Integrating immersive and personalized audio into live broadcast workflows at scale: At the SWR3 ESC Party, German public broadcaster Südwestrundfunk (SWR) conducted a real-world proof of concept to evaluate MPEG-H Audio in a live production environment.
Immersive Audio Production and Personalized Listening Experiences
This milestone marks the first time a complete end-to-end Next Generation Audio (NGA) live streaming service has been tested internally.
The audio production took place in an outside broadcast van at the Schwarzwaldhalle in Karlsruhe, where a pre-show concert was produced in an immersive 5.1+4H audio format. During the subsequent Eurovision Grand Final public viewing, the workflow enabled multiple selectable commentary feeds as well as an audio description service to enhance accessibility. An internal audience of SWR and ARD employees experienced the event via smartphone applications and connected TV devices. Listeners could use headphones featuring binaural rendering or immersive loudspeaker setups, allowing them to easily switch between different audio perspectives, such as a close-to-stage mix with reduced ambient sound or a fan perspective with enhanced crowd ambience.
All audio experiences were powered and delivered using the MPEG-H Audio system, an open ISO/MPEG standard for immersive and personalized audio developed with major contributions from Fraunhofer IIS based in Erlangen, Germany. The production signal from Karlsruhe was transported via a contribution link to SWR’s main broadcast facilities in Stuttgart, where MPEG-H encoding and live streaming were performed.
Demonstrating Readiness for Live Broadcast Workflows
“This proof of concept demonstrates that Next Generation Audio is ready for practical live production workflows,” said Alexander Beer, Sound Engineer at SWR. “We successfully integrated immersive audio, personalization, and accessibility into a real-world broadcast environment without disrupting established production processes.”
“The project provides valuable insights into how these technologies can enhance future live productions and better serve diverse audience needs,” adds Matteo Alessandrini Lupia, Sound Engineer who completed his bachelor’s thesis in the field of NGA at SWR and Project Lead at SWR.
The successful proof of concept highlights the robustness and practical readiness of MPEG-H Audio for live broadcasting. It proves that broadcasters can efficiently deliver immersive audio in formats such as 5.1+4H loudspeaker and binaural formats while enabling personalized listening experiences and advanced accessibility features within a single, efficient end-to-end workflow.
“We are pleased that SWR was able to demonstrate the maturity of MPEG-H Audio in real-world live broadcast environments,” said Yannik Grewe, Senior Manager for Audio Technologies and Business Development at Fraunhofer IIS. “It shows that immersive and personalized audio can be deployed reliably within existing production infrastructures, enabling broadcasters to deliver enhanced audience experiences and improved accessibility through a standardized and interoperable workflow.”
Experience MPEG-H Audio at IBC
Visitors to IBC in Amsterdam can experience MPEG-H Audio firsthand at the Fraunhofer IIS booth in Hall 8, Booth B80. Live demonstrations will showcase how immersive sound, personalization features, and accessibility options can enhance the television viewing experience and support the next generation of broadcast audio.