Audio selection from a multi-video environment

• US 9,172,982 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vyumix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vuemix, Inc.
• Inventors: Kizhepat, Govind, Lai, Yung-Hsiao, Nystrom, Erik Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCray, Clarence D
• Application Number:
  US13/277,442
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/54 for positively-modulated picture signals H04N5/53 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system for audio selection is disclosed. Multiple active videos are rendered in a single video stream and the multiple active videos are simultaneously displayed on a client machine. A user selects a video from among the multiple active videos for which associated audio is presented. As the user selects different videos the previous audio is stopped and the new audio is played. The new audio is synchronized to the selected video.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for audio selection comprising:

receiving, on a client machine, a plurality of simultaneously active videos wherein the plurality of simultaneously active videos is received in a single elementary video stream where a video streamer has aggregated a plurality of active videos into one elementary video stream to provide the single elementary video stream and where the client machine and the video streamer are different machines;

displaying the plurality of simultaneously active videos on the client machine;

playing a first audio wherein the first audio is associated with a first of the plurality of simultaneously active videos;

requesting a second audio which is different from the first audio based on a selection;

discontinuing playing of the first audio based on the selection; and

playing of the second audio where the second audio is associated with a second of the plurality of simultaneously active videos and buffering the second audio before the playing the second audio begins.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting one of the plurality of simultaneously active videos to result in the selection.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the second audio which was requested.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the requesting of the second audio comprises a request for audio with a time point that corresponds to a later time than a current time of the plurality of active videos that are being displayed.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of simultaneously active videos are displayed with a first media player and the playing of the second audio is played with a second media player.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first media player and the second media player are synchronized based on timestamps.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the first media player and the second media player are synchronized based on elapsed times since start of a video.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising synchronizing the second audio with the second of the plurality of simultaneously active videos.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the second audio is synchronized with the second of the plurality of simultaneously active videos based on timestamps.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the second audio is synchronized with the second of the plurality of simultaneously active videos based on elapsed times.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second audio is further synchronized with the second of the plurality of simultaneously active videos based on a time at which the second audio started playing.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the synchronizing includes delaying the second audio.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the synchronizing includes delaying the plurality of simultaneously active videos.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of simultaneously active videos are decoupled from each of their respective audios.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying information on the second audio which was selected.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein a user chooses the second audio by clicking on one of the plurality of active videos.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first audio comprises a first audio stream, and the second audio comprises a second audio stream.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein a single audio stream comprises the first audio and the second audio.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the single elementary video stream is included in a transport stream.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the transport stream includes the first audio and the second audio.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the single elementary video stream is included in a program stream.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the program stream includes the first audio and the second audio.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein compression parameters of the single elementary video stream have been adaptively adjusted based on available network bandwidth.

17. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium for audio selection, the computer program product comprising:

code for receiving, on a client machine, a plurality of simultaneously active videos wherein the plurality of simultaneously active videos is received in a single elementary video stream where a video streamer has aggregated a plurality of active videos into one elementary video stream to provide the single elementary video stream and where the client machine and the video streamer are different machines;

code for displaying the plurality of simultaneously active videos on the client machine;

code for playing a first audio wherein the first audio is associated with a first of the plurality of active videos;

code for requesting a second audio which is different from the first audio based on a selection;

code for discontinuing playing of the first audio based on the selection; and

code for playing of a second audio where the second audio is associated with a second of the plurality of simultaneously active videos and where the playing of the second audio is based on the selection and code for buffering the second audio before the playing the second audio begins.

18. A system for audio selection comprising:

a memory which stores instructions;

one or more processors attached to the memory wherein the one or more processors, when executing the instructions which are stored, are configured to;

receive, on a client machine, a plurality of simultaneously active videos wherein the plurality of simultaneously active videos is received in a single elementary video stream where a video streamer has aggregated a plurality of active videos into one elementary video stream to provide the single elementary video stream and where the client machine and the video streamer are different machines;

display the plurality of simultaneously active videos on the client machine;

play a first audio wherein the first audio is associated with a first of the plurality of simultaneously active videos;

request a second audio which is different from the first audio based on a selection;

discontinue playing of the first audio based on the selection; and

play a second audio, which is different from the first audio, where the second audio is associated with a second of the plurality of simultaneously active videos and where the playing of the second audio is based on the selection and buffer the second audio before the playing the second audio begins.