Trials in the UK demonstrate 5.1 surround sound over DAB using Windows Media Audio 9 Professional encoding Leading UK radio group Capital Radio plc is supplying content for two trials of 5.1 channel surround sound on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), one in London and the second in Cambridge. The London trial, which is scheduled to last through summer 2004, involves live Internet Protocol (IP) datacasting of Windows Media® Audio 9 Professional encoded 5.1 channel surround sound content over L-Band in the central London area. The Cambridge trial, which is more open ended, includes the same 5.1 channel surround sound IP datacasting via DAB, along with digital television services broadcasting over DVB using Windows Media Video 9 Professional encoding. "We are showing what's possible using DAB," says Gareth Sutcliffe, senior business manager, Windows Digital Media Division. "DAB is a highly efficient means of delivering audio and video content to mobile environments. Using Windows Media Audio Professional makes it possible to deliver multichannel surround sound at similar bit rates currently used in DAB for stereo. Windows Media 9 Series is also already widely available and easily licensable for any hardware or software application." The infrastructure and system integration for both trials is being provided by NTL Broadcast, working with Microsoft®, Radioscape and PURE Digital, the digital radio product division of Imagination Technologies. "Capital Radio is extremely pleased to be participating in this DAB trial," says Nathalie Schwarz, director of strategy and development at Capital Radio. "We are excited to be the leading content partner on this innovative trial with NTL using Windows Media 9 Series and believe there will be demonstrable benefits for both our listeners and advertisers." The 5.1 channel surround sound program features Capital FM DJ James Cannon playing a variety of tracks, mixed with Capital FM jingles. "Creating the program was very much going back to basics," says Peter Willison, director of technology at Capital Radio. "For example, when mixing jingles in surround sound you have to be careful not to make them too over the top," he says. "The result sounds fantastic—you have to hear it to appreciate it." The high compression efficiency of Windows Media 9 Series makes it possible to deliver 5.1 channel surround sound at bit rates as low as 128 Kbps. This greatly expands the potential distribution options for 5.1 channel content beyond those of other technologies. "The high quality and compression efficiencies of Windows Media 9 Series make 5.1 channel surround sound over DAB a reality," says Simon Mason, head of new product development at NTL Broadcast. "From a commercial viewpoint, we are trying to find out what are the uses of 5.1 channel surround sound, whether, for example, it is predominately a home experience or a car experience," adds Adriana Mattei, business development manager at NTL Broadcast, Media Solutions. "The software we have developed for the trial enables our digital radio tuner to receive the 5.1 channel audio stream from the DAB data broadcast and to send compressed audio from the tuner over a USB connection to the user's PC," says Nick Jurascheck, vice president of software development at PURE Digital. "The PC software allows them to receive that stream and feed it into Media Player to decode the Windows Media Audio 9 Professional data into full 5.1 surround sound, for output via a standard 6 channel sound card, without requiring any additional hardware to be installed." Radioscape is providing both the digital multiplex equipment to NTL for streaming the 5.1 surround sound, as well as PCI cards for the PC to interface with the Windows Media Player. Nigel Oakley, vice president marketing at Radioscape, says that the datacasting element of the trial is vital. "I consider the opportunity to data broadcast over DAB is of fundamental importance," Oakley says. "The idea that you can broadcast data once, and receive it millions of times, means you can save lots of bandwidth—it is a very exciting area that people are starting to wake up to. Microsoft Corporation is a member of the World DAB Forum. PURE Digital combines with Microsoft to deliver 5.1 audio over DAB. Capital Radio plc supplies content for two trials of 5.1 channel surround sound on DAB. NTL Broadcast provides the infrastructure and system integration for both DAB trials. Radioscape supplies hardware components to enable streaming of 5.1 surround sound. Back to the top