Listening and Conversational Quality of Spatial Audio Conferencing
Jens Ahrens, Matthias Geier, Alexander Raake, Claudia Schlegel · 2010
We present the results of a listening and a conversation test on the quality of spatial and non-spatial audio conferences. To this aim, we have developed conversation test scenarios for audio conferences with three remote participants in order to carry out quality evaluation tests for audio-conferences that are comparable with similar scenarios for traditional one-to-one telephone conversation assessment. We have applied the test scenarios during a conversation test, to (i) validate the test scenarios, (ii) in a realistic usage context measure the advantages of spatial versus non-spatial audio conferencing, and in relation with the qualityimpact due to the transmitted speech bandwidth, and (iii) provide recordings of conferences for later use in listening tests. In the conversation test, we have compared different bandwidths (narrowband/NB, 3003400 Hz; wideband/WB, 50-7000 Hz; fullband/FB, 20-22000 Hz), spatial versus non-spatial headphonebased rendering, and channels with and without talker echo. In a subsequent listening test using recorded conferences, we have attempted to assess the quality of spatial and non-spatial audio-conferencing in a more detailed fashion, including aspects such as speaker identification and memory.