AWS Elemental MediaConvert, the cloud-based video-on-demand (VoD) and audio-only encoding service, now supports xHE-AAC, bringing the most efficient stereo audio encoding standard to content providers worldwide.
AWS Elemental MediaConvert is a file-based video transcoding service that allows content providers to easily create video-on-demand (VoD) content for broadcast, enterprise, and multiscreen delivery at scale. It offers a wide range of codecs, advanced audio features including two-pass encoding, and adaptive bitrate packaging, making it a powerful tool for delivering high-quality media experiences across devices and networks. With the addition of xHE-AAC, users can now encode both AV and audio-only content and deliver superior audio quality across a wide range of bitrates—making it easier than ever to provide adaptive, high-quality audio experiences at scale.
About xHE-AAC
xHE-AAC, the latest generation of the renowned AAC codecs, is the audio codec of choice for AV and audio-only services such as Netflix, Audible, Facebook, and Instagram. The technology was primarily developed by Fraunhofer IIS and is natively supported on the Amazon, Android, Microsoft, and Apple operating systems. On more than 5 billion devices, it enables users to enjoy uninterrupted streaming with all content types. Especially voice-heavy content on podcast, audiobook or video streaming services benefits from xHE-AAC’s built-in speech coding tools. xHE-AAC offers maximum coding efficiency with a usable bit rate range that spans from 12 kbit/s to 320 kbit/s and above for stereo services. Combined with seamless bit rate adaptation using DASH and HLS, this enables operators to stream at lower bit rates with highly stable audio quality and to reduce buffering as well as transmission costs. Additionally, xHE-AAC’s built-in mandatory support for MPEG-D DRC loudness and dynamic range control ensures a great user experience with consistent loudness, eliminating the need of frequent volume riding.
See It at IBC
Amazon will showcase this new capability at their IBC booth (5.C90) as part of the MediaConvert exhibit.