Facebook acquires Two Big Ears

Facebook is continuing to devote resources to fine tuning how 3D audio impacts viewer perceptions in virtual reality. The social media giant and Oculus parent company announced they have purchased immersive audio company Two Big Ears and will be making their technology free as a part of their new Facebook 360 Spatial Workshop.

The Edinburg based company, which has been around since 2013, specializes in spatial 3D audio in cinematic and gaming experiences. The company technology focuses largely on how sound plays in 3D spaces and how it interacts with surfaces that surround the viewer. Further progress in building hyper-realistic 3D audio is a major get for Facebook video and the Oculus platform.

Both the Gear VR and Rift support the immersive audio technology and the fact that Facebook is opening up Two Big Ears 3Dception technology for free to developers is a nice move to keep content creators happy. The company previously had two immersive audio products based on solutions for both cinematic VR and gaming. While the cinematic VR product has morphed into the free “Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation”, Two Big Ears will be working with the Oculus team on a way to integrate the gaming software.

Immersive 3D audio is hugely important to high-end virtual reality like that available on the Rift, but it is really even more crucial to the rather rudimentary VR experiences like those that are available on Facebook video right now. With the Two Big Ears purchase, Facebook has made it easier for Developers to make their experiences better and has strengthened the company pull in making the social media site the default hub for immersive VR video content.

Livspace.com acquires YoFloor

Home Interior Designs E-commerce Pvt. Ltd, which owns online home design start-up Livspace, has acquired YoFloor, a mobile platform that offers a virtual trial room for home design, for an undisclosed amount. This is Livspace third acquisition. It acquired curated online network of Interior designers Dwll.in in May and online community and marketplace for designers and consumers DezignUp in March.

The company also raised $8 Million in an internal funding round from existing investors Helion Ventures Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners and Jungle Ventures last month. Before that, it raised $4.6 Million in a Series a funding round in December 2014. YoFloor was incubated at Mango Technologies. It offers 3D visualization tools which can be used by buyers and designers to facilitate the visualization of a look or home design before a purchase is done.

As part of the acquisition, the founders and the core team of YoFloor will join Livspace. Livspace was founded in 2012 by former senior executives of Google Inc., Myntra, and founder of Architectural Design consultancy Space Matrix. It competes with Sequoia Capital funded HomeLane.com, as well as bigger furniture e-retailers, Pepperfry and Urban Ladder. Livspace also offers readymade home design solutions and connects customers with interior designers.