Methods, systems, and products for alternate audio sources

• US 9,049,406 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2014
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• 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): Smith, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US14/479,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20140375883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 269 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 time stamps are synchronized to audio time stamps to ensure streaming content is pleasing.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing, by a processor, a video signal having video time stamps and a video threshold time;

separately receiving, by the processor, an audio source comprising audio time stamps and an audio threshold time;

comparing, by the processor, the audio time stamps to the video time stamps;

determining, by the processor, a difference in time between one of the audio time stamps and a corresponding one of the video time stamps; and

delaying, by the processor, the audio source until the difference in time is within the smaller one of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying for alternate audio sources for the video signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting the audio source as one of the alternate audio sources.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a user'"'"'s selection of the audio source from a listing of the alternate audio sources.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving the threshold time from the video signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, from the video signal, an amount of permissible asynchronism between the video signal and the audio source.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, from the audio source, an amount of permissible asynchronism between the video signal and the audio source.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

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

separately receiving an audio source comprising audio time stamps and an audio threshold time;

comparing the audio time stamps to the video time stamps;

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

delaying the audio source until the difference in time is within the smaller one of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise querying for alternate audio sources for the video signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the audio source as one of the alternate audio sources.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a user'"'"'s selection of the audio source from a listing of the alternate audio sources.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the video threshold time from the video signal.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving, from the video signal, an amount of permissible asynchronism between the video signal and the audio source.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving, from the audio source, an amount of permissible asynchronism between the video signal and the audio source.

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

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

separately receiving an audio source comprising audio time stamps and an audio threshold time;

comparing the audio time stamps to the video time stamps;

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

delaying the audio source until the difference in time is within the smaller one of the video threshold time and the audio threshold time.

16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise querying for alternate audio sources for the video signal.

17. The memory device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the audio source as one of the alternate audio sources.

18. The memory device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a user'"'"'s selection of the audio source from a listing of the alternate audio sources.

19. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the video threshold time from the video signal.

20. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving, from the video signal, an amount of permissible asynchronism between the video signal and the audio source.