Iain Mott wrote: > These are excellent references, thank you! Curious to know why > ambisonics and uhj encoding ceased to be used in the 90s? I know nothing > about digital radio - but is dolby surround or some other surround > format being used presently in Europe, elsewhere? What is the present > state of play in surround broadcasting?
If what I write below is incorrect then I am sure somebody will correct me. Ambisonics (and UHJ) died in the 1980s. What remains is a few enthusiasts. These include a few radio producers who broadcast programmes in UHJ, but they do so without the support (and often without the knowledge) of their various managements. Dolby MP would be a poor choice for stereo transmission because, unlike UHJ, it is not stereo compatible. Looking at the equipment installed in people's homes then the only surround format that currently has a chance is 5.1. One problem is lack of material. An example of what is possible was the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase, broadcast by BBC Radio 4/Above the Title Productions in 2004. Two mixes were produced: Stereo and 5.1. The stereo mix was broadcast via radio, Internet, and CD. The 5.1 mix was broadcast via Internet and DVD-Video. (I have "The Tertiary Phase" as 5.1 WMA files; if anybody in interested in them contact me off-list. I have never been able to play them.) The present state of play is that no national broadcasting organisation is regularly transmitting in surround. However, a number of music radio stations are currently broadcasting in 5.1. National broadcasting organisations are investigating other surround technologies, such as Ambisonics (BBC) and 22.2 (NHK, BBC). Regards, Martin -- Martin J Leese E-mail: martin.leese stanfordalumni.org Web: http://members.tripod.com/martin_leese/ _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list [email protected] https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
