PLAYBACK MANAGER

• US 20130067050A1
• Filed: 09/11/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kotteri, Kishore, Yerrace, Frank, Chung, Rian, Cooper, Ken, Bregar, Johnny, Benson, Nicholas J., Beberwyck, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US13/229,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067050A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets

Abstract

In one embodiment, a computer audio system may use a playback manager to manage the audio streams of audio applications. A playback manager 202 may receive an audio stream category declaration 300 from an audio application 204. The playback manager 202 may determine a media focus status for an audio stream of the audio application 204 based in part on the audio stream category declaration 300.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an audio stream category declaration from an audio application; and

determining with a playback manager a media focus status for an audio stream of the audio application based in part on the audio stream category declaration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

factoring an ambient audio stream category for an ambient audio stream into determining the media focus status for the audio stream.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning an application audio stream category to the audio application based on the audio stream category declaration.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

granting an audio resource to the audio stream having media focus.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

denying an audio resource for the audio stream without media focus.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving in the playback manager a shell state for the audio application from an operating shell.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining with the playback manager the media focus status for the audio stream based in part on the shell state.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a media focus status notification to the audio application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing a transport control notification to the audio application with the audio stream having media focus.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a user override to the audio stream category declaration.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the audio stream is at least one of a primary audio stream category and a secondary audio stream category based on the audio stream category declaration.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a secondary audio stream category to an undeclared audio application that fails to declare an audio stream category.

13. A tangible machine-readable medium having a set of instructions detailing a method stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform the method, the method comprising:

sending from an audio application an audio stream category declaration to a playback manager for the playback manager to use in determining a media focus status for an audio stream; and

sending the audio stream to an audio server to be processed based on the media focus status.

14. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

selecting at least one of media, communications, narration, alerts, game media, game effects, and sound effects as the audio stream category selection.

15. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a media focus status notification from the playback manager.

16. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

optimizing use of an audio resource upon notice of a media focus revocation.

17. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a transport control notification while having media focus.

18. A computer audio system, comprising:

a processor that executes a playback manager to receive an audio stream category selection from an audio application and determine a media focus status for an audio stream of the audio application based in part on the audio stream category selection; and

an audio resource that receives the audio stream having media focus.

19. The computer audio system of claim 18, further comprising:

a transport control input to control the audio application with the audio stream having media focus.

20. The computer audio system of claim 18, wherein the playback manager determines the media focus status base in part on a shell state for the audio application.