Sennheiser has adapted its Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio to accommodate use in live broadcast applications. The announcement means that the technology that has transformed the streaming experience for viewers with stereo devices is now set to make its real-time debut.
While content is increasingly produced in immersive formats, many viewers still only have stereo listening systems at home. Leading streaming providers are already addressing this challenge, offering their members a cinematic listening experience using Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio rendering.
The technology unlocks investments into surround and immersive content for all viewers by translating immersive mixes into an enhanced two-channel experience that works on any stereo device. Since its introduction in 2022, Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio has expanded access to immersive sound. However, this immersive processing was previously unavailable for live events.
‘Today’s large, televised sporting events are increasingly produced in immersive formats, however both distribution pipelines and viewer access to immersive loudspeaker systems have limited its reach into homes – leading to a duplication of efforts between stereo and immersive mixes,’ says Sennheiser Head of Pro Labs, Renato Pellegrini. ‘Now, using our renderer, broadcasters can instead focus on immersive formats and know they can reliably translate those mixes into a far better stereo experience than could be previously achieved.
‘Live broadcasting presents special challenges, and productions must operate with tight precision and coordination. The sound mix must be ready within a few video frames, tools must fit within specific workflows, and gear must be dependable day-in, day-out. When we set out to build the live renderer, this environment was front of mind.’
The first implementation of the Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio live renderer is running on Merging Technologies’ AES67 devices, used in many broadcast environments. The NAB show has been used to show a prototype plug-in for the Anubis interface that extends the device’s already powerful Monitor Mission to include Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio processing.
The live renderer transforms, in real time, standard multichannel surround and immersive formats into two channels of audio that can be delivered anywhere stereo is currently delivered. Patented controls, adapted for use in a broadcast environment, allow fine-tuning of spatialisation to maintain mix integrity and dialogue intelligibility.
