Synchronization of Buffered Audio Data With Live Broadcast
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method, comprising:
- initiating the buffering of a live audio broadcast received by an electronic device at a first time;
initiating the buffered playback of the live audio broadcast on the electronic device using an increased playback speed at a second time occurring during the live audio broadcast and subsequent to the first time, wherein the increased playback speed is faster relative to a normal playback speed of the live audio broadcast;
determining if the buffered playback is synchronized with the live audio broadcast; and
if the buffered playback is synchronized with the live audio broadcast, ending the buffering of the live audio broadcast at a third time occurring after the second time, and outputting the remainder of the live audio broadcast beginning at the third time.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Various techniques relating to the buffering of a live audio broadcast on an electronic device and the subsequently playback the buffered data are provided. In one embodiment, the playback speed of the buffered data may be increased relative to the actual speed at which the data was originally broadcasted. If the buffered playback (using the increased playback speed) synchronizes or catches up to the live broadcast, the electronic device may disable buffering and output the live stream instead. This decreases processing demands by lowering processing cycles required for buffering (encoding, etc.) and playback of the buffered data (decoding, etc.), thereby reducing power consumption.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A method, comprising:
-
initiating the buffering of a live audio broadcast received by an electronic device at a first time; initiating the buffered playback of the live audio broadcast on the electronic device using an increased playback speed at a second time occurring during the live audio broadcast and subsequent to the first time, wherein the increased playback speed is faster relative to a normal playback speed of the live audio broadcast; determining if the buffered playback is synchronized with the live audio broadcast; and if the buffered playback is synchronized with the live audio broadcast, ending the buffering of the live audio broadcast at a third time occurring after the second time, and outputting the remainder of the live audio broadcast beginning at the third time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method, comprising:
-
initiating the buffering of a live audio broadcast received by an electronic device; initiating the buffered playback of the live audio broadcast on the electronic device subsequent to the initiation of the buffering, wherein initiating the buffered playback comprises; selecting a portion of the live audio broadcast to play back; determining if the selected portion of the live audio broadcast is an essential portion or a non-essential portion of the live audio broadcast; if the selected portion of the live audio broadcast is an essential portion, playing back the selected portion using a first increased playback speed that is faster relative to a normal playback speed of the live audio broadcast; and if the selected portion of the live audio broadcast is a non-essential portion, playing back the selected portion using a second increased playback speed that is faster than the first increased playback speed; and stopping the buffering of the live audio broadcast if the buffered playback becomes synchronized with the live audio broadcast prior to the end of the live audio broadcast and outputting the remainder of the live audio broadcast. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. An electronic device, comprising:
-
an audio broadcast receiver configured to receive a live audio broadcast; an audio output device configured to output audio data; a storage device configured to store data; and processing logic configured to buffer the live audio broadcast at a first time and to playback the buffered live audio broadcast data at a second time subsequent to the first time, wherein the processing logic comprises; encode/decode logic configured to encode the live audio broadcast data using a codec during buffering and to decode the live audio broadcast data using the codec during playback; and playback speed management logic configured to play back the buffered live audio broadcast data at a first increased playback speed by outputting the buffered live audio broadcast data using the audio output device, wherein the first increased playback speed is faster relative to a normal playback speed of the live audio broadcast; wherein the processing logic is configured to stop the buffering of the live audio broadcast upon detecting that the buffered playback is synchronized with the live audio broadcast at a third time subsequent to the second time, and to output the live audio broadcast using the audio output device beginning at the third time. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. One or more tangible computer-readable storage media having instructions encoded thereon for execution by a processor, the instructions comprising:
-
code to cause a live audio broadcast received by an electronic device to begin being buffered at a first time; and code to cause the buffered live audio broadcast data on the electronic device to be played back begin at a second time subsequent to the first time and occurring during the live audio broadcast, wherein the code for causing the playback of the buffered live audio broadcast data comprises; code to determine if a selected portion of the live audio broadcast is an essential or non-essential portion of the live audio broadcast; code to cause the selected portion of the live audio broadcast to be played back using an increased playback speed if the selected portion is determined to be an essential portion of the live audio broadcast; and code to cause the selected portion of the live audio broadcast to be omitted from the buffered playback if the selected portion is determined to be a non-essential portion of the live audio broadcast. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
-
Specification