AES Standards News Blog

AES Standards project AES-X196, Revision of AES3 to use high sampling rates to carry multi-channel audio, has been initiated and will be developed in the SC-02-02 Working Group on Digital Input/Output Interfacing.

An AES3 interface running at 192kHz could be adapted to carry 8 channels of linear audio sampled at 48kHz.  The scope of this project is to formalise the use of the interface in this way, and to specify a means of signalling the use of an AES3 interface in this way to cover various use cases such as asynchronous switching, behaviour of existing devices, equipment not designed for this mode, and so on. Operational guidance may also be developed, if necessary.

Multichannel audio, whether planar surround (5.1), or periphony, or simply multi-language commentary & effects, is necessary in everyday broadcasting.  Much infrastructure now using multiple AES3 interfaces could carry this as a single AES3 stream, thus simplifying interconnections, and reducing cost.

This project wil benefit broadcast equipment developers, installers and users; and other users of multichannel audio.

http://www.aes.org/standards/meetings/new-projects.cfm