Audio Settings for Playback Device Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media playback systems struggle to ensure that audio tracks sound consistent across different playback devices due to variations in device characteristics, leading to differing audio experiences.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where playback devices identify and apply specific audio settings, such as equalization and volume settings, based on their characteristics and the intended media item, ensuring that the audio is played as intended by the provider, whether through metadata, URL, or embedded data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If different audio settings are used for different playback devices, then audio quality is optimized for each device, but system complexity increases due to managing multiple device-specific configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing multiple audio settings (equalization, volume, balance) in the database, each associated with specific playback device characteristics. When a media item is played, the system automatically retrieves and applies the appropriate pre-configured settings based on the playback device's characteristics, eliminating the need for real-time analysis and reducing system complexity during playback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a database as an intermediary between the media library and playback devices. The database stores media items along with their associated audio settings and links them to specific playback device characteristics. This intermediary layer automatically matches the right audio settings to the right device without requiring complex real-time processing or user intervention.
2Ease of operation
If audio settings are customized for each playback device, then listening experience is enhanced, but ease of operation decreases due to manual configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling playback devices to automatically retrieve and apply the appropriate audio settings based on their own characteristics and the media item being played. The system autonomously matches device characteristics with stored audio settings without requiring user configuration or intervention, making the system easy to operate while maintaining optimized audio quality.
3Reliability
If multiple audio settings are stored and managed, then audio consistency across devices is achieved, but loss of information increases due to storage and retrieval overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating and storing duplicate copies of audio settings (equalization curves, volume levels, balance configurations) in the database for each playback device type. These copied settings are then retrieved and applied during playback to ensure audio consistency across different devices, with the trade-off of increased storage requirements for maintaining these copies.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided for a playback device to play a media item using an audio setting corresponding to the media item and characteristics of the playback device. An example implementation involves a first playback device transmitting, to a first computing device, information indicating one or more characteristics of the first playback device and queue information indicating one or more media items in a playback queue to be played by the first playback device. The example implementation may further involve receiving, from the first computing device, one or more audio settings associated with the one or more media items, the one or more audio settings corresponding to the one or more media items and the one or more characteristics of the first playback device and playing a first media item of the one or more media items according to a first audio setting of the one or more audio settings.