Why xHE-AAC is being embraced at Meta
Article Summary
Meta serves billions of users with wildly inconsistent audio uploads. Their solution? A codec that adapts audio quality in real time without burning in compression.
Meta's engineering team explains why they deployed xHE-AAC across Facebook and Instagram (including Reels and Stories). This deep dive covers the technical decisions behind managing hundreds of millions of daily uploads with varying loudness levels and network conditions.
Key Takeaways
- Loudness metadata lets clients adapt audio dynamically instead of baking in compression
- Immediate playout frames enable seamless quality switching during playback
- Audio ABR reduced playback stalls on Facebook Android after launch
- Two-pass encoding with LRAC DRC mitigates pumping artifacts
- Single bitstream adapts to headphones, speakers, and background noise levels
Critical Insight
xHE-AAC solves the volume fatigue problem and enables adaptive bitrate audio without quality compromises during lane transitions.
