‘Long Night of Radio Art’ Explores 5.1

Broadcasters abroad are exploring multichannel radio.
Austria’s national broadcaster ORF completed its first multichannel radio transmission on Sept. 3, according to supplier APT, which said its products were used for audio transmissions over IP and ATM networks.
The recent all-night broadcast featured radio artists performing at venues in Vienna and Linz. The evening’s output was mixed at the station studio.
A transmission in Dolby Digital 5.1 was sent via the ASTRA satellite network to stations in Europe.
A network of remote nodes using streaming media and other technologies fed the event, called “The Long Night of Radio Art.” It was also the first occasion on which artists in remote locations broadcast the ORF’s cultural channel live in the 5.1 format.
APT’s Enhanced apt-X WorldNet SkyLink Multichannel Audio Encoders/Decoders were used as part of the system.