Storytelling environment: distributed immersive audio soundscape

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9704491-B2
Application number	US-201514619911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 11, 2014
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for outputting an audio effect on a remote device are disclosed. Embodiments select a device from a plurality of devices within a physical environment for use in outputting an audio effect. Upon determining that transmitting the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected device would violate a predefined performance criteria, the audio effect is modified by determining, for each of a plurality of portions of the audio effect, a respective priority. Additionally, upon determining that a first portion of the plurality of portions of the audio effect is a lower priority, relative to a second portion of the audio effect, embodiments compress the first portion of the audio effect, while the second portion of the audio effect remains uncompressed. The modified audio effect is then transmitted to the selected device for playback.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code, that, when executed, performs an operation comprising:
selecting a device from a plurality of devices within a physical environment for use in outputting an audio effect;
upon determining that transmitting the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected device would violate a predefined performance criteria, based on determining that the selected device includes insufficient processing resources for processing the audio effect as uncompressed data, modifying the audio effect, comprising:
determining, for each of a plurality of portions of the audio effect, a respective priority; and
upon determining that a first portion of the plurality of portions of the audio effect is a lower priority, relative to a second portion of the audio effect, compressing the first portion of the audio effect, wherein the second portion of the audio effect remains uncompressed; and

transmitting the modified audio effect to the selected device for playback, wherein the selected device is configured to, upon receiving the transmitted modified audio effect:
identify predefined low-frequency audio data associated with the transmitted modified audio effect, wherein the predefined low-frequency audio data comprises a low-frequency sound effect;
combine the identified predefined low-frequency audio data with the transmitted modified audio effect to produce combined audio data, such that the low-frequency sound effect is added to the modified audio effect; and
output the combined audio data for playback.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the audio effect is compressed at a first bit rate, and wherein modifying the audio effect further comprises:
upon determining that a third portion of the plurality of portions of the audio effect is a lower priority relative to the second portion of the audio effect, and that the third portion is a higher priority relative to the first portion of the audio effect, compressing the third portion of the audio effect at a second bit rate that is higher than the first bit rate.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein determining that transmitting the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected device would violate a predefined performance criteria is further based on determining that the selected device contains insufficient memory resources for storing the audio effect as uncompressed data.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the modified audio effect is transmitted to the selected device using a first network connection, and wherein determining that transmitting the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected device would violate the predefined performance criteria further comprises:
determining that the audio effect is scheduled for playback at a first moment in time on the selected device; and
determining that the first network connection has insufficient bandwidth to transmit the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected device for playback at the first moment in time.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein selecting a device from a plurality of devices within a physical environment for use in outputting an audio effect further comprises:
determining respective audio playback capabilities for each of the plurality of devices; and
selecting the device from the plurality of devices, based on the determined audio playback capabilities.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the selected device is configured to, upon receiving the transmitted modified audio effect:
retrieve equalizer profile information corresponding to the received modified audio effect;
apply equalization to the received modified audio effect, based on the retrieved equalizer profile; and
output the equalized audio effect for playback.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of devices comprise storytelling devices belonging to a first playgroup within a storytelling environment.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , the operation further comprising:
determining a user position within the physical environment,
wherein selecting the device from a plurality of devices within a physical environment for use in outputting the audio effect is further based on the determined user position.

9. A storytelling device, comprising:
a processor;
a communication module; and
a memory containing an audio effect and a program that, when executed by the processor, performs an operation comprising:
selecting a second storytelling device from a plurality of storytelling devices within a physical environment for use in outputting the audio effect;
upon determining that transmitting the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected second storytelling device would violate a predefined performance criteria, based on determining that the selected device includes insufficient processing resources for processing the audio effect as uncompressed data, modifying the audio effect, comprising:
determining, for each of a plurality of portions of the audio effect, a respective priority; and
upon determining that a first portion of the plurality of portions of the audio effect is a lower priority, relative to a second portion of the audio effect, compressing the first portion of the audio effect, wherein the second portion of the audio effect remains uncompressed; and

transmitting the modified audio effect to the selected device for playback, wherein the selected device is configured to, upon receiving the transmitted modified audio effect:
identify predefined low-frequency audio data associated with the transmitted modified audio effect, wherein the predefined low-frequency audio data comprises a low-frequency sound effect;
combine the identified predefined low-frequency audio data with the transmitted modified audio effect to produce combined audio data, such that the low-frequency sound effect is added to the modified audio effect; and
output the combined audio data for playback.

10. The storytelling device of claim 9 , wherein the first portion of the audio effect is compressed at a first bit rate, and wherein modifying the audio effect further comprises:
upon determining that a third portion of the plurality of portions of the audio effect is a lower priority relative to the second portion of the audio effect, and that the third portion is a higher priority relative to the first portion of the audio effect, compressing the third portion of the audio effect at a second bit rate that is higher than the first bit rate.

11. The storytelling device of claim 9 , wherein determining that transmitting the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected second storytelling device would violate the predefined performance criteria is further based on determining that the selected device contains insufficient memory resources for storing the audio effect as uncompressed data.

12. The storytelling device of claim 9 , wherein the modified audio effect is transmitted to the selected second storytelling device using a first network connection, and wherein determining that transmitting the audio effect as uncompressed data to the selected second storytelling device would violate the predefined performance criteria further comprises:
determining that the audio effect is scheduled for playback at a first moment in time on the selected second storytelling device; and
determining that the first network connection has insufficient bandwidth to transmit t

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Goslin Michael P
• Fish Ron C
• Logan David J
• Havok Reek N
• Lum Susan M

Classifications

• G10L19/00

  Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis (in musical instruments G10H) · CPC title

• A63H5/00

  Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical (musical tops A63H1/28; {sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14}; music, sound or noise production in general G10) · CPC title

• G10L19/0017 Primary

  Lossless audio signal coding; Perfect reconstruction of coded audio signal by transmission of coding error (G10L19/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G10L19/22

  Mode decision, i.e. based on audio signal content versus external parameters · CPC title

• H04R29/00

  Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements {(for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308)} · CPC title