Immersive sound is surround sound’s bigger, more advanced brother. Immersive-sound technology blurs the lines between what we sense in the physical world and what we see or hear in the digital world. A huge area of interest for movie and video game developers, the purpose of immersive sound is to envelop listeners so that they are transported somewhere else, rather than just being blasted with a solid wall of sound as per usual. One would be able to physically feel the sound of a digital explosion, for example. It’s a huge area of technological development, and below are the answers to five of the most important questions regarding its use in the world today.
Immersive sound
1. What actually is immersive sound?
As stated above, immersive sound is the phenomenon of transporting a digital sound into our physical awareness, or any sound field that goes beyond a planar level. This makes it a fairly general classification of sound, though the technology used to produce the phenomenon is certainly unique. It could also be described as “3D sound.”
2. Who’s developing the technology for it?
The short answer? Everybody . As the term itself is broad, its applications are broader still. From artists to music companies and theaters, hundreds of companies and entrepreneurs are working to develop the future of immersive sound. Meridian Audio has just released a new audio processor that allows the user to have unified control over time alignment, bass, and surround-sound processing, giving a wholly more immersive experience than the other audio processors currently available for consumers. Wireless HiFi manufacturer Sonos worked with the artist Aramique to install an artistic immersive-sound exhibit in New York City that combined art, music, and immersive-sound technology in unforeseen ways in order to take their Play 1 campaign further. Marcus Theatres has just released a new UltraScreen DLX that will use immersive sound to make going to the movies a brand-new experience. And these are just three of the immersive-sound developments that came out this month, never mind what has come out this year. It seems as though everybody is keen to develop and use immersive sound, so it would definitely be a good idea to keep an eye on future projects.
3. How is immersive sound integrating with developments in visual technology?
The integration of immersive sound with visual technology such as Ultra HD and 4KTV is an area of particular interest for cinema and video game developers, who wish to combine the two in ways that will enhance the user’s experience of the movie or game. We have already seen examples of it in some theaters, but the video game industry seems to be lagging a bit behind. HD TVs such as the Sony Bravia 65-inch LED, their second try at a ultra high definition TV, is one of the better consumer examples of combining visual tech with more immersive sound. It uses higher picture quality and a wider screen and 65W S-Force Surround 3D with dual subwoofers. However, there are still some flaws with the combination that Sony needs to iron out.
Become immersed in your music
4. When will we see general consumer roll-out?
We should see more products like Sony's TV that use immersive sound for the general consumer relatively soon. So far, television developers seem to be doing best with consumer technologies, though the music industry is coming in a close second iwth products such ast he Astro A40 Headset and MixAmp Pro, both tools that wish to innovate the user's experience with music. It's not so much a question of any more of when we'll see products with immersive-sound technology, but of how far these products can go.
5. What are the initial cost estimates for immersive-sound technology?
High, for both consumer and industry technologies. The Sony Bravia mentioned below retails for $9,999, and that seems to be the going rate for consumer technology that combines immersive sound with visual technology developments. Cinema screens and sound systems like the Marcus Theatre screen are extremely pricy, so don’t hold out for one to appear in your hometown movie theater just yet. Consumer products with just immersive sound are much cheaper—the Astro A40 headset costs around $250—but are still up there in terms of price.
All of these facts show that immersive sound is definitely an area to keep your eye on, but one that you might have to wait a little while to bring home.
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