Linear Acoustic will provide its upmixers to NBC Sports during the network’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The equipment is being used to facilitate NBC Olympics’ offering of its Olympic programming in HD with 5.1 audio. When content can't be broadcast live and is recorded or edited through a system without enough channels for true multichannel audio, the Linear Acoustic UPMAX:neo will provide the upmixing capability to enable the network to maintain the 5.1 audio mix.
The UPMAX:neo system will be used at virtually every Olympics venue involved in live broadcasting and at the NBC Olympics broadcast center in audio control rooms, edit rooms and in the quality control area for signal monitoring. More than 30 UPMAX:neo units will be installed and allow audio engineers to analyze the quality of incoming stereo feeds, whether for stereo broadcasts or for upmixing to 5.1 audio. The systems will also be used to downmix audio, yielding stereo sound comparable to the stereo audio originally fed into the system.
Bob Dixon, director of sound design, NBC Olympics, said the equipment is necessary because if they were to shift between 5.1 and stereo audio during the live broadcasts, viewers would notice a difference as the audio mix collapsed to their front speakers. “By providing very good 5.1 sound quality, the Linear Acoustic UPMAX:neo upmixer will allow us to incorporate prerecorded or edited stereo content into our broadcasts without interrupting the continuity of the viewing experience. For those listening in stereo, the UPMAX:neo ensures that downmixed audio also sounds its best.”
The UPMAX:neo features special audio processing algorithms along with a broadcast version of the DTS Neo:6 algorithm. DTS Neo:6 expands the palate of upmixing choices and allows the creation of a natural surround sound field with precise localization of sound elements.
For more information, visit www.linearacoustic.com.
