AES Standards News Blog

AES74-2019, "AES standard for audio applications of networks - Requirements for Media Network Directories and Directory Services" was published 0n 2020-02-21.

This document sets forth technical recommendations for media network directories and directory-related services and mechanisms such as network discovery.  It is hoped that this document will inform future industry directory and directory services standards that cover at least the following topics:

1. Registration, query, and administration protocols;

2. Security mechanisms;

3. Directory data model;

4. Query language and related semantics; and

5. Scalability strategies.

This document was developed in the SC-02-12-N task group on AES67 development under the leadership of Jeff Berryman.  The document includes contributions from the OCA Alliance Technical Committee and SMPTE TC34cs.

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AES-X251, a project to analyze the AES74 conformance of current media network directory schemes, has been started.  It will be developed in SC-02-12-N under the direction of chair Jeff Berryman. 

The task group will survey both standards-based and non-standards-based directory/discovery systems and will report a summary of the results.

The report will inform future directory implementations, hopefully rendering them more powerful, versatile, scalable, and easy to use.  This should lead to increased interoperability of media network products in the long run.

The results will be of use to media network designers and users, and media network equipment manufacturers. Draft copies of the report will be circulated to the proponents of the surveyed directory schemes for comment.

Interested parties may join the SC-02-12-N task group and participate remotely via teleconference and receive updates by email.

AES-R19-2019, "AES Standards Report -  AES67 Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS) Summary", was published on 2020-01-27.

An AES67-2018 Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS) documents the capabilities of an AES67 implementation.  A PICS covers all aspects of AES67 standards compliance and runs to some 25 pages.  This report describes a two page summary of the primary options and interoperability points documented in a completed PICS.  Though neither precise nor complete, it is useful as a cover sheet for a published PICS and to help quickly assess interoperability capabilities between implementations. 

This document was developed in the SC-02-12-M task group on AES67 development under the leadership of Kevin Gross.  The members of the writing group that developed this document in draft are: Kevin Gross, Andreas Hildebrand and Nicolas Sturmel.

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IEC 62942, "File format for professional transfer and exchange of digital audio data", was published in December 2019. It is primarily intended for audio applications in professional recording, production, post-production, and archiving.  Edition 1 2019-12 is based on and compatible with AES31-2-2019.  It is also compatible with variant specifications including EBU Tech 3285, ITU-R BR.1352-3-2007, and the Japan Post Production Association's BWF-J.

This document contains the specification of the broadcast audio extension chunk and its use with PCM-coded audio data. Basic information on the RIFF format and how it can be extended to other types of audio data is given in Annex E. Details of the PCM WAVE format are also given in Annex A.  An optional extended format, BWF-E, supports 64-bit addressing to permit file sizes greater than 4 GB.  

This is the result of much effort by the SC-02-08 Working Group on Audio-File Transfer and Eschange, led by chair Mark Yonge.

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The AES Standards Committee has decided to restart its Working Group on Forensic Audio.  The initial project, led by John Hansen of the US NIST OSAC – SPEAKER Committee, is to establish the OSAC SPEAKER “AUDIO COLLECTION GUIDELINES” as a standard.    Now that the Working Group on Forensic Audio has been re-established it may also pursue development of standards in other areas of Forensic Audio.

AES Standards Working Groups meetings are held electronically on a schedule determined by the group and also typically meet physically twice per year at the Society's conventions in the US and Europe. It is also possible to participate in the biannual physical meetings through electronic means.   Much of a groups work is accomplished by email and documents presented to or generated by the group are kept in an online document repository accessible by group members.  There is no fee to be a member of an AES Working Group, nor do you have to be an AES member.

If you would like to participate in, or just monitor progress of, this group please join online or contact the Standards Manager.

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The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has honored AES for “Development of Synchronized multi-channel uncompressed audio transport over IP Networks” in the 71^st annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards.  The 71^st annual Technical & Engineering Emmy Awards will be presented in a special ceremony at the upcoming NAB Show at the Wynn Encore Hotel and Spa on Sunday, April 19th, 2020, in Las Vegas, NV. 

