ORPHEUS Audio Project: Piloting an End-to-end Object-based Audio Broadcasting Chain

Object-based media is a revolutionary approach for creating and deploying interactive, personalised, scalable and immersive content. It allows media objects to be assembled in novel ways to create new and enhanced user experiences. Object-based media is flexible and responsive to user needs as well as environmental and platform-specific factors. ORPHEUS is a H2020-funded EU project involving ten European major players – broadcasters, manufacturers and research institutions. During a 30-month project, we develop, implement and validate an object-based end-to-end media chain for audio content. We are running two pilots to demonstrate both linear and non-linear audio experiences using a custom-built broadcast chain. The first pilot was a live radio broadcast with enhanced functionalities, including immersive sound, foreground/ background control, language selection, and in-depth programme metadata. This paper presents initial results of the first pilot, explains the challenges in developing this system and outlines the innovative tools that were created for recording, mixing, monitoring, storing, distributing, playing-out and rendering of object-based audio. To encourage the support of the broadcast industry in adopting this new technology, ORPHEUS is working towards the publication of a reference architecture and general guidelines for successful implementation of object-based audio in a real-life broadcast environment.