Three dimensional acoustic entertainment

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Three dimensional acoustic entertainment

Blind, Henry

It seems clear from the multitude of applications and popularity with the consumer that three dimensional acoustic entertainment is here to stay. Whether in the movie theatre or at the home entertainment console for audio, movies, TV and games, consumers are literally 'surrounded' with multichannel audio. The migration of this technology into the automotive space is now underway. The vehicle environment has some significant challenges and opportunities compared to the home environment. Technical challenges include the small acoustic cabin, high background noise and limited packaging space for speakers. Commercial challenges include accommodating the multitude of multichannel standards available and partitioning the audio system architecture to provide the most efficient means of multichannel distribution. The increase in vehicles equipped with three dimensional audio systems will enable application opportunities of the technology beyond entertainment. Just as stereo replaced mono and the CD replaced vinyl, we are witnessing the technologies of DSP and DVD replace the two-dimensional sonic world of stereo with a three-dimensional one. If the past is any indicator, there is likely no going back.