Improving localization performance in binaural rendering over transmission systems with delay

Nishiguchi M, Takeuchi K, Watanabe K, Abe K, Ishikawa T, Usami H. Improving localization performance in binaural rendering over transmission systems with delay. In: Express Paper. Audio Engineering Society; 2025. Paper 364. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23038

@inproceedings{Nishiguchi2025_23038,
  author = {Nishiguchi, Masayuki and Takeuchi, Kenta and Watanabe, Kanji and Abe, Koji and Ishikawa, Tomokazu and Usami, Hikaru},
  title = {{Improving localization performance in binaural rendering over transmission systems with delay}},
  note = {Paper 364},
  year = {2025},
  month = oct,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23038}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Improving localization performance in binaural rendering over transmission systems with delay
AU  - Nishiguchi, Masayuki
AU  - Takeuchi, Kenta
AU  - Watanabe, Kanji
AU  - Abe, Koji
AU  - Ishikawa, Tomokazu
AU  - Usami, Hikaru
M1  - Paper 364
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/10/14
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23038
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - When wireless headphones equipped with a head-tracking system are connected to a PC or smartphone, the head-related impulse responses (HRIRs) used to synthesize 3D audio should be updated instantaneously in response to the listeners head movements. However, this update is often delayed due to transmission latency over wireless networks, resulting in reduced plausibility of the audio scene. To address this issue, we investigated a binaural rendering system that is not affected by transmission delay. In this approach, several dozen audio signals to be rendered are first grouped into 5 to 8 channels on the transmitter side using panning techniques, and then transmitted to the headphones. Binauralization is performed locally within the headphones using these signal channels, based on the directions of the signals relative to the listeners head orientation. Because the binauralization process occurs independently of the wireless connection, transmission delay does not impact the synthesis of 3D audio. To prevent degradation in audio quality caused by rotating panned signals during binauralization, head movement is anticipated in advance. On the transmitter side, panning parameters are calculated for multiple possible head rotation angles, and the results are averaged. Additionally, the influence of signals from the zenith is constrained and held constant to ensure stable rendering. Through this process, localization performance is maintained, even in the presence of head movement during rendering.
ER  -