Method and system for synchronized multi-venue experience and production

• US 20140068681A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Net Power & Light, Inc (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemmey, Tara, Vonog, Stanislav, Surin, Nikolay
• Granted Patent: US 9,654,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses methods and systems for an interactive event experience capable of synchronizing two or more physical venues, with live events happening at one or more venues. In some embodiments, a system may synchronize the live event experience by equalizing remote participants with local ones, and remote shared screens with local ones. In some embodiments, attention management may be provided to local and remote participants. In some embodiments, a cloud-based broadcasting system may be provided at a local venue and/or remote venues.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interactive event experience, the method comprising:

receiving live stream signals, including audio signals, from each of a plurality of physical venues of an interactive event;

synchronizing the live stream signals from the plurality of physical venues;

displaying a plurality of objects on a content layer that is instantiated on a specific display device of each of the plurality of physical venues, each of the plurality of objects corresponding to live stream signals from a specific physical venue; and

managing presentation of each of the plurality of objects on a particular display device at a particular physical venue.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the presentation of each of the plurality of objects On the particular display device is managed by an experience platform according to a predetermined mechanism.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the presentation of each of the plurality of objects on the particular display device includes appearance and volume of each of the plurality of objects and appearance of the plurality of objects on the particular display device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the presentation of each of the plurality of objects on the particular display device is at least partially managed by a specific participant at the particular physical venue.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the live stream signals have computing element to enhance display appearance of the live stream signals on the display device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the live stream signals include live video, pre-recorded video, graphic, texts, scripts, media files, software and documents.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content layer includes the live stream signals of events, simultaneously happening at the plurality of physical venues, and content that a host participant shares with other participants of the interactive event.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of objects on the content layer are displayed with a specific pre-defined layout on the particular display device at the particular physical venue.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

when the host participant shares the content on the content layer or engages in a dialogue with a particular participant, automatically resizing and repositioning the plurality of objects on the particular display device at the particular physical venue.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the live stream signals include video signals, captured by two or more smart devices at a host venue of the interactive event, and audio signals, captured by one of the two or more smart devices and/or a microphone at the host venue, the two or more smart devices having built-in camera.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the live stream signals include video and audio signals captured by at least one smart device at a specific remote venue of the interactive event, the at least one smart device having built-in camera.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the video and audio signals captured at the particular physical venue are combined and synchronized by an AV system located at the particular physical venue.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the two or more smart devices is mounted on tripod, microphone stand, or iPad holder.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

providing the specific participant an attention option to manage attention in the interactive event.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the attention option include providing color-coded ink for the specific participant to draw or write on the content layer, each color representing a specific meaning.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the attention option include providing animated objects for the specific participant to throw at screens of other participants'"'"' display devices, and/or enabling the specific participant to participate in the interactive event through one or more gestures including clapping, cheering, jeering and booing.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the volume of participants from a specific remote physical venue on the content layer of the particular display device at the particular physical venue is a function of proximity between objects corresponding to the particular physical venue and the specific remote physical venue.

18. An experience platform, the platform comprising:

a network adapter configured to communicate with a plurality of participants'"'"' devices via a communication network; and

a memory, the memory coupled to the network adapter and configured to store computer code corresponding to operations for providing an interactive event experience, the operations comprising;

receiving live stream signals, including audio signals, from each of a plurality of physical venues of an interactive event;

synchronizing the live stream signals from the plurality of physical venues;

displaying a plurality of objects on a content layer that is instantiated on a specific display device of each of the plurality of physical venues, each of the plurality of objects corresponding to live stream signals from a specific physical venue; and

managing presentation of each of the plurality of objects on a particular display device at a particular physical venue.

19. The experience platform as recited in claim 18, wherein the presentation of each of the plurality of objects on the particular display device is managed by an experience platform according to a predetermined mechanism.

20. The experience platform as recited in claim 19, wherein the presentation of each of the plurality of objects on the particular display device includes appearance and volume of each of the plurality of objects and appearance of the plurality of objects on the particular display device.

21. The experience platform as recited in claim 20, wherein the presentation of each of the plurality of objects on the particular display device is at least partially managed by a specific participant at the particular physical venue.

22. The experience platform as recited in claim 18, wherein the live stream signals have computing element to enhance display appearance of the live stream signals on the display device.

23. The experience platform as recited in claim 18, wherein the live stream signals include live video, pre-recorded video, graphic, texts, scripts, media files, software and documents.

