Lunchtime lecture to the NPRO Dutch public service broadcaster

1. Object based audio with adaptive podcasting
Ian Forrester
Senior Firestarter, BBC R&D
@cubicgarden
@cubicgarden

2. @cubicgarden |
Podcasting now
@cubicgarden

3. @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

4. BBC Podcasts
@cubicgarden

5. The future of broadcasting
@cubicgarden | https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/celebrating-100-years-bbc-manchester

6. Media has much more potential

7. Object based/Flexible media
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/object-based-media

8. 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

9. Media
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/adelinapeltea/9026208637/

10. Metadata
Red Tile 2 x 1
Yellow Brick 1 x 1
@cubicgarden | https://rebrickable.com/downloads/

11. What is a object?
@cubicgarden

12. The objects make the story
@cubicgarden

13. New medium, new rules
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15524004

14. Storytelling timeline
@cubicgarden

15. Oral storytelling
@cubicgarden | http://www.flickr.com/photos/smcgee/234278571

16. Immersive, engaging, participatory & adaptive
@cubicgarden

17. Storytelling has variables
@cubicgarden

18. Context, location, environment...
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/haaijk/14196995087

19. Narrative on Rails
@cubicgarden | http://www.flickr.com/photos/ag2r/4437697015

20. Interactivity is responsive & perceptive
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjohnbeckett/16530229333/

21. Perceptive Radio
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/perceptive-radio

22. Computer in a box
@cubicgarden | http://thecreativeexchange.org/projects/perceptive-media

23. Reinventing podcasting
@cubicgarden

24. A first class audio experience for everyone
@cubicgarden

25. Smartphones
@cubicgarden

26. 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

27. Players, smart devices and apps
@cubicgarden | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_podcasting

28. 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

29. Perceptive interactivity
@cubicgarden | https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjohnbeckett/16530229333/

30. Let’s talk podcasts

31. Reference specification & implementation
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/perceptive-radio

32. Examples
@cubicgarden

33. Adaptive podcast app
@cubicgarden | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bbc.perceptivepodcasts

34. Available on the beta Google play store now
@cubicgarden | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bbc.perceptivepodcasts

35. Beyond podcasts examples

36. Perfect mix everytime
@cubicgarden

37. Companion media with media
@cubicgarden

38. Extended performance
@cubicgarden

39. Companion media with objects
@cubicgarden

40. 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

41. I want to build one but can’t code…

42. Decentralised web editor
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting-editor

43. Adaptive podcasting editor demo
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting-editor

44. The code

45. @cubicgarden | https://www.w3.org/TR/2005/REC-SMIL2-20051213/ | https://github.com/bbc/adaptivepodcasting.github.io/wiki
Adaptive podcast creation

46. @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?

47. @cubicgarden | https://www.w3.org/TR/2005/REC-SMIL2-20051213/
SMIL

48. @cubicgarden | https://github.com/bbc/adaptivepodcasting.github.io/wiki/
Want to know more?

49. Community of practice

50. New medium, New rules
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15524004

51. @cubicgarden | http://storytellers.link | https://mwm-berlin.de/blog/workshop-podcast-produktion-ian-forrester
Community of practice

52. Some community efforts
@cubicgarden

53. Community of practice
@cubicgarden | https://innovatie.vrt.be/en/about/hubs | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting | https://storytellers.link/

54. Rabbit holes collective
@cubicgarden | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t0fhtneLAE | http://www.pixnio.com/people/children-kids/children-walking-forest

55. Connected Studio Makerbox
@cubicgarden | https://www.bbc.co.uk/makerbox/tools/adaptive-podcasting

56. International community of practice
@cubicgarden | https://git.ebu.io/bbc-perceptive-podcasting/

57. The code is the key to the kingdom

58. York’s SIF (Squish Importance Filter)
@cubicgarden

59. Commercial support?

60. 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.

61. Open source in 2023 *
@cubicgarden | *Sept 2023 - https://github.com/bbc/adaptivepodcasting.github.io/

62. The future of adaptive podcasting

63. 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

64. @cubicgarden
Ian Forrester
@cubicgarden
ian.forrester@bbc.co.uk
Thank you for listening, questions?