Linear Acoustic® Redefines Loudness Control at IBC 2011 

Linear Acoustic® is the leading authority in television audio control from production to transmission

Is it possible to control loudness without affecting original content? At IBC 2011, Linear Acoustic® will reverse the primary DTV loudness issue from compliance to audio quality with a groundbreaking technology that changes everything. Also, the award-winning file-based workflow system Linear Acoustic unveiled last year is now perfected and will be fully demonstrated. Many signature products have received enhanced designs and exclusive upgrades, and new streamlined products have been added to Linear Acoustic AERO™ and LQ™ families.

AERO.calm™ Coded Audio/Loudness Manager
The AERO.calm™ Coded Audio/Loudness Manager controls loudness and dynamic range without affecting original content. A hybrid of multiband audio analysis and metadata control, the system passes audio through untouched if compliant or, if necessary, processes the audio in a consumer-reversible manner — permanently for non-critical material, or anywhere in between to allow individual viewers the choice of hearing the full range of the original content if they desire. Versions of AERO.calm are available to handle baseband AES/SDI audio, DVB-ASI, and transport stream over IP.

AERO.file™ File-based Loudness/Audio Manager
AERO.file™ brings proven audio technologies to the file-based domain where they can be even more effective. Advanced RadiantGrid transmuxing and transwrapping enables the audio essence to be extracted from a host of popular file wrappers and then measured, scaled, processed, and re-wrapped in time without disturbing other video or data essences. AERO.file offers standard support for WAV, AIFF, Dolby® Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, MPEG 1 Layer II, MP3, AAC, ACELP, WMA, and AMR. New this year, AERO.file adds Dolby E encoding and decoding and ITU-R BS.1770-2 loudness measurement.

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AERO.air™ Transmission Audio/Loudness Manager
The AERO.air™ continues to solve the newly regulated "commercial loudness problem" and now offers more features in a sleek, smaller, and lighter 2RU chassis. Many optional upgrades on last year's model are now standard features. HD/SD- SDI I/O allows for de-embedding and re-embedding up to 16 channels of audio plus SMPTE 2020 (VANC) metadata. UPMAX-II™ provides a more spacious and stable 5.1 upmix from a stereo source. CrowdControl™ ensures dialogue is preserved even in rich stereo mixes. The new AERO.air retains all the features that have made it the proven choice for DTV audio transmission and loudness management.

AERO.lite™ Transmission Audio/Loudness Manager
AERO.lite™ is the new slimmed-down, stereo-only version of the popular AERO.one™. Designed specifically to give local and regional broadcasters the advantage of Linear Acoustic® loudness control technology, AERO.lite provides legal compliance and the features necessary for smooth audio transmission. AERO.lite is the lowest-priced processor in the Linear Acoustic AERO series of transmission audio/loudness managers.

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LQ-1000™ Loudness Quality Monitor
The LQ-1000™ provides comprehensive loudness and peak level metering of 5.1- surround and/or stereo AES or SDI audio per industry-standard ITU-R BS.1770-2, a crucial requirement for mixing and transmitting in compliance with international standards. New this year is the addition of award-winning Dolby® Dialogue Intelligence for accurate and simple loudness estimation.

Loudness information is presented in a simple, colorful, and easy-to-interpret manner: LKFS current loudness, target loudness, and current true peak level are clearly indicated with both large numbers and a dual "bar graph" display familiar to all. A histogram shows loudness over the duration of the program or segment. Color is used to display the loudness comfort zone: green if in target, blue if too quiet, yellow if getting loud, and red if too loud. VGA output is provided for external displays and multi-viewers, and HD/SD-SDI I/O is standard. Options include internal Dolby E/Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital Plus decoding and dual power supplies.

UPMAX® 5.1 Channel Upmixer
UPMAX® offers a stable and trusted algorithm in a cost- and space-efficient package, perfect for remote OB trucks. Upmixing can be controlled via the front panel, GPI inputs, or metadata from serial or VANC (SDI) sources applied to the unit. A bright LED display, rotary encoder, and four control keys provide straightforward menu navigation and function adjustment. UPMAX also includes a utility encoder that accepts 5.1 channels and produces a two-channel LoRo or LtRt output. This encoder can be independent or it can be fed by the same channels applied to the upmixer. HD/SD-SDI I/O, now a standard feature, allows access to all 16 embedded audio channels.

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