Fraunhofer xHE-AAC Codec for Digital Radio and Streaming

Description

Fraunhofer IIS presents xHE-AAC as an audio codec for adaptive streaming and digital radio. The page focuses on its role in delivering consistent audio quality across speech, music, and mixed content at a wide range of bit rates.

The codec is described as suitable for DASH and HLS streaming, with seamless bitrate switching and mandatory loudness and dynamic range control. The page also notes native decoding support on several major operating systems and devices.

For radio professionals, the main relevance is xHE-AAC’s use in Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), where it is identified as a mandatory audio codec. The page also explains that the codec can support low-bit-rate services and simplify configuration across different content types.

The page is a technical product and licensing resource rather than a complete broadcast system offering. It includes references to implementations, partner products, and supporting documentation for streaming and DRM applications.