MPEG-H Audio: The future of 3D audio entertainment

The audio world is rapidly evolving, and in the midst of this evolution, MPEG-H sound is the keyword you shouldn’t lose sight of. This blog post will guide you through the world of this audio system and why it represents the future of 3D audio entertainment.

What is MPEG H 3D Audio?

First, let’s clarify what exactly MPEG-H Audio is.

This innovative audio standard is based on the MPEG-H 3D Audio standard from ISO/IEC MPEG. “MPEG” stands for the Moving Picture Experts Group, a subgroup of the globally recognized standardization organization ISO. It is responsible for an impressive list of media standards, including well-known formats such as MP3, MPEG-4 and AVC/H.264.

You may know H.265 as high efficiency video coding.

MPEG-H Audio gives sound enthusiasts access to first-class 3D sound and a wide range of advanced features. The ISO standard ensures that audio technologies are developed at an international level to prevent fragmentation of technologies and developments, enriching future listening experiences on both speakers and even headphones.

MPEG-H 3D Audio naturally includes 3D sound and also a special function, namely audio objects.

Immersive sound: The revolution that takes your audio system to a new level

The world of 3D sound or immersive audio is undoubtedly a revolution in audio enjoyment, catapulting our listening experience to unprecedented heights – with the height component. This impressive audio standard has profoundly changed the way we perceive sound.

It goes far beyond the conventional stereo experience. In this exciting world of 3D audio, a variety of codecs, formats, technologies and software solutions are available to enable artists, sound engineers and audio enthusiasts to experience sound in a whole new dimension. This solution makes nuanced creative and artistic intent possible.

But the 3D audio revolution is not limited to the technical side. It also opens up new creative territory, with a wide range of design possibilities and enhanced playback systems. Sound engineers can now place sound objects precisely in space to create an immersive listening experience.

This means that you can find yourself in the middle of the action of a concert, movie or game and perceive sounds from different directions. This creative freedom allows artists to tell stories in a completely new way and involve the audience even more deeply in the action.

Whether you’re a music lover, a movie fan or a gamer, 3D audio promises an unprecedented experience that puts you right in the center of the action. It’s an exciting time to be immersed in the world of 3D audio, as new innovations and possibilities are constantly emerging to take the listening experience to a whole new level.

MPEG-H Audio and Next Generation Audio (NGA): The future of audio objects

If you’re wondering how MPEG-H Audio fits into the exciting world of Next Generation Audio (NGA), you’ll be pleased to learn that it plays a central role. The basis of 3D audio playback formats such as MPEG-H Audio and “Dolby Atmos” play and have the leading position in the NGA movement. But before we dive deeper, let’s clarify what NGA actually means.

The world of audio objects

Next Generation Audio opens up a whole new dimension of audio content. It enables unrivaled flexibility in the production and distribution of such content. A key aspect of NGA is the ability to create, transmit and play audio content in different ways.

You can opt for traditional audio channels (e.g. stereo, 5.1 surround), use scene-based approaches (e.g. ambisonics) or opt for object-based audio (objects). Object-based audio involves individual sound elements that can be arranged horizontally and vertically, with position-related metadata playing an important role in audio descriptions.

During playback, these audio objects can be flexibly adapted to the respective playback system.

There are therefore a number tv sets of speaker and audio presets used during rendering, which are used during speaker setup based on the audio metadata. We will come to the various features such as commentaries and program dialogues later. However, you will look in vain for these in 4K YouTube videos. But what are the details for the sound or misplaced speakers?

MPEG-H 3d in the world of television

What makes MPEG-H Audio really fascinating is its broad integration into various television standards around the world.

Examples: South Korean TV and Brazilian TV

In particular, ATSC, DVB, TTA (Korean television) and SBTVD (Brazilian television) are three standards that should be mentioned. These standards are part of modern television entertainment, and the integration of MPEG-H Audio into these platforms represents a significant milestone.

Moreover, the adoption of MPEG-H Audio is not confined to South Korea and Brazil alone. It has also garnered interest and usage in other regions, showcasing its universal delivery and appeal. Whether it’s South Korean terrestrial UHD TV service or the advancements in Brazilian TV broadcasting, MPEG-H Audio is reshaping the audio experiences of viewers worldwide.

Furthermore, with the emergence of streaming providers and the demand for high-quality audio experiences, the incorporation of MPEG-H Audio into streaming services is becoming increasingly prevalent. This integration ensures that viewers can enjoy immersive sound, whether they’re watching traditional broadcasts or streaming their favorite content online.

But it is not only in South Korea that MPEG-H Audio has gained a foothold. In Brazil, this audio standard has already made a lasting impression. Here, it has revolutionized terrestrial HD TV services by bringing personalized and immersive sound directly into viewers’ homes and living rooms.

A significant milestone in Brazil was the first broadcast of TV programs with MPEG-H Audio via ISDB-Tb in September 2019. MPEG-H Audio has been used in regular broadcasts in Brazil since November 2021. This success story underlines the fact that MPEG-H Audio is not only a promising technology, but is already changing the way we experience television.

The worldwide acceptance of MPEG-H Audio in various television standards demonstrates its versatility and relevance in today’s entertainment landscape. This integration allows viewers to enjoy an unprecedented audio experience and makes MPEG-H Audio an important part of our future viewing experience.

It’s exciting to see how this audio standard will push the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of television while paving the way for even more impressive audio innovations.

MPEG-H audio standard in streaming

The MPEG-H standard was developed not only to enhance the audio experience in traditional radio and television broadcasts, but also with a clear focus on integration into streaming applications. This focus on streaming has paved the way for groundbreaking developments in the field of digital audio entertainment to transmit immersive sound.

A notable example of the successful implementation of MPEG-H Audio is Sony’s revolutionary “360 Reality Audio” music format. This impressive audio format is based on the foundations of MPEG-H Audio and has fundamentally changed the way music is presented via streaming platforms.

In addition to Sony’s initiatives, other streaming providers are also embracing MPEG-H Audio to provide their users with custom entertainment experiences. From personalized playlists on Amazon Music HD to immersive soundscapes on gaming headsets, MPEG-H Audio is expanding its reach across various streaming platforms.

360 Reality Audio offers listeners an immersive surround sound experience, giving them the feeling of being surrounded by the music. It enables a precise arrangement of audio objects in space, resulting in an intense and dynamic listening experience.

This example clearly shows that MPEG-H has already taken an important place in the world of streaming and plays a crucial role in various entertainment applications. It opens up exciting possibilities for artists, producers and listeners alike and underlines the forward-looking nature of this audio standard.

With MPEG-H Audio, streaming music, movies and other content becomes an immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of traditional audio enjoyment.

The future MPEG H Audio opens

MPEG-H Audio is not only a current standard, but also the future of audio enjoyment atsc 3.0. It has been selected as the only mandatory audio system for Brazil’s next-generation TV 3.0 transmission service, which is expected to launch in 2024. It will also be introduced in a new transmission standard in China.

What makes MPEG-H Audio special is its NGA features. It supports immersive audio, including channel-based, object-based and scene-based transmission and combinations thereof. It also enables interactivity and personalization of sound sources and ensures that produced audiomix content can be delivered flexibly and universally.

MPEG-H Audio: FAQ

MPEG-H: The technology for all end devices

MPEG-H Audio is characterized by its remarkable compatibility with a wide range of devices. Whether on a smartphone, home theater or other device, MPEG-H Audio offers a rich and spatial sound that takes the listening experience to a new level. Additionally, it supports open production formats and enables more personalized audio listening experiences through interactivity.

Audio description is something else.

The audio revolution: 3D sound and music streaming

The audio industry is experiencing a revolution with MPEG-H Audio, especially in the area of 3D sound. This open audio standard is reshaping the future of music streaming. By integrating MPEG-H Audio, audio data can be transmitted in high quality, creating an immersive music experience for the listener. Perfect for use with any speakers or a soundbar with any speaker configuration.

