Adaptive UGC Audio Rendering with Frame-Wise Enhancement Metadata

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing user-generated content (UGC) captured by mobile devices often suffers from sound quality issues due to hardware limitations and diverse recording environments, and real-time enhancements may not be compatible with end-to-end content processing, leading to suboptimal user experiences.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for UGC processing that applies frame-wise audio enhancements during capture, storing metadata for further enhancements, enabling adaptive rendering based on device capabilities and long-term statistics, allowing for improved audio quality on playback devices with or without additional software support.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If real-time audio enhancement is applied during capture, then audio quality is improved for direct playback, but compatibility with end-to-end content processing is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaudio qualityVSAvoidcompatibility with end-to-end content processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the audio processing workflow into two distinct paths: real-time enhancement path and end-to-end processing path. The real-time path applies enhancements during capture for immediate playback compatibility, while the end-to-end path preserves raw audio for later sophisticated processing. This segmentation allows both requirements to coexist without conflict.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary audio enhancement during the capture phase, performing necessary processing upfront so that the enhanced audio can be directly played back without requiring further processing. This preliminary action ensures compatibility with simple playback devices while more capable devices can still access the original raw audio for end-to-end processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If audio enhancement is applied without additional information, then processing speed is maintained, but audio quality is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidaudio quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic processing system where the level of audio enhancement depends on the capabilities of the playback device. Simple devices receive real-time enhanced audio for immediate playback, while sophisticated devices with additional processing capabilities receive the original raw audio that can be enhanced later with more sophisticated algorithms and additional information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Manufacturing precision

If sophisticated audio enhancement is applied, then audio quality is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaudio qualityVSAvoidsoftware support requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal audio processing system that serves multiple device types through a single capture mechanism. The system generates both real-time enhanced audio for simple playback devices and preserves raw audio for sophisticated devices, making the capture device universally compatible with the full range of playback capabilities without requiring different hardware configurations.

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

Data Source

PatentEP4505451B1Methods and apparatuses for user generated content capture and adaptive rendering
Publication Date: 2026.03.04 DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORP
  • EP4505451B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4505451B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4505451B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Methods of processing audio data relating to user generated content are described. One method includes obtaining the audio data; applying frame-wise audio enhancement to the audio data; generating metadata for the enhanced audio data, based on one or more processing parameters of the frame-wise audio enhancement; and outputting the enhanced audio data together with the metadata. Another method includes obtaining the audio data and metadata for the audio data, wherein the metadata comprises first metadata indicative of one or more processing parameters of a previous frame-wise audio enhancement of the audio data; applying restore processing to the audio data, using the one or more processing parameters, to at least partially reverse the previous frame-wise audio enhancement; and applying frame-wise audio enhancement or editing processing to the restored raw audio data. Further described are corresponding apparatus, programs, and computer-readable storage media.