Synchronization of content between networked devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11323974-B2
Application number	US-202017135306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2015
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A control device of media playback system receives a user command to initiate playback of video content and associated audio content and transmits a BLUETOOTH message based on the command to a video playback device. The video playback device receives the BLUETOOTH message, obtains the media content via a local area network (LAN), and determines an indication of when to begin playback of the media content. The video playback device transmits the indication to an audio playback device via the LAN and outputs the video content in lip-synchrony with playback of the corresponding audio content by the audio playback device. While outputting the video content in lip-synchrony with playback of the corresponding audio content by the audio playback device, the video playback device transmits timing information via the LAN to the audio playback device to maintain lip-synchrony with playback of the corresponding audio content by the audio playback device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A media playback system comprising:
a first control device comprising:
a first network interface configured to wirelessly communicate using a first communication protocol;
a first user interface configured to detect user input from a uccr;
at least one first processor;
at least one first non-transitory computer-readable medium; and
first program instructions stored on the at least one first non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one first processor such that the first control device is configured to:
after receipt of a command to initiate playback of media content via the first user interface, transmit at least one message to a video playback device based on the command via the first network interface, wherein the media content comprises visual content and audio content associated with the visual content; the video playback device comprising:
a second network interface configured to wirelessly communicate using the first communication protocol;
a third network interface configured to communicate using a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol;
at least one second processor;
at least one second non-transitory computer-readable medium; and
second program instructions stored on the at least one second non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to:
join a synchrony group with at least one audio playback device;
receive, via the second network interface, the at least one message from the first control device;

obtain, via the third network interface, the media content based on the at least one message;
determine an indication of when to begin playback of the media content;
transmit, via the third network interface, the indication of when to begin playback of the media content to the at least one audio playback device;
based on the indication of when to begin playback of the media content, output the media content in synchrony with playback of the audio content by the at least one audio playback device; and
while the media content is output in synchrony with playback of the audio content by the at least one audio playback device, transmit, via the third network interface, timing information to the at least one audio playback device to cause the at least one playback device to modify playback of the audio content to maintain synchrony with playback of the media content by the video playback device; wherein transmission of the timing information comprises transmission of at least one packet comprising an indication of when to play back at least one of a plurality of sections of the audio content; and
a second control device comprising:
a second user interface configured to detect user input;
at least one third processor;
at least one third non-transitory computer-readable medium; and
third program instructions stored on the at least one third non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one third processor such that the second control device is configured to:
receive, via the second user interface, a command to modify the synchrony group; and
cause the synchrony group to be modified based on the received command to modify the synchrony group.

2. The media playback system of claim 1 , wherein the second program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit timing information to the at least one audio playback device comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit timing information to the at least one audio playback device to cause the at least one audio device to modify a playback rate of the audio content to maintain synchrony with playback of the media content by the video playback device.

3. The media playback system of claim 1 , wherein the second program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit timing information to the at least one audio playback device comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit timing information to the at least one audio playback device to cause the at least one audio playback device to modify a local clock rate.

4. The media playback system of claim 1 , wherein the third program instructions that are executable by the at least one third processor such that the second control device is configured to cause the synchrony group to be modified comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one third processor such that the second control device is configured to transmit at least one message to the video playback device.

5. The media playback system of claim 4 , wherein the second program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to join the synchrony group with the at least one audio playback device comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to join the synchrony group with the at least one audio playback device based on the at least one message from the second control device.

6. The media playback system of claim 1 , wherein the audio content comprises a plurality of frames and wherein the second program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit the timing information comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit at least one packet comprising an amount of time until playback of at least one of the plurality of frames.

7. The media playback system of claim 1 , wherein the audio content comprises a plurality of frames and wherein the second program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit the timing information comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to transmit at least one packet comprising a presentation timestamp for at least one of the plurality of frames.

8. The media playback system of claim 1 , wherein the video playback device further comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to determine a network latency for a connection between the video playback device and the at least one audio playback device and wherein the second program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to determine the indication of when to begin playback of the media content comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to determine the indication of when to begin playback of the media content based on the determined network latency.

9. The media playback system of claim 8 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the video playback device is configured to determine the indication of when to begin playback of the media content comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one second processor such that

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Keyser-Allen Lee
• Higdon Thomas
• Vega-Zayas Luis
• Lin Ted
• Sarkic Andrej

Classifications

• H04L43/106

  using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps · CPC title

• H04N21/43076

  of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices · CPC title

• H04R27/00

  Public address systems (circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; {monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007}; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• H04L65/60

  Network streaming of media packets · CPC title

• H04W56/0015 Primary

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title