Comparison with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus (DD+)

It is important to understand the similarities and differences between formats such as MPEG-H Audio and other audio formats such as Dolby Atmos. Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) is an example of an internet-enabled audio format.

This comparison with Dolby Laboratories vs Fraunhofer IIS helps to identify a wider range of the strengths and uniqueness of MPEG-H Audio and to recognize it in the end device.

Standardization and testing

The standardization backward compatibility of audio formats is a crucial step in the development of audio technologies. MPEG-H Audio has played an important role in this process and has been standardized in various countries and regions. To ensure that the quality and performance of MPEG-H Audio are at the highest level, extensive testing is carried out.

MHAPI – MPEG h 3d audio production

The MPEG-H Authoring Suite (MAS) 5.0

An outstanding feature of the MPEG-H Audio System from Fraunhofer IIS is its unique personalization function with the Author Tool. It allows the creation of fully customizable dialog separation, individual and customizable audio description, support for multiple languages and even the interactive positioning of objects dialog bitstream tracks.

All independent of the subsequent speaker configurations of the devices at the end of the chain. This allows users to customize their experience according to their individual preferences and requirements.

MPEG-H Audio offers these unprecedented customization options as well as an enveloping, immersive sound experience on any playback device, from home theaters to 3D soundbars and mobile devices.

The latest version of the MPEG-H Authoring Suite, lautat MAS 5.0, simplifies and accelerates the production of MPEG-H masters. It now covers the entire production, delivery and playback chain of the MPEG-H Audio System and includes an updated version of the MPEG-H Info Tool, the MPEG-H Encoding, Decoder and Muxing Tool and the brand new MPEG-H VVPlayer.

The New Tools

Three new additions to the existing tool collection ensure that you can now analyze and playback MPEG-H audio content:

• MPEG-H VVPlayer (MHVP): play the encoded MPEG-H mp4 files with or without video.
• MPEG-H Encoding and Muxing Tool (MHEX): Encode your MPEG-H master file and optionally combine it with a pre-encoded video stream.
• MPEG-H Info Tool (MHIT): Analyze an MPEG-H master file to get an overview of all file-related and metadata-related information.

The essentials

The complete set contains all the necessary tools and components to create MPEG-H audio content. Use the authoring options to add metadata to your audio files and convert various file formats to MPEG-H Audio.

• MPEG-H Authoring Plug-in (MHAPi): Create object or channel-based MPEG-H Audio productions.
• MPEG-H Authoring Tool (MHAT): Create MPEG-H metadata for existing audio material without the need for a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).
• MPEG-H Conversion Tool (MCO): Convert MPEG-H compatible content masters between different file formats.
• MPEG-H Production Format Player (MPF): Check the quality of files containing video and associated MPF audio as well as BWF/ADM files.

The MPEG-H Authoring Suite provides comprehensive tools for creating and processing MPEG-H audio content, allowing users to experience customized and immersive sound that meets their needs.

Here are the links to the download: https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/ff/amm/dl/software/mas.html and the support for ProTools: https://www.avid.com/de/resource-center/mpeg-h-audio system

Conclusion

To summarize, MPEG-H Audio is undoubtedly an extremely exciting standard for an audio system that turns the entire world of audio enjoyment on its head. With its impressive ability to enable 3D sound, it opens up completely new dimensions to the listening experience. Whether you’re enjoying music, movies, games or TV, MPEG-H Audio sets a new benchmark for sound quality and realism.

But it goes even further. This innovative standard also brings interactivity and personalization, so you can tailor your audio experience to perfectly match your preferences. You have control over the sound, direction and intensity, allowing for a customized listening experience, an audio system that is perfectly tailored to you.

The future of MPEG-H Audio promises even more exciting developments and applications. We will witness further innovations and technologies that will further enhance this already impressive audio standard. So stay tuned for more information and developments in the field of MPEG-H Audio, because this journey into the world of advanced audio enjoyment is far from over.