What is 3D Sound? The Briefest Primer

3D Audio & VR: The Missing Link?

Seth SchachnerStrat AmericasJuly, 2016

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What is 3D Sound? 3D Sound means placing sound sources anywhere around you with pinpoint precision. When you listen to music you can hear instruments you never heard before, because the spatial separation creates cognitive separation that lets you focus your listening on individual sounds.With 3D sound I can take just two speakers either headphones or loudspeakers and I can remove all the cues that tell you that the sound is somewhere between the speakers,and I can cast the sound anywhere in the room.For example, instead of headphones sounding like the music is inside your head,I can grab the music and pull it out of your head and move it around the room.When you close your eyes the speakers disappear and it sound like you are really at a concert or in a studio and the musicians are actually at their places all around

For todays mobile market, this is a better/faster/cheaper play.

For the internet of tomorrow, this is a critical, must-have feature. Let me explain.

The mobile Internet of tomorrow is a magical Internet of Things where the internet disappears into the world around us, in whats called Augmented Reality.Instead of looking down at our phones all day well look around at the world around us and things will talk to us, initially through a pair of glasses. My Linked-In profile will float over my head to remind you of my name. You could even join this meeting holographically.

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What is 3D Sound? The Briefest Primer

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What is 3D Sound? 3D Sound means placing sound sources anywhere around you with pinpoint precision. When you listen to music you can hear instruments you never heard before, because the spatial separation creates cognitive separation that lets you focus your listening on individual sounds.With 3D sound I can take just two speakers either headphones or loudspeakers and I can remove all the cues that tell you that the sound is somewhere between the speakers,and I can cast the sound anywhere in the room.For example, instead of headphones sounding like the music is inside your head,I can grab the music and pull it out of your head and move it around the room.When you close your eyes the speakers disappear and it sound like you are really at a concert or in a studio and the musicians are actually at their places all around

For todays mobile market, this is a better/faster/cheaper play.

For the internet of tomorrow, this is a critical, must-have feature. Let me explain.

The mobile Internet of tomorrow is a magical Internet of Things where the internet disappears into the world around us, in whats called Augmented Reality.Instead of looking down at our phones all day well look around at the world around us and things will talk to us, initially through a pair of glasses. My Linked-In profile will float over my head to remind you of my name. You could even join this meeting holographically.

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What is 3D Audio?

3D Audio pulls the sound from its source (e.g., speakers, headphones, etc.)Step 1Step 23D Audio places the sound in the spot that matches the location of the 3D object

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3D Audio: AssumptionsNot So Much 3D Audio in Market

Audio is as fundamental to VR as video.

Tricking the Brain is the goal. 3D Audio is superior to surround sound3D Audio need not be limited to VR.

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There is an overwhelming amount of 360 video in the market (And not so many complementary 3D audio technologies.)

or tricking the brain into hearing 3D Audio sounds as though they were firsthand. It is based on a century old technique, Binaural Audio

. It has potential markets and applications spanning hardware (headphones & speakers), automotive, digital streaming services

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Why is 3D Audio Relevant to VR?"Binaural audio is critical to an immersive experience within VR. We consider audio to be 50 percent of the immersive experience - Adam Somers, Jaunt

While purely visual VR experiences can be made, adding 3D audio greatly magnifies the impact and depth of a VR experience. Dr. Richard Marks, Sony Entertainment

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With the rise of VR hardware, 3D Audio is key: it helps fully immerse users, and it magnifies the impact of a VR experience.In the VR experience, a user can look in any direction. You can look in the direction of the sound, just as though you were watching live theater.

Significant acquisition & partnership activity: Facebooks purchase of Two Big Ears, alliances between Visisonics & Oculus; Dysonics alliances with major airlines; Sonys in house solution, Magic Leap

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Potential VR Markets

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And Beyond VR?ImageCustomerTime to MarketDescriptionMobile Phones18 month design cycle for carriers to approve new handsets.3D Sound software can improve the listening experience for all of the content on a smartphone.Gaming Tablets and CradlesCan be added as a product refresh at any time.3D Sound software can improve the listening experience when incorporated into portable gaming gear.

Headphones and Portable SpeakersCan be added as a product refresh at any time or tied to a new product launch.3D Sound can be added to new or many existing headphones and portable Bluetooth speakers to improve the user experience.Web Applications and Streaming Music ServicesCan be added as a new feature at any time.Web Application and Music Streaming Services can add 3D Sound at the client to provide a superior music experience.Augmented Reality and Virtual RealityCan be added as a product refresh at any time or tied to a new product launch.Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality products need 3D Sound for the user to plausibly believe that they are immersed in the experience.

3D Audio software has viability for speaker systems, headphones, automotive audio systems, many other verticals.Headphones Perhaps the best way to hear the differenceIn a car, users can have multiple audio experiences simultaneously.Audio streaming services could use 3D audio as part of a strategy to drive subscriptions, differentiate.

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Music Streaming Services: 3D Audio as a High Fidelity Feature3D Audio is a catalyst for industry engagement3D Audio engages artist by creating interactions between listeners and their music Increase listeningRetain subscribersDrive sponsorshipsSupport device partnershipsResults

A natural premium upsell3D Audio adds clear value for premium subscribersStream live in-studio sessions with multiple artistsHost exclusive album launches with live artist commentaryOpportunities

3D Audio Zones In the Car

HUDPassenger hears completely different content and does not hear alerts.Driver hears Audible Alerts as if they were coming from the exact direction of the alert on the HUD with pinpoint accuracy.

In a car, users can have multiple audio experiences simultaneously.

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Too Soon to Talk Business Development?Coopetition over Deal-Making Work within an industry rather than push 3D audio on itEmphasis for 3D audio technologies is on partnershipsbusiness models may come later.

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