With the advancement of science and technology, the quality of voice communication has always been the focus of research. With the development of digital signal analysis and speech quality assessment technology, POLQA (Perceptual Objective Listening Quality Assessment) was officially established in 2011 as a revolutionary standard. It not only inherits the advantages of PESQ, but also overcomes its shortcomings and proposes a more efficient and accurate voice quality assessment solution.
The emergence of POLQA marks a new era in voice quality testing, taking the end-user listening experience to a whole new level.
The main function of POLQA is to predict speech quality through digital speech signal analysis. This model aims to bring the results of objective evaluation close to the quality scores obtained through subjective listening tests, which are usually given in the form of Mean Opinion Score (MOS). POLQA's evaluation relies on real speech signals to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the test.
POLQA not only overcomes the weakness of PESQ in high-frequency signal processing, but also expands the signal processing for different delay variations. The standard supports measurements in the traditional telephone frequency band (300–3400 Hz) as well as HD-Voice signals in the higher audio range (50–14000 Hz). In addition, POLQA also evaluates sound signals recorded using an artificial head, further increasing its versatility.
The development of POLQA began in 2006. After several competitive tests and cooperation with multiple companies, it eventually formed the ITU-T P.863 standard that was officially adopted in 2011. This process not only demonstrates the competitive spirit in scientific research, but also highlights the ability to integrate the expertise of all parties.
The advancement of every technology is the result of the collision of intelligence from multiple parties. The birth of POLQA is the best example.
POLQA is similar to PESQ. As a full reference algorithm, it evaluates speech quality by comparing the processed speech signal with the original signal. This process not only analyzes each sample of the signal, but also efficiently models the impact of environmental changes.
In the POLQA algorithm, two audio signals are input in the form of data vectors, the first vector is the undistorted reference signal, and the second is the distorted signal. After a series of time alignment and sampling rate estimation, the algorithm finally calculates MOS to comprehensively evaluate the speech quality.
POLQA's core model uses advanced perceptual models to accurately map multiple distortion types to the MOS scale through comprehensive analysis.
The value of POLQA is not limited to technology development. Related research has demonstrated its role in speech quality testing, such as analyzing the tone language impact of speech and its impact on the listening experience of non-native speakers. This provides an important basis for the further development of voice communication technology.
From PESQ to POLQA, we have witnessed the birth of a new voice quality evaluation standard, which not only represents technological advancement, but also a deep understanding and emphasis on user experience. What innovations and breakthroughs can we expect in future communication technologies?