Superphony: towards ubiquitous audio communication services

With the expansion of mobility in communication technologies, the increasing individual audio solicitations require a definition of priorities in audio information. A new concept called superphony is identified which improves communication abilities by reconstructing an audio sphere around each user and filtering audio information based on user and environment profiles. Requirements and elements for an architecture are presented. Guaranteeing real-time audio stream management based on profiles in mobile contexts, without compromising security, are key issues. Several potential applications are also discussed.