continued reliance on SDI, AES and MADI formats, the rack-mountable SAM-Q-SDI audio monitoring unit provides momentary, short-term and integrated loudness measurements, which are displayed on loudness level meters and a numerical read-out. Recognising that broadcasters are increasingly utilising fully networked monitoring infrastructures, the unit also enables the same loudness data to be tracked over an Ethernet network and logged for later reference. This allows the finished project to be checked for compliance and a detailed account of loudness to be maintained. With both linear and streaming services moving towards greater use of surround sound formats, notably Dolby Atmos, the SAM-Q-SDI solution can analyse mono, stereo or surround formats. Indeed, with a total of eight independent loudness
probes, the SAM-Q-SDI can measure and display the performance of, for example, a 5.1 audio mix and a 2.0 downmix simultaneously. Stephen Brownsill, audio product manager at TSL, says the motivating idea behind SAM-Q is the desire to rethink loudness monitoring and make it more suitable for streaming. “The loudness situation in linear TV has definitely improved, but now you have this explosion in non-linear services as well as podcasts,” he explains. “What we wanted to do with SAM-Q was to allow content creators to monitor loudness effectively across a host of service types and applications – from OB trucks and studios to playout and distribution.” SAM-Q-SDI and forthcoming products allow content to be benchmarked to standards such as R 128. And there’s another boost for
flexibility, with the ability to log and view loudness values remotely through open-source software such as Grafana – a feature that is proving especially useful during the pandemic with so many employees working remotely. Since its launch in 2019, the adoption of SAM-Q by broadcasters around the world confirms that TSL Products has fulfilled its desire to create an audio monitoring platform that performs way beyond traditional hardware. With viewer expectations for quality across linear and non- linear services continuing to rise, it ’s also a purchase that could have an increasingly speedy ROI, as broadcasters everywhere look to make loudness monitoring more seamless and stress-free.
SOUND PRESSURE SAM-Q is an
audio monitoring unit that provides integrated loudness measurements
THE LOUDNESS SITUATION IN LINEAR TV HAS DEFINITELY IMPROVED, BUT NOW YOU HAVE THIS EXPLOSION IN NON-LINEAR SERVICES ASWELL AS PODCASTS
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