Orban Announces Free Software Upgrades for Optimod 6300 and Optimod-PC 1101
December 15th, 2009 — Orban, a worldwide leader in audio processing for TV, radio, and internet broadcasting, has announced major software upgrades for its Optimod 6300 multipurpose audio processor and its Optimod-PC 1101 audio processor on a PCI or PCIe card. These upgrades are free to all users and are available via download from ftp.orban.com. They update the processing so that it is equivalent to the 2.0-channel processing chain in Orban's Optimod-Surround 8585 and make the processors ideal for processing ATSC subchannels that have stereo or mono audio.
The upgrades add a CBS Loudness Meter using the 1981 Jones and Torick algorithm developed at CBS Technology Center. This meter, which indicates subjective loudness, complements the processors' CBS Loudness Controllers. There is one meter for stereo operation (which indicates the loudness of the stereo sound field) and two meters for dual mono operation. Additionally, the upgrades add support for Dolby Digital transmission channels by supporting Dialnorm metadata. Using a new Dialnorm Level control, the user can tell the processor what value of Dialnorm is being transmitted to the consumer via a global setting that applies to all presets or via a local setting in a preset that overrides the global setting. If the user connects one of the processor's digital outputs to the input of a Dolby® Digital encoder, assigns that output to be the "Dialnorm Reference Output," and uses a "TVxxxx" preset, the transmission will automatically have the correct loudness with respect to other properly set up Dolby Digital transmission channels. Moreover, the CBS Loudness Meter will be calibrated so that material having the correct loudness peaks at "0" on the meter, which makes customizing presets almost foolproof because the meter can be as a loudness reference while a custom preset is being developed.
The upgrades improve the operation of the processors' CBS Loudness Controllers by adding Loudness Attack and Loudness Bass Coupling controls. The Loudness Bass Coupling control sets the maximum permitted gain reduction difference between material above and below 200 Hz. The Loudness Attack control determines how much short-term loudness control (which affects materials like gunshots) is applied to the audio. While this material can help increase the dramatic impact of program material, it can disturb neighbors and family members. The Loudness Attack control allows broadcasters to choose this tradeoff according to the needs of their target audiences.
The upgrades add a new set of "TVA" factory presets. These presets allow the 6300 to process for an analog TV aural channel using 50µs or 75µs preemphasis with loudness comparable to that produced by an Optimod-TV (like the 8282 or 8382) designed for analog television transmission. This allows a user to purchase a processor for analog television with the knowledge that the processor will not become obsolete but will instead provide optimal processing for digital transmission in the future.
For more information contact David Rusch at phone +1 (480) 403-8300, fax +1 (480) 403-8301 or e-mail: dru...@orban.com. Information is also available at www.orban.com and www.orban-europe.com.