Soundbar systems, controllers, programs, and how to set up your soundbar

Abstract

To provide a soundbar that realizes natural surround audio at a predetermined listening position even when the soundbar cannot be installed at the center of the lower part of a display device.SOLUTION: When a soundbar 1 is installed on the lower left side of a television receiver 3, the output timing of RchSPK10-3 is delayed by T from CchSPK10-1, the output timing of a speaker 10-1 is delayed by T from LchSPK10-2, and the output volume of RchSPK is smaller than CchSPK by V, and the output volume of CchSPK is smaller than LchSPK by V. When the soundbar 1 is installed on the lower right side of the television receiver 3, the output timing of LchSPK is delayed from CchSPK by T, the output timing of RchSPK is delayed from RchSPK by T, the output volume of LchSPK is smaller than RchSPK by V, and the output volume of CchSPK is smaller than RchSPK by V.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sound bar setting technique. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, home theater systems using a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) and a sound bar have become widespread. A sound bar is a speaker system in which multiple channel speakers are housed in the same housing, and is more space efficient and easier to install than a system in which speakers for each channel are installed separately. For this reason, by using a sound bar, a surround audio playback environment can be easily realized even in an ordinary home with limited space (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-55450 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Typically, when a sound bar is installed in the center below a display device, the output volume and output timing of the speakers of each channel that make up the sound bar are adjusted so that the optimal surround effect is obtained at a specified viewing position (specifically, a position in front of the display device a specified distance away from the display device).

[0005] However, due to structural constraints of the display device, there are cases where the sound bar cannot be installed at a recommended position (for example, the center below) with respect to the display device. For example, if the remote control receiver is located on the lower right side of the display device and the sound bar is installed at the lower center of the display device, the remote control receiver will be hidden by the sound bar, so the sound bar must be shifted from the lower center of the display device to the left so that the remote control receiver is not hidden. Also, if the remote control receiver is located on the lower left side of the display device and the sound bar is installed at the lower center of the display device, the sound bar must be shifted from the lower center of the display device to the right so that the remote control receiver is not hidden. Alternatively, there are cases where the sound bar cannot be installed at the lower center of the display device due to installation space limitations. In this way, if the sound bar cannot be installed at the lower center of the display device, there is a possibility that optimal surround audio cannot be realized at a specified listening position.

[0006] In addition, even if you replace your display device, you may want to continue using the sound bar. For example, if the display device you combine with your existing sound bar has a larger screen than the previous one, the width of the sound bar will be smaller than the screen width of the display device, and as a result, you may not be able to listen to surround audio with a wide sound that matches the screen size of the display device. In order to listen to surround audio with a wide sound that matches the screen size of the display device, you need to purchase an expensive sound bar with a width that matches the screen size of the display device, which increases costs and makes the previous sound bar go to waste.

[0007] The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its first object is to realize more appropriate surround audio at a predetermined listening position even when the sound bar cannot be installed at the recommended position relative to the display device. Also, the second object of the present invention is to realize a wide surround audio according to the screen size of the display device without wasting the sound bar, even when the width of the sound bar is small compared to the screen width of the display device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, in a first aspect of the present invention, the output volume and output timing of the speakers of each channel constituting a sound bar are adjusted according to the installation position of the sound bar relative to the display device so that an optimal surround effect can be obtained at a predetermined viewing position. For example, when the sound bar is installed to the left of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the right channel speaker is delayed by a predetermined delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the above-mentioned delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker, and the output volume of the right channel speaker is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by a predetermined attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is lower than the output volume of the left channel speaker by the above-mentioned attenuation volume V. Also, when the sound bar is installed to the right of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the left channel speaker is delayed by the above-mentioned delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the above-mentioned delay time T from the output timing of the right channel speaker, while the output volume of the left channel speaker is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by the above-mentioned attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is lower than the output volume of the right channel speaker by the above-mentioned attenuation volume V. Here, the delay time T and attenuation volume V may be arbitrarily set by the user. Alternatively, they may be automatically calculated according to the amount of deviation of the sound bar from the lower center or upper center of the display device.

[0009] For example, the first aspect of the present invention is A sound bar system including a sound bar configured by housing multiple channel speakers including at least a center channel, a left channel, and a right channel in the same housing, and a controller that sets output volumes and output timings of the multiple channel speakers, The controller: a reception unit for receiving an installation position of the sound bar relative to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the sound bar; a speaker characteristic determination means for determining an output volume and an output timing of each of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers in accordance with the installation position of the sound bar received by the reception means; a speaker characteristic setting means for setting, in the sound bar, the output volumes and output timings of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers determined by the speaker characteristic determination means; The sound bar includes: an output characteristic adjusting means for adjusting the output volume and output timing of each of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers in accordance with the settings of the controller; The speaker characteristic determining means comprises: When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the left of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the right channel speaker is delayed by a predetermined delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker, the output volume of the right channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by a predetermined attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the left channel speaker by the attenuation volume V, When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the right of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the left channel speaker is made later than the output timing of the center channel speaker by the delay time T, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is made later than the output timing of the right channel speaker by the delay time T, and the output volume of the left channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by the attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the right channel speaker by the attenuation volume V.

[0010] In addition, in a second aspect of the present invention, when a home theater system is constructed by combining a plurality of sound bars with a display device, the channels of the speakers housed in each sound bar are set according to the installation positions of the sound bars relative to the display device. For example, when a plurality of sound bars are installed side by side in the screen width direction of the display device below the display device, the speakers housed in the plurality of sound bars are divided into a first group located at the lower center of the display device, a second group located to the left of the lower center of the display device, and a third group located to the right of the lower center of the display device, and the channels of the speakers belonging to the first group, the second group, and the third group are set to the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel, respectively.

