Muted Audio Stream Control for Bandwidth-Efficient Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Playback devices continue to download audio segments unnecessarily after sound is muted, consuming network bandwidth undesirably.
Innovation Solution
The playback device stops receiving audio segments when sound is muted, and may use a substitute audio segment from the buffer to continue playback, or prevent erasure of previously downloaded segments for reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the playback device continues to download audio segments after sound is muted, then the playback device can maintain continuous audio stream reception, but network bandwidth is wasted unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the audio segment reception function from the continuous playback process. When sound is muted, the system stops receiving audio segments while maintaining video playback, effectively removing the unnecessary audio reception component from the system operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of audio segment reception based on the mute state. The system transitions from continuous audio reception to selective audio reception only when needed, allowing flexible adaptation to user preferences and optimizing bandwidth utilization in real-time.
2Loss of energy
If the playback device stops receiving audio segments when sound is muted, then network bandwidth is conserved, but audio playback may be interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by maintaining a buffer of audio segments before muting occurs. When sound is muted, the system uses pre-loaded audio segments from the buffer to maintain playback continuity, avoiding interruption while stopping new audio segment downloads to conserve bandwidth.
3Reliability
If the playback device uses substitute audio segments from buffer when sound is muted, then seamless playback is maintained, but buffer memory management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses substitute audio segments as copies of actual audio content stored in the buffer. When sound is muted, these copy segments are played instead of real-time audio streams, maintaining seamless playback appearance while simplifying the management of audio buffer resources by reusing existing segments rather than managing complex replacement mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing access, by a playback device, to multimedia content including audio and video segments that are downloaded successively with a view to being rendered. Reception of a datum representative of sound being muted by the playback device results in stoppage of the downloading of the audio segments.