24. The experience platform as recited in claim 18, wherein the content layer includes the live stream signals of events, simultaneously happening at the plurality of physical venues, and content that a host participant shares with other participants of the interactive event.

25. The experience platform as recited in claim 24, wherein the plurality of objects on the content layer are displayed with a specific pre-defined layout on the particular display device at the particular physical venue.

26. The experience platform as recited in claim 25, wherein the operations further comprises:

when the host participant shares the content on the content layer or engages in a dialogue with a particular participant, automatically resizing and repositioning the plurality of objects on the particular display device at the particular physical venue.

27. The experience platform as recited in claim 18, wherein the live stream signals include video signals, captured by two or more smart devices at a host venue of the interactive event, and audio signals, captured by one of the two or more smart devices and/or a microphone at the host venue, the two or more smart devices having built-in camera.

28. The experience platform as recited in claim 27, wherein the live stream signals include video and audio signals captured by at least one smart device at a specific remote venue of the interactive event, the at least one smart device having built-in camera.

29. The experience platform as recited in claim 28, wherein the video and audio signals captured at the particular physical venue are combined and synchronized by an AV system located at the particular physical venue.

30. The experience platform as recited in claim 29, wherein at least one of the two or more smart devices is mounted on tripod, microphone stand, or iPad holder.

31. The experience platform as recited in claim 18, wherein the operations further comprises providing the specific participant an attention option to manage attention in the interactive event.

32. The experience platform as recited in claim 31, wherein the attention option include providing color-coded ink for the specific participant to draw or write on the content layer, each color representing a specific meaning.

33. The experience platform as recited in claim 32, wherein the attention option include providing animated objects for the specific participant to throw at screens of other participants'"'"' display devices, and/or enabling the specific participant to participate in the interactive event through one or more gestures including clapping, cheering, jeering and booing.

34. The experience platform as recited in claim 33, wherein the volume of participants from a specific remote physical venue on the content layer of the particular display device at the particular physical venue is a function of proximity between objects corresponding to the particular physical venue and the specific remote physical venue.

35. An apparatus for providing an interactive event experience, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving live stream signals, including audio signals, from each of a plurality of physical venues of an interactive event;

means for synchronizing the live stream signals from the plurality of physical venues;

means for displaying a plurality of objects on a content layer that is instantiated on a specific display device of each of the plurality of physical venues, each of the plurality of objects corresponding to live stream signals from a specific physical venue; and

means for managing presentation of each of the plurality of objects on a particular display device at a particular physical venue.

36. A method for providing an interactive event experience, the method comprising:

enabling a host participant to create an interactive live event spanning across a plurality of physical venues;

providing one or more options for a specific participant to join the interactive live event at one of the plurality of physical venues;

coupling live stream signals, including audio signals, from each of the plurality of physical venues;

and

synchronizing the interactive event experience between participants across the plurality of physical venues.

37. A method for providing an interactive event experience, the method comprising:

receiving video signals from two or more host smart devices at a host venue of an interactive event, each of the two or more host smart devices having one or more built-in camera, wherein the two or more host smart devices are pre-positioned with different sight angles at the host venue;

receiving video signals from one or more remote smart devices at each of remote physical venues of the interactive event, wherein the one or more remote smart devices is pre-positioned to capture participants at the corresponding physical venue;

receiving one set of audio signals from each of the host and remote physical venues of the interactive event, wherein the one set of audio signals are audio signals from a microphone, audio signal from a specific smart device, or combined audio signals from the microphone and the specific smart device at the corresponding physical venue;

synchronizing video and audio signals from the host and remote physical venues of the interactive event;

and

displaying a plurality of objects on a specific display device at each of the host and remote physical venues, each of the plurality of objects corresponding to video signals from a specific physical venue of the interactive event.

38. A method for providing an interactive event experience, wherein two or more smart devices are pre-positioned with different sight angles at a host venue of an interactive event, wherein at least one smart device is pre-positioned at each of one or more remote venues of the interactive event, each of the smart devices having one or more built-in camera, the method comprising:

transmitting local video signals from the two or more host smart devices to a host AV system through wired or wireless connections;

transmitting local audio signals from one of the two or more host smart devices to the host AV system through wired or wireless connections;

receiving remote video and audio signals from the at least one smart device at each of the one or more remote venues;

synchronizing the local video and audio signals with the remote video and audio signals;

displaying a plurality of objects on a local screen at the host venue, each of the plurality of objects corresponding to video signals from a specific venue of the interactive event;

and

playing synchronized local and remote audio signals on a local speaker at the host venue.