Ten years ago, The International Telecommmunication Union, ITU, launched a research project that eventually became recommendation BS.1770. The worthy goal of this project was to change the focus of the broadcast industry away from sample peak and quasi-peak level to program loudness, thereby not automatically having commercials, promos and pop music louder than other programming. Having studied the same phenomena for years, TC Electronic decided early on to contribute to the diversified group of ITU researchers.
One of the reasons why BS.1770 today represents such a big leap forward for
the entire audio industry is because of the dedication and amount of expertise
that research institutes, broadcasters and companies brought into the process:
CRC, IRT, USC, McGill University, numerous broadcasters, drive and film experience
from Dolby Labs, research and music/post experience from TC Electronic...
Once the relatively simple, yet accurate loudness model found by CRC had been independently verified through a number of tests, the search began for a complementary and up-to-date measurement of peak level. To this end, the Audio Engineering Society lent a helping hand. Consequently, our industry now holds a vastly improved and standardized way of measuring peak level in the digital domain.
BS.1770 has recently been put to practical use in different recommended guidelines by BCAP, ATSC, EBU, as well as Japanese and Australian broadcasters. In particular, EBU's Expert Community on Audio, ECA, and its PLOUD group has put great effort into standardizing important features of loudness measurement and normalization, building on top of BS.1770, thereby specifying truly cross-genre, cross-platform solutions based entirely on open standards, the EBU R128.
A measurement standard with improved transparency and quality has finally arrived for the benefit of all music lovers, cinema-goers and TV listeners. TC Electronic is proud to have contributed with research, verification, true-peak techniques and new tools and descriptors to unleash the full potential of this global standard.
Loudness GlossaryYour shortcut to the new terms
EBU 10 things you need to know about Loudness
