![]() “MPEG-H is our core business, and it’s the codec that allows all of these technologies – Dirac, Atmos, Cingo and DTS – to exist,” says Robilliard.MPEG-H is currently the only codec specified by the VR Industry Forum guidelines, but it’s not just for VR it can take a mono, stereo, binaural, 5.1, 11.1, right up to a dynamic immersive audio signal to any compatible device.Though they probably won’t go mainstream until VR headsets begin to sell in bigger numbers, immersive audio formats are only half the story, with MPEG-H destined to play a critical role. “It’s a binaural renderer that tricks the brain into thinking that the sounds are going from outside of the headphones.“However, while Cingo supports rendering of fully immersive 3D audio content with formats that add a height dimension, it’s MPEG-H that’s got the biggest future. Cingo, a post-processing technology, delivers an authentic and realistic reproduction of the 3D sound scene over headphones Credit: Fraunhofer IISSo what happens when a MPEG-H bitstream arrives in a pair of headphones? “That’s where Cingo comes in,” says Robilliard. THX and Qualcomm just demoed its using MPEG-H. Although the ‘H’ doesn’t stand for anything in particular, think of it as meaning height.“This codec supports the delivery of channels, audio objects and ambisonics to TVs, soundbars, as well as mobile and VR devices,” says Julien Robilliard, product manager at Fraunhofer IIS.MPEG-H has been used in South Korea as part of terrestrial 4K broadcasts since May 2017, and Samsung TVs on sale there can decode it. Plantronics makes headphones compatible with Dolby Atmos Credit: PlantronicsGermany’s Fraunhofer IIS, known for the mp3, now has a container for handling immersive audio. It can also be used to mimic the experience of being in a cinema. If you tilt your head upwards, the sound moves downwards in the mix. HRTF is critical in producing immersive audio Credit: Dirac ResearchHowever, there are various different all-important rendering and processing technologies for taking immersive audio to devices – and each of has its own strengths. The only difference is that now it can mimic an 11.1 or higher array. What is immersive audio?Designed primarily for VR, but also for mobile devices, immersive audio has three parts to it.The first is channels home cinemas use a 5.1 system to handle front, left, right, left rear, right rear, and a subwoofer, and immersive audio is based initially on that same framework. It may have been considered cutting-edge a decade ago, but with most music and video now watched on mobile phones, the fight is on for audio that moves.Built around a 360-degree sphere, so-called immersive or spatial audio tech is being designed by the likes of, DTS, Dolby and THX primarily for, but who can ignore the world’s 2.5 billion smartphones? The race is on to produce the definitive format for 3D audio. Image credit: Dirac ResearchSurround sound is history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |