EP4078993A1

EP4078993A1 - Method and system for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information

Info

Publication number: EP4078993A1
Application number: EP20821040.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Albert-Tobias Hammerstingl; Carmen Sommer; Robert Wolf; Michael Romanov
Original assignee: MU Movie United GmbH
Current assignee: MU Movie United GmbH
Priority date: 2019-12-16
Filing date: 2020-12-15
Publication date: 2022-10-26
Also published as: US20230046511A1; EP3840405A1; WO2021122540A1

Abstract

In a method for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information, acoustic data is provided which comprises a first data component and a second data component, wherein the first data component does not contain speech information, and the second data component contains speech information. Each piece of data is reproduced by first and second audio reproduction means (30, 40) such that all users (101, 102) can hear the acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means (30) together, and the acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means (40) can be heard substantially only by the corresponding user (101, 102).

Description

Method and system for the transmission and reproduction of acoustic

Information The present invention relates to a method and a system for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information. In particular, the invention relates to a method and a system which is used in the context of a multimedia application, for example when playing back a movie. The playback of films in the context of cinema screenings usually takes place in larger rooms or possibly also outdoors in such a way that the video image is displayed on a screen, an LED wall, via virtual reality or similar, and the sound is displayed on a screen that is visible to all viewers , that is to say the acoustic information belonging to the video image is reproduced via a central loudspeaker system that can be heard jointly by all viewers. In this case, all viewers hear the identical acoustic information, which means in particular that in the case of dialogues or, in general, of language information, these are generally perceived in the identical language by all observers. However, there is an increasing desire or need within the scope of a film showing to give viewers the option of making the film available flexibly in a desired language. That means, ideally, different viewers should be able to see the film at the same time, but in spite of everything they should be able to follow it in a language of your choice. This requires the viewers to be provided with individually adapted acoustic information.

An obvious and already known solution to this problem consists in the fact that every viewer wears headphones, the acoustic signal then containing the speech information contained therein in the language desired by the viewer in accordance with the wishes of the viewer and being reproduced through the headphones. Since versions of a film that are synchronized in different languages are usually available, in this case the listener is given the version, usually via mobile devices with the appropriate apps (e.g. myLINGO, Native Waves, SoundFi ...) that corresponds to his desired language, which he can then perceive directly through his headphones. A central reproduction of the acoustic information with the aid of a central loudspeaker system could then be dispensed with, since every viewer hears or perceives the acoustic information exclusively through headphones anyway. In reality, however, the film is usually played back centrally in one language, with viewers who want to watch the film in a different language then receive this individually with all other associated sound information via the above apps or similar additional devices

However, it has been found that the variant described above does not lead to a satisfactory result. The first problem in this respect is that the spatial perception of the acoustic information that is present in a conventional cinema presentation can only be achieved inadequately with the aid of the headphones. In particular, however, there is the problem that each viewer perceives the acoustic information completely isolated from other viewers, which contradicts the goal usually pursued with a visit to the cinema, namely to see a film together. In the variant also described, in which the film is played back centrally in one language and languages that differ from it are made available individually via app or similar, echoes or the problem of so-called double sound can also occur because - with the exception of the different languages - identical audio information from a film is reproduced through loudspeakers and headphones, which in turn has a disruptive effect on the listening experience.

EP 1 427253 A2 describes a multi-channel audio system which provides for a listening area to be subdivided into several so-called listening rooms, for example a cinema hall with several cinema seats being described as the listening area and the individual listening rooms being formed at the respective cinema seats. Specifically, it is proposed to equip the cinema seats with a plurality of speakers, which in the

Head region of the seated user are arranged. The system described provides that two categories of loudspeaker groups are used, with a central loudspeaker group supplying the entire listening area with audio signals and other loudspeaker groups each supplying audio signals individually in the respective listening room output. It is crucial here that EP 1 427253 A2 strives for each individual user to have exactly the same audio experience regardless of their position in the listening area, that is to say, for example, regardless of the seating position in the cinema hall. The signals emitted via the individual loudspeaker groups differ from listening room to listening room, since the audio signals emitted via the central loudspeaker group would be perceived differently at the different listening room positions, which is compensated accordingly with the aid of the audio signals emitted via the respective individual loudspeaker group. The audio information output via the central loudspeaker group is therefore also output by the individual loudspeaker groups, but is adapted in each case in such a way that an overall identical perception experience results. Regardless of their seating position, all users of the system perceive the incoming audio signals as if they were all, for example, sitting centrally in front of the cinema screen. EP 1 427253 A2 thus describes a multi-channel audio system in which several users at different positions in a listening area should always experience the same audio experience, so that, for example, the seating position in a cinema is no longer relevant for the audio experience, since the perception of the audio signals during individual user is identical anyway. In particular, always

Audio signals that are emitted via the central loudspeaker group are also emitted in an individually influenced manner via all loudspeakers of the individual loudspeaker groups, with the spatial and positional dependency of the acoustic perception being eliminated by means of destructive superimpositions of the various audio signals.

However, such an audio system does not allow the user an optimal, in particular no acoustically plausible, listening experience, since the audio signals perceived by the user do not reproduce the spatial audio characteristics due to the individual compensating sound from the respective loudspeakers of the individual loudspeaker group. Depending on the actual position of the viewer, this can result in a listening experience that does not match the viewer's visual perception. Furthermore, the method described in the prior art represents a very complex form of transmission of the Audio signals, since the audio information output via the central loudspeaker group must also be output via the local loudspeaker groups. The present invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a possibility of optimizing the reproduction of acoustic information in such a way that the perception by a user is further improved. In particular, a communal, spatially natural and acoustically plausible room sound experience should be made possible

The object is achieved by a method for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information according to claim 1 and by a system according to claim 11. Advantageous further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

In contrast to the solution described above, known from the prior art, in which the acoustic information is always transmitted to a viewer on a single specific path, it is proposed according to the invention to use two separate transmission paths for the transmission in such a way that the acoustic information divided on both paths, but in such a way that they can ultimately be perceived by a user, that is to say a viewer or a listener, combined, that is, as from a common audio source. Enabling a communal listening experience is a key component here. In particular, provision is made to separate the acoustic data in digital form into a first data part and a second data part, the second data part containing speech information and the first part containing no speech information, so that the data parts do not have any content overlap. While the first data part, which does not contain any language information, is then reproduced with the aid of first audio reproduction means which are not directly assigned to a user, the second part is reproduced

Part of the data with the aid of additional second audio reproduction means, which, however, are arranged and designed in relation to a user in such a way that the user can ultimately perceive the acoustic information corresponding to the two data parts in combination. “Combined” is understood here to mean that the Ultimately, the user perceives all acoustic information as if it came from a common source. It is essential here that, as already mentioned, the audio data of the first data part and the audio data of the second data part do not overlap, but instead complement each other in terms of content. The audio information of the second data part is output exclusively via the second audio reproduction means, whereas the first audio reproduction means does not reproduce any audio data of the second data part.

According to the invention, a method for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information - preferably in a multimedia application - is proposed, which has the following steps: a) Providing acoustic data in digital form which comprise a first data part and a second data part, the the first data part contains no language information and the second data part s contains language information; b) transmitting the first data part to the first audio reproduction means and outputting acoustic signals corresponding to the first data part by the first audio reproduction means; c) transmitting the second data part to second audio reproduction means and outputting acoustic signals corresponding to the second data part by the second audio reproduction means; wherein the second audio reproduction means are positioned differently in relation to a user assigned to them than the first audio reproduction means - which are not directly assigned to a user -,

25 in particular in the immediate vicinity of the user, and are designed such that

The user can hear the acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means, and

The acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means can essentially only be heard by this user who is assigned to the respective second audio reproduction means. Language information is referred to here as language information, which is generally required for the respective user to understand the listening experience, so that the second data part primarily contains so-called comprehension language. The first data part could possibly also contain audio signals of spoken words, which are then irrelevant for understanding or which do not represent speech signals that the user can understand, so that no data of an understanding language is transmitted in this way. It would therefore be conceivable, for example, that the first data part contains a language that is not understandable for the user or users, while the translation that is understandable for a user, which then represents the understanding language, is transmitted with the aid of the second data part. The acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means and the acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means therefore have no common intersection. In particular, it can be provided that there are several users, each of whom is individually assigned second audio reproduction means, the acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means, which are not directly assigned to any of the users, can then be heard jointly by all users and the acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means, which are each assigned directly to the users, can essentially each be heard individually and exclusively by the associated user.

Furthermore, the acoustic audio information output by the first audio reproduction means and the acoustic audio information output by the second audio reproduction means do not have any overlap. The first acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means are therefore not emitted by the second audio reproduction means, not even in a modulated manner. Thus, a communal listening experience is achieved for the users, with all audio information of the non-understanding language being reproduced by the general first audio reproduction means, and the respective audio information of the understanding language being transmitted individually to each user via the second audio reproduction means. In this way, an improved sound experience is achieved, with joint listening with individual data of the understanding language being made possible. In the case of several users in particular, the advantages of the method according to the invention are clearly evident. While in the solutions known in the prior art either all users jointly perceive a centrally reproduced acoustic signal or each user perceives acoustic signals completely separately from other users, in the solution according to the invention there is a combination of acoustic signals that are partially transmitted by all Users can be perceived jointly and, on the other hand, are transmitted individually to each user. The isolation or complete separation between the different users in the perception of acoustic information is thus eliminated and there is again a communal listening experience, although certain components of the acoustic information can be individually adapted to the user. Furthermore, the problems occurring in the current state of the art described above, such as echoes or double sound reinforcement, can be avoided.

In particular, according to an advantageous development of the invention, there is then the possibility of selecting the second part of the acoustic data that is transmitted to the second audio reproduction means depending on a selection made by the user, in particular such that the speech information contained in the second data part is in a The language selected by the user is available. This particularly preferred further development of the invention now makes it possible, for example, to actually play back a movie in such a way that different users can see and hear it at the same time, but in each case in the language they want. Furthermore, the invention opens up the possibility of switching between the different languages at any time - including while the film is running.

Developments of the concept according to the invention relate to measures by which, in particular, the reproduction of the acoustic information relating to the second data part, that is to say the speech information, is additionally optimized. It must be taken into account here, for example, that the perception of the acoustic information corresponding to the first data part, which is reproduced by the central first audio reproduction means, is naturally given by the environment being affected. In particular, the acoustic properties, e.g. of a room in which the film is played, play a role here, since the corresponding acoustic information is ultimately provided by the viewer in a special way, depending on the size and shape of the room and the positioning of the first audio playback device therein be perceived. In this context, it is particularly important how the corresponding sound can propagate within the room and to what extent this leads to hall effects or damping effects, for example. Since ultimately, ideally, the acoustic information corresponding to the two data parts should be perceived by the user / viewer / listener in a manner that matches as closely as possible, provision is made according to an advantageous development to modify the second data part in such a way that the room or the location where the playback the acoustic information is taken into account. This can be done in particular through the use of a so-called bi-naural filter, with parameters of the filter preferably being determined on the basis of previously performed test measurements. In other words, before the system is put into operation, the way in which sound propagates within the space of reproduction must be determined, for example, once within the framework of acoustic measurements, with the information obtained in this case then flowing into the bi-naural filter so that the

Speech information or the acoustic information of the second data part is reproduced in the immediate vicinity of the user, but in such a way that the impression arises that the reproduction would take place in a room that corresponds to the room in which the user is staying . Since this corresponding modification of the second data part should be carried out in the same way for all users regardless of the language selected, it is preferably provided that the second data part is modified centrally and thus in the same way for all users, even if it would be fundamentally conceivable to modify or modify the data accordingly To implement the use of the bi-aural filter directly in the second audio reproduction means.

Another development of the concept according to the invention takes into account that not only the space or location of the reproduction itself influences the perception of the acoustic information for the user, but also the position of the user with regard to the first audio reproduction means. Since the acoustic information corresponding to the two data parts is transmitted in different ways, there are runtime differences, in particular the point in time at which the acoustic information corresponding to the first data part is perceived by a user depends on the position of the user in relation to the first acoustic reproduction means depends. This is because here the transmission of the acoustic information essentially takes place via sound, which thus leads to a position-dependent transit time delay in relation to the distance to the respective first audio reproduction means, while the second data part is in electronic form almost over the entire route, is transmitted via cable or radio, for example, so that there will also be a delay due to the corresponding processing of the data, but this will be essentially the same for all users, regardless of position. In order to be able to take this effect into account, the second data part is therefore additionally modified by the second audio reproduction means before the corresponding acoustic signals are output, in order to be able to take into account the position of the second audio reproduction means in relation to the first audio reproduction means. This essentially involves taking into account a time delay in the reproduction of the acoustic information corresponding to the second data part, this modification then being individual for each

User is carried out in such a way that the most synchronous possible perception of the acoustic information corresponding to the two data parts is achieved. This ensures that ultimately the acoustic information from both reproduction means can be perceived by the user as a whole in a uniform and homogeneous manner.

These measures according to the invention ensure, for example in the example of a film showing described above, that the image and sound can be perceived by the viewer in an ideally coordinated manner. This applies to the centrally output sound without speech information, but in particular also to the sound component output individually according to the invention, which contains the comprehension speech information and which is acoustically processed so that it is perceived through the headphones as if it came together with the first data part naturally from the first audio reproduction means. The transmission of both the first and the second data part can take place either by wire or wirelessly. As already mentioned, a preferred application example for the inventive concept is the reproduction of a movie, which is why a particularly preferred exemplary embodiment provides that optical information, in particular video information, is reproduced at the same time as the transmission and reproduction of the acoustic information. In principle, however, the implementation of the method would also be conceivable independently of the reproduction of video information.

