Echo cancellation: Audio systems, such as included in a PC, that involve a microphone and speakers may cause the microphone to pick up the audio from the speakers and send it back to the originator; this annoying and distractive behavior is called “echo”. When using a PC this issue was originally addressed by requiring a headset where the “speakers” are directly attached to the head in a way such that the headset’s microphone does not pick up the conversation coming out of the speakers. Skype has not only developed “echo cancellation” techniques that eliminate the need for a headset or phone handset to avoid this echo but also taken measures to reduce background noise. More ….
Audio systems, such as included in a PC, that involve a microphone and speakers may cause the microphone to pick up the audio from the speakers and send it back to the originator; this annoying and distractive behavior is called “echo”. When using a PC this issue was originally addressed by requiring a headset where the “speakers” are directly attached to the ear in a way such that the headset’s microphone does not pick up the conversation coming out of the speakers. Skype has not only developed “echo cancellation” techniques that eliminate the need for a headset or phone handset to avoid this echo but also taken measures to reduce background noise.
But ideally one would like to simply use the microphone and speakers built into a PC for (Skype) voice conversations. As a result Skype has developed a voice engine that is not only provides high quality HD Voice but also includes “echo cancellation” algorithms such that what comes out of a PC’s speaker does not come back through the PC’s microphone. In the spring of 2007, Skype introduced a version that incorporated echo cancellation; the initial experience is described in this review: Skype 3.2 Sets New Standard for Voice Quality. Associated with echo cancellation are algorithms for background noise reduction that provide clearer conversations in a noisy environment such as encountered in an exhibit hall.
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