Audio for Digital Television

Audio is an area in television broadcasting and production that causes apprehension with some engineers because of its complexity and the care needed to get it right in design, installation, and operations. With the transition to digital television (DTV), there is a new level of uncertainty because the requirements for audio are far more advanced and complex than before. Yet digital audio provides significantly more sophistication, artistic creativity, greater processing power, and higher quality than its predecessor. This chapter provides a general overview of the key features and requirements of audio for DTV, a detailed review of one of the largest problems today (loudness), and some real-world suggestions on making it all work. By no means an exhaustive discussion of what is involved, the material here will at least bring to light what must be done, and a view of what is possible with television and digital audio beyond just getting a signal on-air.