According to the present invention, a system for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information is also proposed - preferably in a multimedia application - which has: a) a memory device for providing acoustic data in digital form which comprise a first data part and a second data part wherein the first data part contains no language information and the second data part contains language information; b) means for transmitting the first data part to first audio reproduction means; c) first audio reproduction means for outputting acoustic signals which correspond to the first data part; d) means for transmitting the second data part to second audio reproduction means; e) second audio reproduction means for outputting acoustic signals which correspond to the second data part; wherein the second audio reproduction means are positioned differently with respect to a user assigned to them than the first audio reproduction means - which are not directly assigned to a user -, in particular in the immediate vicinity of the user, and are designed such that

The user can hear the acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means, and The acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means can essentially only be heard by this user assigned to the respective second audio reproduction means. The second audio reproduction means can be, for example, one

Trading headphones. The second audio reproduction means can preferably be located at a distance of up to one meter from the ear of the user. It can therefore be, for example, headphones on the ear or also playback means built into a headrest or the like, whereas the first audio playback means are preferably an arrangement consisting of one or more loudspeakers.

In particular, these can be so-called “open headphones”, which are designed to enable a user to hear the audio signals of the first audio reproduction means undisturbed. Continue to exhibit these open

Headphones each have the second audio reproduction means, which are designed such that the second audio signal output by the second audio reproduction means is perceived by the user simultaneously with the audio signal of the first audio reproduction means.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the method of transmitting and reproducing audio information according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the basic structure of a system according to the invention for carrying out the method for transmitting and reproducing audio information;

FIG. 3 shows a first example of a user interface for selecting language information desired by a listener; FIG. 4 shows a preferred second exemplary embodiment of a possibility for selecting language information desired by a user / viewer / listener directly on the second audio reproduction means assigned to the user / viewer / listener; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views of an exemplary embodiment of a headphone used in the method according to the invention.

The procedure according to the invention is to be explained below using the example of a film showing in a closed space, that is to say, for example, a cinema hall. As already mentioned, the concept is not limited to closed rooms or halls, but can also be used, for example, for the reproduction of acoustic information in the open air. Use in the private sector, for example in the form of a home cinema in the living room, would also be conceivable, since here too there is often a need for several people viewing a video to want to hear the language information in different languages. Finally, it should be pointed out that the transmission and reproduction of acoustic information according to the invention could also take place completely without a simultaneous display of image information.

It should also be pointed out that in the following the terms “user” or “viewer” are used, but these are to be understood as gender-neutral. The present invention relates to users of any gender.

FIG. 1 now schematically shows the method according to the invention for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information in the event that several users or viewers 101 and 102 want to watch a film reproduced in a cinema hall together, but each want to follow the film in a different language. How many users participate in a playback and how many of them choose which of any number of language versions and listen for how long (if, for example, a language change is selected by a user during playback of the film), is the present for the system or the method Invention irrelevant. However, the system is able to recognize how many users have which language version over what period of time chose or heard during a performance, which may be advantageous with regard to billing with different rights holders of different dubbed versions.

Provision is initially made here for the image information to be displayed on a canvas or a screen 50 so that it can thus be perceived uniformly by all viewers 101 and 102. To reproduce the associated acoustic information, an arrangement of loudspeakers 30 is also provided which, depending on the design of the sound system, can be positioned at different points in the cinema and emit sound into the room in such a way that it can be perceived by all viewers located therein. In the exemplary embodiment shown, it is assumed that the loudspeakers 30 are located in the area of the screen 50 or the screen, whereby - as already mentioned - significantly more loudspeakers can be present and these can be positioned distributed over the room. It is essential, however, that these loudspeakers 30 are designed to reproduce acoustic information in such a way that they can be perceived by all viewers at the same time.

In previous systems it was provided that all audio information was reproduced via the loudspeaker system 30, which was perceptible to all viewers. However, this means that viewers 101 and 102 can only watch the film in a single language.

According to the invention, provision is therefore made for the acoustic information associated with the video image to be reproduced in a modified manner, so that there is the possibility of making an individual, adapted reproduction, in particular with regard to speech, for the viewers 101 and 102.

The invention is based on the idea of splitting or subdividing the acoustic information into two content-related non-overlapping parts and then transmitting these different parts in a special way to the listener so that the two parts are then perceived homogeneously as a natural sound image . For the exemplary case of a cinema screening, this means that the entire acoustic Information is divided or separated, on the one hand into a first part that does not contain any synchronizable or synchronized speech information (this would then be the components MUSIC and EFFECTS in the case of a film audio file divided into the components DIALOG, MUSIC & EFFECTS), and on the other hand in a second part (in the above example the DIALOG part), which - ideally exclusively - contains synchronizable or synchronized voice information. A corresponding division of the acoustic data is usually relatively easy to carry out or is usually already available from the factory, since the sound information of a film is usually made available in digitized form in several files. Mastering - are stored in specific, uniquely identifiable files. Ideally, the initial splitting of the entire acoustic information is not necessary at all for carrying out the present invention, but rather the acoustic information 15 that has already been made available can be used. The second data part, which corresponds to the second sub-area of the divided acoustic information and is intended to contain the speech information, then in principle consists of the corresponding files.

The first data portion, on the other hand, which corresponds to the first sub-area of the divided acoustic information and does not contain any synchronizable or synchronized speech information, can be made available to all viewers 101 or 102 in the same way, regardless of the language preference, which is why the procedure according to the invention is provided to output the acoustic signals corresponding to this first data part in a centralized manner via the loudspeaker system 30, in such a way that - as in a conventional

Cinema presentation - all viewers 101, 102 can in principle hear the corresponding acoustic information together and at the same time. Ultimately, the screen 50 and the loudspeaker system 30 reproduce the film in a form that can be perceived in the same way for all viewers 101, 102, but which initially does not contain any dialogues or any language information. The transmission of this portion of the acoustic information is shown schematically in FIG. 1 by the arrows A, with the viewers 101, 102 naturally hearing the acoustic signal from all loudspeakers 30 of the system. The synchronizable or synchronized voice information of the film, on the other hand, as already mentioned, forms the second data part of the acoustic information, which according to the invention is made available to viewers 101, 102 in an alternative way. For this purpose it is provided that each viewer 101,

5 102 further audio reproduction means 40 are individually assigned. In the present case, these are shown in the form of headphones 40, whereby it is initially essential that these additional audio reproduction means 40 are in the immediate vicinity of the respectively assigned viewer compared to the loudspeaker system 30

101 and 102 are arranged. These second audio reproduction means 40 do not necessarily have to be headphones, but rather loudspeakers, for example, could also be provided for this purpose, which are individually assigned to a viewer 101 or 102 and are for this purpose in the immediate vicinity (for example at a distance of max. Im) of the audience 101 or 102. In particular, it is provided that the acoustic signals emitted by headphones 40 or by the second audio playback means can only be perceived by the viewer 101 or 102 assigned to them, i.e. only these viewers 101 or 102 receive the corresponding acoustic signals can hear.

