As virtual and augmented reality become more common, the goal is to make immersive experiences truly realistic, not only visually but also audibly.
Introducing MPEG-I Immersive Audio, a new global standard that redefines how sound shapes our experiences in digital worlds.
The standard, recently completed by the MPEG Audio Group, defines the behavior of sound in 3D spaces and enables natural, dynamic and realistic sound for virtual and augmented reality.
From sports, gaming, education and live concerts to virtual travel and immersive social experiences, MPEG-I lays the foundation for a new era. One where the immersive sound is as authentic and accessible as the visuals that surround it.
Kill innovation
The new standard supports six full degrees of freedom, meaning the sound adjusts naturally as you turn, walk or look around, while being light enough for efficient real-time streaming and playback.
Model realistic acoustic environments, including early reflections, reverberation, occlusion, diffraction and Doppler effects, making VR/AR navigation more authentic.
MPEG-I’s immersive audio modeling capabilities will make high-quality immersive experiences more accessible and widespread for creators, developers and end users.
Imagine realistically hearing the roar of the crowd as you walk through a virtual stadium, or a virtual concert that responds as you move through the venue. The standard will enable realistic audio experiences in VR and AR and ensure interoperability between devices and service ecosystems to increase efficiency and reduce production costs.
In both AR and VR, the user is fully immersed in the surrounding acoustic environment and can navigate the sound scene while the sound sources remain in their respective positions.
While VR audio playback takes you into completely imaginary acoustic environments, AR playback likely supplements your physical audio environment with additional virtual sounds.
The technology that sets the standard
Imagine walking into a dark cave in the metaverse. As you walk, your steps create realistic echoes that bounce off the stone walls. The sound changes slightly depending on the size and shape of the cave.
Nokia has added advanced audio technology to immersive MPEG-I audio in three main areas: late reverberation, augmented reality (AR) support and multi-HOA recording playback.
Late Reverb in MPEG-I Immersive Audio is the first immersive version for VR and AR applications that can be automatically configured for physical acoustic environments and supports network environments.
The listening room information interface enables augmented reality support and allows applications to configure the virtual representation of the physical listening room.
Finally, by displaying multiple HOA signal recordings, end users can experience full-fidelity 6DoF environments captured live without expensive pre-production.
MPEG-I Immersive Audio automatically creates a continuous soundstage from HOA signal acquisitions made at discrete locations within the soundstage’s recording area.
MPEG-I Immersive Audio aims to enable new VR/AR and augmented reality applications where immersive audio playback automatically adapts to the captured or modeled space.
The next step towards standardization
Standardized immersive audio technologies open up new opportunities and target markets. The first big steps have already been taken to bring credential rendering software to work on consumer mobile devices and allow users to enjoy new AR and VR experiences on their android devices.
More work is underway to enable spatial audio recording for immersive MPEG-I audio with mobile devices, enabling consumers to capture full 6DoF scenes.
The next step toward standardization is to continue developing display technologies based on feedback from application developers for key use cases.
Driving adoption by early adopters and content creators will be critical to understanding how the audio industry can move forward to foster the future of immersive audio for individual consumers, businesses and all industries.