Audio Video Synchronization via Network Delay Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in synchronizing audio signals with video signals across different devices, particularly in public settings where audio may be difficult to hear or out of sync with video, due to delays in communication networks.
Innovation Solution
An audio/video processor system that transmits audio information to mobile devices and video information to display devices with a predetermined delay, allowing mobile devices to adjust the audio delay to synchronize with the video, ensuring coherent playback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If audio information is transmitted to mobile devices over a communication system, then individualized audio control and personal listening is enabled, but network delays cause audio to arrive later than video is displayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system preemptively delays the video signal by a predetermined amount before transmission to the display device. This preliminary action compensates for the expected network transmission delay of audio over the communication system, ensuring that audio and video arrive at their respective destinations in synchronization. The video delay is calculated based on anticipated network conditions rather than reacting to actual delays after they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the predetermined video delay based on actual network conditions. By monitoring the real-time performance of the communication system and measuring actual audio transmission delays, the system modifies the video delay parameter to maintain synchronization. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to varying network conditions while preserving the synchronization between audio and video streams.
2Reliability
If video information is delayed to compensate for audio transmission delay, then synchronization is improved, but video playback timing is altered
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the actual arrival time of audio at the mobile device is measured and compared against the delayed video playback time. Based on this feedback, the predetermined video delay is automatically adjusted to minimize synchronization errors. The system continuously monitors the synchronization status and modifies the video delay parameter in real-time to maintain optimal alignment between audio and video, thereby preserving both synchronization reliability and accurate video playback timing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple television displays are provided in public settings, then viewers can choose from multiple programs, but audio is difficult to hear or out of sync with video
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the audio and video streams, transmitting them through separate channels. Video is sent to display devices while audio is transmitted to individual mobile devices via the communication system. This segmentation allows each user to receive personalized audio in their own device while watching video on public displays, eliminating the problems of audio being difficult to hear in public environments or out of synchronization with the video content.
Data Source
AI summary
The audio portion of an A/V signal is sent to one or more mobile devices and the video portion of the A/V signal is sent to one or more separate display devices in such a way that the signal provided to the display device(s) contains video information that is delayed by a predetermined amount greater than the expected amount of delay in a communication network over which the audio information is sent to the mobile device(s) so that the audio is received by the mobile device(s) at or before the time the video is displayed on the display device. The signal provided to the display device may include the audio information and/or other information. The amount by which the information provided to the display device (i.e., the video and optionally the corresponding audio and/or other information) is delayed may be fixed or variable/configurable. An application running in the mobile device provides for adding additional delay to the received audio information so that the audio can be synchronized to the corresponding video on the display device. The application may allow the user to manually add the delay to the audio, e.g., using various types of controls, and/or the application may automatically add delay to the audio pursuant to various synchronization protocols.