The language information to be reproduced by the individually assigned headphones 40 are now transmitted to the headphones 40 in such a way that the respective viewer 101 or 102 is provided with the language information in the language desired by him. This is shown schematically in FIG. 1 by the arrows B. That is, the viewer 101 shown in FIG. 1 hears the language information associated with the film in a first language, for example in German, with the aid of the headphones 40, while the second user, however

102 the language information reproduced by the headphones 40 can be made available in a second language, for example in English. Both viewers 101 and 102 can therefore now receive the language information according to their individual choice. It should be pointed out here that users 0 will usually select the version of the language information they want at the beginning or before the presentation, but there may be the possibility at any time to switch to a different version even during the ongoing presentation. Every second audio reproduction means provides the user assigned to this with all available language information, from which this user The user can then select or change the desired language version at any time - for example directly on the second audio playback device itself (FIG. 4) or via an additional device built in or loose (FIG. 3).

It is essential that the headphones 40 of the system according to the invention are designed in such a way that the respective associated viewer 101, 102 not only hears the acoustic information reproduced by the headphones 40, but also the acoustic information provided centrally via the loudspeaker system 30 at the same time. Both viewers 101, 102 thus receive acoustic signals on two different routes A, B, on the one hand the signals outputted via the loudspeaker system 30 that do not contain any speech information and on the other hand the speech information played individually via the headphones 40 in the form requested by the respective viewer / listener / user Language. The hearing of the viewers 101, 102 then in turn combines or supplements the received s or information heard, so that in combination therefrom one - in the case of the

Cinema seduction is also heard acoustically homogeneous overall information corresponding to the video image, which is, however, adapted to the corresponding - linguistic - wishes of the viewer. Voice information refers to the language information that is generally understandable for the user - so-called comprehension language -, primarily - preferably exclusively - audio information with comprehension language being transmitted via the loudspeakers assigned to the users individually or via the headphones 40 , whereas the audio signals output via the loudspeaker system 25 30 do not contain any audio information with comprehension language. The audio signals output via the loudspeaker system 30 and the audio signals output via the individually assigned loudspeakers or headphones 40 therefore do not overlap. Documentation films or reports represent an application example for language information that does not represent a language of understanding and is thus transmitted via the first data part. Here, the language selected by the user or viewer 101, 102 is used as the language of understanding via the individually assigned loudspeakers, or via the headphones 40, are transmitted, whereas an original sound with the original speech and background noise is output as a non-understanding speech through the general speaker system 30. For the sake of clarity, it should be emphasized here that the acoustic information output via the headphones 40, depending on the production or recording, may also contain, to a certain extent, additional audio information such as background noises or the like. Preferably, however, this second data part of the audio signals consists exclusively of language information, more precisely from the language of understanding explained above.

One advantage of the solution according to the invention is that at least part of the acoustic information, in particular the part that does not contain any speech information, is reproduced centrally by the loudspeaker 30 and thus heard jointly by all viewers. On the one hand, this results in a communal perception experience, which is significantly more pleasant compared to a variant in which the various participants only receive all acoustic information via headphones assigned to them. On the other hand, this communal listening is also characterized by the fact that the user is informed that he is experiencing the audio experience as part of the room - for example the cinema hall. The aim of the present invention is that the user receives a listening experience individualized by the respective understanding language without noticing it, since the complementary interplay of understanding language audio information and non-understanding language audio information is given to him gives a communal feeling of hearing. Ultimately, the viewer is given the impression that he and all other viewers perceive the film in the same way, although the reproduction of the acoustic information is individually adapted, particularly with regard to the language.

In comparison to the solution in EP 1 427253 A2, the listening experience is further improved in that the user has a natural spatial perception. A user located in a back corner will therefore perceive the audio information altogether differently than a user who for example sitting right in front of the screen. The retention of this spatially natural, acoustically plausible perception is achieved by the fact that the audio information of the second data part represents a content addition that is matched to the audio information of the first data part, but does not change the audio information of the first data part - perceived jointly by all users 5 .

This represents the decisive difference to the system of EP 1 427253 A2 described at the beginning. In the prior art, this spatial perception effect is to be eliminated (since here all users should have an identical listening experience regardless of their position), which is achieved by the audio signals output via the individual loudspeakers change or destructively superimpose the jointly output audio signals in such a way that a position-independent listening experience is achieved. In accordance with the above example, the components are again in the solution of the prior art

MUSIC and EFFECTS are output to all listeners via the central loudspeaker, but the local loudspeakers are used to output the MUSIC and EFFECTS components in addition to the DIALOG part, in order to provide the desired position-independent listening experience for the entire listening area or for all participants achieve.

In extreme cases, however, this can lead to the hearing experience achieved in the prior art deviating from a visual perception, which is perceived as unpleasant and is the case, for example, when the reproduction of the acoustic information is designed for a position that is centrally located is in front of the screen, but the viewer is actually on one side of the screen. While in the prior art the jointly output audio information is also output by the individual loudspeakers and modified accordingly, the procedure of the present invention deliberately separates the content of the centrally and locally output audio information in order to achieve the spatial, natural perception effect to be able to maintain. In other words, while in the solution according to the present invention, the audio information reproduced from the second audio reproduction means supplement the audio information reproduced from the first audio reproduction means, this supplement in terms of content and - as explained below - with regard to the second Audio information takes place acoustically filtered, EP 1 427253 A2 provides that the audio information reproduced from the second audio reproduction means is superimposed on the audio information reproduced from the first audio reproduction means, this superimposition in terms of content and with regard to the second audio information with frequency modulation takes place. In addition to an improved listening experience, another advantage of the present invention is that the amount of data that corresponds to the audio information via the second audio reproduction means is less than is the case in the prior art. The amount of data that is to be transmitted to the listener on the second path can thus be reduced, so that ultimately the method can also be carried out with less technical effort.

There are the options described below to additionally optimize the reproduction, in particular of the acoustic information corresponding to the second data part, these measures helping to ensure that the

Combining or complementing each other of the acoustic signals transmitted on the different paths is improved by the hearing of a viewer.

It must first be taken into account here that the acoustic signals emitted by the central loudspeaker system 30, i.e. the sound waves, are usually naturally influenced or modified by the characteristics of the room before they reach the audience 101 and 102 and are heard by them become. The room or the location of the playback is particularly influenced by the fact that the sound emitted by the loudspeakers is reflected on walls or other surfaces within the room and is additionally modified in a way that characterizes the room, e.g. partially attenuated in certain frequency ranges before it arrives at the viewers 101, 102 and is heard and perceived by them. A classic example of this is that the shape and size of a room, for example, the reverberation in a influenced in a certain way. Damping surface, wall or ceiling areas can also dampen or particularly influence certain frequencies of the acoustic signal, this also being different depending on the location or room of the reproduction.

