Fraunhofer IIS, Hisense and Globo bring MPEG-H Audio to Brazil

Fraunhofer IIS, Hisense, and Globo Bring MPEG-H Audio Enhanced Sound Experiences to Brazilian Homes

ERLANGEN, Germany & RIO DE JANEIRO — Fraunhofer IIS, together with their partners Hisense and Globo, announces the release of a wide range of Hisense television sets in Brazil that unlock the Next Generation Audio capabilities of MPEG-H Audio.

Globo, the largest media company in Latin America, has selected the Fraunhofer technology MPEG-H Audio for regular broadcast and partnered with Hisense to showcase the full personalization and interactivity capabilities of the sophisticated Next Generation Audio system during a current international sports event.

Brazilian consumers are among the first in the world to fully enjoy an unprecedented experience when watching content in the comfort of their living rooms. There will be many possibilities such as enhancing the dialog level for better intelligibility, enabling audio description, and even experiencing an event with immersive sound as if they were at the venue!

The global TV and home appliance giant Hisense has arrived in Brazil to answer the growing demand for personalized high-quality experiences with TV models that support the advanced features of MPEG-H Audio. Broadcasters and streaming providers can now deliver innovative interactive sound experiences on Hisense QLED TV sets via streaming or ISBD-T/ ATSC 3.0 broadcast.

“We are proud of this successful cooperation with Hisense that enables all of us to bring the enhanced broadcast experience of TV 2.5 to life and accelerates the development of full TV 3.0 stack in CE-devices, contributing to a powerful ecosystem,” said Mauricio Felix, Technology Director at Globo.

A global sports celebration is the perfect opportunity for the global leader in consumer electronics to showcase new highlights on the Brazilian market while at the same time meeting its growing demand for personalized high-quality experiences with several TV models that support the sophisticated features of MPEG-H Audio.

“Incorporating MPEG-H Audio support in our TVs allows us to provide the most advanced experiences to our viewers,” said Thais Nogueira, Deputy Marketing Director of Hisense Brazil. “The upcoming launch of TV 3.0 commercial services opens up incredible new possibilities, and we are proud to be among the first ones to bring these advancements directly into Brazilian homes.”

The Hisense TVs equipped with MPEG-H Audio support deliver a native user interface that enables viewers to interact with the content as well as with HDMI passthrough capabilities for connectivity to external soundbars and AVRs that support MPEG-H Audio. The content that will amaze viewers with immersive and personalized sound can be received via ISDB-T terrestrial broadcast and video streaming services.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Hisense as they continue to embrace the most advanced and innovative media technologies in their devices,” said Adrian Murtaza, Senior Manager Technology and Standards at Fraunhofer IIS, primary developer of the MPEG-H Audio system. “Adopting MPEG-H Audio support, not only for streaming but also for TV 2.5 and TV 3.0 broadcast, makes Hisense a driving force in broadcast technology advancements in Brazil.”

Major Brazilian broadcasters including Globo, Rede Amazonica, and TV Cultura, have adopted MPEG‑H Audio technology in their current ISDB-T broadcast services (known as TV 2.5). This upgrade provides viewers with an enhanced sound experience and paves the way for a smooth transition to the future TV 3.0 next-generation broadcast system, where MPEG-H Audio will be the only mandatory audio format.