In some embodiments, a method comprises receiving audio content comprising left input channel signals and right input channel signals, and generating first and second input signals from the left and right input channel signals. The first input signal is based on a sum of the left and right input channel signals, and the second input signal is based on a difference of the left and right input channel signals. An array transfer function is applied to the first and second input signals to produced audio output signals, which can be provided to a plurality of audio transducers on one or more playback devices.

A virtual surround sound production circuit includes: a subtraction unit configured to perform subtraction operation on first and second signals to output a third signal; a first addition unit configured to perform addition operation on the first and second signals to output a center channel signal; a surround sound adjustment unit configured to adjust the third signal or another third signal that has undergone frequency compensation to output a fourth signal; a center compensation unit configured to adjust the center channel signal to output a fifth signal; a second addition unit configured to perform addition operation on the first, fourth and fifth signals to output a first output signal; a phase inverter unit configured to perform phase inversion on the fourth signal to generate a phase-inverted signal; and a third addition unit configured to perform addition operation on the second, fifth and phase-inverted signals to output a second output signal.

An audio signal processing method is provided. The method separates a left and a right channel audio signal to a center-left and center-right channel audio signals, and a side-left and side-right channel audio signals, and processes the center and side channel audio signals by a Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) so as to simulate the audio signals into several audio source positions related to a user, then synthesizes the processed audio signals into dual channel audio signals according to the user's hearing characteristics by a frequency compensation process. The invention further provides an audio signal processing apparatus to perform the audio signal processing method.

Methods and systems are provided for audio devices with enhanced directional operations. In a system that includes one or more audio output components, positioning information associated with at least a part of a user's body may be determined, the positioning information including at least orientation related information. The one or more audio output components may be controlled based on the determined positioning information, with the determined positioning information corresponding to a positional nature of the user within a three-dimensional space around the user, and where the controlling includes providing a three-dimensional audio environment according to the user.

Method for generating and outputting an acoustic multichannel signal, comprising the steps of: supplying a stereo signal (S), splitting the supplied stereo signal (S) into a plurality of perception-direction-dependent acoustic signal components (S.1-S.5), generating an acoustic multichannel signal by mixing each perception-direction-dependent acoustic signal component (S.1-S.5) onto an output channel (4.1-4.12) of an acoustic output apparatus (4) that comprises a plurality of, in particular more than two, acoustic output channels (4.1-4.12), outputting the generated multichannel signal over respective acoustic output channels (4.1-4.12) of the acoustic output apparatus (4).

In at least one embodiment, an audio system is provided. At least one controller is programmed to encode a first and second audio component and to generate a first and a second encoded audio component. The at least one controller is programmed to apply a first gain to at least one of the first encoded audio component and the second encoded audio component to generate at least one of a first and second increased encoded audio component and to decode the at least one of the first and the second increased encoded audio component to generate at least one of a first and second decoded audio component. The at least one controller is further programmed to amplitude pan the at least one of the first and the second decoded audio component to increase a stereo width for an audio output transmitted by a first loudspeaker and a second loudspeaker.

An acoustic device includes: a generating unit that generates a monaural signal on the basis of a left stereo signal and a right stereo signal in a low frequency band; an extracting unit that extracts a stereo component for an L-channel and a stereo component for an R-channel on the basis of a left stereo signal and a right stereo signal in a high frequency band; a first combining unit that combines the monaural signal and the stereo component for the L-channel; and a second combining unit that combines the monaural signal and the stereo component for the R-channel.

In at least one embodiment, an audio system is provided. The audio system includes a plurality of loudspeaker, a plurality of microphones, and an audio controller. The plurality of loudspeakers transmits an audio signal in a listening environment. The plurality of microphones detects the audio signal in the listening environment. The at least one audio controller is configured to determine a first psychoacoustic perceived loudness (PPL) of the audio signal as the audio signal is played back through a first loudspeaker of the plurality of loudspeakers and to determine a second PPL of the audio signal as the audio signal is sensed by a first microphone of the plurality of microphones. The at least one audio controller is further configured to map the first loudspeaker of the plurality of loudspeakers to the first microphone of the plurality of microphones based at least on the first PPL and the second PPL.

An audio signal output method is provided. The audio signal output method includes acquiring audio data including a plurality of audio signals corresponding respectively to a plurality of channels, applying a head-related transfer function, which localizes a sound image to a location determined for each of the plurality of channels to each of the plurality of audio signals, outputting first audio signals that have been applied with the head-related transfer functions, among the plurality of audio signals, to an earphone, and outputting the audio signal of one channel corresponding to a location that is in front of a top of a listener's head, among the plurality of audio signals, to a speaker.

A content presentation system including a display screen and an array of speakers behind the display screen is described herein. In some examples, speaker-associated screen areas, the volume of a sound, and a screen location of a sound source may be used to determine one or more speakers that are associated with the sound. For example, the volume of a sound and the screen location of a sound source may be used to determine a sound range for the sound that may be used to associate one or more speakers with the sound. In some examples, upon determination of the sound range, one or more speaker-associated screen areas that are wholly or partially included within the sound range may then be identified. Each speaker that is represented by an identified speaker-associated screen area may then be associated with the sound.