Communication system

A controller for transmitting, in a communication system comprising a plurality of adapters for executing playback by a plurality of playback devices corresponding to a plurality of channels, data to be played back by the plurality of playback devices, the controller comprising:

• a first determination unit configured to determine whether each of the plurality of adapters receives data via wired transmission or wireless transmission;
• a second determination unit configured to determine a delay count value of the data to be received by an adapter of the plurality of adapters for receiving the data via the wireless transmission determined by the first determination unit;
• a setting unit configured to set data to be played back by the plurality of playback devices and control information for indicating a delay period, corresponding to the delay count value determined by adding delay time differences between a maximum delay time and delay times of respective adapters to a processing delay time of a delay time adjustment processing circuit, to be delayed upon playback of the data to be played back in time slots of a sync transmission frame, wherein the delay period is indicated based on a frame length of the sync transmission frame;
• and
• a transmission unit configured to transmit the sync transmission frame set by the setting unit to the plurality of adapters.

A method of transmitting, in a communication system comprising a controller for transmitting data and a plurality of adapters for executing playback by a plurality of playback devices corresponding to a plurality of channels, the data to be played back by the plurality of playback devices, the method comprising:

• determining, in a first determining step, whether each of the plurality of adapters receives data via wired transmission or wireless transmission;
• determining, in a second determining step, a delay count value of the data to be received by an adapter of the plurality of adapters for receiving the data via the wireless transmission determined in the first determining step;
• setting data to be played back by the plurality of playback devices and control information for indicating a delay period, corresponding to the delay count value determined by adding delay time differences between a maximum delay time and delay times of respective adapters to a processing delay time of a delay time adjustment processing circuit, to be delayed upon playback of the data to be played back in time slots of a sync transmission frame based on determination results of the first and second determining steps in time slots of the sync transmission frame, wherein the delay period is indicated based on a frame length of the sync transmission frame;
• transmitting the set sync transmission frame to the plurality of adapters;
• receiving at each adapter the sync transmission frame;
• extracting data corresponding to the channel to be played back by each adapter from the sync transmission frame;
• and
• controlling a playback timing of the data based on control information corresponding to the data.

A method of transmitting, in a communication system comprising a controller for executing the method of transmitting data and a plurality of adapters for executing playback by a plurality of playback devices corresponding to a plurality of channels, data to be played back by the plurality of playback devices, the method comprising:

• determining, in a first determining step, whether each of the plurality of adapters receives data via wired transmission or wireless transmission;
• determining, in a second determining step, a delay count value of the data to be received by an adapter of the plurality of adapters for receiving the data via the wireless transmission determined in the first determining step;
• setting data to be played back by the plurality of playback devices and control information for indicating a delay period, corresponding to the delay count value determined by adding delay time differences between a maximum delay time and delay times of respective adapters to a processing delay time of a delay time adjustment processing circuit, to be delayed upon playback of the data to be played back in time slots of a sync transmission frame based on determination results of the first and second determining steps in time slots of the sync transmission frame, wherein the delay period is indicated based on a frame length of the sync transmission frame;
• and
• transmitting the set sync transmission frame to the plurality of adapters.