An Efficient Implementation of Parallel Parametric HRTF Models for Binaural Sound Synthesis in Mobile Multimedia

[EN] The extended use of mobile multimedia devices in applications like gaming, 3D video and audio reproduction, immersive teleconferencing, or virtual and augmented reality, is demanding efficient algorithms and methodologies. All these applications require real-time spatial audio engines with the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Belloch, José A., Badia, Jose M., Cobos, Máximo, Ramos Peinado, Germán|||0000-0001-7152-0044
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/202152
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/202152
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Binaural synthesis
HRTF modeling
GPU
Parallel filters
Parametric model
Interpolation
TECNOLOGIA ELECTRONICA
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] The extended use of mobile multimedia devices in applications like gaming, 3D video and audio reproduction, immersive teleconferencing, or virtual and augmented reality, is demanding efficient algorithms and methodologies. All these applications require real-time spatial audio engines with the capability of dealing with intensive signal processing operations while facing a number of constraints related to computational cost, latency and energy consumption. Most mobile multimedia devices include a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that is primarily used to accelerate video processing tasks, providing high computational capabilities due to its inherent parallel architecture. This paper describes a scalable parallel implementation of a real-time binaural audio engine for GPU-equipped mobile devices. The engine is based on a set of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) modelled with a parametric parallel structure, allowing efficient synthesis and interpolation while reducing the size required for HRTF data storage. Several strategies to optimize the GPU implementation are evaluated over a well-known kind of processor present in a wide range of mobile devices. In this context, we analyze both the energy consumption and real-time capabilities of the system by exploring different GPU and CPU configuration alternatives. Moreover, the implementation has been conducted using the OpenCL framework, guarantying the portability of the code.