s the BBC notes on its website, viewers complain about numerous aspects of television programmes – from lighting to factual accuracy – but “one
challenge has been emerging in the form of streaming services. Given that the sector has been developing so quickly, with both established and new content creators entering the fray, the need to maintain consistent loudness levels has become acute. So in August 2020, the EBU published the streaming-specific R128 S2 supplement, which again recommends standardisation on -23 LUFS. With streaming services experiencing across-the-board growth during the pandemic, it has been a timely update. Of course, the crisis has also meant broadcast teams need to enhance their ability to work remotely, or at least reduce the number of people working on-site – and that includes audio and technical teams. It’s this complex set of requirements that led to the development of TSL Products’ SAM-Q audio monitoring platform, which launched at NAB 2019 and is now growing in prominence. MULTI-FACETED MONITORING SAM-Q is a powerful basis from which to tackle loudness in an array of production and post-production environments. With the industry’s
technical area is complained about more than any other: the sound”. Along with audibility and the (over) prominence of background music, sound level problems account for a significant share of viewer complaints. This has been a historically pervasive problem – not only in between programmes, with advertising content often appearing to be intentionally louder, but within programmes as well. It was precisely these concerns that the European Broadcasting Union sought to address with its R 128 loudness recommendation. Introduced in 2012, R 128 applies sound levelling to all stages of the audio broadcast signal – including production, distribution and transmission. With a core recommendation to use an average programme loudness of -23 LUFS, R 128 has been adopted widely by EU countries. But while this aspect of loudness is finally getting under control, a new
New streaming services and demanding delivery standards mean that the time is right for a new approach to loudness monitoring. Enter TSL’s powerful new platform, SAM-Q
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