Dirac Research, the global leader in platform optimized sound enhancement
technology, recently removed a major barrier to a truly immersive AR/VR
experience with the introduction of its “Dynamic 3D Audio” AR/VR platform featuring
patent-pending dynamic HRTFs (head-related transfer functions) that consider the
isolated movements of the head in relation to the human torso. The current
industry-standard HRTFs incorrectly assume that the body and head must always
move in tandem.

The breakthrough Dynamic 3D Audio platform will be demoed at CES 2017, Venetian
Suite 31-215, between January 5-8, 2017.

“Simultaneous visual and aural immersion is the linchpin of a true virtual reality
experience,’ explained Dr. Mathias Johansson, founder and CEO of Dirac Research.
“It’s what separates reality, experienced virtually, from an obvious representation
of such. Until today, the limitations of the 3D audio technology used in VR/ AR
programming have prevented this true immersion from being created, rendering a
gaming, entertainment, or educational VR experience that is fundamentally flawed,
with too many reminders that true reality exists elsewhere. With Dynamic 3D
Audio, these limitations no longer exist. True simultaneous visual and aural
immersion is now a certain reality within the virtual experience.’

According to Johansson, Dirac’s Dynamic 3D Audio is comprised of multiple
fundamental breakthroughs, the most central being the development of the patent-
pending Dynamic HRTFs that consider the isolated movements of the head in
relation to the torso. “If a phone rings to my left, its sound waves enter my left ear
a fraction of a second before my right, and the sound bounces off my shoulders and
head in various ways that allows my brain to localize the sound and instinctively
rotate my head alone to face its source,’ continued Johansson. “This is reality; yet,
prior to our development of Dynamic HRTFs and their application in the Dynamic 3D
Audio platform, it couldn’t be correctly reproduced virtually. Prior solutions assume
that the head and torso rotate in tandem. The failure to accurately reproduce
dynamic head movements in virtual reality is one of the reasons why existing 3D
sound solutions don’t sound quite realistic.’

The torso-head dilemma isn’t the only immersion limitation resolved by Dirac’s
Dynamic 3D Audio platform. HRTFs are a function of how one’s ear perceives a
particular sound from a point in space. Height, cranial proportions, and ear
dimensions, among other factors, all play a role in one’s individualized HRTF that’s
as unique as a fingerprint. That said, to create a completely immersive 3D audio
experience, the industry standard relies on the “individualized’ HRTF measurement
of each listener — a time-consuming and laborious process that ultimately lacks
scalability.

While CES 2017 will mark Dirac’s official entry into the AR/ VR space, the company
has been a leader in platform-optimized sound enhancement technology for more
than 15 years, serving a global network of customers in the Mobile, Home,
Professional, and Automotive channels.

For additional photography, and to schedule a demo at CES 2017, email
dan@griffin360.com.