Jordan O'BrienDolby Vision and Dolby Atmos have largely been associated with recorded media; such as movies, games and concerts. Dolby proved that wasn’t the case back in January, having partnered with BT Sport for a live Dolby Atmos broadcast, but nothing has ever been done to combine both the immersive audio of Dolby Atmos with the immersive visuals of Dolby Vision. Thankfully, Spanish broadcaster RTVE came up with the idea to use both technologies in a live broadcast on July 5.
RTVE is the first national channel in Spain to complete a live broadcast in Dolby Audio and Dolby Vision. At 12pm CET on July 5, the historic Solemn Changing of the Guard ceremony was broadcast live in Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology and Dolby AC-4 sound, using the 4K DVB-T2 trial channel that is operated by RTVE and Cellnexx Telecom. This transmission was available on terrestrial channels in Madrid (channel 32), Barcelona (channel 43) and Seville (channel 36), and viewers with a 4K HDR TV could receive the transmission.
To successfully deliver the broadcast, set up included two outside broadcast trucks; one for video and one for audio, as well as a cabin that was installed with EVS recorders for the video production, camera control units and reference monitors and analysers, as well as all the necessary Dolby equipment to incorporate Dolby Vision and Dolby Audio technologies. A satellite uplink was created to distribute the signal via Hispasat’s satellite to Barcelona and Seville.
The broadcast was also supported by Dolby’s partners Loewe, LG, Cellnex, Albala, Abacanto, Grass Valley, Crosspoint, Moncada y Lorenzo, Canon and Huri, and was made possible thanks to a collaboration with the National Heritage and The Royal House. Technical partner, Ateme, provided encoders to help generate the video and audio streams including the dynamic metadata provided by Dolby`s equipment to deliver Dolby Vision HDR.
Leveraging the high-dynamic range innovation that powers Dolby’s most advanced cinemas around the world, Dolby Vision transforms the TV experience in the home by delivering greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colours using dynamic metadata and Dolby’s intelligent display mapping engine in each playback device.
A powerful new audio format in the Dolby Audio family, Dolby AC-4 is built to carry immersive Dolby Atmos experiences, enable dramatic improvements in efficiency, and offer new levels of audio interactivity.