鈥淰irtual surround sound鈥� systems in MP3 players, TV sets and games consoles take an ordinary stereo headphone signal and boost and delay some frequencies to mimic a surround-sound effect. But how realistic the resulting sound appears varies from person to person,as we all have differently shaped ears and heads.
A joint project between the University of York, funded by the UK鈥檚 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and the University of Sydney in Australia has worked out a solution. A modified photo booth takes 3D images of a the listener鈥檚 head to measure the shape and size of their ears. These measurements are then used to compute how much to boost and delay the sound to create an ideal effect for that person. The calculated surround-sound profile is then stored on a smartcard which will plug into a new generation of compatible gadgets.
