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POLQA (Perceptual Objective Listening Quality Analysis)

POLQA (Perceptual Objective Listening Quality Analysis) is a standardized metric for evaluating audio quality in telecommunications and multimedia. It simulates human auditory perception and considers factors like background noise and distortion.

Example: A company is implementing a new voice-activated login system for its customer support line. To ensure a smooth user experience, the quality assurance team uses POLQA to test the system's performance. They would:

  1. Play a clear, prerecorded voice prompt (e.g., "Please say your account number.") into the phone system.
  2. Capture the audio signal that the system receives after it has been processed by the network.
  3. Use the POLQA tool to compare the captured signal to the original prompt.

The POLQA score would tell the team if the voice prompt is being distorted by network latency or if background noise is making the audio unclear, allowing them to pinpoint and fix the issue before the system goes live.