127th AES Convention Expands Broadcast/Media Streaming Event Horizons

NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Returning for his 21^st consecutive year as AES Convention Broadcast & Streaming Sessions Chair, David Bialik continues his quest for ground-breaking programming concepts. Sessions on Audio Processing for Internet Streaming Innovations in Digital Broadcasting and Signal Management for Digital TV will be augmented by an assemblage of events also covering such enduring issues as Listener Fatigue, Lip Sync and Loudness. In another departure from tradition, the popular Considerations for Facility Design panel will convene as a two-hour Facility Design: A Case Study. In keeping with the increased attention to the Broadcast Community, the AES has named Peabody Award-winning radio host William "Bill" McGlaughlin keynote speaker for the 127^th Convention.

Broadcast Event highlights include:

Stream Playback and Distribution: Encoding and stream delivery are key factors affecting a broadcaster's distribution strategy. Today, all "connected" devices from internet radios to mobile phones to IP-enabled televisions/set-top-boxes to MOBLIN-powered Mobile Internet Devices are potential "radios." Raymond Archie, Director of Streaming Operation for CBS Radio will chair an expert panel including Intel Ecosystem Digital Home Group Manager Majd Naciri; Reciva Internet Radio CEO Ben Terrell; vTuner CEO Harry Johnson; Stream The World CTO Jean-Francois Gadoury; and others TBA. The discussion will encompass the strategies and complexities related to this fast-changing landscape.

The Lip Sync Issue: Panelists Aldo Cugnini of AGC Systems; Graham Jones, NAB director of Communications Engineering, Science & Technology; Steve Lyman, Dolby Laboratories; and Moderator Jonathan Abrams of Nutmeg Post will discuss key issues affecting the industry. These include: Clarifying the lip sync perspectives of the NAB and SMPTE; Determining where latency issues exist; Considering recommendations from the ITU and ATSC; Exploring existing correction techniques; Addressing the video display design affect on lip sync; and examining mechanisms for ensuring lip sync is maintained when the signal reaches the home TV.

Audio For Newsgathering: Working representatives from this elite, unique and occasionally dangerous branch of the audio world are encountering a constantly expanding universe of options for gathering and broadcasting news: From EV-DO to BGAN, AMR-WB to HE-AAC, CF to SDHC, this session will move beyond the acronyms to investigate current and emerging options for audio field recording and "backhaul." The panel TBA, will be chaired by respected industry journalist Skip Pizzi.

Facility Design: A Case Study: A team of creative design and system integration specialists will scope out a hypothetical media environment. The myriad of variables in site selection, planning, construction, systems integration, acoustics, HVAC, furniture & equipment selection and aesthetics will be considered. While the options may seem limitless, the panel's collaborative process in addressing this open-ended fantasy is guaranteed to produce an abundance of surprising recommendations and conclusions. Among the participants in this two-hour Panel (TBC) are: John Storyk, co-principal, Walters-Storyk Design Group; independent NY-based HVAC expert Marcy Ramos; Judy Elliott-Brown, systems integration specialist with NY's Connectivity Inc.; leading contractor Chris Harmaty of NY's Technical Structures; Dirk Noy, WSDG partner/GM Europe office; and David Atkins, chairman Argosy Studio & Technical Furniture.

Additional Broadcast Panels Include:

• Significant Technical Contributions of RCA Corporation (joint Historical event)
• Loudness and Audio Processing for Broadcast
• Listener Fatigue & Longevity
• Signal Management for Digital Television
• Digital IP Audio Networking: Part 1: In The Studio, Part 2: Out of The Studio

"David Bialik has distinguished AES Conventions with a constantly evolving progression of panels that has drawn industry-wide recognition," remarked AES Executive Director Roger Furness. "His encyclopedic knowledge of his field coupled with his close working relationships with key players in virtually every aspect of this radically shifting field are considered a mainstay of our convention."

A comprehensive Calendar of Events will be posted at http://www.aes.org/events/127/ soon. The 127^th AES Convention will be held in NYC's Javits Convention Center Oct. 9-12, 2009.

The Audio Engineering Society was formed in 1948 by a group of concerned audio engineers. The AES counts over 14,000 members throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Far East. The organization serves as the pivotal force in the exchange and dissemination of technical information for the industry. For additional information visit http://www.aes.org

Audio Engineering Society
Howard Sherman, 212-777-4711
127^th_press@aes.org