Synchronized Audio Playback Limiting for Balanced Speaker Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
In media playback systems, playback devices often experience mismatched output volumes due to differing acoustic limits, leading to suboptimal audio quality during synchronized playback, especially in configurations like stereo pairs and consolidated players.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a limiter mechanism on playback devices to dynamically adjust gain based on the acoustic limits of other devices, ensuring balanced output across the audio frequency spectrum by determining and applying limiting functions to maintain synchronized playback quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If playback devices operate independently with their own acoustic limits, then each device can maintain its own output characteristics, but volume mismatches occur during synchronized playback
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the first playback device receives information about the second playback device's acoustic limit and adjusting function, applies this to determine an adjusted limiting function, and uses this adjusted function to balance its output. This closed-loop feedback ensures volume matching during synchronized playback while preserving each device's independent acoustic characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the limiting function parameter dynamically by adjusting it based on the second playback device's acoustic limit and adjusting function. This parameter modification allows the first playback device to adapt its output characteristics to match the second device, resolving the volume mismatch problem while maintaining synchronized playback quality.
2Reliability
If a limiter mechanism is implemented to balance output volumes, then audio quality during synchronized playback is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach where the first playback device uses the second device's acoustic limit information and adjusting function as a mediator to determine its own adjusted limiting function. This intermediary mechanism enables balanced output without requiring complex real-time communication or sophisticated control algorithms, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Productivity
If playback devices use different acoustic limits, then each device can operate at its optimal performance level, but volume mismatches and suboptimal audio quality occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by having the first playback device determine the adjusted limiting function in advance, based on the second device's acoustic limit and adjusting function, before synchronized playback begins. This pre-calculation ensures that both devices can operate at their optimal performance levels while maintaining consistent audio quality, as the balancing parameters are established beforehand.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided herein for balancing of outputs from playback devices playing audio content in synchrony. In one embodiment, the balancing of outputs may involve receiving a first audio signal to be played by a first playback device, determining a first limiting result by applying to a second audio signal a limiting function associated with a second playback device, determining a limiting function based on the first limiting result, and configuring the first playback device to apply the determined limiting function when playing the first audio signal. In some cases, the first and second playback devices may be configured to play the first and second audio signals, respectively, in synchrony.