Fraunhofer IIS welcomes the release and official adoption of the MPEG-H 3D Audio Baseline Profile. The new profile was designed to exactly meet the business and technical needs of the industry.

ERLANGEN, Germany — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 24, 2020 — Tailored to the needs of next generation broadcast, streaming, and high-quality immersive music delivery, the MPEG-H 3D Audio Baseline Profile is the ideal answer to industry demands, providing truly immersive experiences and unmatched advanced next-generation audio features including user interactivity and accessibility. As a subset of the existing MPEG-H 3D Audio Low Complexity Profile, it enables maximum interoperability with existing devices that have implemented that particular profile while at the same time significantly reducing the implementation and testing effort.

Taking the next step to make the new profile easily accessible and facilitate its widespread usage, Fraunhofer IIS as the major contributor to the MPEG-H 3D Audio standard is collaborating with interested industry partners on establishing a licensing program for patents essential to the MPEG-H 3D Audio Baseline Profile.

"The MPEG-H 3D Audio Baseline Profile has been designed by ISO/IEC MPEG to deliver the most convincing immersive and interactive audio consumer experience. By cutting the implementation and testing effort by up to fifty percent, while enabling at the same time support for up to 24 audio objects, the MPEG-H 3D Audio Baseline Profile is exactly meeting the industry requirements. Its streamlined set of tools also allows for an attractive licensing program." says Dr. Bernhard Grill, Director of Fraunhofer IIS.

As a driving force in the development and deployment of the MPEG-H Audio system, Fraunhofer IIS is leading the way to enable rapid adoption of the new profile, by offering a complete set of encoder and decoder software solutions as well as content production tools and extensive technical and creative support to the industry. Consumer products tested under the established MPEG-H trademark program will give end users the confidence that products are interoperable and provide the full benefits of the MPEG-H Audio system.

Further Information

Link to the official MPEG announcement: https://mpeg-standards.com/meetings/mpeg-131/

Link to the MPEG-H Trademark Program website: https://www.mpegh.com

About MPEG-H Audio

MPEG-H Audio, substantially developed by Fraunhofer IIS, is the industry’s most advanced audio system for UHD-TV and streaming. It supports both immersive sound and the ability for users to adjust elements in the audio to their preferences. MPEG-H has been on the air since 2017 on all TV networks in South Korea under the ATSC 3.0 standard. It has also been selected for new broadcast standards to be launched in China and Brazil and is the distribution format of the 360 Reality Audio ecosystem for immersive music streaming services. Fraunhofer offers MPEG-H software implementations for many popular CPU, SoC and DSP platforms. It is widely deployed today in TV sets, premium soundbars and high-end smart speakers.

About Fraunhofer IIS

For over 30 years, the institute’s Audio and Media Technologies division has been shaping the globally deployed standards and technologies in the fields of audio and moving picture production. Starting with the creation of mp3 and continuing with the co-development of AAC and the Digital Cinema Initiative test plan, almost all consumer electronic devices, computers and mobile phones are equipped with systems and technologies from Erlangen today. Meanwhile, a new generation of best-in-class media technologies – such as MPEG-H Audio, xHE-AAC, EVS, LC3/LC3plus, Symphoria, Sonamic and upHear – is elevating the user experience to new heights. Always taking into account the demands of the market, Fraunhofer IIS develops technology that makes memorable moments.

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Mandy Garcia
Head of Marketing Communications
Audio & Media Technologies Division
Fraunhofer IIS
mandy.garcia@iis.fraunhofer.de