2005 will go down in advertising history when HD commercials (finally!) arrived. It began with the Super Bowl. For the first time ever, a majority of spots that aired during Fox’s HD broadcast of the game were produced in HD (as opposed to being merely up-rezzed versions of standard-def spots). Ford, Cadillac, Olympus, Emerald Nuts and Ameriquest were among the advertisers who debuted HD-originated ads. The NFL itself ran its first HD ad during the Super Bowl this year.
The reason for the upsurge in HD advertising is no secret. It’s a very compelling medium. A survey conducted after the Super Bowl by the cable network INHD found that commercials broadcast in HD during the game were the most impactful, and most highly rated with adults who viewed the game in high definition.
Equally important, the three things necessary for HD to succeed–content, transmission and receivers–have all reached critical mass. Dozens of HD channels have appeared in the last few years. Major cable and satellite providers have begun to switch to digital transmission. And home theater systems are now a fixture in millions of American homes.
Much of the interest in HD advertising has focused on the quality of the HD image. Relatively less attention has been paid to the quality and impact of 5.1 audio that is an integral part of HD media. However, advertisers who seek to take maximum advantage of all that HD has to offer should not neglect the audio side of the equation. Rather, it only makes sense to utilize the best technology for both picture and sound. That means a 5.1 mix.
Performing a 5.1 mix for an HD television spot is obviously quite different from performing a stereo mix for a standard def spot, but it also differs in significant ways from preparing a 5.1 mix for a spot intended to screen in movie theaters. An audio post house equipped for 5.1 cinema mixes is not necessarily equipped to perform the Dolby E encoding required by most HD broadcasters or to deliver media in the appropriate HD formats. Experience in mixing for the home theater environment, as opposed to the cinema environment, is also important as both technical specifications and creative choices vary in subtle but significant ways.
To post HD spots correctly, it is essential to have a properly equipped 5.1 mixing room. Additionally, it is necessary to have video equipment that supports the various HD formats (HD-D5 and HDCAM) to create delivery masters. When Dolby E encoding is required for broadcast delivery, specific hardware from Dolby Laboratories is needed to perform the encoding. As the various HD formats support various frame rates, appropriate gear is also necessary to synchronize audio and video machines.
In contrast to NTSC, where all broadcasters employ the same technical specs, specifications for HD delivery vary slightly from broadcaster to broadcaster. In general, all broadcasters require the delivery of 5.1 and 2-channel versions of media. Often 5.1 channels are delivered as Dolby-E encoded data, carrying not only audio elements, but also meta-data that optimizes playback in various listening environments and provides configuration information to the broadcaster.
Soundtracks are handled differently in digital transmissions than they are in film. Film prints carry a 5.1 channel soundtrack for theaters equipped for 5.1 channel playback, as well as a Dolby stereo soundtrack for theaters equipped for only stereo or matrix playback. Digital transmissions sent to the home have only one audio soundtrack. If that soundtrack is a 5.1 mix, it must be prepared in a way that is suitable for all listeners: 5.1 channel listeners, Dolby Pro-Logic listeners, stereo listeners and mono listeners. Dolby Digital technology allows a single soundtrack to be used in all these cases; however, it is crucial for the mixer to understand how to optimize a single soundtrack for all listening environments.
Mixing in 5.1 for the home also presents unique creative issues. In comparison to NTSC, HD formats offer much wider dynamic range, frequency response and spatial clarity. HD provides a theatrical type experience. To take advantage of this environment, mixers need to apply theatrical mixing techniques to commercial mixes.
The advent of HD advertising on a broad scale is bringing the technical and creative issues involved in working in this new media to the fore. Advertisers have begun to familiarize themselves with the advantages and pitfalls of working with HD imagery. To take full advantage of HD, they should similarly educate themselves on the intricacies and enormous benefits of 5.1 sound.