[0011] For example, the second aspect of the present invention is A sound bar system including a plurality of sound bars each configured with a plurality of speakers housed in the same housing, and a controller for setting channels of the speakers housed in the sound bars, The controller: a reception unit that receives installation positions of the plurality of sound bars with respect to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the plurality of sound bars; an allocation channel determination means for determining channels to be assigned to speakers accommodated in each of the plurality of sound bars according to the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars received by the reception means; a channel setting means for setting, for each of the sound bars, the assigned channel determined by the assigned channel determination means to a speaker contained in the sound bar; The sound bar includes: an audio control means for distributing audio signals of channels set to the speakers by the controller to the speakers contained in the sound bar; The assigned channel determination means When the installation positions of the multiple sound bars accepted by the accepting means are aligned in the width direction of the screen of the display device below the display device, the speakers housed in the multiple sound bars are classified into a first group located at the lower center of the display device, a second group located to the left of the lower center of the display device, and a third group located to the right of the lower center of the display device, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the first group, the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the second group, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the third group are determined to be the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel, respectively. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the output volume and output timing of the speakers of each channel that constitutes the sound bar are adjusted according to the installation position of the sound bar relative to the display device, so that even if the sound bar cannot be installed in the center below the display device, more appropriate surround audio can be achieved at a specified viewing position.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when multiple sound bars are combined with a display device to construct a home theater system, the channels of the speakers contained in each sound bar are set according to the installation position of the sound bars relative to the display device. Therefore, even if the width of an existing sound bar is smaller than the screen width of the display device, by adding an additional sound bar, it is possible to achieve wide-ranging surround audio that matches the screen size of the display device, without wasting the existing sound bar that had been used until then. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a home theater system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the controller 2. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of the controller 2. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a configuration information input screen 200 displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 5(A) to 5(C) are diagrams showing examples of the arrangement of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the sound bar 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for explaining the speaker characteristic setting process of the sound bar 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a home theater system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the controller 2a. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of the controller 2a. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a configuration information input screen 200a displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2a. [Figure 12] 12(A) and 12(B) are diagrams showing examples of the arrangement of sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the sound bar 1a. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram for explaining the assigned channel resetting process of the sound bar 1a. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] [First embodiment] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a home theater system according to the present embodiment.

[0018] As shown in the figure, the home theater system according to the present embodiment includes a television receiver 3, a sound bar 1 connected to the television receiver 3 via a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark: High Definition Multimedia Interface) or USB (Universal Serial Bus), and a controller 2 that sets the output characteristics of the sound bar 1. The sound bar 1 and the controller 2 are interconnected via an access point 4 that is connected to a network 5 such as a WAN (Wide Area Network) or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0019] Here, the sound bar 1 is a so-called one-body type sound bar that incorporates a subwoofer channel speaker (SWchSPK) 10-4 in addition to a center channel speaker (CchSPK) 10-1, a left channel speaker (LchSPK) 10-2, and a right channel speaker (RchSPK) 10-3, and a surround audio playback environment can be realized with this single unit. However, the sound bar 1 may be a so-called two-unit type sound bar that omits the subwoofer channel speaker 10-4. In this case, too, a surround audio playback environment can be realized by externally connecting the subwoofer channel speaker 10-4 to the sound bar 1.

[0020] The controller 2 adjusts the output volume and output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1 according to the installation position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 so as to obtain an optimal surround effect at a specified viewing position (for example, a position in front of the television receiver 3 a specified distance away from the television receiver 3).

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the controller 2.

[0022] As shown in the figure, the controller 2 has a wireless interface unit 20, a man-machine interface unit 21, a sound bar information acquisition unit 22, a speaker characteristics determination unit 23, a speaker characteristics setting unit 24, and a main control unit 25.

[0023] The wireless interface unit 20 is a communication interface for wirelessly connecting to the access point 4 .

[0024] The man-machine interface unit 21 is a user interface for displaying information to the user and accepting various operations from the user, and is configured with an input / display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a touch sensor, for example.

[0025] The sound bar information acquisition unit 22 acquires sound bar information from the sound bar 1 via the wireless interface unit 20, the sound bar information including size information of the sound bar 1, channel information of the speakers 10-1 to 10-4 accommodated in the sound bar 1, and screen size information of the television receiver 3 to which the sound bar 1 is connected.

[0026] The speaker characteristic determination unit 23 determines the output volume and output timing of each of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1 according to the installation position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3.

[0027] The speaker characteristic setting unit 24 transmits setting information including the output volume and output timing of each of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 determined by the speaker characteristic determination unit 23 to the sound bar 1 via the wireless interface unit 20.

[0028] The main control unit 25 comprehensively controls the units 20 to 24 of the controller 2.

[0029] The functional configuration of the controller 2 shown in FIG. 2 is realized in a wireless terminal such as a smartphone or tablet PC (Personal Computer) that is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, a wireless LAN adapter, and an input / display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a touch sensor, by the CPU loading a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device into the memory and executing it.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of the controller 2. As shown in FIG.

[0031] This flow starts when the main control unit 25 accepts an operation to start sound bar characteristic setting from the user via the man-machine interface unit 21.

[0032] First, the main control unit 25 instructs the sound bar information acquisition unit 22 to acquire sound bar information. In response to this, the sound bar information acquisition unit 22 accesses the access point 4 via the wireless interface unit 20 and recognizes the sound bar 1 wirelessly connected to the access point 4. Then, it transmits a sound bar information acquisition request to the sound bar 1 and acquires sound bar information from the sound bar 1 including size information of the sound bar 1, channel information of the speakers 10-1 to 10-4 accommodated in the sound bar 1, and screen size information of the television receiver 3 connected to the sound bar 1 (S100).

[0033] Next, the main control unit 25 confirms that the sound bar 1 contains the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 based on the sound bar information acquired by the sound bar information acquisition unit 22, and displays on the man-machine interface unit 21 a placement information input screen for receiving input of the placement position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 (S101). If the sound bar 1 does not contain any one of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3, the main control unit 25 displays a predetermined error message on the man-machine interface unit 21, and ends this flow.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a configuration information input screen 200 displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2. As shown in FIG.

