At IBC2009, video delivery specialist Harmonic and German audio specialist Jünger Audio announced plans to bring Jünger’s Level Magic automated audio level control technology to video delivered to Harmonic’s broadcast, cable, satellite and telco customers. The integration of Level Magic with Harmonic’s DiviCom Electra and Ion encoders addresses audio level changes within a channel (during commercial breaks, for example) and when switching from one channel to another.
By using the Level Magic audio technology within the encoder, service providers do not need to invest in a separate chassis for audio leveling and can more easily scale their services. This combined architecture eliminates the need to process audio channels at the baseband level, meeting the needs of the latest IP-centric headends while reducing capital and operational expenditures for operators.
“Jünger Audio sets the quality benchmark in audio leveling technology, and together we are able to more cost-effectively address this very challenging issue for service providers,” said Patrick Waddell, manager of standards and regulations at Harmonic. “By bringing audio leveling directly into the encoder, we are able to offer a unique, high-quality, dense and scalable audio leveling solution to the market.”
Jünger Audio’s Level Magic technology provides audio leveling as content is processed in the Harmonic Ion and Electra encoders, smoothing the differences in digital audio operating points and dynamic range to adjust the accurate audio levels from any source without leaving audible artifacts. Level Magic relies on a sophisticated adaptive-level control algorithm capable of adjusting the right audio level from any source at any time, with no pumping, breathing or distortion. Operators only need to set the desired audio levels for all channels once and then the system takes care of the rest, providing continuous unattended operation.
