AES Paris 2016
Poster Session P22
P22 - Rendering, Human Factors and Interfaces
Tuesday, June 7, 12:00 — 14:00 (Foyer)
P22-1 A Subjective Comparison of Discrete Surround Sound and Soundbar Technology by Using Mixed Methods—Tim Walton, Newcastle University - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK; BBC Research and Development - Salford, UK; Michael Evans, BBC Research & Development - Salford, Greater Manchester, UK; David Kirk, Newcastle University - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK; Frank Melchior, BBC Research and Development - Salford, UK
In recent years, soundbars have seen a rise in interest from consumers of home audio. Such technology offers an alternative means to experience surround sound content compared to conventional discrete multichannel systems. This paper presents a subjective comparison between two soundbars—a discrete 5 channel surround system and a discrete stereo system for a range of content and listener experience—in order to evaluate how soundbar technology compares to conventional discrete systems. A mixed methods approach, Open Profiling of Quality, was used in order to deeper understand preference ratings for the various reproduction systems. The results show that the discrete surround system was significantly preferred to the soundbars for all content due to a combination of timbral and spatial factors.
Convention Paper 9592 (Purchase now)
P22-2 WITHDRAWN—N/A
Convention Paper 9593 (Purchase now)
P22-3 Timbre Preferences of Four Listener Groups and the Influence of their Cultural Backgrounds—Sungyoung Kim, Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY, USA; Ron Bakker, Yamaha Music Europe - Vianen, Netherlands; Masahiro Ikeda, Yamaha Corporation - Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
The cultural influence on listeners’ timbre preference was investigated using the magnitude estimation method. Four listener groups (Dutch, Japanese, Korean, and American) participated in a listening test in their own countries. The listeners manipulated the timbre of five stimuli (Dutch, Japanese, Korean and English popular song, and orchestral music) by adjusting gains of three frequency bands according to their preferences. The statistical analysis (a mixed design ANOVA) showed that only interaction factor of the listener groups and the stimuli significantly differentiated the preferred spectral responses of four listener groups. This implies that a listener group from one country had unique timbre preference that appeared by listening to a song in its own language.
[Also a lecture—see session 20-4]
Convention Paper 9585 (Purchase now)
P22-4 Low-Complexity Stereo Signal Decomposition and Source Separation for Application in Stereo to 3D Upmixing—Sebastian Kraft, Helmut-Schmidt-University - Hamburg, Germany; Udo Zölzer, Helmut-Schmidt-University - Hamburg, Germany
In this paper we present a general low-complexity stereo signal decomposition approach. Based on a common stereo signal model, the panning coefficients and azimuth positions of the sources in a stereo mix are estimated. In a next step, this information is used to separate direct and ambient signal components. The simple algorithm can be implemented at low computational cost and its application in a stereo to 3D upmix context is described. Particular focus is put on the generation of additional ambient channels by using decorrelation filters in a tree structure. Finally, the separation performance is evaluated with several standard measures and compared to other algorithms.
Also a lecture—see session P21-1]
Convention Paper 9586 (Purchase now)
P22-5 Perceptual Evaluation of Transpan for 5.1 Mixing of Acoustic Recordings—Gaëtan Juge, Paris Conservatory (CNSMDP) - Paris, France; Amandine Pras, Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) - Paris, France; Stetson University - DeLand, FL, USA; Ilja Frissen, McGill University - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
We evaluate the efficiency of a 3D spatialization software named Transpan in the context of mixing acoustic recordings on a 5.1 reproduction system. The study aims to investigate if the use of the binaural with cross-talk cancellation (XTC) processing implemented in Transpan can improve the localization of lateral sources and their stability through listeners’ movements. We administered a listening test to 22 expert listeners in Paris and in Berlin. The test consisted of comparisons among two mixes with and without Transpan binaural/XTC panning, for four classical music excerpts under five listening conditions, i.e., at the sweet spot and while performing specific movements. Quantitative analysis of multiple choice questions showed that Transpan can enlarge the 5.1 sweet spot area toward the rear speakers. From qualitative analysis of participants’ feedback emerged five main categories of comments, namely Localization stability; Precise localization accuracy; Vague localization accuracy; Timbral and spectral artifacts; and Spatial differences. Together the results show that Transpan allows for better source lateralization in 5.1 mixing.
[Also a lecture—see session P21-5]
Convention Paper 9590 (Purchase now)
P22-6 Immersive Audio Delivery Using Joint Object Coding—Heiko Purnhagen, Dolby Sweden AB - Stockholm, Sweden; Toni Hirvonen, Dolby Laboratories - Stockholm, Sweden; Lars Villemoes, Dolby Sweden - Stockholm, Sweden; Jonas Samuelsson, Dolby Sweden AB - Stockholm, Sweden; Janusz Klejsa, Dolby Sweden AB - Stockholm, Sweden
Immersive audio experiences (3D audio) are an important element of next-generation audio entertainment systems. This paper presents joint object coding techniques that enable the delivery of object-based immersive audio content (e.g., Dolby Atmos) at low bit rates. This is achieved by conveying a multichannel downmix of the immersive content using perceptual audio coding algorithms together with parametric side information that enables the reconstruction of the audio objects from the downmix in the decoder. An advanced joint object coding tool is part of the AC-4 system recently standardized by ETSI. Joint object coding is also used in a backwards compatible extension of the Dolby Digital Plus system. Listening test results illustrate the performance of joint object coding in these two applications.
(Also a lecture – see session P21-2)
Convention Paper 9587 (Purchase now)
