During last week’s SMPTE show at Sydney’s Darling Harbour, the ABC has won two of the inaugural Content+Technology (C+T) Awards for Innovation.

ABC Technology Strategy and Development, together with Commercial Radio
Australia (CRA) and Broadcast Australia (BA), received the
Content+Technology (C+T) Award for “Outstanding Contribution to World
Standards” for their work in contributing to the adoption of AAC+ as part of
the worldwide DAB standard on behalf of the Australian radio industry.

Colin Knowles, Director of the Technology &Distribution division of the ABC told radioinfo:

“We are excited to have received this award and to have been involved in
this industry collaboration, which has been instrumental in specifying and
testing the new audio compression technology that has now been included in
the global DAB standard.

“I am proud of the role played by the ABC Research and
Standards Unit in researching these enhanced audio compression standards and
setting up and conducting listening tests in the first phase and then
providing the analysis of field trials conducted by CRA and BA. This work
has been critical in ensuring that the ABC will be able to achieve its long
held goals of providing additional services to our audiences with digital
radio”.

ABC Innovation won the Rich Media category for its work in developing ABC
Island in Second Life.

In March 2007, the ABC became the first Australian broadcaster to establish
a presence in Second Life. Since then a number of events have taken place on
the island including a simulcast of a 4 Corners program exploring virtual
worlds and an open forum in partnership with the Australia Council for the
Arts.

ABC Innovation also received a nomination for the Broadband Production
Template in the Rich Media category.