SYNCHRONIZING AUDIO CONTENT TO AUDIO AND VIDEO DEVICES

• US 20170026686A1
• Filed: 07/20/2015
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shekel, Tomer, Glazier, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 9,948,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43076 of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

In one general aspect, a method can include receiving, by a computing device, a selection of a group of devices that receive content under control of the computing device, and identifying a first device and a second device included in the group of devices. The computing device and each device included in the group of devices can be connected to a network. The first and second devices can be available to receive content, under the control of the computing device, from a server connected to the network that is remote from the group of devices and the computing device. The method can include providing an indication that the content be provided to the first device by the server and providing an indication that at least a portion of the content be provided to the second device synchronously with the providing of the content to the first device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a selection of a group of devices that receive content under control of the computing device, the computing device and each device included in the group of devices being connected to a network;

identifying, by the computing device, a first device and a second device included in the group of devices, the first device and the second device being available to receive content from a server connected to the network, the server being remote from the group of devices and the computing device, and the first device and the second device being available to receive the content under a control of the computing device;

providing, by the computing device and to the first device, an indication that the content be provided to the first device by the server; and

providing, by the computing device and to the second device, an indication that at least a portion of the content be provided to the second device, the at least a portion of the content being provided by the server synchronously with the providing of the content to the first device.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the content is streaming audio content from a cast-enabled application executing on the computing device, and

wherein the method further comprises casting the content to the group of devices.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the content is streaming audio content,

wherein the first device is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker, and

wherein the method further comprises playing the content on the at least one built-in speaker.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the content is streaming audio content,

wherein the first device is a first speaker and the second device is a second speaker, and

wherein the method further comprises playing the content on the first speaker and the second speaker.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the content is audio content for playing on a speaker included in the computing device, and

wherein the method further comprises mirroring the content to the group of devices.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the content is streaming audio content from a browser-based application executing in an instance of a web browser application, and

wherein the method further comprises casting the content to the group of devices.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the content is streaming media content including audio and video portions,

wherein the first device is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker,

wherein the second device is a speaker,

wherein the at least a portion of the content is the audio portion of the streaming media content, and

wherein the method further comprises:

playing the content on the first device, the playing including;

displaying the video portion of the content in the display area; and

playing the audio portion of the content on the at least one built-in speaker; and

playing the at least a portion of the content on the second device.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the content is streaming media content including audio and video portions,

wherein the at least a portion of the content is the audio portion of the streaming media content,

wherein providing an indication that the content be provided to the first device includes providing an indication that the audio portion of the content be provided to the first device, and

wherein the method further comprises:

displaying the video portion of the content on a display device included in the computing device;

playing the audio portion of the content on the first device, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the content on the display device; and

playing the audio portion of the content on the second device, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the content on the display device.

9. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to:

receive, by the computing device, a selection of a group of devices that receive content under control of the computing device, the computing device and each device included in the group of devices being connected to a network;

identify, by the computing device, a first device and a second device included in the group of devices, the first device and the second device being available to receive content from a server connected to the network, the server being remote from the group of devices and the computing device, and the first device and the second device being available to receive the content under a control of the computing device;

provide, by the computing device and to the first device, an indication that the content be provided to the first device by the server; and

provide, by the computing device and to the second device, an indication that at least a portion of the content be provided to the second device, the at least a portion of the content being provided by the server synchronously with the providing of the content to the first device.

10. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the content is streaming audio content from a cast-enabled application executing on the computing device, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to cast the content to the group of devices.

11. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the content is streaming audio content,

wherein the first device is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to play the content on the at least one built-in speaker.

12. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the content is streaming audio content,

wherein the first device is a first speaker and the second device is a second speaker, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to play the content on the first speaker and the second speaker.

13. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the content is audio content for playing on a speaker included in the computing device, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to mirror the content to the group of devices.

14. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the content is streaming audio content from a browser-based application executing in an instance of a web browser application, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to cast the content to the group of devices.

15. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the content is streaming media content including audio and video portions,

wherein the first device is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker,

wherein the second device is a speaker,

wherein the at least a portion of the content is the audio portion of the streaming media content, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to:

play the content on the first device, the playing including;

displaying the video portion of the content in the display area; and

playing the audio portion of the content on the at least one built-in speaker; and

play the at least a portion of the content on the second device.

16. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the content is streaming media content including audio and video portions,

wherein the at least a portion of the content is the audio portion of the streaming media content,

wherein providing an indication that the content be provided to the first device includes providing an indication that the audio portion of the content be provided to the first device, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to:

display the video portion of the content on a display device included in the computing device;

play the audio portion of the content on the first device, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the content on the display device; and

play the audio portion of the content on the second device, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the content on the display device.

17. A system comprising:

a network;

a computing device connected to the network and configured to execute an application;

a first device external to the computing device and connected to the network, the first device included in a group of devices that receive content under control of the computing device;

a second device external to the computing device and connected to the network, the second device included in the group of devices that receive content under the control of the computing device; and

a server connected to the network and configured to provide content to the first device and the second device under the control of the computing device,

the computing device providing an indication to the first device that the content be provided to the first device by the server,

the computing device providing an indication to the second device that the content be provided to the second device by the server, and

the application synchronizing the providing of the content to the first device and the second device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the application is a cast-enabled application.

19. The system of claim 17,

wherein the computing device is further configured to execute a web browser application, and

wherein the application is a browser-based application executing in an instance of the web browser application.

20. The system of claim 17,

wherein the content is streaming media content including audio and video portions,

wherein the first device is a display device including a display area,

wherein the second device is a speaker, and

wherein the application synchronizing the providing of the content to the first device and the second device includes synchronizing the playing of the audio portion of the content on the speaker with the playing of the video portion of the content in the display area of the display device.