AES67 is an essential protocol that established a standardized language for audio transport, employed every day in the broadcast world and beyond. Its introduction in 2013 fundamentally changed the broadcast audio landscape and paved the way for recent similar developments for video.

The distinction for “Development of Synchronized multi-channel uncompressed audio transport over IP Networks” cites the AES alongside ALC NetworX, Audinate, Kevin Gross, QSC, Telos Alliance and Wheatstone. AES67 compliance allows audio content interoperability between the proprietary IP-based audio networking protocols developed by the Emmy co-winners: RAVENNA, Dante, Q-Sys, Livewire+ and WheatNet-IP. Co-Emmy-winner and AES Fellow Kevin Gross led the AES67 Standards effort as chair of the AES Standards Task Group on AES67 Development and is the chair of the AES Technical Committee on Network Audio Systems. Former AES Standards Manager Mark Yonge, mentored the standard through the development process.  The improvement from audio networking born in the mid-1990s to new IP-based solutions emerged as a simultaneous invention from the honored companies.  While collectively this represented a technical improvement, interoperability was not addressed until the AES initiated the X192 project on audio interoperability.  Steve Church, Rich Zwiebel, Philip Lawo and Andreas Hildebrand, leaders at these companies, understood the potential for an audio networking standard to greatly speed advancement of the technology. 

The Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards are awarded to a living individual, a company, or a scientific or technical organization for developments and/or standardization involved in engineering technologies that either represent so extensive an improvement on existing methods or are so innovative in nature that they materially have affected television. A Committee of highly qualified engineers working in television considers technical developments in the industry and determines which, if any, merit an award.

The Call for Comment on DRAFT AES74-xxxx, "AES standard for audio applications of networks - Requirements for Media Network Directories and Directory Services" was published 2019-12-16.

This document sets forth technical recommendations for media network directories and directory-related services and mechanisms such as network discovery.  It is hoped that this document will inform future industry directory and directory services standards that cover at least the following topics:

1. Registration, query, and administration protocols;

2. Security mechanisms;

3. Directory data model;

4. Query language and related semantics; and

5. Scalability strategies.

This document is a revised version of the draft published for comment on 2019-10-09.

More Information and to download a copy

The AES SC-02-12-R Task group on Streaming audio metadata over IP is seeking input on use cases and user requirements for the AES-X242 project. This project seeks to define a standard IP transport method for audio metadata associated with AES67 networked audio. To validate that the standard currently under development meets requirements for AES67 applications, additional input from end users is desired. All applications of AES67 are in scope for consideration. Areas of consideration include:

• Live Broadcast
• Music Recording and Production
• Film Production
• Live Sound Reinforcement
• Radio
• Audio Streaming
• VR & AR production
• Audio Interconnect and Transport

Specific details of metadata used in these applications is requested, including application description, metadata formats relevant to the application, and bandwidth/timing/latency requirements.

Please submit input by E-mail to the AESSC Secretariat at standards-at-aes.org.  If you would like to join the group membership is open to all interested parties.

AES42-2019, "AES standard for acoustics – Digital interface for microphones", a revised version of AES42-2010 was published on 2019-11-15.

This standard describes an extension to the existing digital audio interface AES3 to provide a digital interface for microphones.  The current revision fixes minor errors in the tables and allows the use of digitally controlled clocks as an alternative to the traditional analog PLL based approach.

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The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved the AES as a Category A liaison organization to the IEC Technical Committee 100.  This replaces the previous multiple Category C liaisons AES Standards held with the IEC, one for each of the standards being developed.   

Category A liaisons are reserved for organizations that make an effective contribution to the work of the IEC technical committee or subcommittee that establishes the liaison. Such organizations are given access to all relevant IEC documentation and are invited to IEC meetings. The AES may now nominate experts to participate in TC100 Working Groups.

Category A liaison organizations must be international or broadly based regional organizations, working or interested in similar or related fields. Technical committees and subcommittees receive the full backing of the organization having liaison status for each document in which it is interested.

The AES Standards Committee is excited about this new, more substantive, relationship with the IEC.  In practical terms it should help speed and smooth the adoption of AES Standards by the IEC.  

The AESSC would like to thank Junichi Yoshio for his kind assistance in shepherding the application through the IEC approval process.