Audio Stream Silence Signaling to Prevent Pops and Clicks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Audio artifacts such as pops or clicks occur in SOUNDWIRE audio streams due to delayed detection of audio halts by software, which negatively affects the user experience, especially in fast streams like pulse density modulation (PDM) streams.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that proactively detects audio halts in the transmitter and embeds a silence signal into the audio stream, allowing receivers to mute the output or play silence, thereby preventing unwanted artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If software detection of audio halt is used, then the system can detect halts, but the detection is delayed and occurs after the halt has already been played
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitter proactively embeds a silence indicator in the audio stream before the audio halt occurs. This preliminary action allows the receiver to prepare for the upcoming silence period, preventing audio artifacts by muting the speaker in advance rather than reacting after the halt has already been played.
Solution Approach 2:
A silence indicator is introduced as an intermediary signal between the transmitter and receiver. This indicator serves as a communication mechanism that conveys information about upcoming audio halts, enabling the receiver to take preventive action without directly detecting the halt itself.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If silence indicator embedding is implemented, then audio artifacts are prevented, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The silence detection and indicator embedding functionality is extracted from the receiver and placed in the transmitter. This extraction simplifies the receiver's task to merely detecting and responding to the embedded silence indicator, while the transmitter handles the complexity of proactive silence management.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmitter serves itself by proactively managing silence periods through indicator embedding. This self-service approach eliminates the need for the receiver to perform complex real-time silence detection, as the transmitter has already prepared the necessary information in the audio stream.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for handling silence in audio streams are disclosed. In one aspect, a transmitter detects a halt in an audio stream. After detection of the halt in the audio stream, the transmitter embeds a silence signal into the audio stream and transmits the silence signal to associated receivers. The associated receivers may respond to the embedded silence signal by “playing” silence or by using the silence signal to activate a silence protocol. In either event, the associated receivers do not receive the original audio halt and do not produce an unwanted audio artifact.