Object based audio with adaptive podcasting
Ian Forrester
Senior Firestarter, BBC R&D
@cubicgarden
@cubicgarden
@cubicgarden |
Podcasting now
@cubicgarden
@cubicgarden | https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/features-and-news/rise-of-podcasts | https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/
The rise of podcasting
BBC Podcasts
@cubicgarden
The future of broadcasting
@cubicgarden | https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/celebrating-100-years-bbc-manchester
Media has much more potential
Object based/Flexible media
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/object-based-media
Media + Metadata = Objects
The idea behind ‘object-based’ media is that you take all the assets
for a given TV or radio show – the video clips, the accompanying
audio, any music soundtrack, and extras like subtitles and sign
language translations…
…wrap it up in useful metadata and then use software to ‘remix’ it
as needed
@cubicgarden | https://thenextweb.com/media/2016/03/09/bbc-r-and-d-object-based-media/ | https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickpiggott/5212959770
Media
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/adelinapeltea/9026208637/
Metadata
Red Tile 2 x 1
Yellow Brick 1 x 1
@cubicgarden | https://rebrickable.com/downloads/
What is a object?
@cubicgarden
The objects make the story
@cubicgarden
New medium, new rules
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15524004
Storytelling timeline
@cubicgarden
Oral storytelling
@cubicgarden | http://www.flickr.com/photos/smcgee/234278571
Immersive, engaging, participatory & adaptive
@cubicgarden
Storytelling has variables
@cubicgarden
Context, location, environment...
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/haaijk/14196995087
Narrative on Rails
@cubicgarden | http://www.flickr.com/photos/ag2r/4437697015
Interactivity is responsive & perceptive
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjohnbeckett/16530229333/
Perceptive Radio
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/perceptive-radio
Computer in a box
@cubicgarden | http://thecreativeexchange.org/projects/perceptive-media
Reinventing podcasting
@cubicgarden
A first class audio experience for everyone
@cubicgarden
Smartphones
@cubicgarden
Perceptive/Adaptive podcasting in an app
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/perceptive-radio | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/blog/2022-09-adaptive-podcasting
Players, smart devices and apps
@cubicgarden | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_podcasting
Computation, Data and Sensors
@cubicgarden
Device Owner Name
Number of Contacts
Battery Level
Battery Condition
Current Activity
Elevation
Number of Installed Apps
Device Make/Model
Time of Day
Weather
Sun Elevation
Location
Indoor/Outdoor
Mobile Network Operator Name
Available Wifi Networks
Altitude Pressure
Connected Bluetooth Devices
Proximity
External or Internal Audio Device
Device Orientation
Ambient Brightness
Local Noise Environment
Calendar
Music Tastes
Financial News
User Fitness Information
Current Heart-rate
Number of Listeners/Users
Can it hear itself
Is it in someone's pocket or
elsewhere?
What kind of apps
Knowledge of Home and Work
Perceptive interactivity
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjohnbeckett/16530229333/
Let’s talk podcasts
Reference specification & implementation
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/perceptive-radio
Examples
@cubicgarden
Adaptive podcast app
@cubicgarden | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bbc.perceptivepodcasts
Available on the beta Google play store now
@cubicgarden | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bbc.perceptivepodcasts
Beyond podcasts examples
Perfect mix everytime
@cubicgarden
Companion media with media
@cubicgarden
Extended performance
@cubicgarden
Companion media with objects
@cubicgarden
The music album reimagined
@cubicgarden | By XL Recordings / Elektra - http://www.7digital.com/artists/the-prodigy/experience/, Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=274031
Moby credited Experience with changing his perception about dance
albums; previously he felt that "dance albums had always failed [...]
because they didn't work over the full length of the record. Mostly they
were singles collections which was exactly what I didn't want to do," and
noted that Experience "impressed me because they'd managed to create a
full listening experience which encompassed various styles. This was the
kind of vision I had for my debut album
I want to build one but can’t code…
Decentralised web editor
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting-editor
Adaptive podcasting editor demo
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting-editor
The code
@cubicgarden | https://www.w3.org/TR/2005/REC-SMIL2-20051213/ | https://github.com/bbc/adaptivepodcasting.github.io/wiki
Adaptive podcast creation
@cubicgarden | https://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-SMIL3-20061220/smil-timesheets.html | https://github.com/bbc/adaptivepodcasting.github.io/wiki/SMIL-timing-model
SMIL?
@cubicgarden | https://www.w3.org/TR/2005/REC-SMIL2-20051213/
SMIL
@cubicgarden | https://github.com/bbc/adaptivepodcasting.github.io/wiki/
Want to know more?
Community of practice
New medium, New rules
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15524004
@cubicgarden | http://storytellers.link | https://mwm-berlin.de/blog/workshop-podcast-produktion-ian-forrester
Community of practice
Some community efforts
@cubicgarden
Community of practice
@cubicgarden | https://innovatie.vrt.be/en/about/hubs | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting | https://storytellers.link/
Rabbit holes collective
@cubicgarden | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t0fhtneLAE | http://www.pixnio.com/people/children-kids/children-walking-forest
Connected Studio Makerbox
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting
International community of practice
@cubicgarden | https://git.ebu.io/bbc-perceptive-podcasting/
The code is the key to the kingdom
York’s SIF (Squish Importance Filter)
@cubicgarden
Commercial support?
Accordion innovation
@cubicgarden | https://www.accordion-innovation.com
● Accordion was invented by Andy Taylor, whose background in
audio (BBC Radio 1, Capital) and pivot toward founding his own
startup (Bwlb) and Research & Development (Clwstwr,
Stars4Media) led him to develop, deliver and market this
innovative piece of tech.
Open source in 2023 *
@cubicgarden | *Sept 2023 - https://github.com/bbc/adaptivepodcasting.github.io/
The future of adaptive podcasting
Next 12 months
@cubicgarden
● Beta play store release
● University of York & Nottingham research projects
● EBU codeshare for 12 months
● Adaptive podcasting editor on BBC Makerbox
● Real time sensor support
● BBC R&D project development ends
● Public open source code base for editor and mobile app
@cubicgarden
Ian Forrester
@cubicgarden
ian.forrester@bbc.co.uk
Thank you for listening, questions?

Adaptive podcasting 2023