February 3, 2010

Mixed Signals Showcases Loudness Monitoring

Mixed Signals will demonstrate the advanced audio monitoring capabilities of its Sentry digital content monitoring solution at next week’s annual Winter Conference of CableLabs.

Sentry enables service providers to identify loudness issues in programming and commercials, giving them the nformation necessary to quickly fix dramatic volume changes that occur during channel changes and when commercials run.


Sentry’s new audio monitoring capabilities are particularly timely as legislation before Congress will require video service providers to ensure that ads be no louder than the programs they accompany. (For more, click here).

The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act has already been approved by the House of Representatives and is now with the Senate, where passage is expected.

Mixed Signals has upgraded Sentry specifically for monitoring audio level issues in the multi-channel cable environment. Complementing its existing ability to continually monitor hundreds of channels simultaneously, Sentry now supports the ITU-R BS.1770 audio specification for monitoring program loudness.

Developed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the BS.1770 specification is shortly expected to be adopted by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) in the United States.