MPEG-H 3D Audio

MPEG-H 3D Audio, specified as ISO/IEC 23008-3 (MPEG-H Part 3), is an audio coding standard developed by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) to support coding audio as audio channels, audio objects, or higher order ambisonics (HOA). MPEG-H 3D Audio can support up to 64 loudspeaker channels and 128 codec core channels.

Objects may be used alone or in combination with channels or HOA components. The use of audio objects allows for interactivity or personalization of a program by adjusting the gain or position of the objects during rendering in the MPEG-H decoder. Audio is encoded using an improved modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) algorithm.^[1]

Channels, objects, and HOA components may be used to transmit immersive sound as well as mono, stereo, or surround sound. The MPEG-H 3D Audio decoder renders the bitstream to a number of standard speaker configurations as well as to misplaced speakers. Binaural rendering of sound for headphone listening is also supported.

These are the ISO standards relating to MPEG-H 3D Audio:

ISO/IEC 23008-3:2022 - Part 3: 3D audio

ISO/IEC 23008-6:2021 - Part 6: 3D audio reference software

ISO/IEC 23008-9:2023 - Part 9: 3D Audio conformance testing

^ Bleidt, R. L.; Sen, D.; Niedermeier, A.; Czelhan, B.; Füg, S.; et al. (2017). "Development of the MPEG-H TV Audio System for ATSC 3.0" (PDF). IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting. 63 (1): 202–236. doi:10.1109/TBC.2017.2661258. S2CID 30821673.

[1] Bleidt, R. L.; Sen, D.; Niedermeier, A.; Czelhan, B.; Füg, S.; et al. (2017). "Development of the MPEG-H TV Audio System for ATSC 3.0" (PDF). IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting. 63 (1): 202–236. doi:10.1109/TBC.2017.2661258. S2CID 30821673.

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