5.1 Multi Channel Audio Contribution and Distribution - Matrix, Watermark or Discrete?
Now that the film industry has refined the concept, it is a simple fact that the Radio Broadcast industry needs to provide 5.1 Multi Channel Audio content.
Radio broadcasters are in a highly pressurised market competing against information and entertainment mediums such as TV, Internet, DVD, MP3 players and iPods. An old two-channel programme is simply not going to meet the demands of their target audience.
It may be argued that a stereo signal is abnormal. Although we have two ears, the brain has the ability to interpolate many signals simultaneously, which then creates a multidimensional image. In comparison, a two-channel signal will be both flat and unnatural.
Digital Radio has made the incremental step of improving quality by increasing audio bandwidth (“crystal clear CD quality”) and adding ancillary services (scrolling text), but this is primarily still focussed on delivering two-channel content. To make a significant step, the next generation of digital radio services needs to offer the Surround Sound experience.
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