Examining the Influence of Trimodal Multisensory Stimuli on Presence, Perceived Realism, and Quality of Experience in Video Visualization

We experience the world around us using all our senses, however, multimedia content still relies majorly on audiovisual stimuli. With technology advancements, multisensory stimuli started to be introduced in multimedia experiences. Still, very few contemplate a wide range of different modalities simultaneously, approaching the stimulation one would receive in reality. This paper explores the effects of trimodal multisensory stimuli on the sense of Presence, Perceptual Realism, and Quality of Experience (QoE) during video visualisation. Namely, we study the impact of heat, wind, and smell during video visualization to investigate how each stimulus contributes to the QoE. A correlational analysis was also performed to understand better how the different variables interact. The results indicate that multisensory stimulation improved significantly the sense of presence satisfaction and perceptual realism. Furthermore, smell contributed the most to the QoE, followed by heat and wind. We highlight the use of multisensory stimulation on video visualization over audiovisual only, as it benefits substantially the user experience.