It is also important at what distance the viewer or listener is from the central loudspeaker system and from which direction the sound signals arrive at the viewer or listener, since the human ear, in cooperation with the brain, is able to record its perceived auditory events assign certain directions. As soon as a sound source is no longer arranged centrally in front of a listener, identical so-called oscillation phases reach the listener's left and right ears after different transit times and at different levels (so-called interaural transit time differences, ITD and interaural level differences, ILD) and cause this to happen Belongs to a room localization in the virtual sound field. These are tiny differences, since transit time differences or transit time differences can be evaluated by the human hearing for directional localization from a size of 10 ps. The auricles play an important role here. They act as mechanical-acoustic filters and ensure that the sound has a typical frequency response profile on the eardrum, depending on the direction it hits, which is known as the outer ear transfer function or Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF).

A procedure known from the prior art, in particular to characterize the first-described effect of sound perception, is to carry out so-called bi-naural measurements. In this case, acoustic measurements are used to investigate how a sound signal is influenced by a corresponding room or location, and the measurements can be used to determine certain parameters that qualitatively describe the way in which the room or location modifies the sound signal.

It is also known, when reproducing acoustic signals, in particular via headphones, to use so-called bi-naural filters on the basis of the previously explained information obtained by acoustic spatial measurement modify before the signals are emitted through headphones. In the exemplary case of a cinema show, these bi-aural filters are used to influence or modify the acoustic signal before it is emitted through headphones in such a way that it gives the impression that it was emitted as a whole in one room and from one direction which corresponds to the parameters of the associated bi-naural filter.

This procedure now preferably also takes place during the transmission and reproduction of the voice information output via the headphones 40. That is, the second data part transmitted to the headphones 40 is, according to an advantageous

Further development of the invention modified in such a way, in particular room-acoustically filtered, that the corresponding acoustic information is transmitted directly to the respective viewer 101, 102 to the headphones 40 and reproduced by them, but this information is reproduced in such a modified manner due to the filtering that the The impression is given that the reproduction would not take place locally via the headphones 40, but instead centrally via the loudspeakers 30 in the room as a whole. The corresponding viewer thus perceives the voice information output via the transparent headphones 40 in the same way as the acoustic information which does not contain any voice information and is output centrally via the room-filling loudspeakers 30. The quality of the listening experience is significantly increased as a result, since both parts of the acoustic information can be perceived by the viewer in the same way and thus easily combined by their hearing as an overall perception. For the individual viewer, the impression is again reinforced that he is hearing all the acoustic information together with all the other viewers.

Ideally, the parameter values used for the bi-naural filter are determined experimentally on the basis of measurements. This means that, for example, for each room in which a reproduction is to be carried out in accordance with the method according to the invention, a corresponding measurement is carried out once, by means of which the sound behavior of the room is characterized. The information obtained in this way can then, however, be used permanently for the implementation of the Method according to the invention can be used, provided that the acoustic properties of the room do not change significantly.

An exemplary procedure for implementing the bi-naural filters is as follows.

As a first step, a bi-naural room-acoustic measurement of the loudspeakers 30 in the playback room is carried out and extracted into so-called “Binaural Room Impulse Responses”. For this purpose, with the help of a so-called artificial head, i.e. a head replica in which a microphone with omnidirectional characteristics is attached to the entrance of the auditory canals with the replica of the auricles, the room acoustic properties of each loudspeaker 30 of the system in the ideal sitting position, so measured at the same distance from all speakers 30 in the middle of the room with respect to the artificial head. Measurements are made with a logarithmic sweep over the frequency range from 20Hz to 20,000Hz, which covers the human hearing range.

The aim is to virtualize the playback behavior of the loudspeakers 30 in the respective room in the headphones 40 of a user during the subsequent use of the system by means of convolution of the audio signal with the “binaural room impulse responses”. In this application, sound tracks or the acoustic information are separated into two parts, a first part for playback on the real loudspeakers 30 in the room (in the example of the cinema scenario the acoustic information relating to the music and effects), and a second part of acoustic information which are provided by means of folding with "Binaural Room Impulse Responses" for playback via the loudspeakers virtualized in the headphones 40 (in the example of the cinema scenario that is the language of understanding).

In the case of a film in 5.1 surround format - i.e. with loudspeakers in the left, right, center, rear-left, rear-right and subwoofer positions - the measurements then lead to a pair of impulse responses per loudspeaker, i.e. for the left and right ear. These impulse response pairs are loaded into a convolver (convolution algorithm) in the playback system. There the loudspeaker signal intended for the virtual reproduction in the headphones 40 is then folded with the two impulse responses for the right and left ear per loudspeaker. The playback system folds the 5.1 5 playback signals with the measured bi-naural impulse responses of the real listening room.

Overall, the speech signal is thereby processed in such a way that it sounds and feels in the headphones 40 as if the speech signal came from the real loudspeakers 30 ro in the playback room. Thus, an “out of the head perception” of the

Speech signal obtained. As already mentioned, the exemplary headphones 30 are designed as open headphones, which means that all noises outside of the headphones 30, as well as the signals coming directly from the headphones, can be perceived jointly by the user and thus result in an overall listening experience in the brain be merged.

Through the procedure described, a spatial filter is added to the audio information reproduced by the second audio reproduction means, which artificially enhances the natural spatial manner of the acoustic perception of the human ear of the audio information reproduced by the first audio reproduction means Reproduction of the audio information from the second audio reproduction means and its acoustic transmission from loudspeakers over the area of the performance, as well as over the head and the auricles of the listener to the ear canal. This results in a holistic sound image and a natural-spatial listening experience or a natural-location-related spatial perception for the listener.

The bi-naurally processed signals used in the manner described above only work 100% correctly at the point where the artificial head 0 was used to measure and primarily when the

The user's head posture corresponds to that of the artificial head. If, on the other hand, the user turns his head, the spatial image in the headphones would rotate with it, while it would remain fixed at the loudspeaker positions in the real listening room. Further measures will therefore be taken at a later date described, by means of which the reproduction of the acoustic information via the headphones 40 can be optimized again in order to be able to achieve a further improved coordination with the reproduction via the loudspeakers 30. On the basis of a single or only a few bi-naural measurement (s), the reproduction of the acoustic information via the headphones 40 can then be adapted to the actual position of the user and his / her head posture.

Instead of an individual bi-naural measurement of the space provided for reproduction, it would also be conceivable to use various measurements to determine parameter values that can be assigned to different categories of spaces. This would open up the possibility of using parameter values for the bi-naural filter that do not have to be determined beforehand individually for a specific room, which reduces the overall effort a little.

It should be pointed out that the just described modification of the second data part will initially take place in the same way for all listeners, since they are all in the same room. Accordingly, it is ideally provided to use the bi-naural filter centrally, so that the data transmitted to the headphones 40 are already transmitted in a correspondingly modified manner.

As an alternative to the above explanations, however, it would also be conceivable to configure the second audio playback means, e.g. the headphones, in such a way that they have the ability to automatically carry out such a measurement - independently or after activation - and in turn automatically convert the result into a corresponding one Filters for precisely these second audio reproduction means themselves - or in the master-slave mode also for coupled, any number of other second audio reproduction means - to convert. This procedure is particularly useful when a corresponding adaptation of the filter has to be carried out flexibly or individually, which is the case, for example, when used in the home theater area or for private purposes in the living room or the like.

