Wireless Audio Track Delivery System for Cinema Language Adaptability

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Solution Overview

Problem

In a cinema environment, it is challenging to provide multiple audio tracks and subtitles in different languages to accommodate diverse audience needs without distracting other viewers, and existing solutions often result in inefficient use of resources due to partial theater occupancy.

Innovation Solution

A wireless network system with a server that uses access points to deliver on-demand audio tracks and subtitles to electronic devices based on their location and language settings, allowing seamless selection and synchronization of content across multiple screens.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple audio tracks and subtitles are provided for different languages, then audience satisfaction is improved, but device complexity and resource management become worse

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelanguage supportVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the audience into individual users, each receiving personalized audio tracks and subtitles through their own electronic devices. Instead of providing a single unified audio stream for the entire theater, the system divides the content delivery into multiple independent channels, one for each user device, allowing simultaneous provision of different languages without increasing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between the content source and user devices. This server manages the complexity of multiple audio tracks and subtitles by centralizing the selection and delivery logic, receiving requests from devices and providing the appropriate language content without requiring each device to handle all possible language configurations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If subtitles are provided for limited viewers, then those viewers can understand the content, but other audience members are distracted and annoyed

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveaccessibilityVSAvoidaudience distraction
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by delivering subtitles and audio tracks only to specific user devices that request them, rather than displaying them for the entire audience. Each electronic device receives customized content based on individual user preferences, ensuring that only the intended users see subtitles while others remain undisturbed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Adaptability or versatility

If cinemas dub films into different languages for varied audiences, then language accessibility is improved, but resource utilization deteriorates due to partial theater occupancy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelanguage accessibilityVSAvoidtheater occupancy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system makes a single theater screening universally accessible to speakers of multiple languages simultaneously. By equipping each audience member's device with the capability to receive different language audio tracks and subtitles, one screening can serve diverse linguistic groups, eliminating the need for separate dubbed screenings and maximizing theater occupancy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3113497B1Multiple audio tracks
Publication Date: 2020.03.04 ORANGE SA
  • EP3113497B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3113497B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3113497B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A server for providing a service to deliver a data stream to an electronic device, the server being connectable to a wireless network, the wireless network being enabled by an access point, AP, the server being configured to: receive from the AP, a connection request to the service, the connection request comprising an ID for an electronic device requesting the connection and an AP ID added by the AP; retrieve, based on a time stamp related to the connection request and the AP ID, a plurality of data streams associated in a database with the AP; send to the AP, metadata describing the plurality of data streams, the metadata further comprising the electronic device ID; receive from the AP, in response to the sending, information indicating a selection of one of the plurality of data streams and the electronic device ID; and send, to the AP the selected data stream tagged with the electronic device ID, so that the AP may push said data stream to the electronic device.