Quantifying Factors of Auditory Immersion in Virtual Reality

In this paper, the topic of auditory immersion and the issues with contradictory definitions for the terms immersion and presence are discussed in relation to content in Virtual Reality (VR). The issues of emotional variance in experimentation on immersion are also reviewed, and potential solutions on experimental methodology suggested, such as the use of an electroencephalogram (EEG). A survey designed to gather audio professional and consumer opinions of how important perceptual and technical auditory factors are for providing immersion is presented. Results show clearly that on average all factors are perceived to be important for immersion. However vertical perception of sound was not perceived to be as important as horizontal sound perception.