Quite a few years ago as a teenager, who knew even less about the physics of sound than I do now, assumed that it wouldn't be long before technology was developed that lets a single device (say a consumer TV) output two different audio tracks aimed at two different people, and even track the people moving around the room to keep their audio being directed at their head.
Visually the technology for two people to see different video on the same TV has existed for a while, there's just no demand or market for it (either glasses syncing with TV to block certain frames, or there was a technique that depended on the angle you're viewing from).
And for tracking people walking around the room, to then know where to point audio or video at, there's released & integrate-able technology available like head and eye tracking from Tobii.
Is there also some very expensive option for having audio split between people in the same room (without using any devices like earphones) and just equally no general demand from consumers wanting to use or pay for it, or do the laws of physics prevent sound waves from working well this way?
Visually the technology for two people to see different video on the same TV has existed for a while, there's just no demand or market for it (either glasses syncing with TV to block certain frames, or there was a technique that depended on the angle you're viewing from).
And for tracking people walking around the room, to then know where to point audio or video at, there's released & integrate-able technology available like head and eye tracking from Tobii.
Is there also some very expensive option for having audio split between people in the same room (without using any devices like earphones) and just equally no general demand from consumers wanting to use or pay for it, or do the laws of physics prevent sound waves from working well this way?