Audio Stream Tranching for Heterogeneous Device Interoperability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless audio systems determine interoperability by selecting the lowest common denominator of device capabilities, which negates the capabilities of better devices and results in low-quality signals.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for transmitting audio streams at varying quality levels, using a tranche function to generate multiple streams with different data rates, interleaving and de-interleaving them, and employing error correction to optimize signal quality for each device's capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the lowest common denominator capability mode is selected for interoperability, then all devices can connect to the network, but the capabilities of better devices are negated and signal quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is segmented into multiple encoded streams with different quality levels (e.g., high quality, medium quality, low quality streams). Each stream is independently encoded and transmitted, allowing receivers to select the appropriate quality level that matches their capabilities without being constrained by the lowest common denominator.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions or versions of the audio signal are provided with different quality characteristics. High-capability devices receive high-quality encoded streams while low-capability devices receive lower-quality streams, allowing each device to operate at its optimal quality level rather than being uniform across all devices.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple encoded streams at different data rates are transmitted simultaneously, then high-quality audio transmission is enabled for heterogeneous devices, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transmits multiple encoded streams with varying levels of detail and quality. Receivers selectively process only the portion of the transmitted data that matches their capabilities, avoiding the waste of processing unnecessary high-quality data when lower quality suffices, while still providing high-quality streams for capable devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system varies key parameters of the encoded streams including data rate, bit depth, and sampling rate to create multiple quality levels. This allows the same audio content to be delivered in multiple formats optimized for different device capabilities, efficiently utilizing network bandwidth by matching stream parameters to receiver capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Illustrative embodiments provide a system and method for transmitting media signals across a network. An input media signal is received by a transmitter. Encoded streams are generated based at least in part on the input media signal and a tranche generation function. The tranche generation function produces the encoded streams each representing the input media signal at different data rates. The encoded streams are transmitted simultaneously or sequentially by the transmitter across at least one communication channel to one or more receivers configured to reconstruct an output media signal based on a subset of the plurality of encoded streams.