5.1 Channel HD Radio System Proposed

[bmoura]

Have you seen this? The folks behind the MP3 codec at the Fraunhofer Institute (FhG) are proposing a 5.1 Channel broadcasting method for the new HD Radio system.

See http://www.telos-systems.com/ for more info.

Pretty interesting, I'd say.

 

[ClarkNovak]

I happen to work for Telos, and we just went to the Radio & Records Convention in LA with a demonstration of the Fraunhofer tech. It sounds so great... people were blown away by it. The principles of our companies are really into 5.1, and they think this is the thing that might just save FM.

There are a couple of competing 5.1 FM systems being promoted, including one by SRS (the Circle Surround guys), but the Fraunhofer system is the ONLY one that's actually capable of delivering discrete 5.1 to the listener.

If you want to read some more about it, our guys wrote some papers about it. Here are the links:

http://www.telos-systems.com/news/Telos061604.pdf
http://www.telos-systems.com/techtalk/HDSurround03.pdf
http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/field_of_dreams.pdf

Clark

 

[bmoura]

I happen to work for Telos, and we just went to the Radio & Records Convention in LA with a demonstration of the Fraunhofer tech. It sounds so great... people were blown away by it. The principles of our companies are really into 5.1, and they think this is the thing that might just save FM.

There are a couple of competing 5.1 FM systems being promoted, including one by SRS (the Circle Surround guys), but the Fraunhofer system is the ONLY one that's actually capable of delivering discrete 5.1 to the listener.

If you want to read some more about it, our guys wrote some papers about it. Here are the links:

http://www.telos-systems.com/news/Telos061604.pdf
http://www.telos-systems.com/techtalk/HDSurround03.pdf
http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/field_of_dreams.pdf

Clark

It sounds pretty interesting. You'll have to keep us apprised as to where demos of the system will be in the future. (And when some radio stations start broadcasting in HD Audio with the Telos 5.1 system!)

I'm also pleased to read that the developers are promoting it as a way to broadcast current 5.1 discs in SACD and DVD-A. That's also a nice boost to today's hi rez discrete surround formats.

 

[quadtrade]

It sounds pretty interesting. You'll have to keep us apprised as to where demos of the system will be in the future. (And when some radio stations start broadcasting in HD Audio with the Telos 5.1 system!)

I'm also pleased to read that the developers are promoting it as a way to broadcast current 5.1 discs in SACD and DVD-A. That's also a nice boost to today's hi rez discrete surround formats.

As I have found out first hand, you first need to get the decoder in everything. Not easy. A many year process. But pirate radio may seem a lot more fun!

 

[bmoura]

As I have found out first hand, you first need to get the decoder in everything. Not easy. A many year process. But pirate radio may seem a lot more fun!

So do you think we'll see 5.1 Radio from Pirate stations first ?

 

[ClarkNovak]

So do you think we'll see 5.1 Radio from Pirate stations first ?

Doubt it highly! The way that 5.1 will come to FM (no matter which of the competing coding systems is used) is through HD Radio. Digital radio transmission is an integral part of the equation, since the traditional (analog) FM we have now has nowhere near the bandwidth needed for 6 channels of audio.

Digital FM allows 5.1 because of the compression achievable. The FhG guys have fit their 5.1 coded-discrete system into the 96 kbps HD Radio bandwidth - no way you could do that on analog FM. Pirates? No way ... HD Radio transmission gear is expensive and tweaky.

BTW, the next demonstration of the system is going to be at an upcoming radio convention, The Conclave, in Minneapolis, July 15-18. Details are at www.theconclave.com .

Clark