Orban - San Leandro, CA, USA
Abstract:
Everyone has a different perspective when producing or playing back audio. This session will look at what happens to the audio product during the stages of recording, reproduction, digital playback, radio broadcast, and streaming. Is it the same experience for everyone?
Sunday, October 28, 9:00 am — 10:30 am (Room 131)
B10 - Sound Design: How Does that "Thing" Go Bump in the Night?
Panelists:David Shinn, SueMedia Productions - Carle Place, NY, USA
Sue Zizza, SueMedia Productions - Carle Place, NY, USA
Abstract:
Whether you are working with props, recording sounds on location, or using pre-recorded sounds from a library, the sound design elements you choose will impact the aesthetics of the stories you tell.
Working with scenes from the AES Performance, Poe A Life and Stories in Sound, this session will examine working with sound effects props in the studio and recording elements on location. Recording and performance techniques will be discussed. A brief overview of sound effects libraries will also be included.
Sunday, October 28, 10:45 am — 12:15 pm (Room 131)
B11 - Listener Fatigue and Retention
Chair:Dave Wilson, CEA - Arlington, VA, USA
Panelists:
Stephen Ambrose, Asius Technologies, LLC - Longmont, CO, USA
J. Todd Baker, DTS, Inc. - Laguna Hills, CA, USA
Sean Olive, Harman International - Northridge, CA, USA
Robert Reams, Streaming Appliances/DSP Concepts - Mill Creek, WA, USA
Bill Sacks, Orban / Optimod Refurbishing - Hollywood, MD, USA
Abstract:
This panel will discuss listener fatigue and its impact on listener retention. While listener fatigue is an issue of interest to broadcasters, it is also an issue of interest to telecommunications service providers, consumer electronics manufacturers, music producers, and others. Fatigued listeners to a broadcast program may tune out, while fatigued listeners to a cell phone conversation may switch to another carrier, and fatigued listeners to a portable media player may purchase another company’s product. The experts on this panel will discuss their research and experiences with listener fatigue and its impact on listener retention.
Sunday, October 28, 12:45 pm — 1:45 pm (Room 131)
B12 - Troubleshooting Software Issues
Chair:Jonathan Abrams, Nutmeg Post - New York, NY, USA
Panelists:
Connor Sexton, Avid Technology - Daly City, CA, USA
Charles Van Winkle, Adobe Systems Incorporated - Minneapolis, MN, USA
Abstract:
What should you do before contacting support? How do you make the most of online support resources? What kind of audio driver are you using and how does that interact with the rest of your system? What role does your plug-in platform play when troubleshooting? How can permissions wreak havoc on your system or workflow?
Get the answers to these questions and bring your own for Mac OS X, Windows,
Adobe Audition, and AVID Pro Tools.
Sunday, October 28, 2:00 pm — 3:30 pm (Room 131)
B13 - Lip Sync Issue
Chair:Jonathan Abrams, Nutmeg Post - New York, NY, USA
Panelists:
Paul Briscoe, Harris Corporation - Toronto, ON, Canada
Bob Brown, AVID - San Francisco, CA, USA
Bram Desmet, Flanders Scientific, Inc. - Suwanee, GA
Matthieu Parmentier, France Televisions - Paris, France
Abstract:
Lip sync remains a complex problem, with several causes and few solutions. From production through transmission and reception, there are many points where lip sync can either be properly corrected or made even worse. This session’s panel will discuss several key issues. What is the perspective of the EBU and SMPTE regarding lip sync? Are things being done in production that create this problem? Who is responsible for implementing the mechanisms that ensure lip sync is maintained when the signal reaches your television? Where do the latency issues exist? How can the latency be measured? What are the recommended tolerances? What correction techniques exist? How does video display design affect lip sync? What factors need to be accounted for in Digital Audio Workstations when working with external video monitors in a post environment? Join us as our panel addresses these questions and yours.
Sunday, October 28, 3:30 pm — 5:00 pm (Room 131)
B14 - Understanding and Working with Codecs
Chair:Kimberly Sacks, Optimod Refurbishing - Hollywood, MD, USA
Panelists:
Kirk Harnack, Telos Alliance - Nashville, TN, USA; South Seas Broadcasting Corp. - Pago Pago, American Samoa
James Johnston, Retired - Redmond, WA, USA
Jeffrey Riedmiller, Dolby Laboratories - San Francisco, CA, USA
Chris Tobin, Musicam USA - Holmdel, NJ, USA
Abstract:
In the age of smart phones and internet ready devices, audio transport and distribution has evolved from sharing low quality MP3 files to providing high quality mobile device audio streams, click to play content, over the air broadcasting, audio distribution in large facilities, and more. Each medium has several methods of compressing content by means of a codec. This session will explain which codecs are appropriate for which purposes, common misuse of audio codecs, and how to maintain audio quality by implementing codecs professionally.
Sunday, October 28, 5:00 pm — 6:30 pm (Room 131)
B15 - Audio Processing Basics
Chair:Richard Burden, Richard W. Burden Associates - Canoga Park, CA, USA
Panelists:
Tim Carroll, Linear Acoustic Inc. - Lancaster, PA, USA
Frank Foti, Omnia - New York, NY, USA
James Johnston, Retired - Redmond, WA, USA
Robert Orban, Orban - San Leandro, CA, USA
Abstract:
Limiting peak excursions to prevent over modulation and increasing the average level through compression to improve signal to noise are worthwhile objectives. Just as we can all agree that a little salt in pepper in the stew enhances the flavor, the argument is how much salt and pepper becomes too much.
It is a given that the louder signal is interpreted by the listener as sounding better. However, there are misuses of the available tools and display a lack of leadership at the point of origin. The variation in energy levels within program and commercial content, as well as, the excessive use of compression on many news interviews are annoying to the listener.
The presentation will cover the fundamentals, the history, and the philosophy of audio processing. An open discussion, with audience participation, on the subject and its practices follow.
Monday, October 29, 1:30 pm — 3:00 pm (Room 131)
B16 - The Streaming Experience
Chair:Rusty Hodge, SomaFM - San Francisco, CA, USA
Panelists:
Mike Daskalopoulos, Dolby Labs
Jason Thibeault, Limelight
Leigh Newsome, Targetspot - New York, NY, USA
Robert Reams, Streaming Appliances/DSP Concepts - Mill Creek, WA, USA
Abstract:
How are consumers listening to streaming audio today, and how can broadcasters improve that experience? What is the future direction that streaming audio should be taking?
Home streaming on hardware devices often suffers from limitations of the hardware UI in terms of selecting between tens of thousands of available channels. How can we improve that? Mobile streaming still doesn't match the convenience of turning on your car and having the AM/FM radio start right up. What can and is being done to change that?
What does the future of CODECs hold and what formats should broadcasters be streaming in to create the best quality while achieving universal accessibility?
How do we improve the continuity between the home and mobile environment, especially in regard to customized streams? What are listeaners unhappy with now and what can be done about it?
We will also talk about the future of customized content and the integration of live broadcast content with customized streams.
