The experimental DTT channels used by TDF for its UHD innovations now offer content in Dolby AC-4 audio format. Created by Dolby Laboratories, it now perfectly meets the sound quality targets expected of UHD.
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB), a leader in immersive entertainment technologies, and TDF, a neutral and open infrastructure operator, announce the launch of an experimental broadcast of Digital Terrestrial Television in UHD (Ultra High Definition), on multiplexes covering the Paris, Nantes and Toulouse conurbations. Viewers with recent TV sets* can take full advantage of the UHD and Dolby AC-4 experiment on DTT channels 81, 82 and 83. To take advantage of this service, users will need to perform an automatic or manual channel scan on their TV sets.
In addition to the superior picture quality and definition already tested by TDF on these three test channels over the past few years, the integration of Dolby AC-4 audio format means that several different audio formats can be carried in the same stream, in different configurations (stereo, 5.1, immersive audio, i.e. the possibility of selecting a sound object to listen to, or choosing the language, for example). The aim of this broadcast is to test DTT signals representative of those that will be broadcast at the launch of UHD, with different configurations of audio services and their combined sequencing. All these features are possible because the more efficient Dolby AC-4 format opens up a wide range of technical possibilities.
These tests, combined with a dynamic changeover between UHD and HD video formats in real-life conditions, will enable us to refine specifications and signage for the official launch of UHD DTT.
This project confirms that the migration to UHD is well underway. It contributes to the modernization of DTT as called for by the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) in its roadmap, and supported by TDF and the entire industry. Manufacturers and viewers are also following suit, since in 2019, 7.1 million UHD TV sets were sold in France, and UHD represented almost 90% of TV sets larger than 43" (the latter covering more than 60% of the market).
These figures confirm the ever-growing popularity of high-quality audio and video programs. A craze boosted by the periods of confinement experienced by millions of people around the world in recent months, encouraging the consumption of multimedia and TV content at home.
"This experimental phase allows us to give viewers a glimpse of what tomorrow's television will be like, with picture and sound quality unrivalled until now," explains Anaïs Libolt, Head of Broadcast & Home Entertainment at Dolby France. "Sound is an essential component of the entertainment experience for TV viewers. Thanks to this partnership, when audiovisual content is encoded in Dolby AC-4, the TV set will be able to reproduce it to the maximum of its capabilities, and it will also be possible to trigger an improvement in dialogue intelligibility. This step foreshadows what audio quality will be like on our TV sets in the near future."
Franck Langrand, Managing Director of TDF's Audiovisual BU, comments: "As our teams continue to experiment, I'm delighted with the collaboration with Dolby, which marks a major step forward for the arrival of UHD on DTT. In terms of sound quality, we are achieving the desired level, which will be available to the general public by 2024. These phases of innovation are essential to the modernization of Digital Terrestrial Television, unanimously acclaimed by the ecosystem. Every day, the DTT platform proves that it is indispensable for the French.
The programs currently broadcast on these channels are :
- (Ch. 81) The Explorers trailer in UHD HDR 10 with Dolby AC-4 encoded stereo audio.
- (Ch. 82) A succession of video sequences:
o on the town of Dinard in HDR10 in UHD or HD formats with immersive Dolby Atmos audio encoded in Dolby AC-4 in two languages, French and English;
o on the city of Paris in HDR10 in UHD or HD formats with Dolby AC-4 stereo encoded stereo audio.
- (Ch. 83) Film Aphorism in 1080p HDR10 with immersive Dolby Atmos audio encoded in Dolby AC-4 in two languages, French and German.
*TVs with DVB-T2 reception, Ultra HD resolution, HDR10 and Dolby AC4 compatibility (with/without Dolby Atmos).