[0035] As shown in the figure, an icon 201 indicating the television receiver 3 and an icon 202 indicating the sound bar 1 are displayed on the arrangement information input screen 200. Here, the display position of the icon 201 is fixed and the user cannot move the icon 201, but the display position of the icon 202 is variable, and the user can input the arrangement position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 via the arrangement information input screen 200 by dragging and moving the icon 202.

[0036] The sizes of the icons 201 and 202 are set based on the screen size information of the television receiver 3 and the size information of the sound bar 1 contained in the sound bar information acquired by the sound bar information acquisition unit 22 so that the ratio between the two is the same as the actual ratio between the television receiver 3 and the sound bar 1.

[0037] Also displayed on the arrangement information input screen 200 are a setting bar 203 for setting a delay time T, which will be described later, and a setting bar 205 for setting a decay volume V, which will be described later. The user can arbitrarily set the delay time T by sliding a slider 204 along the setting bar 203. Also, the user can arbitrarily set the decay volume V by sliding a slider 206 along the setting bar 205.

[0038] Next, the main control unit 25 receives the placement position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 via the placement information input screen 200 displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 (S102), and passes this placement position to the speaker characteristic determination unit 23 together with the delay time T and attenuation volume V determined according to the positions of the sliders 204, 206 on the setting bars 203, 205 at that time.

[0039] When the position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 received from the main control unit 25 is the lower center of the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 5(A) ("center" in S102), the speaker characteristics determination unit 23 determines the output timing and output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 so that the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker 10-2 and the right channel speaker 10-3 and the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 is made smaller by the attenuation volume V than the output volumes of the left channel speaker 10-2 and the right channel speaker 10-3 (S103).

[0040] Furthermore, when the position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 received from the main control unit 25 is to the left of the lower center of the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 5(B) ("left" in S102), the speaker characteristics determination unit 23 determines the output timing and output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 so that the output timing of the right channel speaker 10-3 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 and the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker 10-2, and the output volume of the right channel speaker 10-3 is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 by the attenuation volume V and the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 is lower than the output volume of the left channel speaker 10-2 by the attenuation volume V (S104).

[0041] Furthermore, when the position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 received from the main control unit 25 is to the right of the lower center of the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 5(C) ("right" in S102), the speaker characteristics determination unit 23 determines the output timing and output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 so that the output timing of the left channel speaker 10-2 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 and the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the right channel speaker 10-3, and the output volume of the left channel speaker 10-2 is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 by the attenuation volume V and the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 is lower than the output volume of the right channel speaker 10-3 by the attenuation volume V (S105).

[0042] Next, the main control unit 25 notifies the speaker characteristic setting unit 24 of the output timings and output volumes of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 determined by the speaker characteristic determination unit 23, together with the address information of the sound bar 1 from which the sound bar information is obtained. In response to this, the speaker characteristic setting unit 24 transmits setting information including the output timings and output volumes of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 notified by the main control unit 25 via the wireless interface unit 20 to the sound bar 1 specified by the address information notified by the main control unit 25 (S106).

[0043] Then, when the main control unit 25 receives an operation to change the placement position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3, the delay time T, or the attenuation volume V from the user via the placement information input screen 200 displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 (NO in S107, YES in S108), the process returns to S102. On the other hand, when the main control unit 25 receives an operation to end the sound bar characteristic setting from the user via the man-machine interface unit 21 (YES in S107), the process ends this flow.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the sound bar 1.

[0045] As shown in the figure, the sound bar 1 has an audio interface unit 10, a wireless interface unit 11, a speaker unit 12, an output characteristic adjustment unit 13, and a main control unit 14.

[0046] The audio interface unit 10 is an interface for receiving multi-channel audio signals from the television receiver 3, and uses a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark) or USB.

[0047] The wireless interface unit 11 is a communication interface for wirelessly connecting to the access point 4 .

[0048] The speaker section 12 includes a center channel speaker 10-1, a left channel speaker 10-2, and a right channel speaker 10-3.

[0049] The output characteristic adjustment unit 13 distributes the multi-channel audio signals received from the television receiver 3 via the audio interface unit 10 to the corresponding channel speakers 10-1 to 10-3 of the speaker unit 12 for each channel. In addition, the output characteristic adjustment unit 13 adjusts the output timing and output volume of each of the center channel, left channel, and right channel audio signals included in the multi-channel audio signals received from the television receiver 3 via the audio interface unit 10 to the corresponding channel speakers 10-1 to 10-3 of the speaker unit 12 in accordance with setting information notified by the main control unit 14.

[0050] The main control unit 14 comprehensively controls the units 10 to 13 of the sound bar 1.

[0051] The functional configuration of the sound bar 1 shown in Fig. 6 may be realized in hardware by an integrated logic IC such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may be realized in software by a computer such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Alternatively, it may be realized by a general-purpose computer such as a PC having a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive, a wireless LAN adapter, and a plurality of speakers, in which the CPU loads a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device onto the memory and executes it.

[0052] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for explaining the speaker characteristic setting process of the sound bar 1.

[0053] When the main control unit 14 receives a sound bar information acquisition request from the controller 2 via the wireless interface unit 11 (YES in S200), it generates sound bar information including size information of the sound bar 1, channel information of the speakers 10-1 to 10-4 accommodated in the sound bar 1, and screen size information of the television receiver 3 connected to the sound bar 1, and transmits this sound bar information to the controller 2 via the wireless interface unit 11 (S201).

[0054] Furthermore, when the main control unit 14 receives setting information from the controller 2 via the wireless interface unit 11 (YES in S202), it notifies the output characteristics adjustment unit 13 of this setting information. In response to this, the output characteristics adjustment unit 13 adjusts the output timings and output volumes of the center channel audio signal, the left channel audio signal, and the right channel audio signal to be distributed to the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 of the speaker unit 12, in accordance with the setting information received from the main control unit 14 (S203).

