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US 9,462,330 B2Granted
Multimedia audio inserter
AssigneeTransformative Engineering, Inc.
InventorJay Alan Trieber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims15
A multimedia audio inserter for a surround sound system having a center channel speaker replaced by one or more speakers of an audiovisual display device, comprising:
- a multimedia input device that is configured to receive a source multimedia signal from a multimedia source device, the source multimedia signal comprising source audio signals, and that is configured to provide as outputs the source multimedia signal and a feedthrough multimedia signal, the feedthrough multimedia signal being a copy of the source multimedia signal;
- a de-audio device that is configured to receive the source multimedia signal from the multimedia input device, that is configured to separate the source multimedia signal into one or more 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 audio signals;
- an audio injection device that is coupled to the output of the de-audio device, that is configured to receive a center channel audio signal from a center channel output of the multimedia source device, and that is configured to combine the center channel audio signal with the one or more 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;
- a multimedia output device that is configured to communicate the modified multimedia signal to the audiovisual display device;
- and
- a multimedia feedthrough output device that is configured to communicate the feedthrough multimedia 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.
5 more elements
A multimedia audio inserter comprising:
- a multimedia input device that is configured to receive a multimedia input signal, the multimedia input signal comprising source audio signals;
- a de-audio device that is coupled to the multimedia input device, and that is configured to remove a left screen audio data channel and a right screen audio data channel from the multimedia input signal to form a de-audio signal;
- an audio input device that is configured to receive a center channel audio signal;
- an audio injection device that is coupled to the output of the de-audio device, and that is configured to insert the center channel audio signal into the de-audio signal in place of the left screen audio data channel and the right screen audio data channel so as to form a modified multimedia signal the audio injection device comprising:
- an analog to digital converter that is configured to receive the center channel audio signal in analog format and to generate therefrom alternate digital audio signals;
- a multimedia signal processor that is coupled to the output of the analog to digital converter and the output of the de-audio device, and that is configured to combine the alternate digital audio signals and the de-audio signals so as to form the modified multimedia signal;
- and
- a multimedia signal processor controller that is coupled to the multimedia signal processor, and that is configured to control the multimedia signal processor and to perform HDCP decryption and encryption;
- a multimedia output device that is coupled to the audio injection device, and that is configured to communicate the modified multimedia signal to an audiovisual display device of a surround sound system;
- and
- a multimedia feedthrough output device that is coupled to the multimedia input device, and that is configured to communicate the multimedia input signal to a surround sound receiver of the surround sound system;
- and
- wherein the modified multimedia signal and the multimedia input 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.
10 more elements
A method, performed by a multimedia audio inserter, for generating and presenting multimedia content by a surround sound system, comprising:
- receiving a multimedia signal from an audiovisual output of a multimedia source device;
- duplicating the multimedia signal so as to form a feedthrough multimedia signal;
- receiving, by an audio injection device in said inserter, a center channel audio signal from a center channel output of the multimedia source device;
- separating, by a de-audio device in said inserter, the multimedia signal into source audio signals and source video signals;
- and
- combining the center channel audio signal and the source video signals, so as to form a modified multimedia signal, the modified multimedia signal having the center channel audio signal in place of each of a left and a right speaker channel of the source audio signals;
- 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.