(September 12, 2023) One of the biggest pieces of news to drop at CEDIA 2023 – if not THE biggest – is the official launch of the highly anticipated RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice paper. This is a guideline and recommended practice for immersive audio system design that's agnostic to brands and built around criteria. The effort was chaired by Officina Acoustica's Peter Aylett and developed by experts and luminaries across the industry spectrum. We caught up with Peter on the show floor to get the inside scoop on the release. For more information beyond the video interview, see CEDIA's official PR release, below.
To order your free copy of RP22, go to: https://lnkd.in/ejgs3B6S
CEDIA, the association for smart home professionals™, has finalized a new recommended practice for immersive audio system design in collaboration with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). CEDIA/CTA - RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice is the first recommended practice to define an objective set of performance criteria for home audio systems.
“RP22 is nothing less than game-changing for our industry,” said Daryl Friedman, global president and CEO of CEDIA. “It will benefit integrators, manufacturers, and of course, homeowners who can be assured of the same high audio standards no matter the room. My sincere thanks go out to CEDIA’s volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly for years to make this dream a reality.”
Experts representing film studios, audio manufacturers, immersive audio standards and residential technology integrators collaborated for over three years to produce this set of guidelines. By combining input from content creators, device makers and system designers, RP22 presents a consensus that honors artistic vision while acknowledging physical and budgetary constraints. The new Recommended Practice has already been endorsed by manufacturers including Officina Acustica, PerListen Audio, Snap One, StormAudio, Triad Speakers and Trinnov Audio.
New Audio System Performance Targets
RP22 identifies 21 different performance parameters that can be predicted during system design, then tested and verified before system sign-off. Using these metrics, it sets criteria for four different levels of system performance:
- Level 1 – conveys basic artistic intent.
- Level 2 – a higher level of performance that more accurately conveys artistic intent.
- Level 3 – meets or exceeds reference commercial cinema standards.
- Level 4 – achieves the maximum level of performance across every parameter.
“Any professionally integrated system should preserve the original creative intent of the audio. That’s the minimum,” says Walt Zerbe, senior director of technology and standards for CEDIA. “From there, RP22 sets criteria for systems that can equal or even exceed the experience of a commercial cinema.”
Deep Technical Guidance for Immersive Audio
CEDIA/CTA - RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice is the result of a joint effort by CEDIA and CTA to update their existing recommended practices for home theater audio design. RP22 expands on CTA/CEDIA-CEB22-B Home Theater Recommended Practice: Audio Design with design recommendations for an expanded array of applications and technological innovations, including:
- Speaker layout recommendations for the immersive audio formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS-X, Auto 3D and more.
- Expanded bass management guidance.
- Coverage patterns and “seat to seat” variation targets.
The full CEDIA/CTA - RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice documentation is available for free to CEDIA and CTA members at https://cedia.net/advocacy/rp22.
