Facebook bought a startup to make its 360-degree videos sound better

Facebook on Monday acquired Two Big Ears, a startup that builds audio software for virtual reality and 360-degree videos. Two Big Ears shared the news via a blog post.

The company's software is used to make the sound that accompanies a 360-degree video feel more lifelike — things like hearing sounds from the location where they actually occur in the video.

As part of the acquisition, Two Big Ears is making its audio software free to creators. It's yet another incentive from Facebook to get content creators making stuff for VR, an industry it bet big on two years ago with its $2 billion acquisition of Oculus.

The general feeling is that the VR headsets are better than the actual content you can watch on them. Facebook has encouraged creators to make more 360-degree content for both Oculus and Facebook, and it sounds like making Two Big Ears' software free is yet another carrot.

A Facebook spokesperson declined to share a deal price for the acquisition. Two Big Ears co-founders Abesh Thakur and Varun Nair are both joining Facebook along with other "key members," the spokesperson added.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Contributions are a key part of the future of Vox

Readers rely on Vox for clear, nuanced coverage that not only illuminates the issues, but poses solutions, too. And we rely on help from our readers: Advertising and grants cover the majority of our costs, but we count on contributions to help us close the gaps in our budget. In fact, we’re looking to reach 95,000 individual contributions before the end of the year. Will you make the next contribution right now? Our average gift is just $20 — and it goes a long way in helping us keep our work free. Vox is here to help everyone understand what’s shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. Join that mission by making a contribution today.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via