[0055] As a result, even if the placement position of the sound bar 1 deviates from the recommended installation position, the output timing and output volume of each channel speaker 10-1 to 10-3 of the speaker unit 12 are adjusted according to the placement position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 so that the optimal surround effect can be obtained at a specified viewing position.

[0056] For example, when the position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 is the lower center of the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 5(A), the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 is delayed by a delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker 10-2 and the right channel speaker 10-3, and the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 is adjusted to be lower by an attenuation volume V than the output volumes of the left channel speaker 10-2 and the right channel speaker 10-3.

[0057] Furthermore, when the position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 is to the left of the lower center of the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 5(B), the output timing of the right channel speaker 10-3 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1, and the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker 10-2, and the output volume of the right channel speaker 10-3 is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 by the attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 is lower than the output volume of the left channel speaker 10-2 by the attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the right channel speaker 10-3 is adjusted so that the output timing of the right channel speaker 10-3 is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 by the attenuation volume V.

[0058] Furthermore, when the position of the sound bar 1 relative to the television receiver 3 is to the right of the lower center of the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 5(C), the output timing of the left channel speaker 10-2 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1, and the output timing of the center channel speaker 10-1 is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the right channel speaker 10-3, and the output volume of the left channel speaker 10-2 is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 by the attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 is lower than the output volume of the right channel speaker 10-3 by the attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the left channel speaker 10-2 is lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1 by the attenuation volume V.

[0059] The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[0060] According to this embodiment, the output timing and output volume of center channel speaker 10-1, left channel speaker 10-2, and right channel speaker 10-3 housed in sound bar 1 are adjusted according to the installation position of sound bar 1 relative to television receiver 3, so that even if sound bar 1 cannot be installed in the center below television receiver 3, more appropriate surround audio can be achieved at a specified viewing position (for example, a position in front of television receiver 3 a specified distance away from television receiver 3).

[0061] Also, in this embodiment, the user can change the delay time T and attenuation volume V for adjusting the output timing and output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 via the arrangement information input screen 200 displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the user can determine the delay time T and attenuation volume V so as to obtain optimal surround audio while listening to the surround audio output from the sound bar 1 (the playback sound of the multi-channel audio signal output from the television receiver 3) at a predetermined listening position, thereby improving convenience.

[0062] In this embodiment, the delay time T and attenuation volume V for adjusting the output timing and output volume of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 are directly received from the user via the layout information input screen 200 displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0063] For example, the amount of deviation of the installation position of the sound bar 1 from the center below the television receiver 3 may be received via the arrangement information input screen 200 displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2. Then, the speaker characteristic determination unit 23 of the controller 2 may use the amount of deviation of the installation position of the sound bar 1, the distances between the center channel speaker 10-1 and the left channel speaker 10-2 and the right channel speaker 10-3, and the distance from the predetermined listening position to the television receiver 3 to calculate the distance from the predetermined listening position to the center channel speaker 10-1 and the distance from the predetermined listening position to the left channel speaker 10-2 and the right channel speaker 10-3, and may determine the above-mentioned delay time T and attenuation volume V based on the difference between these distances.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, the recommended installation position of the sound bar 1 is taken as an example to be the lower center of the television receiver 3, but the present invention is also applicable to cases where the recommended installation position of the sound bar 1 is a position other than the lower center of the television receiver 3 (for example, the upper center of the television receiver 3).

[0065] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0066] FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a home theater system according to the present embodiment.

[0067] Here, the same components as those in the home theater system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

[0068] As shown in the figure, the home theater system according to the present embodiment includes a television receiver 3, a sound bar 1a-1 connected to the television receiver 3 via a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark) or USB, a sound bar 1a-2 (hereinafter, the sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 are also simply referred to as sound bar 1a) connected to the sound bar 1a-1 via a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark) or USB, and a controller 2a that sets the assigned channel of the sound bar 1a. The sound bar 1a and the controller 2a are interconnected via an access point 4 connected to a network 5 such as a WAN or LAN.

[0069] Here, the sound bar 1a is a so-called two-unit type sound bar that has a built-in center channel speaker (CchSPK) 10-1, a left channel speaker (LchSPK) 10-2, and a right channel speaker (RchSPK) 10-3, and omits a subwoofer channel speaker (SWchSPK) 10-4, and the subwoofer channel speaker 10-4 is externally connected to the sound bar 1a-1. However, the sound bar 1a may be a so-called one-body type sound bar that has a built-in subwoofer channel speaker 10-4.

[0070] The controller 2a reassigns the assigned channels of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 built into each of the sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 so as to provide optimal surround audio at a specified viewing position (for example, a position in front of the television receiver 3 a specified distance away from the television receiver 3).

[0071] FIG. 9 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the controller 2a.

[0072] Here, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same functions as those of the controller 2 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0073] As shown in the figure, the controller 2a has a wireless interface unit 20, a man-machine interface unit 21, a sound bar information acquisition unit 22, an assigned channel determination unit 26, an assigned channel setting unit 27, and a main control unit 25.

[0074] The wireless interface unit 20 is a communication interface for wirelessly connecting to the access point 4 .

[0075] The man-machine interface unit 21 is a user interface for displaying information to the user and accepting various operations from the user, and is configured with an input / display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a touch sensor, for example.

[0076] The sound bar information acquisition unit 22 acquires, from the sound bar 1a via the wireless interface unit 20, sound bar information including size information of the sound bar 1a, channel information of the speakers 10-1 to 10-3 contained in the sound bar 1a, and, if the sound bar 1a is connected to a television receiver 3, screen size information of the television receiver 3.

[0077] The assigned channel determination unit 26 determines the assigned channels for the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 of each sound bar 1a according to the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars 1a relative to the television receiver 3.

[0078] The assigned channel setting unit 27 transmits setting information including the assigned channels of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1a, determined by the assigned channel determination unit 26, to the sound bar 1a via the wireless interface unit 20.

[0079] The main control unit 25 comprehensively controls the units 20 to 22, 26, and 27 of the controller 2a.

