(openPR) The German Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg has compared the speech intelligibility and sound quality of a Samsung smart TV and a Samsung soundbar. The results show that using the soundbar considerably reduces listening effort in comparison to using only the TV set.
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The Fraunhofer IDMT has compared the speech intelligibility and sound quality of the Samsung smart TV “UE65MU6179UXZG” and the Samsung soundbar “HW-MS650” in a study commissioned by the manufacturer. Tests revealed that using the soundbar considerably reduces listening effort in comparison to using the TV set.
“When speech and background noise are equally loud, the subjectively perceived listening effort between TV and soundbar drops by 15 percent,” explains Dr. Jan Rennies-Hochmuth, Head of Group, Personalized Hearing Systems at Fraunhofer IDMT. The variables measured were subjective perception of speech quality, speech intelligibility, listening effort and general sound quality. Hörzentrum Oldenburg GmbH assisted in the study.
Kai Hillebrandt, Vice President Consumer Electronics Samsung Electronics GmbH, explains the relevance of speech intelligibility for the TV market: “With the increasing variety and popularity of streaming products, viewers’ needs and their demand for good sound quality also change. That’s why we wanted to examine the question of whether viewers who watch long, action-packed series and films can follow events on screen in a more relaxed manner with our soundbar than if they only hear the sound via the TV’s built-in loudspeakers. With the Fraunhofer IDMT and Hörzentrum Oldenburg we’ve got competent partners at our side who can help us to find a sound scientific answer to this question – the institute’s experts are specialists in precisely such applications.”
15 adults aged between 25 and 55 were invited to the Fraunhofer IDMT’s Sound Technologies Lab in Oldenburg for the study which comprised two parts. In the first part, listening effort was measured using the ACALES method developed at Hörzentrum Oldenburg. In the second part, the sound quality of the TV set and the soundbar were rated with the help of a questionnaire.
The Sound Technologies Lab at the Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg:
The Sound Technologies Lab of the Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg is a smart home environment that is used to evaluate new technologies and operating concepts in cooperation with partners from research and industry. The laboratory is certified in accordance with DIN 18041 »Acoustic Quality in Small to Medium-sized Rooms«. The Sound Technologies Lab uses acoustic localization as well as speech and event detection technologies to simulate various application scenarios. Voice control of multimedia, lighting and technical installations is standard here as is acoustic speaker localization. Intelligent sound detectors or emergency alarm systems can also be tested and demonstrated.
Weitere Informationen:
- http://s.fhg.de/Samsung-eng - Results of the study & pictures for download
Quelle: idw
