Device and method for correcting lip sync problems on display devices

• US 20150195425A1
• Filed: 01/08/2014
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Inventors: McRae, Matthew Blake
• Granted Patent: US 9,723,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2017/006 for television sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56

Abstract

A system which synchronizes audio and video, that uses a sensor sensing the display of video and audio from an external device. The sensor creates timestamps for each of the video and audio, and then calculates a difference between those timestamps. The differences sent to the external device which then compensates for the difference.

Claims

1. A system which synchronizes audio and video, comprising:

a sensing device, sensing a display of first video information, and also sensing corresponding sounds that are associated with said first video information, said sensing device creating first information about a time of said first video information and creating second information about times of said corresponding sounds,

said sensing device automatically producing an output that represents a difference between times of the first information and times of the second information.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein said sensing device runs an application that communicates with an external video playing device.

3. The system as in claim 2, wherein said sensing device automatically senses display of specified information and times of the specified information, and sends the output to the external video playing device, and continues to sense the display of said specified information until the difference is less than a specified amount.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first video information is a specified pattern of information.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first video information is a recognizable object in video that is playing, and the sound is a sound associated with the recognizable object.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the difference is, at a first time, a negative difference where the audio is playing before the video, and at a second time a positive difference where the video is playing before the audio.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein said sensing device stores multiple timestamps, for multiple different events, and the sensing device automatically uses each of said multiple timestamps to produce said output.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein said output is a wireless stream that is communicated with an external video producing device that produces video that is sensed by said video sensing device, wherein said sensing device includes a camera.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein said sensing device is a cellular phone, said sensing device including a camera on the cellular phone, and also including a microphone on the cellular phone.

10. The system as in claim 1, wherein said sensing device is a PDA that runs downloaded applications, said sensing device including a camera and a PDA and also including a microphone on the PDA.

11. A video producing system, comprising:

a video output screen, producing video and sounds associated with the video, a communication device, a processing device, that receives a communication from an external device that represents a difference between times of video, and sounds associated with the video, and responsive to said communication automatically adjusting a time between the producing of the video and the producing of the sounds, to adjust the time between audio and video in a first way when the audio plays before the video, and to adjust the audio and video in a second way when the video plays before the audio.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein said processing device runs an application that communicates with an external sensor that senses the video and the audio.

13. The system as in claim 12, wherein said processing device receives a command from the sensor to produce specified audio and video, and responsively receives said communication responsive to producing said specified audio and video.

14. The system as in claim 13, wherein the specified video information is a specified pattern of information.