Audio Zoom
Posted by bhushit on January 17, 2012
I had this idea nagging in my mind. Auditory sense lacks one feature that visual can offer.
Today I could name it: Zooming.
Eyes can focus in a solid angle (theta and phi) to a significant resolution, without ignoring the distance (r).
Ears can also focus in a solid angle to a significant resolution.
Ears can’t distinguish between “loud” and “near”.
That is why, a camera can zoom in but a sound recorder can’t. There is just a focal length adjustment in a camera but the microphone HAS to move nearer.
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As the readers of this blog are aware, I rate Internet and Wikipedia as great tools to humble ourselves. By the time one thinks of a problem, someone else has already thought of a solution!
Here is the news about solution to Audio Zoom.
Interestingly, Wikipedia doesn’t have any entry even about the concept of Audio Zoom.
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The idea is good. It is just for the closed field. It can be of use of ESPN but not of Animal Planet.
However, I am very glad that someone thinks about such problems and are actually able to do something about them!