Methods, systems, and products for alternate audio sources

• US 10,382,657 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meek, Dennis, Koch, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US14/996,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4392 involving audio buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 : Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 : Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 : Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/607 : for more than one sound signal, e.g. stereo, multilanguages H04N5/602 takes precedence

Abstract

Audio and video signals are synchronized for pleasing presentation of content. As content is streamed to a device, an audio portion may lag or lead a video portion. Spoken words, for example, are out of synch with the lip movements. Video content is thus synchronized to audio content to ensure streaming content is pleasing.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an electronic device, a video signal comprising video time stamps and a video threshold time;

receiving, by the electronic device, an audio signal comprising audio time stamps and an audio threshold time;

determining, by the electronic device, a permissible amount of asynchronism embedded by a content provider within at least one of the video signal and the audio signal, the permissible amount of asynchronism specified as the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time;

determining, by the electronic device, the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time;

determining, by the electronic device, a difference in time between any one of the audio time stamps and any one of the video time stamps; and

delaying, by the electronic device, at least one of the video signal and the audio signal until the difference in time satisfies the permissible amount of asynchronism specified as the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the video time stamps to the audio time stamps.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a content identifier associated with the video signal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising retrieving a website associated with the content identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a content identifier associated with the audio signal.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising retrieving a website associated with the content identifier.

7. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory device, the memory device storing code, the code when executed causing the hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a video signal comprising video time stamps and a video threshold time;

receiving an audio signal obtained from a social network, the audio signal comprising audio time stamps and an audio threshold time;

extracting a permissible amount of asynchronism using data embedded by a content provider within at least one of the video signal and the audio signal, the permissible amount of asynchronism specified as the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time;

determining the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time;

determining a difference in time between any of the audio time stamps and any of the video time stamps; and

delaying at least one of the video signal and the supplemental audio signal until the difference in time satisfies the permissible amount of asynchronism specified as the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise comparing the video time stamps to the audio time stamps.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise determining the audio signal leads the video signal.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise determining the audio signal lags the video signal.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a content identifier associated with the video signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a website associated with the content identifier.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a content identifier associated with the audio signal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a website associated with the content identifier.

15. A memory device storing instructions that when executed cause a hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a video signal at a device, the video signal comprising video time stamps and a video threshold time;

receiving a supplemental audio signal at the device, the supplemental audio signal obtained from a social network, the supplemental audio signal comprising audio time stamps and an audio threshold time;

extracting a permissible amount of asynchronism from data embedded by a content provider within at least one of the video signal and the audio signal received at the device, the permissible amount of asynchronism specified by the content provider as the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time;

determining a difference in time between the audio time stamps and the video time stamps;

comparing the difference in time to the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time; and

delaying at least one of the video signal and the audio signal until the difference in time satisfies the permissible amount of asynchronism specified as the smaller of the two values of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time.

16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise comparing the video time stamps to the audio time stamps.

17. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the audio signal leads the video signal.

18. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the audio signal lags the video signal.

19. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a content identifier associated with the video signal.