This Strategic Programme is about audio. It aims to maximise the quality and availabilty of sound production technology.

Context

Audio formats for Radio and Television represent an important technical element in EBU Members’ production and distribution environments. Sound programme material is an integral part of television, radio and internet programme services.

The production of professional audio material is made possible by standards and recommendations, which often are the result of joint development efforts between world-wide audio standards setting bodies. On audio topics the EBU cooperates with, amongst others, the AES, ITU and SMPTE. Cooperation is essential to ensure the widespread availabilty of open systems, to maximise the applicability of future audio formats and to improve the quality of audio services (e.g. loudness and lip-sync management).

Scope

All aspects of audio for broadcasters are considered in this Strategic Programme, from acquisition to programme production and distribution to the public. Audio for television, a medium often thought to be radio's poorer cousin (of course we're biased!) is a thriving part of the work that's done - think lipsync and multichannel audio - and is there such a thing as 3D-Audio?

It mustn't be forgotten that the BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) and the more recent RF64 (64-bit audio file format - just right for those enormous multichannel mixes and archives) are part of the rich heritage of this community - and if such things are to remain relevant to our industry they must be actively developed and nurtured. This is the place to do it!

Much of the work is now conducted on-line through the medium of collaborative workspaces and net meetings, but physical meetings are frequently organised around other important audio events such as the AES engineering meetings and the IBC.