Facebook’s quest to evolve its 360 video experience has taken one step ahead with the acquisition of Two Big Ears, a company that specialises in immersive, 3D audio. As part of the deal, the company will make its Spatial Workstation free for developers, to improve the auditory experience in 360-degree videos. The Scotland-based firm said in its statement, “At Two Big Ears, we’ve been hard at work creating technology and tools that have defined how immersive audio is crafted and experienced in VR and AR both now and in the future. We’re proud to see the impact our work has had on so many great projects. Now, we’re ready to take the next step on our journey and scale our work from within Facebook. There is so much still to explore.”
Two Big Ears focuses on how audio experience impresses upon 360-degree video viewers in 3D spaces. Facebook, the parent company of Oculus, will look to build the experience of audio in 360-degree videos that it is now promoting heavily. 3D immersive audio technology is picking up major importance among virtual reality content providers, and with this takeover, Facebook will now have the prowess to provide Two Big Ears’ 3Dception to its developers, gratis. The company has so far worked on two separate products under cinematic virtual reality and gaming. While the cinematic VR section has merged into the free platform of Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation, Two Big Ears will now work with Facebook’s Oculus team to integrate its technology into the gaming department.
Two Big Ears has stated, “3Dception for Games will no longer be a separate product but we will be working with the Oculus team to combine our expertise and create best in class VR audio. Existing Pro customers will continue to receive support in accordance with your current agreement with Two Big Ears for the next 12 months.” The company has also clarified that the technology will remain device agnostic, and function as a platform. To get a taste of the work that Two Big Ears has been doing, plug in your headphones and play the following video to see it:
Immersive audio experience is crucial for Facebook to lend continuity in experience to the rising count of 360 videos on Facebook. Think of this like watching a live concert in VR, where you are free to move around within the venue. In reality, the audio you experience will alter in direction with your orientation from the source of audio. With Two Big Ears, Facebook will now have the technology to provide immersive audio, the basis of which is crucial for engaging virtual reality and augmented reality content.