METHOD FOR IMPROVING AUDIO QUALITY OF ONLINE MULTIMEDIA CONTENT

• US 20160119730A1
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Project Aalto Oy
• Original Assignee: Project Aalto Oy
• Inventors: Virtanen, Marko
• Application Number:
  US14/791,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119730A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for improving audio quality of online multimedia content. The method includes sending an input audio sample to at least one speaker positioned within a premises, playing the input audio sample at the at least one speaker to produce a corresponding audio, recording the audio produced by the at least one speaker as a recorded audio sample at a multimedia processing device positioned in a proximity of the at least one speaker, comparing the recorded audio sample with the input audio sample for calculating acoustical characteristics of the premises and adjusting an audio quality of an online multimedia content to be played within the premises based on the calculated acoustical characteristics.

Claims

1. A method of improving an audio quality of online media content to be played by a speaker based on an audio characteristic of a premises, the method comprising:

sending an input audio sample to at least one speaker positioned within the premises;

playing the input audio sample at the at least one speaker to produce an audio output signal;

recording the audio output signal at a multimedia processing device to generate a recorded audio sample, the multimedia device being positioned in a proximity of the at least one speaker;

comparing the recorded audio sample with the input audio sample for calculating acoustical characteristics of the premises; and

adjusting an audio quality of an online multimedia content to be played within the premises based on the calculated acoustical characteristics.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the calculated acoustical characteristics of the premises is an audio response of the premises.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising sending the audio response of the premises to an online multimedia server, for enabling the online multimedia server to adjust the audio quality of the online multimedia content to be played within the premises.

4. The method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising altering the audio response of the premises based on a user request.

5. The method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising retaining the audio response of the premises based on a user request.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein adjusting the audio quality comprises modifying at least one audio attribute of the online multimedia content, wherein the at least one attribute comprises an amplitude, a frequency response, a sound limiting or compression to reduce or eliminate distortion, a phase cancellation and a speech.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the online multimedia content comprises one or more of audio content and video content.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the method is excuted by a processor that has a set of non-transitory machine executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the method.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the online multimedia content with the adjusted audio quality is played by the speaker.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a sound wave of the recorded audio sample is compared with a sound wave of the input audio sample to determine an audio response for calculating the acoustical characteristics of the premises.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the sound wave of the input audio sample is devoid of audio anomalies.

12. A system for improving audio quality of online multimedia content based on acoustical characteristics of a premises, the system comprising:

at least one speaker;

a multimedia processing device configured to provide an input audio sample to the speaker and to record the input audio sample when played by the speaker;

a server configured to receive the recorded audio sample and calculate the acoustical characteristics of the premises from a comparison of the input audio sample and the recorded audio sample; and

an online multimedia server configured to receive the calculated acoustical characteristics and modify an audio quality of the online multimedia content based on the calculated audio characteristics as it is played by the speaker.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the calculated acoustical characteristics of the premises is an audio response of the premises.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the online multimedia server is configured to receive the audio response of the premises and adjust the audio quality of the online multimedia content to be played within the premises.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the online multimedia server is configured to alter the audio response of the premises based on a user request.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the online media server is configured to adjust the audio quality of the online multimedia content by adjusting one or more of an amplitude, a frequency response, a sound limiting or compression to reduce or eliminate distortion, a phase cancellation and a speech.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the online multimedia content comprises one or more of audio content and video content.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the online multimedia content with the modified audio quality is played by the speaker.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein a sound wave of the recorded audio sample is compared by the server with a sound wave of the input audio sample to determine an audio response for calculating the acoustical characteristics of the premises, wherein the sound wave of the input audio sample is devoid of audio anomalies.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable code for improving audio quality of online multimedia content played by a speaker in a premises, wherein the code, when executed with a processor, is configured to cause the processor to:

send an input audio sample by a multimedia processing device to at least one speaker present in the premises;

record the input audio sample, by the multimedia processing device, when played by the at least one speaker;

forward the recorded audio sample to an audio processing server;

compare the recorded audio sample to the input audio sample;

calculate the acoustical characteristics of the premises based on the comparison, and

modify an audio quality of the online multimedia content before it is played in the premises based on the calculated acoustical characteristics of the premises.