Platform Independent Audio

This chapter defines problem space from an audio perspective reviewing some of the current challenges faced in channel‐based audio broadcast. The first section introduces some of the drivers for change in the broadcast environment, followed by explanation of the terms and definitions used in the chapter. The third section identifies the problems of representing an acoustic scene in TV broadcast. Issues around the make‐up and representation of an acoustic scene are discussed in the fourth section. The fifth section illustrates some of the important acquisition techniques that are used for the recording of a scene for format‐agnostic broadcast/rendering. Format‐agnostic reproduction is described in the sixth section using example scenarios including for mobile, interactive and large‐screen reproduction. Finally, the seventh section reviews some existing systems found in both the commercial and research spheres that implement the principles of a platform independent approach to audio.