See, hear, feel: How Dolby and Channel One put millions of Russians centre stage at top events

Transcription

1 See, hear, feel: How Dolby and Channel One put millions of Russians centre stage at top events Modern technologies are transforming the traditional format of content consumption: today s viewers don t just want to watch their favourite TV shows, movies, and sports, but be part of the on-screen action. To win audience loyalty and attention, broadcasters are actively working to make TV more engaging, including through immersive sound and ultra-high definition. Thanks to its innovative scientific and engineering developments, Dolby gives viewers an unforgettable visual and sonic experience. Dolby, the leading company in audio and video technology, has been creating innovative solutions for over 50 years, helping people to see, hear, and feel the extraordinary. Thanks to its innovative scientific and engineering developments, Dolby gives viewers an unforgettable visual and sonic experience. One of the pioneers in bringing Dolby technologies to Russian audiences was Channel One, the most popular Russian-language TV channel in the world. Dolby and Channel One s collaboration began in 2010 with a joint effort to regulate the loudness of broadcast programs and commercials. Dolby engineers played an active role in developing sound channels to integrate 5.1 surround sound and implement Dolby E, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Digital Plus technologies. They also conducted regular training of Channel One staff. As part of the training process, Channel One employees were given a chance to draw from

2 Broadcasters need to catch the wave and make people feel involved without leaving their front room... Alexei Ugrinovich, General Director of Dolby in Russia and the CIS the experience of high-profile sound engineers, including Mick Dwyer, Dolby s senior engineer for broadcast systems, thus laying the foundations for further fruitful and long-term cooperation. Back in February 2014, Channel One held the first live broadcast in Russia with 5.1 surround sound: viewers were treated to the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi as if they were right there in the thick of it. Dolby experts worked alongside the Channel One team at all stages in preparation for the event. They helped set up signal transmission paths, were present during live broadcasting, and advised on the regulation and transmission of TV programmes. All this enabled Channel One to deliver a wholly new level of sound quality during live broadcasts, says Dmitry Volkov, Head of Technical Development at Channel One. After the successful test and launch of live broadcasting with 5.1 sound, Channel One continued the high-quality sound sportsfest. In May 2014, several World Hockey Championship matches were shown in 5.1 format, as were all matches in Rio De Janeiro from the global football tournament the following month. 2 Given that stadiums can t accommodate everyone, sports broadcasts are becoming more important. Broadcasters need to catch the wave and make people feel involved without leaving their front room. Thanks to Dolby technologies, Channel One was able not only to show events in pixel-perfect detail, but also to convey all the sporting drama and spectacle, including the atmosphere in the stands, says Alexei Ugrinovich, General Director of Dolby in Russia and the CIS. One year after broadcasting the matches, Channel One expanded the scope of 5.1: for the first time ever, viewers could enjoy the May 9 Victory Parade with Dolby technologies. This was effectively the first Russian broadcast with 5.1 sound with the full production from scratch cycle, where the original sound mix was created by Channel One and Dolby engineers. Dolby experts worked alongside the Channel One team at all stages in preparation for the event. This enabled Channel One to deliver a wholly new level of sound quality during live broadcasts. 3

3 The next step in the introduction of Dolby technologies was the airing of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. 5.1 surround sound transported Channel One viewers to the Vienna Concert Hall, where they could enjoy performances by top musicians from around the world. Alongside this, more feature films began to be produced with a 5.1 soundtrack and started hitting the Channel One small screen in By 2016, Channel One was already using 5.1 sound in one of Russia s most popular TV shows, the ice-skating bonanza Ice Age. This was the station s first in-house production in 5.1 sound format. To convey the atmosphere of the ice show in the tiniest detail, sound engineers installed additional surround sound microphones and embedded microphones in the ice. Dolby and Channel One s partnership reached a crescendo at the year s most significant sporting event this summer in Russia. Football matches aired by Channel One with Dolby Atmos were enjoyed by millions of viewers worldwide. Thanks to the rich, immersive sound of Dolby Atmos, owners of devices with support for the technology could enter the stadium without leaving home. Thanks to the rich, immersive sound of Dolby Atmos, owners of devices with support for the technology could enter the stadium without leaving home. Channel One s football coverage with Dolby Atmos sound could be seen in all environments: in 4K ultra-high definition format on leading satellite and cable networks and through terrestrial networks via a transmitter installed in the Ostankino TV tower. Matches were also available for viewing via the Smart TV app for TVs in 4K ultra-high definition format with HDR, as well as on Channel One s official website and its exclusive mobile app. olby and Channel One s partnership reached a crescendo at the D year s most significant sporting event this summer in Russia. 4 5

4 Dolby Atmos WorldCup FIFA-2018 Moscow AUDIO MIX Dolby Atmos DP-591 4x 3G SDI (HDR) PCM x 3G SDI (HDR) AWS Elemental Live UHD HDR OTT 4x3G SDI (HDR) From IBC From a technical viewpoint, the work process was structured as follows: a special control room was used for controlling and mixing, and for working with immersive sound additional acoustic systems were installed to control the ceiling channels. Channel One received from HBS the original signal in 4K with HDR, with a clean sound program in format. Then a sound engineer added Russian commentary to this program, which formed the final sound stream with Russian commentary, as well as stereo-downmix formed from Dolby Atmos. The Dolby Atmos sound was encoded in Dolby Digital Plus JOC. 4K video with HDR and Dolby Atmos sound was provided for smart platforms. For traditional broadcasting, 4K video with HDR was converted to 4K with SDR and Dolby Atmos sound and transmitted by satellite, cable and terrestrial operators. The program was transmitted in HD with stereo sound through the Channel One mobile app. 6 SATELLITE HDR to SDR Conversion Audio Console STUDER 4x 3G SDI (SDR) PCM Dolby Atmos DP-591 4x 3G SDI (SDR) ATEME UHD SDR DVB-T2 CABLE SATELLITE 5.1 HD SDI PCM 5.1 Dolby Digital Dolby Digital+ s HD SDI Dolby Digital+ Dolby Digital Russian Guide OTT Mobile Smartphone Commentary CABLE Network Switch Monitoring Audio Studer modular MADI Coax MADI Dolby DP-590 Dolby DP-580 7

5 Dolby creates cutting-edge solutions that let broadcasters move with the times and treat viewers to an unforgettable interactive experience. It was an interesting and successful experiment that worked out great. Channel One experts and Dolby sound engineers gained tremendous experience and invaluable knowledge from working together. We created a major ground-breaking project that will rightly go down in Russian TV history, says Dmitry Volkov. We created a major ground-breaking project that will rightly go down in Russian TV history... Alexei Ugrinovich adds: From an engineering perspective, the work was absorbing. I d compare us to the explorers of old who discovered new lands. In less than six months, we implemented a global project from scratch and gave fans the chance to truly immerse themselves in the event. There was no need for them to buy tickets, but simply tune into Channel One s broadcast with Dolby Atmos. Speaking about the prospects for further cooperation, Dmitry Volkov notes that Channel One and Dolby have many potential joint projects in the pipeline: Today s world is governed by progress, and I m sure that the future of live broadcasting is inextricably linked with immersive sound and ultra high definition picture quality. Dolby creates cutting-edge solutions that let broadcasters move with the times and treat viewers to an unforgettable interactive experience. Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-d symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.