3D Audio Positioning via Visual-Audio Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital 3D movie preparation methods fail to efficiently include and preserve audio 3D space perception cues, especially in real-time applications and environments like video game rendering and live event broadcasting, leading to a lack of immersive 3D audiovisual experiences when converting between different formats or displaying in 2D without 3D systems.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses an audio/video encoder and an audio processor to generate and encode audio 3D space perception cues by correlating audio and visual objects' positions in 2D or 3D formats, employing tracking maps and manual overrides to ensure accurate spatial positioning of audio objects, even when they are off-screen or occluded, and includes metadata for 3D-to-2D down-mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional audio formats (mono to stereo to multi-channel) are used for digital 3D movies, then audio cues for depth perception can be included, but the immersion and realism are insufficient when visual and audio 3D positions are not precisely coincident
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of visual 3D position information from depth maps or 3D visual effects data before audio encoding. This pre-determined spatial information is stored and later used to guide audio object positioning, ensuring that audio cues are placed at the correct 3D positions relative to visual objects before the actual audio rendering occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary audio object model that acts as a bridge between visual 3D position data and final audio rendering. This audio object contains spatial position information derived from visual analysis and serves as an intermediate representation that facilitates precise audio-visual spatial coincidence without requiring direct complex processing between visual and audio streams.
2Reliability
If 3D audio positioning is implemented for all audio objects, then immersive 3D audiovisual experience is achieved, but processing time and computational resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies 3D audio positioning selectively rather than universally. Audio objects that are spatially coincident with visual objects or important for immersion receive full 3D positioning processing, while less critical audio elements use simplified positioning. This partial application of the full 3D processing pipeline reduces overall computational burden while maintaining immersion where it matters most.
Solution Approach 2:
The audio processing is segmented into different stages: visual 3D position analysis, audio object identification, spatial mapping, and rendering. Each stage processes only the necessary information for that specific task, allowing parallel processing and optimization at each step, thereby reducing total processing time while maintaining comprehensive 3D audio positioning quality.
3Measurement precision
If audio objects are positioned based on visual object tracking, then accurate spatial correspondence is achieved, but audio objects that are off-screen or occluded cannot be accurately positioned
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis to identify audio objects that may be off-screen or occluded based on visual context clues, dialogue content, and scene information before actual positioning is required. This advance identification allows the system to prepare appropriate positioning strategies for these challenging cases, using inferred positions from visual data or alternative audio spatial cues.
Solution Approach 2:
For off-screen or occluded audio objects, the system uses an intermediary positioning approach that combines visual scene analysis, dialogue attribution, and acoustic environment modeling to estimate probable audio source positions. This intermediary method bridges the gap when direct visual tracking is unavailable, allowing reasonable spatial placement of audio objects that cannot be directly observed.
4Manufacturing precision
If 3D audio cues are optimized for specific distribution formats, then audio quality is improved for that format, but conversion to other formats or 2D display results in loss of 3D space perception cues
Solution Approach 1:
The audio encoding system is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple distribution formats and display types. The audio objects are encoded with comprehensive spatial information that can be adaptively rendered for different output formats (stereo, surround, spatial audio formats) and display types (2D, various 3D formats). This universal encoding approach allows high-quality conversion to different formats without permanent loss of 3D spatial information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary encoding of audio objects with full 3D spatial information and metadata before distribution. This pre-encoding with complete spatial data allows flexible post-processing and format conversion, as the original 3D positioning information is preserved in the encoded audio stream and can be adapted to different output requirements without regenerating the spatial cues from scratch.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus generating audio cues for content indicative of the position of audio objects within the content comprising:an audio processor receiving raw audio tracks for said content and information indicative of the positions of at least some of said audio tracks within frames of said content, said audio processor generating corresponding audio parameters;an authoring tool receiving said audio parameters and generating encoding coefficients, said audio parameters including audio cue of the position of audio objects corresponding to said tracks in at least one spatial dimension; anda first audio/video encoder receiving an input and encoding said input into an audio visual content having visual objects and audio objects, said audio objects being disposed at location corresponding to said one spatial position, said encoder using said encoding coefficients for said encoding.