[0080] The functional configuration of the controller 2a shown in FIG. 9 is realized, like that of the controller 2 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, by a CPU loading a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device into the memory and executing it in a wireless terminal such as a smartphone or tablet PC that is equipped with a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, a wireless LAN adapter, and an input / display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a touch sensor.

[0081] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of the controller 2a.

[0082] This flow is started when the main control unit 25 accepts an operation to start setting a channel to be assigned to the sound bar from the user via the man-machine interface unit 21.

[0083] First, the main control unit 25 instructs the sound bar information acquisition unit 22 to acquire sound bar information. In response to this, the sound bar information acquisition unit 22 accesses the access point 4 via the wireless interface unit 20 and recognizes the multiple sound bars 1a wirelessly connected to the access point 4. Then, the sound bar information acquisition unit 22 transmits a sound bar information acquisition request to each sound bar 1a, and acquires sound bar information including size information of the sound bar 1a, channel information of the speakers contained in the sound bar 1a, and screen size information of the television receiver 3 if the connection destination of the sound bar 1a is the television receiver 3 (S300). Here, sound bar information including size information of sound bar 1a-1, channel information (center channel, left channel, right channel) of speakers 10-1 to 10-3 accommodated in sound bar 1a-1, and screen size information of television receiver 3 is obtained from sound bar 1a-1, and sound bar information including size information of sound bar 1a-2 and channel information (center channel, left channel, right channel) of speakers 10-1 to 10-3 accommodated in sound bar 1a-2 is obtained from sound bar 1a-2.

[0084] Next, the main control unit 25 confirms, based on the sound bar information of each of the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 acquired by the sound bar information acquisition unit 22, that the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 respectively house the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3, and displays, on the man-machine interface unit 21, a placement information input screen for receiving input of the placement positions of the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3 (S301).

[0085] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a configuration information input screen 200a displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2a.

[0086] As shown in the figure, the arrangement information input screen 200a displays an icon 201 indicating the television receiver 3, an icon 203-1 indicating the sound bar 1a-1, and an icon 203-2 indicating the sound bar 1a-2. Here, the display position of the icon 201 is fixed and the user cannot move the icon 201, but the display positions of the icons 203-1 and 203-2 are variable, and the user can input the arrangement positions of the sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3 via the arrangement information input screen 200a by dragging and moving the icons 203-1 and 203-2.

[0087] The sizes of icons 201, 203-1, 203-2 are set so that the size ratio of icons 201, 203-1, 203-2 is the same as the actual ratio of the television receiver 3 and sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2, based on the screen size information of the television receiver 3 and the size information of sound bar 1a-1 included in the sound bar information of sound bar 1a-1 acquired by sound bar information acquisition unit 22, and the size information of sound bar 1a-2 included in the sound bar information of sound bar 1a-2 acquired by sound bar information acquisition unit 22.

[0088] Next, the main control unit 25 receives the placement positions of the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3 via the placement information input screen 200a displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 (S302), and passes these placement positions to the assigned channel determination unit 26.

[0089] When the placement positions of the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3 received from the main control unit 25 are aligned below the television receiver 3 in the screen width direction of the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 12(A) ("left and right" in S302), the assigned channel determination unit 26 classifies the multiple speakers housed in the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 into, for example, the following first to third groups. A first group located in the lower center of the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12(A), the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1a-1 and the left channel speaker 10-2 of the sound bar 1a-2) A second group located to the left of the center below the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12A, the center channel speaker 10-1 and the left channel speaker 10-2 of the sound bar 1a-1) A third group located to the right of the center of the lower portion of the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12A, the center channel speaker 10-1 and the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1a-2) Then, the channel assigned to the speakers belonging to the first group is determined to be the center channel, the channel assigned to the speakers belonging to the second group is determined to be the left channel, and the channel assigned to the speakers belonging to the third group is determined to be the right channel (S303).

[0090] In addition, when the placement positions of the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3 received from the main control unit 25 are arranged vertically with the television receiver 3 in between as shown in FIG. 12(B) ("vertical" in S302), the assigned channel determination unit 26 classifies the multiple speakers housed in the sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 into, for example, the following first to sixth groups. A first group located in the center below the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12(B), the center channel speaker 10-1 of the sound bar 1a-1) A second group located to the left of the center below the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12(B), the left channel speaker 10-2 of the sound bar 1a-1) A third group located to the right of the center below the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12(B), the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1a-1) A fourth group located in the upper center of the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12(B), the center channel speaker 10-1 of the sound bar 1a-2) A fifth group located to the left of the upper center of the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12(B), the left channel speaker 10-2 of the sound bar 1a-2) A sixth group located to the right of the upper center of the television receiver 3 (in the example shown in FIG. 12B, the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1a-2) Then, the assigned channel for the speakers belonging to the first group is determined to be the center channel, the assigned channel for the speakers belonging to the second group is determined to be the left channel, the assigned channel for the speakers belonging to the third group is determined to be the right channel, the assigned channel for the speakers belonging to the fourth group is determined to be the height center channel, the assigned channel for the speakers belonging to the fifth group is determined to be the height left channel, and the assigned channel for the speakers belonging to the sixth group is determined to be the height right channel (S304).

[0091] Next, the main control unit 25 notifies the assigned channel setting unit 27 of the assigned channels of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 determined by the assigned channel determination unit 26 for each sound bar 1a together with the address information of this sound bar 1a. In response to this, the assigned channel setting unit 27 transmits setting information including the assigned channels of the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 notified by the main control unit 25 for each sound bar 1a to this sound bar 1a via the wireless interface unit 20 based on the address information of this sound bar 1a notified by the main control unit 25 (S305).

[0092] Then, when the main control unit 25 receives an operation to change the arrangement positions of the sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3 from the user via the arrangement information input screen 200a displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 (NO in S306, YES in S307), the process returns to S302. On the other hand, when the main control unit 25 receives an operation to end the sound bar characteristic setting from the user via the man-machine interface unit 21 (YES in S306), the process ends this flow.

