loudness 201: advanced loudness webinar
TRANSCRIPT
Loudness 201
Review of Loudness 101 & Advanced Loudness Discussion
Andrew Sachs
VP. Product Management
Jennifer Knutel
Sr. Dir of Marketing
How to Participate Today
1. Open and close your Panel
2. Submit text questions
1.
2. Submit text questions
• Q&A addressed at the end of today’s session
• Everyone will receive an email within 48 hours with a link to view a recorded version of today’s session
2.
• Loudness 101 Review
– Why loudness?
– Specs/Regs including BS.1770-2,
– Gating – reflecting perception, avoid gaming
• Advanced Loudness
Agenda
• Advanced Loudness
– Changes in Regulations – ITU & Countries
– Network Certification – What is this?
– International Carriage Considerations
• Volicon Solution Overview
• Q&A
Why Loudness?
• Tragedy of the Commons
• Level according to peaks
• Users pay more attention to loud content
– Advertising recognition is higher
– Advertisers KNOW and use this
Difference
is much
larger
than
with analogPGM
Ad
PGM
Ad
PGM
– Advertisers KNOW and use this
• Users feel they need to adjust volume
– Detracting from their overall QoE
– Solution:
• Level according to “loudness perception”
• Content flexibility with good user experience
– Now, what is “loudness perception”?
Volume
Adjustments
No Volume
Adjustments
Loudness Specifications & Regulations
Specification
What is loudness?
Recommended
BS.1770-2 LKFS gated
Recommended
Practices
How to use loudness
Regulation
How it is enforced
R128Tech 3341/2/3 A/85 RP TR-B32
Loudness Specification
• BS.1770-2 (03/2011) -Loudness, True Peak & Gating
– Not all frequencies are equal
– Not all (surround) channels are equal– Not all (surround) channels are equal
• Rear Surrounds are overweighted +1.5 dB
• LFE is not counted
– One loudness meas for all channels combined
– Gating to not count quiet periods
• Don’t allow gaming of measurement
• Level gating is in BS-1770-2, Dialog gating is not
Gating Review - What’s the big deal?
• Gating is critical
– Ensure correlation with loudness perception
– Helps prevent gaming by advertisers
• Gating is specified 2/3 different ways:
– BS.1770-2, EBU, Most of the world – Cascaded level -10dB
x.y
LKFS
gate
– BS.1770-2, EBU, Most of the world – Cascaded level -10dB
– ATSC
• Short Form: No Gating, measure everything
• Long form (>2m) : Dialog Level – aka Dialog gating
• Measurements with different gating – need agreement with:
– Regulatory authority – What is being enforced
– Partners – Studio, Network, Broadcaster, Pay-TV operator
• Troubleshooting Apples v. oranges is not productive
Changes in Regulations
• Many countries moving forward with loudness regulation
– Brazil, France, …
– Almost all countries are using EBU /BS.1770-2 measurements
– Commercial v. Channel is regulated by all
– Other different items may be regulated– Other different items may be regulated
• Absolute channel tolerance or channel to channel difference (many)
• 5 day channel loudness drift – Italy
• Max S Measurement, - France
• Min Loudness Range – France
• Enforcement is starting….
– Italy- active, US - Dec 2012, many in 2013
– Time to get real
Considerations for International Carriage
• Content going to one country?
– Design and measure and alarm using local gating and regulations
• Content going to multiple countries?
– Same Gating – possibly different thresholds– Same Gating – possibly different thresholds
• Measure with one gating,
• Alarm on most restrictive thresholds
– Different Gating – e.g. Dialog and Cascaded level
• Measure content twice – once with each Gating
– Differences are unpredictable, no applicable rule of thumb
– -24 LKFS is NOT -23 LUFS!!!
• Apply tightest thresholds for each gating method (by country)
-24 LKFS ����
ATSC Network Certification – Why?
• Where does the blame fall in the chain?
– Programmer, Network, Broadcaster, MVPD?
RegulatesProtectsEnforces
Network
MVPDCable
Satellite
IPTV
Broadcaster
ProgrammerCable
Network
Blame
ATSC Network Certification – Why?
• To allow broadcasters and MVPDs to
– Guarantee what they deliver
– Respond to complaint inquiries
– Not redo work performed by others
• Two step process if you do insert ads
– Get certification on Network
– Or certify it yourself
– Guarantee your ad inserts are compliant
ATSC Network Certification – What?
• Accessible
– Made generally available by Network (web)
– Allows all Broadcaster and MVPDS to access
• Content
– Not regulated – but must convince FCC/MVPDs
– Several approaches
– Legal statement certifiying compliance
– Measurements showing compliance
– Either require backup - Volicon!
PGM1 -23.6 LKFS
COM12 -24.0 LKFS
PGM2 -24.1 LKFS
>..
ATSC Network Certification – Who
• Who is to provide certification?
– Anyone who wants to help their downstream partners
– Practically – (Cable) Networks
RegulatesProtects
Network
MVPDCable
Satellite
IPTV
Broadcaster
ProgrammerCable
Network
Observer Loudness Monitoring
• Loudness measurements -LKFS and LUFS -with gating
• Short (S), Medium (M) and Interval (I) measurements
• Up to 7 Short-form Interval (SI) - e.g 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s
• Up to 7 Long-form Interval (LI) - e.g. 6h, 1d, 5d
• Loudness Range (LRA) to measure audio companding• Loudness Range (LRA) to measure audio companding
• Detailed 10Hz measurements - with Audio & Video
Observer Loudness Monitoring
• Graphing of S, M and I measurements over time
� Multiple channel, multiple meas.
� Graph <=> video time navigation
• Export :
� Logged measurements as csv
� Affidavit - A/V with burned in measurements� Affidavit - A/V with burned in measurements
• Programs Certification Report
� With As-Run-Log Integration
� Loudness of Every Asset
• Alarming (SNMP, email, visual)
� Customizable alarming profiles based on SI and LI measurements
A/V affidavitWith meas Burn-in
export
CSV values report
Observer Loggers with Loudness
• Software module available on
– Observer, Observer TS, RPM
• Observer family of products are loggers at the core
– Records audio, video & loudness measurements continuouslycontinuously
– 3 to 365 days of storage
• Logger + measurement is very powerful
– Speeds troubleshooting, unambiguous affidavit
– Eliminates Network � Station � MVPD back and forth
Loudness logging is not a sea of numbers. It means
recording the audio, video,
and the loudness measurements.
• ATSC A/85 RP
• ITU BS. 1770-1 BS.1770-2
• EBU R128 Tech 3341 Tech 3342
• Tech 3343 Tech 3344
Loudness Detail - specs
BS.1770-1 BS.1770-2
a85 rp 2011
EBU R128 Tech 3341 Tech 3342
• Tech 3343 Tech 3344
• FCC Findings Dec 2011 –
• Cable Labs summary of CALM Act
– For Cable Operators only
17
Tech 3343
FCC Calm Act
11-182A1
Tech 3344
CALM act
summary
Q&A
Please contact us for
additional product information
Andrew Sachs
VP. Product Management
Jennifer Knutel
Sr. Dir of Marketing
For more information please
contact us ([email protected])
+1 781 221 7400
Andrew Sachs
VP. Product Management
Jennifer Knutel
Sr. Dir of Marketing