The Weather Channel (TWC) has purchased a SurroundControl 31960SD surround-sound monitoring controller from RTW to help TWC comply with proposed loudness control legislation and monitor its surround sound signals.
Using the RTW SurroundControl 31960SD the TWC is now fully compliant with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) BS.1770/1771 guidelines for loudness consistency.
The SurroundControl 31960SD controller features a serial digital input, which TWC needed to support its outgoing signals, which are distributed as embedded audio within a serial digital video signal.
The controller also features a Dolby E and Dolby AC-3 decoder, so it can support analysis of Dolby 5.1 surround sound, which TWC is planning to implement shortly.
After having used the SurroundControl 31960SD as a portable testing device in various locations around the TWC facility, TWC staff members installed it permanently in the station’s technical center. Situated in the equipment area of TWC’s transmission chain, which is known as the “last mile” since it’s the last stop for a signal before leaving the facility, the controller verifies and validates the audio component of the signal, ensuring it is always within specification.
The surround-sound monitoring controller features an HD- and SD-capable SDI de-embedded interface as well as analog and digital audio inputs and outputs. The SDI interface can access all 16 (4 x 4) audio channels implemented in SDI streams and use them for both visual display and audio monitoring. All standard and SDI versions are available with a Dolby E and Dolby AC-3 decoder option.