In the headphones 40 themselves, however, a further modification of the data or the reproduction of the acoustic information can then be carried out in order to - as already mentioned above - the position and possibly the head posture of the user must also be taken into account. It is taken into account here that the viewers 101, 102 or listeners are located in different areas within the room and accordingly have different distances from the different loudspeakers of the central loudspeaker system 30.

As is known, sound and thus the acoustic information A reproduced by the loudspeaker 30 propagates at a speed of sound of 343 m / s, so that in the illustrated embodiment, in which the two loudspeakers 30 are arranged next to the screen 50 and thus in the front area of the room, the user 102 will receive the acoustic information emitted by the two loudspeakers 30 at a slightly later point in time than the viewer 101 who is closer to the loudspeaker system 30. Even more generally, it can be assumed that the loudspeakers 30 are distributed in a room will be, with each viewer in relation to each individual loudspeaker then resulting in individual transit times for the transmission of the acoustic information.

The transmission of the second data part to the headphones 40 takes place electronically, e.g. via cable, radio, WLAN, Bluetooth ... that it can be assumed that there is essentially simultaneous transmission to all viewers at the speed of light. If it is also assumed that the processing of the signal required in the headphones 40 and the reproduction of the associated information takes place with an identical delay, this means that this part of the acoustic information corresponding to the second data part is in principle heard by all viewers 101, 102 at the same time would be. In the example shown, this would lead to a noticeable time delay in the arrival of the centrally output non-speech information compared to the speech information, particularly in the rear rows of seats in the cinema.

Even if the runtime differences for the non-speech information A are relatively small, they can lead to a perceptible effect in that the actual hearing of the acoustic signals containing no speech information on the one hand and the speech information on the other hand containing acoustic signals, on the other hand, does not take place exactly at the same time.

Since this in turn can adversely affect the listening experience, it is preferably provided that the point in time of the reproduction of the second acoustic information is adapted in accordance with the position of the viewer. This means that the headphones 40 initially receive the second data part essentially at the same time, but take into account a certain time delay when reproducing the corresponding acoustic information in order to ensure that this information is heard synchronously with the hearing of the acoustic non-speech information output via the central loudspeaker 30 become. Again, the listening experience for viewers 101 and 102 is significantly increased as a result.

In addition to the distance to the loudspeakers 30, the absolute impact angle of the sound source or the direction from which the acoustic non-speech information emitted via the central loudspeaker 30 arrives at the viewer can also be taken into account.

The angle of impact can be simulated psychoacoustically in the headphones using the so-called ITD (Interaural Time Difference). If a sound source emits a signal directly from the front, there are no temporal differences between the arrival of the sound at the left and right ear. In this way, the listener in the headphones has the feeling that a sound source is positioned centrally in front of him when the corresponding sound signals are reproduced in both ears at the same time. If, on the other hand, the sound source is positioned on the right, for example, the sound would first arrive at the right ear and only - at a distance of 16 cm from the ear - with a delay of about 0.65 milliseconds at the left ear. This ITD can give the listener the feeling that the sound is arriving from the right, although both levels can be identical.

Since in a cinema hall it can be assumed that every viewer is looking straight ahead, there is always an absolute angle to the center of the screen that is variable depending on the seating position of the viewer / listener. This “static” situation can also be simulated psychoacoustically by placing a (further) time delay of the signal reproduction is introduced. For this purpose, a time delay between 0 ms and 0.65 ms depending on an angle in the range of 0-90 degrees is introduced between the reproduction of the signal in both ears. If the seated position of the viewer and also the position of the central loudspeaker are known, the absolute angle of the viewer to the central loudspeaker and thus the amount of the required time delay can be calculated using trigonometric relationships.

For each viewer, their position and head posture should ideally be known in order to be able to carry out the above-explained optimization of the reproduction of the speech information. This information can be determined, for example, as described below.

First, the distance and the viewing and therefore “listening” angle for each seat is stored in a so-called look-up table. It must then be determined which seat the viewer actually occupies, whereby this can be achieved, for example, using the following procedures:

I) Indoor GPS: Using 4 synchronized transmitter modules and one receiver module each, which is integrated into the headphones, for example, the position in space can be determined using the 4 transit time differences of the corresponding signals (e.g. from ultrasonic signals used for this purpose) and by solving a non-linear fourth-order equation non-linear optimization can be calculated and used as a basis for the delay of the signal reproduction.

II) RFID TAG: Each seat is equipped with an RFID tag and each headphone with an RFID reader. As soon as the viewer is in his seat, the headphones recognize which seat the viewer is in. The seating position for each RFID tag is in turn stored in a look-up table so that the position of the viewer can be determined in a simple manner.

III) In a simple form, the second audio data can also be transmitted in a wired manner, with the headphones then each having a corresponding connection, for example at the associated place in the cinema hall get connected. Since the position of the headphone connection is known in this case, the position of the headphone can be determined directly, so that it can either calculate a suitable time delay independently or it is informed of this accordingly.

IV) It could also be provided that the headphones or an operating unit assigned to the headphones have means for inputting the position or the location and a corresponding transit time delay is then calculated and / or communicated on the basis of this position.

V) Finally, a beacon technology based on BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) would also be an option to determine the position of the viewer. A BLE-capable device always sends the same UUID standard advertisement message that uniquely identifies the sending device (= beacon) at regular intervals. By evaluating the corresponding UUIDs and the associated signal strengths, the seat of the receiver device can then be localized. With a signal range of up to 50m, this technology offers a good relationship between distance and accuracy, and thus a sensible alternative to RFID, NFC or WLAN technology.

As soon as the position of a viewer is known, the distance and the absolute angle to the central loudspeaker can be calculated and two individual “static” delays can be set accordingly for the right and left ears. First of all, the distance results in a general transit time delay, which is then modified individually for both ears as a function of the angle.

It should be pointed out here that the correction just explained relates to an individual loudspeaker of the loudspeaker system provided for reproducing the first audio data. If the system consists of several loudspeakers and these are arranged in a distributed manner, the distance between the audience and the angle of impact of the associated sound can ideally be taken into account individually for each individual loudspeaker. This would lead to the corresponding second audio data then each corresponding to the individual loudspeaker Runtime modifications received, which are additionally modified for the two ears depending on the angle.

However, since such a procedure would require multi-channel transmission with more than two channels and is therefore associated with considerable effort, a technically less complex solution can also be used if necessary. The so-called bi-naural impulse responses are recorded for each loudspeaker and the signals from all loudspeakers in the central loudspeaker system are folded with these signals, which then results in a bi-naural mean value or mix that is transmitted. In this case, the two signals for the right and left ear are delayed, but only in relation to a centrally placed "main" or center speaker of the system, which means that this is actually only a function of this center speaker precisely synchronized mixing of the voice information takes place. With regard to the other loudspeakers, this would be described by way of example

In the embodiment, slight deviations or errors result, which, however, are negligible for the overall effect desired according to the invention.

