3-D Audio Using Loudspeakers / Edition 1

by William G. Gardner

Overview

3-D Audio Using Loudspeakers is concerned with 3-D audio systems implemented using a pair of conventional loudspeakers. A well-known problem with these systems is the requirement that the listener be properly positioned for the 3-D illusion to function correctly. This book proposes using the tracked position of the listener's head to optimize the acoustical presentation, thus producing a much more realistic illusion over a larger listening area than existing loudspeaker 3-D audio systems. Head-tracking can be accomplished by applying pattern recognition techniques to images obtained from a video camera. Thus, an immersive audio environment can be created without donning headphones or other equipment.
3-D Audio Using Loudspeakers discusses the theory, implementation, and testing of a head-tracked loudspeaker 3-D audio system. Crosstalk cancellers that can be steered to the location of a tracked listener are described. The objective performance of these systems has been evaluated using simulations and acoustical measurements made at the ears of human subjects. Many sound localization experiments were also conducted; the results show that head-tracking both significantly improves localization when the listener is displaced from the ideal listening location, and also enables dynamic localization cues. Much of the theory and experimental results presented are also applicable to loudspeaker 3-D audio systems in general, not just head-tracked ones.
3-D Audio Using Loudspeakers is of interest to researchers studying virtual acoustic displays, and to engineers developing the same. The book serves as a valuable reference to anyone working in this field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780792381563
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	04/30/1998
Series:	The Springer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science , #444
Edition description:	1998
Pages:	154
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.02(d)

Table of Contents

Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Background. 3. Theory and Implementation. 4. Physical Validation. 5. Psychophysical Validation. 6. Discussion. A: Inverting FIR Filters. References. Index.

Editorial Reviews

Proposes a method for overcoming the requirement that the listener be properly positioned for a three-dimensional sound system to function with two speakers. It uses a video camera to track the listener's head, and adjusts the sound constantly to keep it perfect for someone moving around the room. Describes crosstalk cancelers that can be steered to the location of a tracked listener, evaluations of the subjective performance of such systems using simulations and acoustical measurements at the ears of human subjects, and experiments showing that such systems also enable dynamic localization cues. Derived from a September 1997 doctoral dissertation for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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