Immersive Networked Music Performance: Impact of Extended Reality on the Quality of Experience

The potential of integrating extended reality (XR) and spatial audio into immersive networked music performance (INMP) systems has not yet been the subject of extensive research. The advantages of a visual representation based on the transmission of position-dependent metadata seem to be evident, not just in terms of lower transmission latency. It enables the transformation of a virtual environment with spatial audio into an extended reality environment (XRE), simulating the experience of making music together in the same room. A rhythm-based experiment was conducted with 18 pairs of participants, using several XREs of the Immersive Room ExtensioN Environment (IRENE) system, an immersive real-time system combining virtual reality with telepresence and providing spatial audio for an enhanced immersive experience. The experiment evaluated the influence of the XR system on participants' perceived quality of experience (QoE) and musical outcome. Results show a clear trend that the XREs of the IRENE system enhance participants' perceived coherence and immersion, as well as the overall perceived QoE, while having a minimal impact on the musical outcome. This study provides valuable insights into the benefits and challenges of using XR in NMP, contributing to a deeper understanding of how immersive technologies can improve networked music collaboration.