In addition, it would also be conceivable to take into account that the viewer's relative viewing angle can continue to change with his head movements. This angle can be determined, for example, with the help of a gyro sensor which is built into the headphones. However, this sensor first requires calibration, which could be carried out as follows. At the moment when the viewer takes his place, leans back and reads the RFID tag, it can be assumed that the viewer is looking forward and thus the relative viewing angle is equal to zero, but the absolute angle of the calculation of the sitting position to the middle of the screen, i.e. corresponds to the value stored in the lookup table. Once the gyro sensor has been calibrated in this way, it will then recognize any deviation from the angle stored in the lookup table. In addition to the delay for the distance and the absolute viewing angle, the headphone system then delays the signal for the signal reproduction at the right or left ear, depending on the head rotation, relatively and dynamically in real time. Thus, the ITD can be adjusted for any head movement, with the result that the linguistic information - although not fixed in space by the first audio reproduction means / loudspeakers, but rather through the “movable” second audio reproduction means / headphones (or the like) - remains “spatially fixed” for the user at all times. Ultimately, the procedure according to the invention as well as the additional optimizations with regard to the adaptation of the signal reproduction on the headphones lead to an extremely high-quality listening experience for the viewers, although they can hear acoustic signals in a modified way they want - especially with regard to speech

FIG. 2 shows schematically the configuration of a corresponding system 1, with the aid of which the method explained above can be carried out.

In this case, a central storage unit 5, e.g. in the form of a server, is first required, which provides the video and audio data of the film. As shown schematically, the audio data is divided into a first part containing no synchronizable or synchronized voice information and a second part containing synchronizable or synchronized voice information, the second part being able to be present several times, in particular in n different variants, where n is the Corresponds to the number of differently synchronized language versions of the film available.

The video data are then first made available to a unit 10, which initiates the reproduction, e.g. on the canvas, the screen or via virtual reality 50 of the system 1. The unit 10 can be a corresponding projector or a driver for a corresponding display, as is known from conventional systems for film or video display.

The first part of the audio data, that is to say the part that does not contain any speech information, should in turn be reproduced centrally for all viewers and is accordingly transmitted to a loudspeaker system 30 via a unit 15. Again, these are the already known components that are used for film playback, so that no changes to the system are required here compared to a classic film or video presentation are. It is only essential here that only the first data component, that is to say the non-voice component, is given to the unit 15 and passed on through it, but not - as before - the complete audio data. The second part, which contains the speech, is namely made available to a distribution unit 20 which is ultimately responsible for transmitting the corresponding second data to the loudspeakers or headphones 40 individually assigned to the viewers. The second part containing the speech - that is to say the understanding speech part - has no overlap of audio data with the first part of the audio data, the first part of the audio data only containing audio data with incomprehensible speech. The transmission of the data from the distribution unit 20 to the headphones 40 can take place both wired and wirelessly. It is essential that each loudspeaker or headphone 40 must be able to receive at least the version of the second data corresponding to the desired language. This can take place, for example, in that individual communication is established between the unit 20 and the corresponding headphones 40 and thus only the data is transmitted to the respective headphones 40 in the version corresponding to the desired language. As an alternative to this, all different language versions could also be transmitted simultaneously by the unit 20 and thus to all headphones 40, the headphones 40 then receiving all the data, but only using the portions of the data corresponding to the desired language version and ultimately reproducing them. The bi-naural filter corresponding to the sound propagation in the room is, as already mentioned, preferably applied in the same way to all second data parts. Accordingly, it is preferably provided that this filter 21 is implemented in the distribution unit 20, so that the data output by this unit 20 has already been modified in a suitable manner. In this case, the audio data stored in the central storage unit 5 are initially available in a form that is independent of the playback space. However, it would also be conceivable that the data are already modified by the storage unit 5 with the aid of a bi-naural filter before they are forwarded to the unit 20, or that the data is already in a version modified by the bi-naural filter are stored in the storage unit 5. Finally, it would also be conceivable that there is a separate filter in each headphone 40 or each second audio playback device, which modifies the playback of precisely this headphone 40 or second audio playback device.

The headphones 40 themselves should carry out at least the above-mentioned second modification in the reproduction of the speech information by applying an appropriate time delay filter. For this, it is necessary that the headphones 40 recognize their position within the room or know which time delay is to be used, the different procedures I) to IV) mentioned above in particular being conceivable for determining the position.

In order to ensure that all viewers perceive the acoustic information synchronously, regardless of the language you have selected, provision is made for the audio versions corresponding to the various languages to be started synchronously and to refer to the master, e.g. to the first audio data without language (" Non-language ”or“ non-understanding language ”). With a feedback that communicates the timestamps (current position) of the respective language version files (language 1, language 2, language n ...), it can be identified during playback whether the reproductions diverge or become asynchronous. There is a threshold above which a listener would notice the divergence. Before this is achieved, the system will intervene and correct the playback position of the speech information accordingly without the listener noticing any impairment. If, on the other hand, the drift of the tracks is too high a threshold value, a harder one corrects

Mechanism (Jump) the affected track. Although this would be perceptible to the listener for a short time, in extreme cases it would be necessary as a correction as part of a back-up mechanism. It should be noted with regard to the headphones 40 that - as mentioned above - they must be designed in such a way that, in addition to reproducing the signals corresponding to the second audio data, they must also enable the sound signals corresponding to the first audio data to be heard at the same time. This means that the headphones 40 are not allowed to block or suppress external sound signals, but rather for such signals must be transparent. In this sense, one can also speak of “transparent headphones”. This can be achieved, for example, in that the corresponding loudspeakers of the headphones 40 do not close around the ears of a user in a sound-reducing manner, but are designed in such a way that external sound waves can also enter the ear canal of the listener unhindered and unchanged. For example, an arrangement of the loudspeakers at a distance of up to 1 m would be conceivable, with the loudspeakers then being able to be integrated, for example, into a headrest or built in a comparable manner. The second reproduction means do not necessarily have to be headphones.

Finally, two exemplary variants for selecting and transmitting the second data part to headphones 40 of a viewer will be explained. For this purpose, FIG. 3 shows a corresponding system, which consists of the headphones 40 themselves and a communication device 45 connected to them and assigned to the user. For example, this communication device 45 can be a mobile phone of the user, which communicates wirelessly or wired with the distribution unit 20 shown in FIG. 2 and on the other hand is connected wirelessly - e.g. via Bluetooth - or wired to the headphones 40.

