Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500716
64 S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y that a full program measurement was resulting in vastly different show-to-show and even episode-to- episode experiences on the platform. Netflix switched to -27 dialogue anchor for their spec, and in what I think has been one of the few positive developments in all this, other streamers have followed suit either exactly or closely. Not for nothing, there's a lot of sentiment between mixers that Netflix is the best platform to mix for because of their spec; it anchors around the dialogue, allows for a little more headroom, gives a guideline for LRA without a requirement, and this all translates to [an improved] platform and user experience while being more confident that the intent of our mixes will carry over. As our industry becomes more global, content providers have started looking at the broadcast rules in other territories and factoring those requirements into their specs. STARZ, for example, has a very well-written explanation that accompanies their spec sheet that details their consideration of the EU rules and their expectation that their shows can be delivered in a way that gets close enough to being both CALM and EBU R128 compliant while still being able to make adjustments to their masters for global delivery without serious technical ramifications. So, let's look at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) rules. Europe arrived at different conclusions for their EBU R128 "Loudness Normalisation and Permitted Maximum Level of Audio Signals" (although not as different as it might at first seem). The recommendation there is to target -23 LUFS full program with a measurement tolerance of +/- 0.2 dB. This could reasonably be described as "bonkers tight" as compared to A/85's +/-2 dB, but it is achievable. The important factor here is that their decision process presupposes a difference between dialogue anchored and full program loudness of less than 1 LU. This is, in my opinion, also slightly bonkers depending on the show. If it's a dialogue driven program with no action or large cinematic sequences, then that might be a reasonable expectation. However, all of the conceptually bigger shows I've mixed have a differential of anywhere between 3 LU and 11 LU on the extreme end, although I'd still argue that this outside value was appropriate for the content. This prompts a discussion about what's an appropriate loudness range for home theater viewing. Note, I I've recently found Julijan Nikolic's Youlean Loudness Meter to be very useful. It's worth noting that pretty much the only two broadcast networks that measure loudness correctly at this point are NBC and CBS (including The CW). I mentioned QC houses earlier because I've frequently seen operators fail a mix for being "not CALM compliant" when it absolutely was, and the revision they're asking you to make renders it out of spec per A/85. I've even had delivery discussions with QC houses where they're not even aware of what "dialogue anchored loudness" is. What lends weight to the case for measurement using an anchor element is that industry experts who worked on both A/85 and the CALM Act note that "the misconception is that BS.1770-2 and BS.1770-3 full program mix measurements are substitutes for a dialogue-based anchor measurement for long-form content, either in a single act or across acts. This practice will not yield the intended results of the rules." (I kind of wish they'd add that quote to A/85…) They continue: "[W]e learned early on that to preserve dynamic range and creative intent, an average dialogue measurement is critical for reporting LKFS and establishing compliance for long-form content." Their best-practices advice for achieving this is as follows: "The best thing an episodic TV mix engineer can do is work in a ~78 SPL room on nearfields, set average dialogue to -24 LKFS, then fix the monitor pot at a comfortable level and don't touch it. Add the music and effects by ear, allowing soft passages to be below the -24 LKFS reading and loud ones to be above (inclusive of music, effects, and dialogue that might be whispered or shouted). As long as there aren't very long durations of these values above and below the -24 dialogue target, a lifelike, dynamic, TV mix will be achieved. It will work well on TV speakers, soundbars, and with AVR's in home theaters, and have both realism and good dialogue intelligibility, with no need for the audience to reach for the volume control at home." What's appealing about this approach is that it provides solid guidance while not being too restrictive, and basically trusts the mixers to apply their expertise, taste, and discretion wisely. In our last article, we also spoke with Scott Kramer at Netflix, who was overseeing their move back to dialogue anchored loudness after changing to a full program measurement of -24. At the time, Netflix was finding out