Acoustic analysis of video conferencing platforms: Evaluating communication effectiveness for individuals with hearing loss

AIM: This research investigates the impact of video conferencing platforms on the transmitted sound to evaluate their effectiveness in facilitating communication for individuals with hearing loss. The preliminary analysis includes comparing the transmitted sound deviations from source recordings in Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet and exploring differences in audio quality across different settings within each platform (not focused on DSP limitations or audio transmission fidelity). METHODS: In this study, we employed babble noise, BKB speech, and a combination of babble noise and BKB speech (SNR: 9dB) as stimuli. We compared different acoustic features of the received signal, including automatic audio gain adjustments, frequency range, and frequency response, with the source sound. RESULTS: Zoom applies a smooth high-frequency roll-off for speech in a noisy signal, beginning at approximately 14.5 kHz and removing all frequency content above 18 kHz. The roll-off for Teams begins at a relatively low frequency around 7 kHz. Although Google Meet starts the roll-off around 20 kHz, the gain was inconsistent and had a sharp roll-off. CONCLUSION: Each platform exhibited distinct characteristics and introduced noticeable modifications to the stimuli. Results indicated that Zoom with optional audio settings enabled demonstrates the highest fidelity to dynamic range and frequency spectrum.