[0093] FIG. 13 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the sound bar 1a.

[0094] Here, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same functions as those of the sound bar 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0095] As shown in the figure, the sound bar 1a has an audio input interface unit 15, an audio output interface unit 16, a wireless interface unit 11, a speaker unit 12, a subwoofer connection unit 17, an audio control unit 18, and a main control unit 14.

[0096] The audio input interface unit 15 is an interface for receiving multi-channel audio signals from the television receiver 3 or another sound bar 1a, and uses a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark) or USB.

[0097] The audio output interface unit 16 is an interface for transmitting multi-channel audio signals to another sound bar 1a, and uses a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark) or USB.

[0098] The wireless interface unit 11 is a communication interface for wirelessly connecting to the access point 4 .

[0099] The speaker section 12 includes a center channel speaker 10-1, a left channel speaker 10-2, and a right channel speaker 10-3.

[0100] The subwoofer connection unit 17 is an interface for connecting the subwoofer channel speaker 10-4.

[0101] The audio control unit 18 resets the assigned channels to the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 of the speaker unit 12 in accordance with the setting information notified by the main control unit 14. Then, the audio control unit 18 outputs the center channel, left channel, and right channel audio signals included in the multi-channel audio signal received from the television receiver 3 or another sound bar 1a via the audio input interface unit 15 to the speakers 10-1 to 10-3 whose corresponding assigned channels of the speaker unit 12 have been reset, respectively.

[0102] In addition, when a subwoofer channel speaker 10-4 is connected to the subwoofer connection unit 17, the audio control unit 18 outputs to the subwoofer connection unit 17 the audio signal of the subwoofer channel contained in the multi-channel audio signal received from the television receiver 3 or another sound bar 1a via the audio input interface unit 15.

[0103] The main control unit 14 comprehensively controls the units 11, 12, and 15 to 18 of the sound bar 1a.

[0104] The functional configuration of the sound bar 1a shown in Fig. 13 may be realized in hardware by an integrated logic IC such as an ASIC or FPGA, or in software by a computer such as a DSP, like the functional configuration of the sound bar 1 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 6. Alternatively, it may be realized by a general-purpose computer such as a PC having a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive, a wireless LAN adapter, and a plurality of speakers, in which the CPU loads a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device onto the memory and executes it.

[0105] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram for explaining the assigned channel resetting process of the sound bar 1a.

[0106] When the main control unit 14 receives a sound bar information acquisition request from the controller 2a via the wireless interface unit 11 (YES in S400), the main control unit 14 acquires size information of the sound bar 1a, channel information of the speakers 10-1 to 10-3 accommodated in the sound bar 1a, and Soundbar 1a If the television receiver 3 is connected to the television, sound bar information including the screen size information is generated, and this sound bar information is transmitted to the controller 2a via the wireless interface unit 11 (S401).

[0107] Furthermore, when the main control unit 14 receives setting information from the controller 2a via the wireless interface unit 11 (YES in S402), it notifies this setting information to the audio control unit 18. In response to this, the audio control unit 18 resets the assigned channels assigned to the center channel speaker 10-1, the left channel speaker 10-2, and the right channel speaker 10-3 of the speaker unit 12 in the setting information, in accordance with the setting information received from the main control unit 14 (S403).

[0108] As a result, when sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 are arranged in the width direction of the television receiver 3 in the order of sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 from left to right below the television receiver 3 as shown in FIG. 12(A), the center channel is reset as the assigned channel for the right channel speaker 10-3 of sound bar 1a-1 and the left channel speaker 10-2 of sound bar 1a-2, the left channel is reset as the assigned channel for the center channel speaker 10-1 and the left channel speaker 10-2 of sound bar 1a-1, and the right channel is reset as the assigned channel for the center channel speaker 10-1 and the right channel speaker 10-3 of sound bar 1a-2.

[0109] Also, as shown in FIG. 12(B), when the sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 are arranged vertically with the television receiver 3 in between, such that the sound bar 1a-1 is located below the television receiver 3 and the sound bar 1a-2 is located above the television receiver 3, the center channel is reset as the assigned channel to the center channel speaker 10-1 of the sound bar 1a-1, the left channel is reset as the assigned channel to the left channel speaker 10-2 of the sound bar 1a-1, the right channel is reset as the assigned channel to the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1a-1, the height center channel is reset as the assigned channel to the center channel speaker 10-1 of the sound bar 1a-2, the high left channel is reset as the assigned channel to the left channel speaker 10-2 of the sound bar 1a-2, and the height right channel is reset as the assigned channel to the right channel speaker 10-3 of the sound bar 1a-2.

[0110] The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[0111] According to this embodiment, when a home theater system is constructed by combining sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 with a television receiver 3, the assigned channels of speakers 10-1 to 10-3 housed in each of sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 are reconfigured according to the installation positions of these sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3. Therefore, for example, even if the width of the existing sound bar 1a-1 is smaller than the screen width of the television receiver 3 due to a change to a television receiver 3 with a larger screen, by adding sound bar 1a-2, it is possible to realize a wide-ranging surround audio according to the screen size of the television receiver 3 without wasting the sound bar 1a-1 that was being used until then.

[0112] In this embodiment, the controller 2a may determine the output timing and output volume of each speaker so that the output timing of the speaker whose assigned channel is reset to the center channel and the height center channel is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the speaker whose assigned channel is reset to the left channel, the high left channel, the right channel, and the height right channel, and the output volume of the speaker whose assigned channel is reset to the center channel and the height center channel is lower by the attenuation volume V than the output volume of the speaker whose assigned channel is reset to the left channel, the high left channel, the right channel, and the height right channel, and may include this information in the setting information to be transmitted to the sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2. The sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 may adjust the output timing and output volume of the speakers 10-1 to 10-3 whose assigned channels are reset to the center channel, the height center channel, the left channel, the high left channel, the right channel, and the height right channel, according to the setting information received from the controller 2a. In this way, more natural surround audio can be realized at a predetermined viewing position (for example, a position in front of the television receiver 3 at a predetermined distance from the television receiver 3).

