Audio Directionality Control for Multi-Display Video Conferencing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In telepresence conferencing systems, audio directionality often lags behind video switching, causing abrupt jumps and distracting artifacts when a new speaking participant is detected, disrupting the virtual meeting experience.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method with audio mixers that utilize gain vectors and finite state machines to manage audio directionality across multiple loudspeakers, ensuring smooth transitions by pre-scaling audio and gradually directionalizing speech associated with the correct video display, even during short talk spurts or background noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If audio directionality tracks video display location, then audio spatial accuracy is improved, but audio transitions become abrupt when video switching is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-scaling audio signals and pre-positioning them in the audio scene before video switching occurs. When a new speaker is detected, the audio is already prepared and positioned, eliminating the delay between audio directionality change and video display update. This prevents abrupt transitions while maintaining accurate audio-spatial correspondence.
2Stability of the object's composition
If video switching is delayed to prevent thrashing, then video stability is improved, but audio directionality lags behind video display
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-positioning audio signals in the audio scene before video switching occurs. When a new speaker is detected, the audio is already prepared and positioned, eliminating the delay between audio directionality change and video display update. This decouples the audio timing from the delayed video switching while maintaining accurate audio-spatial correspondence.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic audio scene management where audio directionality can change independently and more rapidly than video switching. The audio mixer dynamically adjusts audio positions based on speaker detection, allowing audio to respond immediately while video maintains its stability threshold, creating independent but coordinated audio-video dynamics.
3Speed
If audio directionality changes rapidly with each speaker, then audio responsiveness is improved, but audio transitions cause distracting artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by pre-scaling and pre-positioning audio signals before switching occurs. This preparation creates a smooth transition path that cushions the audio scene against abrupt changes. The gradual fading and positioning of audio signals prevents harsh transitions and distracting artifacts while maintaining responsive audio directionality tracking.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes setting a target value for each audio source received from a plurality of remote participants to a telepresence conference, the gain coefficient array feeding a mixer associated with a loudspeaker associated with a display. A gain increment value is then set for each audio source, the gain increment value being equal to a difference between the target value and a current gain coefficient, the difference being divided by N, where N is an integer greater than one that represents a number of increments. Then, for each audio source, and for each of N iterations, the gain increment value is added to a current gain coefficient to produce a new current gain coefficient that is loaded into the mixer, such that after the N iterations the new current gain coefficient is equal to the target value. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.