The SDK version 3.6 release brings exciting new spatial audio features developers can use when building applications for web and native environments.
- Shared spatial audio scenes that make it easy to build metaverse or virtual environments
- Improved spatial audio mixing in the cloud to allow more users to join your application
- Improved video forwarding strategy that creates more realistic virtual experiences
Shared spatial scenes
Dolby.io spatial audio allows developers to define where sound comes from within a three-dimensional space, unlocking an entirely new way to experience real-time communications online. The new SDK 3.6 release is purpose-built for product teams and developers exploring use cases within the metaverse, where people coexist within a virtual environment and multiple users share one audio scene.
Shared spatial scenes are an extension of the technology Dolby.io launched in its first spatial audio release in November 2021. The original release targeted video conferencing use cases, in which each person joining a video chat would be given a unique audio scene based on where video tiles populated onscreen.
Improved spatial mixing
In a non-Dolby.io cloud configuration, everyone who joins a video chat or virtual environment sends their audio to a cloud server. The server will then forward each audio stream to everyone who entered the conference. This approach is difficult to scale because as more people join the conference, the more audio streams the server needs to manage actively. Not only does this create a bandwidth bottleneck, but the client-side device must also process each audio stream simultaneously, which consumes CPU resources and reduces battery life.
Dolby.io solves this problem by spatially mixing audio streams in its cloud server. Spatial mixing dramatically reduces the number of audio streams forwarded to client devices, allowing developers to create more complex and immersive environments.
Improved Video Forwarding Strategy (VFS)
Dolby.io now has two ways to prioritize video streams. The first is how loud someone’s audio volume is, while the second is how far an audio source is from a listener.
In a traditional video conference, an active presenter who is speaking loudly can have their video prioritized over other participants.
In a virtual or metaverse environment, developers also have the option to introduce a distance element that balances proximity and volume to create a more natural and lifelike experience.
The Dolby.io difference
Spatial audio is unique to the Dolby.io Communications APIs – no other leading CPaaS or WebRTC API platform can provide a comparable experience that’s as immersive, scalable, and easy to use as Dolby.io.
Most vendors do not offer out-of-the-box 3D audio scenes. This is true for companies including Agora, Twilio, and Vonage.
Pricing
Dolby.io does not charge extra to leverage spatial audio. It is a core technology within the Dolby.io Communications APIs and something that differentiates Dolby.io from other CPaaS and WebRTC API platforms.
Please contact our sales team for more information on spatial audio and how it creates a more immersive communications experience, or sign up for a developer account and start building with Dolby.io today.
