August 2021 Summaries

This tutorial guides users through building a VR chat application that enables spatial sound from speakers using an Oculus Quest headset. The project consists of four parts, including setting up the project with Oculus packages and Agora SDK, creating the scene, testing video streaming between VR and non-VR users, and discussing audio frame and audio source handling technology. The tutorial uses Unity Editor (version 2019 LTS) and an understanding of Unity's XR Framework as prerequisites.

Agora has released research on Gen Z preferences for real-time engagement (RTE) technologies such as live video, audio streaming, and extended reality (AR/VR). The study found that 87% of Gen Z respondents are using more mobile apps with built-in interactive live video streaming or video calling features. Additionally, 62% have tried interactive live audio streaming apps, and nearly 70% believe interactive video or audio is important for their gaming apps. Furthermore, 70% prefer retailers to offer AR/VR tech in shopping apps. Agora's RTE2021 conference will take place on September 1st and 2nd, featuring discussions on innovations in video, voice, and streaming technologies.

Online education has been positively reshaping the education landscape by offering flexibility, better learning outcomes, and commercial value for both students and providers. Surveys show that students prefer online learning over traditional in-person classrooms due to its convenience and ability to accommodate individual needs. Furthermore, online education can improve educational equity and accessibility by connecting students with experienced educators from different regions through the internet. The commercial benefits of online learning include improved user experience, scalability, and cost savings for providers, which can be reinvested in R&D or used to make education more affordable. Agora, a leading global EdTech company, supports many education providers by providing real-time communication solutions that enable interactive live classes with high quality video and audio.

Yaniv Elmadawi, Agora VP of Solutions and Technology Services, discusses the importance of security in real-time engagement (RTE) platforms and elaborates on Agora's multi-layered approach to securing its platform. These layers include channel separation and token authentication, encryption for media streams and protocol data, network geofencing, regular testing and validation, and compliance with various privacy and security standards. By implementing these measures, Agora ensures a secure RTE experience for users while maintaining trust in the platform.

Synervoz Communications is a software development company that focuses on building apps and SDKs to enhance voice and video calls with music, movies, TV, games, live streams, and other interactive components. The industry developing noise-suppression and cancellation techniques has mostly focused on obvious use cases such as call centers, telephony, and simple voice and video calls. However, as calls transform into rooms and spaces, opportunities abound for additional audio layers, and so too do the associated challenges. Synervoz is helping developers solve these challenges by providing noise suppression technology that works well enough to unlock groundbreaking use cases in various industries.

In this tutorial, we will develop a web application that supports changing the roles of remote users in a live streaming application using the Agora Web SDK and the Agora RTM SDK. The application allows hosts to dynamically call people onto stage by changing their roles from audience to host and vice versa, making sessions more interactive. Prerequisites include basic knowledge of JavaScript, JQuery, Bootstrap, Font Awesome, an Agora developer account, the Agora Web SDK, and the Agora RTM SDK. The tutorial covers setting up the HTML structure, adding CSS for styling, and implementing core functionality using JS with the Agora Web SDK. It also explains how to use the Agora RTM SDK to change a remote user's role by sending a peer-to-peer message. Finally, it provides a link to the GitHub repository containing all the code and a demo of the application in action.

The Agora Real-time Messaging SDK allows users to send chunks of data across networks, including encoded structs, files, and plain text. CollaboratAR is an example project that utilizes this technology, enabling people to join or create active sessions in a 3D globe environment where they can interact with objects and communicate with others through audio channels. The technologies used include the Agora Real-time Messaging SDK, Agora Audio SDK, and RealityKit. This technology can be applied to various applications such as multiplayer games, live interactive support, or live chat features.

CollaboratAR, an iOS example project by Agora, demonstrates how to use Agora SDKs for creating interactive augmented reality experiences. The project uses Agora Real-time Messaging (RTM) to send data between connected devices and enables sharing of the experience among multiple people worldwide. Six different types of messages are sent across the network in CollaboratAR, including location details and room information. The real-time messaging is used in both the initial globe scene and the collaboration scene. In the former, it helps to show available channels on the globe, while in the latter, it facilitates sharing of model positions, user locations, and updates about models.

Low-latency streaming is crucial for real-time communication (RTC) applications where all parties must be in sync. It minimizes the delay between when an event is captured and when it's seen by others, which can vary from a few hundred milliseconds to several seconds depending on the use case. While low-latency streaming improves customer experience, it requires more sophisticated encoding and PLC techniques and benefits from managed networks. Agora has developed its own codecs and optimized global network for low-latency real-time video, audio, and messaging, consistently delivering an average of 400ms latency worldwide.

Real-time, interactive audio is becoming increasingly popular for various applications such as live social audio and gaming apps. To deliver high-quality real-time audio experiences, developers need to consider sound clarity, enhancements, network challenges, and essential technologies like codecs and low-latency networks. Agora provides both of these audio essentials through its proprietary audio codec with 3A features and a managed, ultra-low-latency global network (SD-RTN). This enables developers to easily add high-quality live audio to their apps while ensuring exceptional user experience.