Can I trust my ears in VR? Head-related transfer functions and valuation methods with descriptive attributes in virtual reality

Abstract

In this article, we present the current state of the art in binaural audio with the focus on head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and valuation methods of virtual acoustics with descriptive attributes. This combination provides a methodology, which delivers the basis for research studies in virtual reality (VR) on individual and non-individual head-related transfer functions. Based on the largely explored localization perception of static audio signals, this review offers an overview of the directional hearing during head and sound source movement and multimodality in audiovisual virtual environments. Perceptual quality characteristics provide evaluation methods from which future HRTF VR experiments and virtual environments studies on binaural acoustics could benefit.

Importance of HRTF Personalisation for Audio Rendering in Music-Related Virtual Environments

“…The selection of evaluation scales is another influencing factor. While localization accuracy is a relatively commonly used parameter in comparable studies, both authenticity and plausibility are also frequently mentioned parameters, but there are a number of other suitable evaluation criteria, as discussed in [6,7,21]. Another aspect to be considered is the computational power required for the simulations of the individual HRTFs, which is still prohibitively high for lightweight devices, such as smartphones.…”

“…This item selection covers some categories frequently mentioned in the context of perceptual quality in (music-related) VR environments: plausibility, authenticity, immersion and localization accuracy. In [6,7,9,21], for example, corresponding evaluation methods and measurement scales are described.…”

“…Moreover, different virtual scenarios, and therefore different applications, may rely differently on certain HRTF aspects, e.g., localization accuracy might be crucial for navigation solutions, whereas sound quality/authenticity may play a more important role for virtual concerts or similar music-related applications. However, most validations of personalized HRTFs focus on spatial localization (see [3,4]) or specific perceptual dimensions [5][6][7]. Music perception is often not included in such a setting and even minor methodological details can be decisive for the results in this area (see e.g.…”