Adding 3D Sound to 3D Cinema: Identification and Evaluation of Different Reproduction Techniques

Very little research has been conducted so far into the general problem of producing a 3D soundscape consistent with the visual content of a 3D-stereoscopic movie. First, the following 3D sound reproduction techniques are reviewed: Vector Base Amplitude Panning (VBAP), binaural and transaural techniques, Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) and Ambisonics. Second, the new challenges of 3D cinema are introduced. Third, we reconsider each 3D audio technique in the light of these challenges. We find that, at least in theory, a completely personalized soundscape is needed and that, due to various technical reasons, only binaural reproduction through headphones is able to accurately produce a 3D soundscape consistent with a 3D-stereo movie in a theater environment.