LOUDNESS LEVEL CONTROL FOR AUDIO RECEPTION AND DECODING EQUIPMENT

• US 20150036842A1
• Filed: 08/01/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eldon Technology Limited (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Robinson, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,696,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/005 of digital signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/165 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 9/005 of digital or coded signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

The application discusses a computer implemented method and apparatus for performing audio equalisation in an audio receiver device, such as an integrated receiver/decoder or set top box, or integrated TV, connected to one or more audio playback devices, such as a television unit, computer screen and speakers, amplifier or home theatre equipment. The method and apparatus use an equalisation process which compares audio signals received in different audio formats (e.g. MPEG-1 Layer II, AC-3 2.0, AC-3 5.1 and HE-AAC) with one another, allowing a correction gain factor to be determined for equalising the perceived loudness of the signals when played-back at a connected playback device. The correction gain factor is then applied in the audio receiver device before output.

Claims

1. A method to control an audio receiver device to equalise loudness levels of audio signals output for playback on a connected audio playback device, the method comprising:

outputting at least a first audio signal and a second audio signal to an audio output for playback on an audio playback device, the first audio signal and the second audio signal being digitally encoded in different audio formats, and the first audio signal being output at a first loudness level and the second audio signal being output at a second loudness level;

controlling a connected display to invite input from a user indicating the relative loudness of the first audio signal compared to the second audio signal;

receiving a user input associated with the connected display;

based on the user input, adjusting at least one of the first loudness level and the second loudness level, wherein the adjusting continues until the user indicates that the first loudness level and the second loudness level are perceived to be heard at the same loudness level;

and in response to receiving the user indication that indicates the first loudness level and the second loudness level are perceived to be heard at the same loudness level, saving information corresponding to at least one of the first loudness level and the second loudness level in memory for future reproduction of the audio signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the connected display further comprises:

controlling a display device coupled to the audio receiver device to present a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface seeking input from the user to control one or more of the first loudness level and the second loudness level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the connected display further comprises seeking input from the user indicating which of the at least the first audio signal and the second audio signal is loudest.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after adjusting at least one of the first loudness level and the second loudness level, the method further comprising;

controlling the connected display to invite new input from the user indicating the relative loudness of the adjusted first loudness level compared to the adjusted second loudness level;

in response to the new user input indicating that one of the adjusted first loudness level and the adjusted second loudness level is louder than the other, further adjusting at least one of the adjusted first loudness level to a new adjusted first loudness level and the adjusted second loudness level to a new adjusted second loudness level;

wherein information corresponding to at least one of the new first loudness level and the new second loudness level is saved in the memory, and

wherein controlling the connected display to invite new input from the user and further adjusting at least one of the adjusted first loudness level and the adjusted second loudness level continues until the user indicates that the adjusted first loudness level and the adjusted second loudness level are perceived to be heard at the same loudness level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the first loudness level and the second loudness level comprises changing an output loudness of one of at least one of the first audio signal and second audio signal by a predetermined number of decibels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio signal and the second audio signal are initially output with a first correction factor intended to equalise a perceived loudness of the first loudness level with a perceived loudness of the second loudness level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting, the controlling, the adjusting and the saving are carried out by the audio receiver device, and wherein the audio receiver device comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of an integrated receiver/decoder, a set-top-box, and an integrated TV.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the loudness of the first audio signal is adjusted,

wherein the first audio output signal is decoded by the audio receiver device into a pulse code modulated digital signal, and

wherein the second audio signal is output as an undecoded bit stream for decoding by downstream audio equipment.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the loudness of the second audio signal is adjusted, and

wherein adjusting the loudness includes adjusting loudness metadata in the signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio signal and the second audio signal are encoded in different audio formats, and wherein the audio formats comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of MPEG-1 Layer II, MPEG-1 Layer III, MPEG-2 Layer III, HE-ACC version 1, HE-ACC version 2, AAC, LC-AAC, DTS, DTS-ES, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pulse, Dolby Digital Plus, NICAM, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, LPCM, and an analogue signal converted to LPCM.

11. An audio receiver device, comprising:

a memory operable to store control software operable to equalise loudness levels of audio signals output for playback on a connected audio playback device; and

a processor operable to;

output at least a first audio signal and second audio signal to an audio output for playback on an audio playback device, the first audio signal and the second signal are digitally encoded in different audio formats, the first audio signal being output at a first loudness level and the second audio signal being output at a second loudness level;

control a connected display to invite input from a user indicating the relative loudness of the first audio signal compared to the second audio signal;

based on the user input, adjust at least one of the first loudness level of the first audio signal and the second loudness level of the second audio signal until the user indicates that the first loudness level and the second loudness level are perceived to be heard at the same loudness level; and

save information corresponding to the first loudness level and the second loudness level in the memory for future reproduction of the audio signals.

12. The audio receiver device of claim 11, wherein control of the connected display includes control of a display device coupled to the audio receiver device to present a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface seeking input from the user to control at least one of the first loudness level and the second loudness level.

13. The audio receiver device of claim 11,

wherein the processor is further operable to control the connected display to seek additional input from the user indicating which of the first audio signal and the second audio signal is currently loudest;

and

wherein the processor is further operable to;

based on the additional user input indicating that the first audio signal and the second audio signal are perceived to be as loud as each other, the processor is operable to then save the loudness levels in memory for future reproduction of the audio signals; and

based on the additional user input indicating that one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal is louder than the other, the processor is operable to continue to adjust the output loudness of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal until the additional input from the user indicates that the first audio signal and the second audio signal are perceived to be as loud as each other, wherein the processor is then operable to save the loudness levels in the memory for future reproduction of the audio signals.

14. The audio receiver device of claim 11, wherein the processor is operable to adjust the output loudness by changing the output loudness of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal by a predetermined number of decibels.

15. The audio receiver device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal are initially output with a first correction factor intended to equalise a loudness of the first audio signal with a loudness of the second audio signal.

16. The audio receiver device of claim 11, wherein the audio receiver device comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of an integrated receiver/decoder, a set-top-box, and an integrated TV.

17. The audio receiver device of claim 11, wherein the loudness of the first audio signal is adjusted, and wherein the first audio signal is decoded by an integrated television receiver into a pulse code modulated digital signal, and wherein the second audio signal is output as an undecoded bit stream for decoding by downstream audio equipment.

18. The audio receiver device of claim 11, wherein the loudness of the second audio signal is adjusted, and wherein adjusting the loudness of the second audio signal is adjusted by an adjustment to loudness metadata in the first audio signal.

19. The audio receiver device of claim 11, wherein the first audio signal and the second audio signal are encoded in different audio formats, and wherein the audio formats comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of MPEG-1 Layer II, MPEG-1 Layer III, MPEG-2 Layer III, HE-ACC version 1, HE-ACC version 2, AAC, LC-AAC, DTS, DTS-ES, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pulse, Dolby Digital Plus, NICAM, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, LPCM, and an analogue signal converted to LPCM.