For the start, the definition of use cases specified detailed targets and defined a lot of technical details and envisioned user experiences. This process includes ongoing international standardization activities by several partners on the ADM metadata format, MPEG-H audio format and a reference renderer for object-based audio. Several standards were revised and extended with the knowledge build up during the project.
First, the definition of the pilot architecture of the broadcast chain was achieved. With this experience the system architecture was defined and revised twice in light of the interim results of pilot implementations during the project. This system architecture definition attracted directly attention and was published in a condensed version as EBU tech report 042. The two conducted pilots demonstrated and proved the developed concept and showed the integration of the different production tools, the different distribution possibilities and the different reproduction devices: audio-video receiver (AVR), iOS app and browser. As production tools established tools (DAW Sequoia from Magix) or new developed VST-plugins for capturing from b<>com and FHG, rendering and object decimation from IRT and IRCAM were developed or extended to produce and handle the necessary object-based audio (OBA) features and ADM metadata.
The newly standardized object-based audio codec MPEG-H, its encoder, decoder, and various production tools (including the renderer) have been delivered by FHG to the partners. Work on the metadata file format ADM itself, a serialized version of it, and the streaming format DASH was successfully finished. The integration of these components into the IP Studio software of the BBC, the digital audio workstation (DAW) Sequoia of Magix, the iPhone App from ECandy and the audio video receiver (AVR) of Trinnov was successfully finalized. Plugins for capturing multichannel microphone recordings and transforming them for different loudspeaker layouts have been developed by B<>COM and FHG and implemented in VST-plugins. An object-based reverberation algorithm has been developed and evaluated by IRCAM. A detailed study on user interface design for an iPhone radio app was completed and yield into the implementation of the ORPHEUS iOS app. This app was used and further improved throughout the project. It includes all OBA features tested in ORPHEUS and was demoed at numerous exhibitions and workshops. It is available on request over the B2B AppStore.
