Patent ID: 9014378
Filing Date: 2015-04-21
Classification: H04R,H04S

Abstract:
1. A method of enhancing the reproduction of multiple audio channels, the channels including channels intended for playback to the front (L, R) of a listening area and a pair of channels intended for playback to the sides (Ls, Rs) of the listening area and/or a pair of channels intended for playback to the rear (Lrs, Rrs) of the listening area, comprising: extracting two audio signals, a left vertical height signal and a right vertical height signal, from (a) the pair of channels intended for playback to the sides (Ls, Rs) of the listening area or (b) the pair of channels intended for playback to the rear sides (Lrs, Rrs) of the listening area, each of the vertical height signals comprising out-of-phase components in the pair of channels from which it is extracted, wherein said extracting extracts said out-of-phase sound information using an extractor, and applying said left and right vertical height signals to left vertical height (Lvh) and right vertical height (Rvh) loudspeakers, the left vertical height signal being weighted to the left side and/or left rear side channel in the respective pair of channels and the right vertical height signal being weighted to the right side and/or right rear side channel in the respective pair of channels, the vertical height loudspeakers being located at the front of the listening area and above loudspeakers playing back the channels intended for playback to the front (L, R) of the listening area, one or more left vertical height loudspeakers being located above one or more loudspeakers that reproduce the left front channel and one or more right vertical height loudspeakers being located above one or more loudspeakers that reproduce the right front channel, wherein the pair of channels from which the out-of-phase sound information is extracted may be designated Ls and Rs and the extracted out-of-phase sound information may be designated Lvh and Rvh, such that the relationships among Lvh, Rvh, Ls and Rs may be characterized by