Wireless Audio Streaming in Home Theater Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home theater architectures face limitations in scalability and installation flexibility due to the need for physical HDMI connections and the challenge of maintaining lip synchronization between audio and video data across multiple satellite speakers, which restricts the number of speakers that can be used and complicates placement of soundbar devices.
Innovation Solution
A computing device configured to transmit video data via HDMI or wirelessly and stream audio data to wireless speakers, allowing for arbitrary delay in video transmission to accommodate audio data transmission, eliminating the need for physical HDMI connections and enabling scalability to more speakers while maintaining lip synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If physical HDMI connections are used to connect soundbar to satellite speakers, then audio-video synchronization is maintained, but installation flexibility and scalability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical HDMI connection system with a wireless communication system. The soundbar transmits audio data wirelessly to satellite speakers using wireless communication protocols, eliminating the need for physical HDMI cables while maintaining audio transmission functionality. This substitution resolves the contradiction by improving installation flexibility without compromising system operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a wireless communication intermediary between the soundbar and satellite speakers. This intermediary layer handles the transmission of audio data packets wirelessly, including timing information and synchronization data, replacing the direct HDMI connection while maintaining the functional relationship between components.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple satellite speakers are connected via HDMI, then audio distribution is achieved, but lip synchronization becomes difficult to maintain across many speakers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio transmission into individual data packets, each containing timing information and synchronization data. Each satellite speaker receives and processes these segmented packets independently, allowing the system to scale to many speakers while maintaining synchronization through precise timing information embedded in each packet rather than relying on a centralized HDMI distribution architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The soundbar performs preliminary actions by embedding timing information and synchronization data within each audio data packet before transmission. This preliminary encoding of timing information allows satellite speakers to synchronize their playback automatically upon receiving the packets, maintaining lip synchronization accuracy across a large number of distributed speakers without requiring complex post-transmission coordination.
3Quantity of substance
If wireless transmission is used for audio data, then scalability to more speakers is enabled, but maintaining synchronization timing becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The soundbar performs preliminary actions by embedding timing information and synchronization data within each audio data packet before transmission. This preliminary encoding of timing information allows satellite speakers to synchronize their playback automatically upon receiving the packets, maintaining lip synchronization accuracy across a large number of distributed speakers without requiring complex post-transmission coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where satellite speakers report their reception status and timing information back to the soundbar. This feedback loop allows the soundbar to adjust transmission timing and compensate for variations in wireless transmission delays, maintaining synchronization across multiple speakers even as the system scales.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are computing devices, including playback devices, that are configured to operate in several media distribution modes and play back audio data in several playback modes based at least in part on the source of audio/video data for playback.