Audio settings

• US 10,061,556 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuper, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US15/149,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 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 Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Techniques are provided for a playback device to play a media item using an audio setting corresponding to the media item and characteristics of the playback device. An example implementation involves a first playback device transmitting, to a first computing device, information indicating one or more characteristics of the first playback device and queue information indicating one or more media items in a playback queue to be played by the first playback device. The example implementation may further involve receiving, from the first computing device, one or more audio settings associated with the one or more media items, the one or more audio settings corresponding to the one or more media items and the one or more characteristics of the first playback device and playing a first media item of the one or more media items according to a first audio setting of the one or more audio settings.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, via a playback device over one or more networks to a first computing device, information indicating one or more characteristics of the playback device;

transmitting, via the playback device over the one or more networks to the first computing device, queue information indicating a first media item from a plurality of media items in a playback queue to be played by the playback device, wherein the playback queue is stored in memory on the playback device, wherein the first media item is retrievable for playback by the playback device from a second computing device that is physically different from the first computing device, and wherein the queue information is transmitted in response to determining that playback of the playback queue has progressed to another media item before the first media item;

after transmitting the queue information, receiving, via the playback device over the one or more networks from the first computing device, one or more audio settings associated with the first media item, the one or more audio settings corresponding to the first media item and the one or more characteristics of the playback device; and

playing, via the playback device, the first media item according to a first audio setting of the one or more audio settings.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying, via the playback device, audio data of the first media item based on the first audio setting, and

wherein playing the first media item comprises;

playing, via the playback device, the modified audio data of the first media item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the queue information comprises:

in response to determining that the first media item is to be played next, transmitting a request for audio settings for the first media item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, and wherein a group comprises the first playback device and a second playback device, and

wherein receiving the one or more audio settings associated with the first media item comprises:

receiving the first audio setting to be applied during playback of the first media item by the first playback device; and

receiving a second audio setting associated with the first media item to be applied during playback of the first media item by the second playback device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first audio setting is different from the second audio setting.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, via the playback device to the second playback device, the second audio setting and the first media item.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating, via the first playback device, a first modified audio data by modifying audio data of the first media item based on the first audio setting;

generating, via the first playback device, a second modified audio data by modifying the audio data of the first media item based on the second audio setting; and

transmitting, via the first playback device to the second playback device, the second modified audio data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing, via the first playback device, the second playback device to play the second modified audio data synchronously with playback by the first playback device of the first modified audio data.

9. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a playback device cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:

transmitting, over one or more networks to a first computing device, information indicating one or more characteristics of the playback device;

transmitting, over the one or more networks to the first computing device, queue information indicating a first media item from a plurality of media items in a playback queue to be played by the playback device, wherein the playback queue is stored in memory on the playback device, and wherein the first media item is retrievable for playback by the playback device from a second computing device that is physically different from the first computing device, and wherein the queue information is transmitted in response to determining that playback of the playback queue has progressed to another media item before the first media item;

after transmitting the queue information, receiving, over the one or more networks from the first computing device, one or more audio settings associated with the first media item, the one or more audio settings corresponding to the first media item and the one or more characteristics of the playback device; and

playing the first media item according to a first audio setting of the one or more audio settings.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

modifying, via the playback device, audio data of the first media item based on the first audio setting, and

wherein playing the first media item comprises;

playing, via the playback device, the modified audio data of the first media item.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein transmitting the queue information comprises:

in response to determining that the first media item is to be played next, transmitting a request for audio settings for the first media item.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, and wherein a group comprises the first playback device and a second playback device, and

wherein receiving the one or more audio settings associated with the first media item comprises:

receiving the first audio setting to be applied during playback of the first media item by the first playback device; and

receiving a second audio setting associated with the first media item to be applied during playback of the first media item by the second playback device.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first audio setting is different from the second audio setting.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the functions further comprise:

transmitting, to the second playback device, the second audio setting and the first media item.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the functions further comprise:

generating a first modified audio data by modifying audio data of the first media item based on the first audio setting;

generating a second modified audio data by modifying the audio data of the first media item based on the second audio setting; and

transmitting, to the second playback device, the second modified audio data.

16. A playback device, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the playback device to perform functions comprising;

transmitting, over one or more networks to a first computing device, information indicating one or more characteristics of the playback device;

transmitting, over the one or more networks to the first computing device, queue information indicating a first media item from a plurality of media items in a playback queue to be played by the playback device, wherein the playback queue is stored in memory on the playback device, and wherein the first media item retrievable for playback by the playback device from a second computing device different from the first computing device, and wherein the queue information is transmitted in response to determining that playback of the playback queue has progressed to another media item before the first media item;

after transmitting the queue information, receiving, over the one or more networks from the first computing device, one or more audio settings associated with the first media item, the one or more audio settings corresponding to the first media item and the one or more characteristics of the playback device; and

playing the first media item according to a first audio setting of the one or more audio settings.

17. The playback device of claim 16, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving, via the playback device, an instruction to add the first media item to the playback queue; and

in response to receiving the instruction, transmitting a request for audio settings for the first media item.

18. The playback device of claim 16, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, and wherein a group comprises two or more playback devices comprising the first playback device and a second playback device, and

wherein receiving the one or more audio settings associated with the first media item comprises:

receiving the first audio setting to be applied during playback of the first media item by the first playback device; and

receiving a second audio setting associated with the first media item to be applied during playback of the first media item by the second playback device.