After the climax in the EBU's Loudness programme with the publication of EBU R 128 in 2010, the PLOUD Group may have seemed quieter, but it certainly hasn't lost it's dynamics, on the contrary. Led by Florian Camerer (ORF), the group has continued its work, focusing especially on answering practical questions from daily operation and on loudness aspects in related fields, such as radio production.
The EBU's work has had a global impact. Recent adopters of R 128 include broadcasters in South Africa, as was illustrated during IBC. At the annual EBU-sponsored Loudness Breakfast, Duncan Todd (Asikhule Training) explained how the different players in the industry have joined forces to improve audio quality and provide a smooth transition to Loudness normalisation.
Next on the PLOUD agenda is the publication of fresh, concise advice on the handling of short-form broadcast content, such as commercials, which is foreseen for later this year.