New consumer audio formats have been developed in recent years for the production and distribution of immersive multichannel audio recordings including surround and height channels. HRTF-based binaural synthesis and cross-talk cancellation techniques can simulate virtual loudspeakers, localized in the horizontal plane or at elevated apparent positions, for audio reproduction over headphones or convenient loudspeaker playback systems. In this paper we review and discuss the practical design and implementation challenges of immersive audio virtualization methods, and describe computationally efficient processing approaches and topologies enabling more robust and consistent reproduction of directional audio cues in consumer applications.
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