Wireless Isochronous Audio Links for Headphone Exposure Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional audience measurement devices are ineffective for monitoring media consumption through wireless headphones due to the audio being directly heard by the audience member, bypassing microphone-based monitoring.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a wireless isochronous data link to simultaneously transmit media streams to both headphones and audience measurement devices, enabling synchronized audio data analysis and monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If wireless headphones transmit audio directly to the audience member, then audio quality and listener experience are improved, but traditional microphone-based monitoring becomes ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary wireless data link that mediates between the audio source and the audience measurement device. This data link carries audio data packets that are identical to those sent to the headphones, allowing the measurement device to capture audio exposure information without interfering with the direct wireless audio transmission to the listener.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the audio data stream that is sent to the headphones. This copy is transmitted through the wireless data link to the audience measurement device, enabling parallel monitoring of audio exposure while the original stream continues uninterrupted to the listener. The copy contains identical audio information for measurement purposes.
2Reliability
If audio data is transmitted wirelessly to headphones, then listener mobility and convenience are improved, but synchronized audio monitoring becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic transmission of audio data packets at fixed time intervals through the wireless data link. Each packet contains timing information and is sent at regular intervals, allowing the audience measurement device to maintain synchronized recording of audio exposure data. This periodic action ensures consistent data capture regardless of listener mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system monitors packet transmission status and adjusts timing accordingly. The audio source device tracks which packets have been successfully transmitted and uses this feedback to maintain synchronization, ensuring that the measurement device receives data in the correct temporal sequence even when wireless conditions vary.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to measure audience exposure to media streams with a wireless isochronous data link. In one example, an apparatus includes a datastore, a network interface circuitry, and processor circuitry. The network interface circuitry obtains a first copy of audio data from a first wireless data link, the audio data transmitted from an audio source device, wherein a second copy of the audio data is transmitted, synchronously to the first copy of the audio data, to an audio sink device over a second wireless data link. The processor circuitry to instantiate data parsing circuitry to parse a media stream identifier from the first copy of the audio data and media identification assignment circuitry to assign the media stream identifier to an audio data log for the audio sink device.