CONVENTIONAL AND DISTRIBUTED MODE LOUDSPEAKER ARRAYS FOR THE APPLICATION OF WAVE-FIELD SYNTHESIS TO VIDEOCONFERENCE

This paper presents two prototypes for the application of Wave-Field Synthesis (WFS) to high realism 3D videoconference systems based on the concept of virtual window. To provide the acoustic window, we have chosen WFS as the spatial sound rendering technique that generates a very realistic sound field using loudspeaker arrays. On one hand, a conventional cone loudspeaker array has been employed in conjunction with an autostereoscopic plasma display. On the other hand, a multiexcited Distributed Mode Loudspeaker (DML) in the form of Multiactuator Panel (MAP) has been also employed as an alternative technology to the cone loudspeakers. Because of its low visual profile and the fact that the vibration is low enough to be imperceptible to the human eye; they can be integrated into a room interior and simultaneously used as projection screens. Until now, the small size of current prototypes did not allow its use for big immersive environments, but in this paper we present one of the largest MAP reported.