20,642 research outputs found
The quality of experience of next generation audio :exploring system, context and human influence factors
PhD ThesisThe next generation of audio reproduction technology has the potential to deliver
immersive and personalised experiences to the user; multichannel with-height loudspeaker
arrays and binaural techniques offer 3D audio experiences, whereas objectbased
techniques offer possibilities of adapting content to suit the system, context
and user. A fundamental process in the advancement of such technology is perceptual
evaluation. It is crucial to understand how listeners perceive new technology in
order to drive future developments. This thesis explores the experience provided by
next generation audio technology by taking a quality of experience (QoE) approach
to evaluation. System, context and human factors all influence QoE and in this thesis
three case studies are presented to explore the role of these categories of influence factors
(IFs) in the context of next generation audio evaluation. Furthermore, these case
studies explore suitable methods and approaches for the evaluation of the QoE of
next generation audio with respect to its various IFs. Specific contributions delivered
from these individual studies include a subjective comparison between soundbar and
discrete surround sound technology, the application of the Open Profiling of Quality
method to the field of audio evaluation, an understanding of both how and why environmental
noise influences preferred audio object balance, an understanding of how
the influence of technical audio quality on overall listening experience is related to
a range of psychographic variables and an assessment of the impact of binaural processing
on overall listening experience. When considering these studies as a whole,
the research presented here contributes the thesis that to effectively evaluate the perceived
quality of next generation audio, a QoE mindset should be taken that considers
system, context and human IFs.Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the British Broadcasting Corporation
Research & Development department (BBC R&D
A reduced reference video quality assessment method for provision as a service over SDN/NFV-enabled networks
139 p.The proliferation of multimedia applications and services has generarted a noteworthy upsurge in network traffic regarding video content and has created the need for trustworthy service quality assessment methods. Currently, predominent position among the technological trends in telecommunication networkds are Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Software Defined Networking (SDN) and 5G mobile networks equipped with small cells. Additionally Video Quality Assessment (VQA) methods are a very useful tool for both content providers and network operators, to understand of how users perceive quality and this study the feasibility of potential services and adapt the network available resources to satisfy the user requirements
A reduced reference video quality assessment method for provision as a service over SDN/NFV-enabled networks
139 p.The proliferation of multimedia applications and services has generarted a noteworthy upsurge in network traffic regarding video content and has created the need for trustworthy service quality assessment methods. Currently, predominent position among the technological trends in telecommunication networkds are Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Software Defined Networking (SDN) and 5G mobile networks equipped with small cells. Additionally Video Quality Assessment (VQA) methods are a very useful tool for both content providers and network operators, to understand of how users perceive quality and this study the feasibility of potential services and adapt the network available resources to satisfy the user requirements
Influencing interaction: Development of the design with intent method
Persuasive Technology has the potential to influence user behavior for social benefit, e.g. to reduce environmental impact, but designers are lacking guidance choosing among design techniques for influencing interaction. The Design with Intent Method, a âsuggestion toolâ addressing this problem, is introduced in this paper, and applied to the briefs of reducing unnecessary household lighting use, and improving the efficiency of printing, primarily to evaluate the methodâs usability and guide the direction of its development. The trial demonstrates that the DwI Method is quick to apply and leads to a range of relevant design concepts. With development, the DwI Method could be a useful tool for designers working on influencing user behavior
Non-Intrusive Subscriber Authentication for Next Generation Mobile Communication Systems
Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/753 on 14.03.2017 by CS (TIS)The last decade has witnessed massive growth in both the technological development, and
the consumer adoption of mobile devices such as mobile handsets and PDAs. The recent
introduction of wideband mobile networks has enabled the deployment of new services
with access to traditionally well protected personal data, such as banking details or
medical records. Secure user access to this data has however remained a function of the
mobile device's authentication system, which is only protected from masquerade abuse by
the traditional PIN, originally designed to protect against telephony abuse.
