US 10,091,604 B2Granted

Generation and presentation of multimedia signals having improved audio

AssigneeTransformative Engineering, Inc.

InventorJay Alan Trieber

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In one embodiment, a multimedia audio inserter removes the left and right audio channel data from a multimedia signal, for example an HDMI® signal and replaces it with an alternate audio signal, which may be the center channel audio signal provided by a digital surround sound receiver. In exemplary applications, the resulting, modified multimedia signal may be provided to a digital television that is part of a surround sound system, enabling the television to play the center channel signal through its speakers. Optionally, the multimedia audio inserter may provide a copy of the multimedia signal at a multimedia feedthrough output. In exemplary applications, the multimedia feedthrough output may be used to play left and right channel audio, present in the HDMI® signal, through dedicated left and right speakers.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A system for generation and presentation of multimedia content, comprising:

a multimedia source device that provides as outputs a source multimedia signal and a center channel audio signal;
a de-audio device that receives the source multimedia signal, that is configured to separate the source multimedia signal into one or more source audio signals and one or more video signals, and that is configured to output one or more de-audio signals, the de-audio signals comprising the video signals and fewer than all of the source audio signals;
an audio injection device that receives the de-audio signals and the center channel audio signal, and that is configured to combine the center channel audio signal with the de-audio signals to form a modified multimedia signal, the center channel audio signal forming each of a left and a right speaker channel signal of the modified multimedia signal;
an audiovisual display device having a left speaker and a right speaker, the audiovisual display device receiving the modified multimedia signal;
a multimedia feedthrough output device that receives the source multimedia signal, and that is configured to provide as an output a feedthrough multimedia signal, the feedthrough multimedia signal being a copy of the source multimedia signal;
and
a surround sound receiver that receives the feedthrough multimedia signal;
and
wherein, in response to a combination of the modified multimedia signal and the feedthrough multimedia signal, the audiovisual display device presents the center channel audio signal on each of its left speaker and its right speaker, and the surround sound receiver presents at least the source audio signals other than the center channel audio signal, the audiovisual display device and the surround sound receiver being part of a single surround sound system.

6 more elements

A method for generating and presenting multimedia content by a surround sound system, comprising:

providing a multimedia audio inserter that is configured to:
receive a multimedia input signal from an audiovisual output of a multimedia source device, the multimedia input signal comprising source audio signals and source video signals;
receive a center channel audio signal from a center channel output of the multimedia source device;
transmit a modified multimedia signal containing the source video signals and having the center channel audio signal in a left screen audio data channel and a right screen audio data channel of the modified multimedia signal;
and
transmit a feedthrough multimedia signal, the feedthrough multimedia signal being a copy of the multimedia input signal;
receiving, by the multimedia audio inserter, the multimedia input signal and the center channel audio signal;
transmitting, by the multimedia audio inserter, the modified multimedia signal to an audiovisual display device of the surround sound system;
and
transmitting, by the multimedia audio inserter, the multimedia feedthrough signal to a surround sound receiver of the surround sound system;
and
wherein the modified multimedia signal and the feedthrough multimedia signal, in combination with each other by said inserter, are configured so as to provide, as part of the surround sound system, the center channel audio signal and, by a separate connection, at least the source audio signals other than the center channel audio signal.

9 more elements

A method performed by a multimedia audio inserter for generating and presenting multimedia content by a surround sound system, comprising:

separating, by a de-audio device in said inserter, a source multimedia signal into one or more source audio signals and one or more source video signals;
generating, by the de-audio device, one or more de-audio signals, the de-audio signals comprising the source video signals and fewer than all of the source audio signals;
combining, by an audio injection device in said inserter, the de-audio signals and a center channel audio signal, so as to form a modified multimedia signal, the center channel audio signal forming each of a left and a right speaker channel signal of the modified multimedia signal;
transmitting, by the audio injection device, the modified multimedia signal to an audiovisual display device of the surround sound system;
and
transmitting a multimedia feedthrough signal to a surround sound receiver of the surround sound system, the feedthrough multimedia signal being a copy of the multimedia input signal;
and
wherein the modified multimedia signal and the feedthrough multimedia signal, in combination with each other by said inserter, are configured so as to provide, as part of the surround sound system, the center channel audio signal and, by a separate connection, at least the source audio signals other than the center channel audio signal.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/250,630Filed 29 Aug 2016 · continuation
Priority: 4 Sep 2014
Published: US 2016/0073158 A122 Dec 2016
Granted: 2 Oct 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H04S 7/308
Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field: electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection
H04N 21/43635
Involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394: hdmi
H04N 21/8106
Monomedia components thereof: involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
H04S 1/002
Two-channel systems: non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution

Family

Application62/045,773Us provisional application · filed 4 Sep 2014
Application14/840,541Parent of this continuation · filed 31 Aug 2015
US 2016/0373879 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Dec 2016
US 9,462,330 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0073158 A1Published application
US 10,091,604 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.