CEDIA is committed to monitoring the evolving smart home industry and responding accordingly by producing relevant resources to support integrators in understanding new technologies and standards.
CEDIA white papers take a deep dive into applications, recommendations, and advice on a wide range of industry topics: from software and hardware to best practices, standards, and formats. The white papers are heavily researched and crafted thoroughly by industry experts to break complex subjects down for professionals.
Recently, CEDIA introduced two new white papers. Let’s take a look.
Reference Audio Level and SPL Capabilities
One of the core performance parameters in CEDIA RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice is SPL capability. It is often discussed and misunderstood, along with the so-called reference level for listening.
In commercial cinema, a reference SPL has long been established and consistently applied to match post-production to intended playback levels in exhibition cinemas. But in private entertainment spaces there’s far greater variability in the range and type of source media, type and size of rooms, scope and capability of audio systems, and perception of loudness.
This white paper explores what reference audio level means both for commercial and home consumer content, the many facets of loudness perception, and clarifying the SPL recommendations as set out in RP22.
As part of the Smart Home Technology Conference at ISE, CEDIA is running a course called Loud and Clear: The Math Behind SPL Metrics in RP22. Designing to meet a performance standard like RP22 means doing more than picking components that “should be loud enough.” It requires precise calculation of loudspeaker SPL requirements, factoring in real-world conditions, system configuration, and the physics of sound propagation. In this advanced 90-minute course – that is running from 2.30 p.m. in CC1.4 – learners will gain the tools to do exactly that.
Human-Centric lighting Part 1: Why we need it
Humans evolved spending bright days outdoors and nights in relative darkness. Our physiological systems have functioned for millennia around this distinct daily cycle. But now we spend most of the time indoors, with artificial light enabling varying degrees of light at any time of day or night.
We’re well adapted psychologically to artificial light, harnessing it to elongate our days and to enhance convenience, productivity, and entertainment. But it comes at some cost to human health and wellbeing.
This white paper takes a deep dive into the science of photobiology as the basis for why humancentric lighting is so important. Topics include the composition of light, how light affects human physiology, and the developing standards for how to optimize light at different times of day and night.
This white paper explains how integrators can optimise the light throughout the day and night to best support human health and wellbeing.
“The figures that I discovered during the research for the paper revealed that we as a society spend somewhere between 85 and 90% of our time indoors,” commented David Meyer, author of this white paper. “I’ve since found out that this figure has actually been revised upwards and is now 93% in the United States and 92% in the UK. This is unhealthy for humans, especially if the quality of that light is poor, so this is where integrators come into the equation.”
At ISE, CEDIA is hosting an education session entitled Lighting for Life: Why Human-Centric Design Matters in Smart Homes. Taking place in CC1.2 on Wednesday at 12 p.m., this session will look at how humans evolve by the daily, dependable cycles of daylight and nighttime, light and dark. But artificial light and modern and lifestyles have increasingly disrupted our essential circadian rhythm. This course delves into the principles behind why human-centric, bio-adaptive lighting is so important. Topics include the composition of natural and artificial light and how we as humans respond to it.
CEDIA white papers are free to download for CEDIA members. Visit cedia.org/education/white-papers to get a copy.
