Central Synchronization Unit for Multimedia Time Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multimedia systems fail to synchronize synchronous and asynchronous communication forms, leading to issues like lip desynchronization during video and audio conferences, especially with mobile participants, and require manual or expensive solutions.
Innovation Solution
A method and software product that utilize a central synchronization unit to generate and manage synchronization identifiers containing time information, ensuring that multimedia data is transmitted and played back in the correct temporal context across subscriber terminals, synchronizing audio, video, and text communications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If synchronous communication (audio/video) and asynchronous communication (text/email) are transmitted in parallel, then communication versatility is improved, but synchronization between different communication forms deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central synchronization unit as an intermediary component that receives synchronization identifiers from all subscriber terminals and distributes them back to ensure synchronized playback. This mediator coordinates between synchronous (audio/video) and asynchronous (text/email) communication channels, maintaining temporal relationships across diverse communication forms without requiring expensive dedicated synchronization hardware at each terminal.
2Adaptability or versatility
If mobile participants join video conferences, then communication adaptability is improved, but lip synchronicity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic synchronization by having the central synchronization unit continuously receive and distribute updated synchronization identifiers that reflect real-time transmission conditions. Mobile participants' changing network conditions are accommodated through dynamic adjustment of timing information in synchronization identifiers, allowing lip synchronicity to be maintained despite mobile participation without requiring static pre-configured synchronization settings.
3Reliability
If manual or expensive video room systems are used to solve synchronization, then synchronization reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex synchronization functionality from individual subscriber terminals and concentrates it in a central synchronization unit. This separation allows standard subscriber terminals to remain simple while the central unit handles all synchronization logic, reducing device complexity at the terminal level while maintaining high synchronization reliability through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The central synchronization unit serves multiple functions: it receives synchronization identifiers from all types of subscriber terminals, processes timing information for various communication types (synchronous and asynchronous), and distributes synchronized data streams to multiple recipients. This multi-functional design consolidates what would otherwise require separate specialized systems into a single universal synchronization solution.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a multimedia system which comprises a group of subscriber terminals (100, 200, 300), in which system multimedia data generated by subscriber terminals contained in the group is transmitted to one or more subscriber terminals contained in the group and is reproduced there. A central synchronization unit (ZTU) (500) generates synchronization identifiers containing time information and sends said identifiers to the subscriber terminals (100, 200, 300) contained in the group. Each subscriber terminal contained in the group receives the synchronization identifiers and provides the multimedia data generated in the subscriber terminal with the synchronization identifiers received and transmits the multimedia data provided with the received synchronization identifiers to the central synchronization unit (500). The central synchronization unit receives the multimedia data provided with the synchronization identifiers and modifies the time information contained in the synchronization identifiers in accordance with the time context of the multimedia data transmitted by the subscriber terminals, and transmits said data to the subscriber terminals (100, 200, 300) for reproduction. The multimedia data provided with the modified synchronization identifiers is received at the subscriber terminals and is reproduced in the time context corresponding to the modified time information contained in the synchronization identifiers.