Audio settings

• US 9,367,283 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuper, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US14/337,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• 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 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Method and systems are provided for a playback device to play a media item using an audio setting corresponding to the media item and characteristics of the playback device. The characteristics of the playback device may be one or more of a model of the playback device, an orientation of the playback device, or a playback group configuration of the playback device, among other possibilities. The audio setting may be determined specifically for the characteristics of the playback device, by a provider (i.e. an artist and/or producer of the media item, and/or a curator of a playlist including the media item, among others). The media item, when rendered by the playback device, may sound as the provider intended.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a computing device, data indicating that a media item available from a source computing device is to be played by a playback device, wherein the computing device is in communication with the playback device via a local area network (LAN) and wherein the source computing device is remote from the computing device and the playback device;

identifying, via the computing device, an audio setting that corresponds to (i) the media item and (ii) one or more characteristics of the playback device;

causing, via the computing device, the source computing device to transmit metadata associated with the media item to the playback device, wherein the metadata indicates the identified audio setting; and

causing, via the computing device, the playback device to play the media item according to the identified audio setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the playback device comprises an orientation of the playback device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a playback group comprises the playback device and at least one other playback device, wherein the playback device plays audio in synchrony with the at least one other playback device of the playback group, and wherein the one or more characteristics of the playback device comprises a playback group configuration of the playback device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media item is an item in a curated playlist, and wherein the identified audio setting further corresponds to the curated playlist.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified audio setting is associated with a provider of the media item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata indicates comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) where parameters associated with the identified audio setting are stored.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein causing, via the computing device, the playback device to play the media item according to the identified audio setting comprises:

causing, via the computing device, a modified audio data to be generated based on the identified audio setting and audio data associated with the media item;

transmitting, via the computing device, the modified audio data to the playback device; and

causing, via the computing device, the playback device to play the modified audio data.

19. The method of claim 4, wherein the playback device automatically applies a default audio setting, and wherein the method further comprises:

in response to determining that the media item is to be played from the curated playlist, causing the playback device to change the audio setting for the media item from the default audio setting to the identified audio setting.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified audio setting comprises a dynamic setting indicating a first audio setting for a first portion of the media item and a second audio setting for a second portion of the media item.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a controller device.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, via the computing device, a prompt for user selection of the audio setting from one or more available audio settings.

8. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving data indicating that a media item available from a source computing device is to be played by a playback device, wherein the computing device is in communication with the playback device via a local area network (LAN) and wherein the source computing device is remote from the computing device and the playback device;

identifying an audio setting that corresponds to (i) the media item and (ii) one or more characteristics of the playback device;

causing the source computing device to transmit metadata associated with the media item to the playback device, wherein the metadata indicates the identified audio setting; and

causing the playback device to play the media item according to the identified audio setting.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more characteristics of the playback device comprises an orientation of the playback device.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more characteristics of the playback device comprises a playback group configuration of the playback device.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the media item is an item in a curated playlist, and wherein the identified audio setting further corresponds to the curated playlist.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the identified audio setting is associated with a provider of the media item.

13. The computing device of claim 8,

wherein the metadata comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) where parameters associated with the identified audio setting are stored.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the function of causing the playback device to play the media item according to the identified audio setting further comprises:

causing, by the computing device, a modified audio data to be generated based on the identified audio setting and audio data associated with the media item;

transmitting, by the computing device, the modified audio data to the playback device; and

causing, via the computing device, the playback device to play the modified audio data.

23. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the playback device automatically applies a default audio setting, and wherein the functions further comprise:

in response to determining that the media item is to be played from the curated playlist, causing the playback device to change the audio setting for the media item from the default audio setting to the identified audio setting.

24. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the identified audio setting comprises a dynamic setting indicating a first audio setting for a first portion of the media item and a second audio setting for a second portion of the media item.

25. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the computing device comprises a controller device.

26. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

displaying a prompt for user selection of the audio setting from one or more available audio settings.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving data indicating that a media item available from a source computing device is to be played by a playback device, wherein the computing device is in communication with the playback device via a local area network (LAN) and wherein the source computing device is remote from the computing device and the playback device;

identifying an audio setting that corresponds to (i) the media item and (ii) one or more characteristics of the playback device;

causing the source computing device to transmit metadata associated with the media item to the playback device, wherein the metadata indicates the identified audio setting; and

causing the playback device to play the media item according to the identified audio setting.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the media item is an item in a curated playlist, and wherein the identified audio setting further corresponds to the curated playlist.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identified audio setting is associated with a provider of the media item.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more characteristics of the playback device comprises at least one of an orientation of the playback device, and a playback group configuration of the playback device.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the media item is an item in a curated playlist, wherein the identified audio setting further corresponds to the curated playlist, wherein the playback device automatically applies a default audio setting, and wherein the functions further comprise:

in response to determining that the media item is to be played from the curated playlist, causing the playback device to change the audio setting for the media item from the default audio setting to the identified audio setting.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identified audio setting comprises a dynamic setting indicating a first audio setting for a first portion of the media item and a second audio setting for a second portion of the media item.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computing device comprises a controller device.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the functions further comprise:

displaying a prompt for user selection of the audio setting from one or more available audio settings.