(January 8, 2025) StormAudio is stepping into a new era of immersive audio through its collaboration with Fraunhofer IIS, integrating MPEG-H Audio technology across its high-end audio lineup. Announced at CES 2025, this move underscores the increasing adoption of MPEG-H encoded audio in key international markets and reflects StormAudio’s commitment to staying at the forefront of audio innovation.
First launched in 2015, MPEG-H supports up to 64 loudspeaker channels and 128 codec core channels, delivering a powerful foundation for user-personalized soundscapes. Think of it as the ultimate audio customization tool: imagine boosting dialog clarity during your favorite show, switching between commentary languages mid-game, or dialing up the crowd noise to feel the pulse of a live sports event right from your living room. Fraunhofer’s materials also suggest another intriguing feature—users might even replace national TV commentary with local radio broadcasts, adding a personal hometown touch to the experience. Additionally, the codec’s binaural rendering capability ensures exceptional headphone performance, while its compatibility with spatial audio systems makes it a versatile solution for home theaters, AR/VR, and beyond.
“Achieving MPEG-H certification is a significant milestone for StormAudio,” explains Olivier Thumerel, CEO, StormAudio. “With the growing adoption of the MPEG-H Audio format in multiple countries and across Sony 360 Reality Audio streaming platforms, it became essential for us to integrate this technology into our products. This certification underlines our commitment to delivering the highest standards in immersive audio technology, ensuring our integrators and their clients experience unparalleled sound quality. For our current products, this integration will be made possible through a hardware upgrade. We are proud to collaborate with Fraunhofer IIS, whose innovation continues to shape the future of audio.”
Globally, MPEG-H has quietly gained traction. Brazil has made it mandatory for TV 3.0 broadcasts, and the codec is included in several major TV standards, such as ATSC, DVB, TTA (Korean TV), and SBTVD (Brazilian TV). It also serves as the sole audio system for South Korea’s pioneering terrestrial UHD TV service.
Major brands like Hisense, LG, and Samsung have embraced the technology, integrating MPEG-H’s user interface directly into their TVs. Meanwhile, set-top boxes from Shenzhen Jiuzhou Electric and Tolka TV further expand its reach. The experience is enhanced by MPEG-H Audio HDMI passthrough, enabling the reproduction of immersive sound with AVRs and soundbars supporting the technology.
For StormAudio customers, the integration of MPEG-H represents a clear pathway to future-proofing their systems. However, it’s worth noting that an internal hardware modification will be required to enable this feature. While pricing and upgrade timelines are yet to be announced, StormAudio’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge audio solutions remains evident. Keep an ear out for further updates as the brand continues to lead the charge in immersive sound.
Support for the new codec will be available from these StormAudio products:
- ISP Elite, Immersive Sound Processor
- ISP Core 16, Immersive Sound Processor
- ISP Evo, Fully Digital Immersive Sound Processor
- ISR Fusion, Immersive AV integrated amp processor
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