Wearable Spatial Audio Sync for Personalized Shared Listening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spatial audio systems struggle to provide a shared and synchronized audio experience for multiple users with their own wearable spatial audio output devices, as differences in output devices and user physiology lead to inconsistencies in audio presentation, and users may prefer different audio tracks.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates user-specific subsets of audio tracks based on user-specific parameters, determines the location of wearable spatial audio output devices relative to dynamic audio objects, and synchronously initiates device-specific spatialized audio mixes, adjusting in real-time to user movements and environmental changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If binaural audio processing is applied to create immersive spatial audio experience, then audio immersion and engagement are improved, but computational resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies binaural audio processing selectively only to critical audio components and spatially important sound sources rather than processing all audio signals uniformly. This partial application maintains the immersive spatial audio experience for essential elements while reducing overall computational resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Different audio signals are processed with different levels of binaural processing based on their spatial importance and content characteristics. The system identifies and applies enhanced processing locally to spatially critical components while using lighter processing for less important audio elements, optimizing the balance between immersion quality and computational efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If audio signals are processed to enhance spatial audio experience, then audio quality and immersion are improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary classification and spatial analysis of audio signals before applying full binaural processing. By pre-identifying which audio components require intensive processing and which can use lighter processing, the system optimizes processing time while maintaining high audio quality for spatially important elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing intensity is dynamically adjusted based on real-time analysis of audio signal characteristics and spatial requirements. The system can switch between high-quality binaural processing and lighter processing modes depending on the current audio content and user experience requirements, optimizing the quality-time trade-off.
Data Source
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AI summary
Examples are disclosed relating to providing spatialized audio to multiple users. In one example, a computing device presents spatialized audio to multiple users within an environment via communicative connection to one or more wearable spatial audio output devices. For each communicatively connected wearable spatial audio output device, a user-specific subset of audio tracks is generated from a set of audio tracks for a dynamic audio object positioned within the environment based on one or more user-specific parameters. A location of the wearable spatial audio output device is determined relative to the dynamic audio object, and based upon this location, a device-specific spatialized audio mix is generated that includes the user-specific subset of audio tracks. The device-specific spatialized audio mixes are sent to the wearable spatial output devices, and playback of the device-specific spatialized audio mixes are synchronously initiated at each wearable spatial audio output device.