Multi-Zone Immersive Audio Using Auxiliary Bass Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media playback systems lack the capability to provide a truly immersive audio experience by coordinating audio playback between spatially distributed zones to simulate spatially distant sounds, limiting the listener's engagement and realism.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for identifying a primary zone and coordinating auxiliary zones to play back primary and auxiliary audio content, utilizing spatial relationships and orientations of playback devices to create an immersive audio experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If audio playback is coordinated across multiple spatially distributed zones, then immersive audio experience is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the audio playback function into separate zones with designated roles (primary zone for main audio content, auxiliary zones for spatial effects). Each zone operates semi-independently but coordinates through defined communication protocols, reducing overall system complexity while enabling immersive audio experiences across multiple distributed locations.
Solution Approach 2:
A coordination mechanism acts as an intermediary between primary and auxiliary zones, managing the complex interactions and spatial relationships. This mediator handles the synchronization and spatial mapping calculations, isolating the complexity from individual zones while enabling the immersive audio effect across the distributed system.
2Manufacturing precision
If spatial relationships and orientations of playback devices are utilized, then audio realism is improved, but measurement and detection difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary spatial calibration during setup, where the positions and orientations of playback devices in each zone are measured and stored. This pre-established spatial map enables subsequent immersive audio playback without requiring complex real-time measurements, reducing operational difficulty while maintaining audio realism.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described herein involve an auxiliary zone contributing audio to a primary zone. In an example implementation, a network media system determines that a first zone in the network media system is playing back a first type of audio content and that a second zone in the network media system is not playing back audio content. While the first zone is playing back the first type of audio content and the second zone is not playing back audio content, the network media system forms a temporarily playback configuration. In the temporary playback configuration, the first zone plays back primary audio content including full frequency range audio content and the second playback device of the second zone plays back auxiliary audio content including low frequency range audio content.