[0113] In this case, the delay time T and attenuation volume V for adjusting the output timing and output volume of the speakers 10-1 to 10-3, in which the center channel, height center channel, left channel, high left channel, right channel, and height right channel have been reset as assigned channels, may be received from the user via the arrangement information input screen 200a displayed on the man-machine interface unit 21 of the controller 2a. In this way, the user can determine the delay time T and attenuation volume V so as to obtain optimal surround audio while listening to the surround audio (the playback sound of the multi-channel audio signal output from the television receiver 3) output from the sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 at a predetermined listening position, thereby improving convenience.

[0114] In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where surround audio is realized using two sound bars 1a-1 and 1a-2 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is also applicable to the case where surround audio is realized using three or more sound bars 1a.

[0115] In addition, in this embodiment, as examples of the arrangement of multiple sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 relative to the television receiver 3, a case where multiple sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 are arranged below the television receiver 3 and a case where one sound bar 1a-1, 1a-2 is arranged below and above the television receiver 3 are given as examples. However, the present invention is also applicable to, for example, a case where multiple sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 are arranged above the television receiver 3 in the width direction of the screen of the television receiver 3, and a case where one or more sound bars 1a-1, 1a-2 are arranged above and below the television receiver 3.

[0116] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0117] For example, in each of the above embodiments, a home theater system is constructed by combining the sound bar 1, 1a with a television receiver 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be widely applied to cases where a home theater system is constructed by combining the sound bar 1, 1a with an AV (Audio Visual) device.

[0118] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, communication between the sound bar 1, 1a and the controller 2, 2a is performed via the access point 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. Communication between the sound bar 1, 1a and the controller 2, 2a may be performed by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1, 1a, 1a-1, 1a-2: Soundbar 2, 2a: Controller 3: Television receiver 4: Access point 5: Network 10: Audio interface section 11: Wireless interface section 12: Speaker section 13: Output characteristic adjustment section 14: Main control section 15: Audio input interface section 16: Audio output interface section 17: Subwoofer connection section 18: Audio control section 20: Wireless interface section 21: Man-machine interface section 22: Sound bar information acquisition section 23: Speaker characteristic determination unit 24: Speaker characteristic setting unit 25: Main control unit 26: Assigned channel determination unit 27: Assigned channel setting unit

Claims

1. A sound bar system including a sound bar configured by housing multiple channel speakers including at least a center channel, a left channel, and a right channel in the same housing, and a controller that sets output volumes and output timings of the multiple channel speakers, The controller: a reception unit for receiving an installation position of the sound bar relative to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the sound bar; a speaker characteristic determination means for determining an output volume and an output timing of each of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers in accordance with the installation position of the sound bar received by the reception means; a speaker characteristic setting means for setting, in the sound bar, the output volumes and output timings of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers determined by the speaker characteristic determination means, The sound bar includes: an output characteristic adjusting means for adjusting the output volume and output timing of each of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers in accordance with the settings of the controller; The speaker characteristic determining means comprises: When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the left of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the right channel speaker is delayed by a delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker, and the output volume of the right channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by an attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the left channel speaker by the attenuation volume V, When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the right of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the left channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the right channel speaker, and the output volume of the left channel speaker is made lower by the attenuation volume V than the output volume of the center channel speaker, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower by the attenuation volume V than the output volume of the right channel speaker. A sound bar system that features:

2. 2. The sound bar system of claim 1, The speaker characteristic determining means comprises: When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is the lower center or the upper center of the display device, the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of each of the left channel and right channel speakers, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower by the attenuation volume V than the output volumes of each of the left channel and right channel speakers. A sound bar system that features:

3. 3. The sound bar system according to claim 1, The receiving means receives input of the delay time T and the attenuation volume V. A sound bar system that features:

4. 3. The sound bar system according to claim 1, The receiving means receives a deviation amount of an installation position of the sound bar from a lower center or an upper center of the display device, The speaker characteristic determining means calculates the delay time T and the attenuation volume V based on the deviation amount received by the receiving means. A sound bar system that features:

5. A sound bar system including a plurality of sound bars each configured with a plurality of speakers housed in the same housing, and a controller for setting channels of the speakers housed in the sound bars, The controller: a reception unit that receives installation positions of the plurality of sound bars with respect to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the plurality of sound bars; an allocation channel determination means for determining channels to be assigned to speakers accommodated in each of the plurality of sound bars according to the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars received by the reception means; an assigned channel setting means for setting the channel determined by the assigned channel determination means to a speaker contained in each of the sound bars, The sound bar includes: an audio control means for outputting an audio signal of a channel set to a speaker contained in the sound bar by the controller to the speaker; The assigned channel determination means When the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars accepted by the accepting means are aligned in the width direction of the screen of the display device below the display device, the speakers housed in the plurality of sound bars are classified into a first group located at the center below the display device, a second group located to the left of the center below the display device, and a third group located to the right of the center below the display device, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the first group, the speakers belonging to the second group, and the speakers belonging to the third group are determined to be a center channel, a left channel, and a right channel, respectively. A sound bar system that features:

6. 6. The sound bar system of claim 5, The assigned channel determination means When the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars accepted by the accepting means are arranged in the vertical direction of the display device with the display device in between, the speakers housed in the sound bars installed below the display device are classified into a first group located at the lower center of the display device, a second group located to the left of the lower center of the display device, and a third group located to the right of the lower center of the display device, and the speakers housed in the sound bars installed above the display device are classified into a fourth group located at the upper center of the display device, a fifth group located to the left of the upper center of the display device, and a sixth group located to the right of the upper center of the display device, The channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the first group, the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the second group, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the third group are determined to be a center channel, a left channel, and a right channel, respectively, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the fourth group, the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the fifth group, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the sixth group are determined to be a height center channel, a height left channel, and a height right channel, respectively. A sound bar system that features:

