I tried your link but ran into a blank. The market sounds idea is a good one, I have heard people talk about the idea before but not implement it, so I would definitely like to hear yours work.
As far as 3D sound... I have programmed sound for years, and in that time seen presented, heard demos, checked out APIs, noted the long-running scams... There are frauds who have scammed generation after generation of investors with 3d sound schemes.
Never have heard anything coming from two speakers that was more than a modest enhancement to stereo. Yes it can fool you once in a while, for just a moment, if the content is just the right kind. Yes the stereo effect seems enhanced, if you have good ears, and you wear headphones. But it never takes off, whether in games or movies. The good stuff in movies all comes from having multiple tracks playing through multiple speakers along the walls. Then it's not a 3d effect, it's 'real' 2d. Meaning, there are no speakers under your feet or above your head, but they surround you on a plane.
I have been on rides with a 3d speaker arrangement, vibs in the floor and ceiling and so on. Making this stuff really cool demands at least 6 speakers.
The stereo-speakers-to-3d effects will never, in my humble opinion, be worth a damn, because if you are in a situation where it would really pay to spend the money on this, you will go for the multiple speaker setup. I have, however, seen programmers spend hundreds of fruitless hours trying to get a decent effect for the fun of it, myself included.
P.S. The fellow who originally programmed what became the MS direct sound library is a business acquaintance of mine, and I know he agrees with me on this.
BTW, when did this thread become a general tech thread? Not that I mind, I just missed the transition.
-chaz- |