This thesis presents novel research in relation to advanced subscriber authentication for
mobile devices. The research began by assessing the threat of masquerade attacks on
such devices by way of a survey of end users. This revealed that the current methods of
mobile authentication remain extensively unused, leaving terminals highly vulnerable to
masquerade attack. Further investigation revealed that, in the context of the more
advanced wideband enabled services, users are receptive to many advanced
authentication techniques and principles, including the discipline of biometrics which
naturally lends itself to the area of advanced subscriber based authentication.
To address the requirement for a more personal authentication capable of being applied
in a continuous context, a novel non-intrusive biometric authentication technique was
conceived, drawn from the discrete disciplines of biometrics and Auditory Evoked
Responses. The technique forms a hybrid multi-modal biometric where variations in the
behavioural stimulus of the human voice (due to the propagation effects of acoustic
waves within the human head), are used to verify the identity o f a user. The resulting
approach is known as the Head Authentication Technique (HAT).
Evaluation of the HAT authentication process is realised in two stages. Firstly, the
generic authentication procedures of registration and verification are automated within a
prototype implementation. Secondly, a HAT demonstrator is used to evaluate the
authentication process through a series of experimental trials involving a representative
user community. The results from the trials confirm that multiple HAT samples from
the same user exhibit a high degree of correlation, yet samples between users exhibit a
high degree of discrepancy. Statistical analysis of the prototypes performance realised
early system error rates of; FNMR = 6% and FMR = 0.025%. The results clearly
demonstrate the authentication capabilities of this novel biometric approach and the
contribution this new work can make to the protection of subscriber data in next
generation mobile networks.Orange Personal Communication Services Lt
Tune in to your emotions: a robust personalized affective music player
The emotional power of music is exploited in a personalized affective music player (AMP) that selects music for mood enhancement. A biosignal approach is used to measure listenersâ personal emotional reactions to their own music as input for affective user models. Regression and kernel density estimation are applied to model the physiological changes the music elicits. Using these models, personalized music selections based on an affective goal state can be made. The AMP was validated in real-world trials over the course of several weeks. Results show that our models can cope with noisy situations and handle large inter-individual differences in the music domain. The AMP augments music listening where its techniques enable automated affect guidance. Our approach provides valuable insights for affective computing and user modeling, for which the AMP is a suitable carrier application
Determination and evaluation of clinically efficient stopping criteria for the multiple auditory steady-state response technique
Background: Although the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) technique utilizes objective statistical detection algorithms to estimate behavioural hearing thresholds, the audiologist still has to decide when to terminate ASSR recordings introducing once more a certain degree of subjectivity.
Aims: The present study aimed at establishing clinically efficient stopping criteria for a multiple 80-Hz ASSR system.
Methods: In Experiment 1, data of 31 normal hearing subjects were analyzed off-line to propose stopping rules. Consequently, ASSR recordings will be stopped when (1) all 8 responses reach significance and significance can be maintained for 8 consecutive sweeps; (2) the mean noise levels were †4 nV (if at this â†4-nVâ criterion, p-values were between 0.05 and 0.1, measurements were extended only once by 8 sweeps); and (3) a maximum amount of 48 sweeps was attained. In Experiment 2, these stopping criteria were applied on 10 normal hearing and 10 hearing-impaired adults to asses the efficiency.
Results: The application of these stopping rules resulted in ASSR threshold values that were comparable to other multiple-ASSR research with normal hearing and hearing-impaired adults. Furthermore, in 80% of the cases, ASSR thresholds could be obtained within a time-frame of 1 hour. Investigating the significant response-amplitudes of the hearing-impaired adults through cumulative curves indicated that probably a higher noise-stop criterion than â†4 nVâ can be used.
Conclusions: The proposed stopping rules can be used in adults to determine accurate ASSR thresholds within an acceptable time-frame of about 1 hour. However, additional research with infants and adults with varying degrees and configurations of hearing loss is needed to optimize these criteria
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