7. A controller for setting output volumes and output timings of center channel, left channel, and right channel speakers housed in a sound bar, a reception unit for receiving an installation position of the sound bar relative to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the sound bar; a speaker characteristic determination means for determining an output volume and an output timing of each of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers in accordance with the installation position of the sound bar received by the reception means; a speaker characteristic setting means for setting, in the sound bar, the output volumes and output timings of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers determined by the speaker characteristic determination means, The speaker characteristic determining means comprises: When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the left of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the right channel speaker is delayed by a delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker, and the output volume of the right channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by an attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the left channel speaker by the attenuation volume V, When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the right of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the left channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the right channel speaker, and the output volume of the left channel speaker is made lower by the attenuation volume V than the output volume of the center channel speaker, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower by the attenuation volume V than the output volume of the right channel speaker. A controller comprising:

8. A controller for setting channels of speakers housed in a plurality of sound bars, a reception unit that receives installation positions of the plurality of sound bars with respect to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the plurality of sound bars; an allocation channel determination means for determining channels to be assigned to speakers accommodated in each of the plurality of sound bars according to the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars received by the reception means; an assigned channel setting means for setting the channel determined by the assigned channel determination means to a speaker contained in each of the sound bars, The assigned channel determination means When the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars accepted by the accepting means are aligned in the width direction of the screen of the display device below the display device, the speakers housed in the plurality of sound bars are classified into a first group located at the center below the display device, a second group located to the left of the center below the display device, and a third group located to the right of the center below the display device, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the first group, the speakers belonging to the second group, and the speakers belonging to the third group are determined to be a center channel, a left channel, and a right channel, respectively. A controller comprising:

9. A program that causes a computer to function as a controller that sets output volumes and output timings of center channel, left channel, and right channel speakers housed in a sound bar, the program comprising: a reception unit for receiving an installation position of the sound bar relative to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the sound bar; a speaker characteristic determination means for determining an output volume and an output timing of each of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel speakers in accordance with the installation position of the sound bar received by the reception means; making the computer function as a speaker characteristic setting means for setting, in the sound bar, the output volumes and output timings of the respective speakers of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel determined by the speaker characteristic determination means; The speaker characteristic determining means comprises: When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the left of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the right channel speaker is delayed by a delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker, and the output volume of the right channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by an attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the left channel speaker by the attenuation volume V, When the installation position of the sound bar accepted by the accepting means is to the right of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the left channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the right channel speaker, and the output volume of the left channel speaker is made lower by the attenuation volume V from the output volume of the center channel speaker, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower by the attenuation volume V from the output volume of the right channel speaker. A program characterized by:

10. A program that causes a computer to function as a controller that sets channels of speakers housed in a plurality of sound bars, a reception unit for receiving installation positions of the plurality of sound bars relative to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the plurality of sound bars; an allocation channel determination means for determining channels to be assigned to speakers accommodated in each of the plurality of sound bars in accordance with the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars accepted by the acceptance means; causing the computer to function as an assigned channel setting means for setting, for each of the sound bars, the channel determined by the assigned channel determination means to a speaker housed in the sound bar; The assigned channel determination means When the installation positions of the plurality of sound bars accepted by the accepting means are aligned in the width direction of the screen of the display device below the display device, the speakers housed in the plurality of sound bars are classified into a first group located at the center below the display device, a second group located to the left of the center below the display device, and a third group located to the right of the center below the display device, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the first group, the speakers belonging to the second group, and the speakers belonging to the third group are determined to be a center channel, a left channel, and a right channel, respectively. A program characterized by:

11. A sound bar setting method for setting output volumes and output timings of center channel, left channel, and right channel speakers housed in the sound bar using a controller, the method comprising: The controller: receiving, from a user, an installation position of the sound bar relative to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the sound bar; When the accepted installation position of the sound bar is to the left of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the right channel speaker is delayed by a delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the left channel speaker, and the output volume of the right channel speaker is made smaller by an attenuation volume V than the output volume of the center channel speaker, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made smaller by the attenuation volume V than the output volume of the left channel speaker, thereby determining the output volume and output timing of each of the center channel, left channel, and right channel speakers; On the other hand, when the installation position of the sound bar that has been accepted is to the right of the lower center or upper center of the display device, the output timing of the left channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the center channel speaker, and the output timing of the center channel speaker is delayed by the delay time T from the output timing of the right channel speaker, and the output volume of the left channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the center channel speaker by the attenuation volume V, and the output volume of the center channel speaker is made lower than the output volume of the right channel speaker by the attenuation volume V, thereby determining the output volume and output timing of each of the center channel, left channel, and right channel speakers; setting the output volumes and output timings of the determined speakers of the center channel, the left channel, and the right channel in the sound bar; The sound bar includes: According to the settings of the controller, the output volume and output timing of each of the center channel, left channel, and right channel speakers are adjusted. A method for setting up a sound bar.

12. A sound bar setting method for setting channels of speakers housed in a plurality of sound bars using a controller, comprising the steps of: The controller: receiving, from a user, installation positions of the plurality of sound bars relative to a display device that configures a home theater system together with the plurality of sound bars; When the installation positions of the received plurality of sound bars are aligned in a screen width direction of the display device below the display device, the speakers housed in the plurality of sound bars are classified into a first group located at the center below the display device, a second group located to the left of the center below the display device, and a third group located to the right of the center below the display device, and the channels to be assigned to the speakers belonging to the first group, the second group, and the third group are determined to be a center channel, a left channel, and a right channel, respectively; For each of the sound bars, a channel determined as a channel to be assigned to the speaker is set to a speaker accommodated in the sound bar; The sound bar includes: The audio signal of the channel set to the speaker by the controller is output to the speaker contained in the sound bar. A method for setting up a sound bar.

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