Microsoft has enhanced its video-conferencing platform Teams with a novel feature aimed at enriching the user experience. The company has introduced spatial audio to its collaborative tool, aiming to enhance communication and alleviate audio and video conference fatigue. This functionality seeks to replicate an in-person conversation by spatially segregating the voices of individual meeting participants. Microsoft contends that this will lead to a more organic auditory experience.
The Spatial Audio feature is now widely accessible through Microsoft Teams’ desktop applications, and users can activate it within the settings menu. The option “Devices to turn on spatial audio” can be toggled to enable or disable this feature.
It is important to note that this feature necessitates a stereo-capable apparatus, such as a wired headset or stereo-capable laptop, to be leveraged. Currently, Bluetooth devices are incompatible due to existing protocol constraints. Microsoft has affirmed that forthcoming LE Audio technology will support stereo-enabled Bluetooth devices.
Spatial Audio within Microsoft Teams will synchronize the perceived audio position of each participant with their corresponding video representation, facilitating users in tracking the active speaker. This will be especially beneficial when multiple speakers are concurrently engaged, ultimately diminishing meeting fatigue and cognitive strain. Microsoft has even offered a demo video illustrating the transformative impact of spatial audio.
In a recent blog post, Microsoft acknowledged the complexity of creating authentic and immersive audio and video encounters that emulate dynamic real-world scenarios. The company elucidates that people depend on binaural hearing (employing both ears) to identify and differentiate sound sources in their physical environment. However, the majority of audio and video communication applications solely offer monophonic audio, where the speech signals from various participants are transmitted through a single audio channel.