In the case shown, for example, application software is installed on the mobile radio device 45, which enables the user to participate in the transmission method according to the invention, the application software initially being used to establish wireless or wired communication with the distribution unit 20 - for example in the context of a WLAN Network or by means of Bluetooth - and then, for example, using a graphical user interface 46, the user can enter the language he wants on the one hand and, on the other hand, his place in the cinema, for example. A manual entry of the seat is of course not necessary if - as explained in the above examples - the system itself is able to recognize the position of the user. During the film playback, the second data is then transmitted wirelessly or by wire, which data is then played back on the headphones 40. In this case, the data is preferably transmitted directly from the distribution unit 20 to the headphones 40, so that the mobile radio device 45 primarily in this case is used as a remote control. Alternatively, it would also be conceivable to carry out the data transmission with the interposition of the mobile radio device 45. In this - less preferred - case, the mobile radio device 45 forwards the data received from the distribution unit 20 to the headphones 40. At the same time, the position information can also be used to adjust the duration of the time delay for the reproduction of the second audio data accordingly.

In relation to the variant initially presented, it would also be conceivable that the headphones 40 themselves have appropriate means for establishing a communication connection with the distributor unit and for selecting a language desired by the viewer. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 4, which shows an exemplary side view of a corresponding headphone 40. In this case, on its side there is a display 48 which shows the selected voice channel, which can be changed with the aid of simple control buttons 49 or a digital or sensory control panel. The headphones 40 are coupled to the central distribution unit 20 via appropriate communication means (e.g. radio, Bluetooth, WLAN or wired). Finally, FIGS. 5 and 6 show a conceivable exemplary embodiment of a

Headphone 40, which is designed in such a way that, within the meaning of the present invention, it enables the acoustic signals emitted by the headphones 40 to be perceived as well as the centrally emitted acoustic signals at the same time. Corresponding to a classic headphone, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 also has an approximately U-shaped bracket 50, on the two opposite ends of which corresponding loudspeakers 51 for emitting the acoustic signals are arranged. The additional perception of external acoustic signals, in particular the acoustic signals emitted by the central loudspeakers 30, is made possible by providing a conically widening support element 55 starting from the respective approximately cylinder-like loudspeaker housing 52, which is arranged on the head of a listener to enclose the respective ear is, however, the wall 56 of this Ab support element 55 is made sound-permeable. In the illustrated embodiment, the Sound permeability is achieved in that the wall area 56 is designed in the manner of a grid and accordingly has a large number of openings which enable the essentially unimpeded passage of sound. As an alternative to this, it would of course also be conceivable to design the wall area 56 of the support element 55 to be closed, but then to use a material which is sound-permeable for this purpose. For example, foam rubber or a comparable material would be conceivable here.

In the form shown, the headphones 40 enable the two parts of acoustic signals to be perceived, with the arrangement of the actual loudspeakers 51 in the immediate vicinity of the user ensuring that essentially only the user of the headphones 40 can hear the acoustic signals reproduced by the headphones 40 Hears signals. It is true that these can possibly also be perceived very weakly by a neighboring listener, but the listening experience according to the present invention is not decisively influenced by this.

As already mentioned, however, it would in principle also be conceivable to use second audio reproduction means configured differently as an alternative to the headphones shown. If these are arranged in a suitable manner, in particular in the vicinity of the listener, the natural-spatial sound experience desired according to the invention can also be achieved with such reproduction means.

Ultimately, an extremely comfortable, user-friendly and reliable system for reproducing audio information is thus created, which has a very high degree of flexibility with regard to the possibilities for adapting the reproduced information and, on the other hand, ensures an extremely high quality listening experience. Finally, it should be pointed out again that the method is not limited to the application of the simultaneous reproduction of audio and image / video information. In fact, it would be conceivable to use the concept according to the invention for the reproduction of audio data only to use. Furthermore, the method could also be used by just a single user in any room or outdoors.

Claims

Claims 1. A method for transmitting and reproducing acoustic information, preferably in a multimedia application, which has the following steps: a) Providing acoustic data in digital form which comprise a first data part and a second data part, the first data part not having any voice information and the second data part contains speech information; b) transmitting the first data part to first audio reproduction means (30) and outputting acoustic signals corresponding to the first data part by the first audio reproduction means (30); c) transmitting the second data part to second audio reproduction means (40) and outputting acoustic signals which correspond to the second data part by the second audio reproduction means (40); wherein the second audio reproduction means (40) are positioned differently in relation to a user (101, 102) assigned to them than the first audio reproduction means (30), in particular in the immediate vicinity of the user (101, 102), and are designed in such a way that

• the user (101, 102) can hear the acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means (30), and

• the acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means (40) can essentially only be heard by the user (101, 102).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that there are several users (101, 102), each of which is individually assigned second audio reproduction means (40), the acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means (30) through all of them Users (101, 102) can be heard together and the acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means (40) can essentially only be heard by the respective user (101, 102) of this second audio reproduction means (40).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second data part transmitted to the second audio reproduction means (40) is selected individually by the user (101, 102), in particular such that the language information contained in the second data part in a language selected by the user (101, 102) are present.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second data part is modified in order to take into account the space or the location of the reproduction of the acoustic information, in the event that several users (101, 102) are present, the second data part is preferably modified in the same way for all users (101, 102).

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the modification of the second data part takes place by using a bi-naural filter, with parameters of the filter preferably being determined on the basis of previously performed test measurements.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the modification of the second data part takes place centrally before the transmission of the second data part.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second data part is modified individually before the reproduction of the acoustic signals by the second audio reproduction means (40) to the position of the second audio reproduction means (40) in relation to the first audio Playback means (30) and the alignment of the second audio playback means (40) to be taken into account.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the modification takes place by the second audio reproduction means (40), wherein the modification relates in particular to taking into account a time delay in the reproduction.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that optical information, in particular video information, is reproduced at the same time as the transmission and reproduction of the acoustic information.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second data part is transmitted wirelessly, optionally with the aid of a mobile radio device coupled to the second audio playback means (40).

11. A system for the transmission and reproduction of acoustic information, preferably in a multimedia application, which has: a) a memory device (5) for providing acoustic data in digital form which comprise a first data part and a second data part, the first The data part contains no language information and the second data part contains language information; b) means for transmitting (15) the first data part to first audio reproduction means (30); c) first audio reproduction means (30) for outputting acoustic signals which correspond to the first data part; d) means for transmitting (20) the second data part to second audio reproduction means (40); e) second audio reproduction means (40) for outputting acoustic signals which correspond to the second data part; wherein the second audio reproduction means (40) are positioned differently in relation to a user (101, 102) assigned to them than the first audio reproduction means (30), in particular in the immediate vicinity of the user (101, 102), and are designed in such a way that · the user (101, 102) can hear the acoustic signals emitted by the first audio reproduction means (30) and • the acoustic signals emitted by the second audio reproduction means (40) essentially exclusively by the user (101, 102 ) can be heard

12. System according to claim 11, characterized in that the first audio reproduction means (30) is an arrangement of one or more loudspeakers and that the second audio reproduction means (40) are headphones.

13. System according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that it has a plurality of second audio reproduction means (40).

14. System according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the second data part transmitted to the second audio reproduction means (40) is selected individually by the user (101, 102), in particular such that the speech information contained in the second data part be in a language selected by the user (101, 102).

15. System according to one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that it has additional means (10, 50) for synchronous playback of video data.