CN106375921B - Multi-channel pairing in a media system - Google Patents

Abstract

Multi-channel pairing in a media system. Techniques are disclosed for grouping, merging, and pairing individual playback devices (players) with network capabilities to simulate a multi-channel listening environment. In particular, embodiments described herein enable two or more playback devices to be paired such that multi-channel audio is achieved. These embodiments may be used to create stereo and multi-channel audio environments for television and movies.

Description

Multi-channel pairing in a media system

The application is a divisional application named as 'multi-channel pairing in a media system' of Chinese patent application No.201280028038.9 filed on 26/4/2012.

Technical Field

The presently described technology relates to technology used in the field of consumer electronics. In particular, particular embodiments relate to multi-channel pairing in media systems.

Background

Music is a very important part of our daily lives. And due to the development of technology, music content is now more accessible than ever. The same is true for other types of media such as television, movies, and other audio and video content. Indeed, users can now access content even through the internet via web stores, internet radio stations, online music services, online movie services, etc., in addition to the more traditional way of accessing audio and video content.

The demand for such audio and video content is increasing. Given the high demand for many years, the technology for accessing and playing such content has likewise improved. Even so, techniques for accessing content and playing back such content may be significantly improved or developed in ways that may not be anticipated by the marketplace or end users.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments described herein include, but are not limited to: various apparatus, systems, methods, and computer program products. This section is for the purpose of summarizing some aspects of particular embodiments. Simplifications or omissions may be made in this section as well as in the abstract or heading of this description to avoid obscuring the purpose of the section, abstract or heading. Such simplifications or omissions are not intended to limit the scope of the various inventions described herein.

Briefly, embodiments described herein provide techniques for grouping, merging, and pairing individual playback devices to create or enhance a multi-channel listening environment. In particular, embodiments described herein enable two or more playback devices to be paired such that multi-channel audio is enabled or enhanced. These embodiments may be used, for example, to create stereo or other audio environments suitable for audio content encoded using more than two channels for particular types of television, movies, and music.

For example, an apparatus according to one embodiment includes: a network interface, a plurality of speaker drivers, an amplifier, and a processor. The network interface receives audio data over a network. The amplifier powers a plurality of speaker drivers. The processor processes the audio data to be output through the plurality of speaker drivers. The processor further configures a first equalization of output from the plurality of speaker drivers according to the first type of pairing and configures a second equalization of output from the plurality of speaker drivers according to the second type of pairing.

In another example, a method according to one embodiment includes: the method includes receiving audio data over a network and processing the audio data for output by a plurality of speaker drivers. The method further comprises the following steps: a first equalization of output from the plurality of speaker drivers is configured according to a first type of pairing and a second equalization of output from the plurality of speaker drivers is configured according to a second type of pairing.

One of the objects, features and advantages of the present invention is to implement or enhance a multi-channel listening environment. Many other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a study of the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presently described technology will become better understood by those skilled in the art with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary configuration in which certain embodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary functional block diagram of a player according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 2B shows an example of a controller that may be used to remotely control one or more of the players of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C shows an example of a controller that may be used to remotely control one or more of the players of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D illustrates an exemplary internal functional block diagram of a controller, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 3A provides an illustration of a zone (zone) scene configuration;

FIG. 3B illustrates a user defining multiple groups to be aggregated simultaneously;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary user interface that may be displayed on the controller or computer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary user interface that allows a user to form a scene;

FIG. 5B illustrates another exemplary user interface that allows a user to form a scene;

FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary user interface that allows a user to individually or collectively adjust the volume level of a zone player in a zone scene;

FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram or process for providing player themes or partitioned scenes to a plurality of players, where one or more of the players are placed in a partition;

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary configuration for playback of audio sources on two players in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary configuration for pairing between multiple players according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart or process for grouping a plurality of audio products to synchronously play separate audio tracks to simulate a multi-channel listening environment; and

fig. 10A-10F illustrate exemplary screen shots of a controller used in certain embodiments.

Further, the drawings are for purposes of illustrating particular embodiments, but it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

Detailed Description

I、SUMMARY

Embodiments described herein relate to multi-channel pairing in a media system. These embodiments are particularly useful in pairing two or more playback devices together to create or enhance a multi-channel audio reproduction, stereo-like, surround sound, or some other multi-channel environment. These embodiments will also find utility in connection with any system that requires multi-channel pairing.

In one embodiment, two playback devices (where both playback devices are configured to output a plurality of audio channels independently of each other) are selectively paired such that, upon pairing, one playback device is configured to output a first subset of the plurality of audio channels while the other playback device is configured to output a second subset of the plurality of audio channels. The first subset and the second subset are different. For example, before being paired, each playback device is configured to operate in a dual channel mode or stereo mode (e.g., each playback device is configured to play both right and left channel audio). After pairing, one playback device is reconfigured to output a first channel (e.g., right channel audio instead of left channel audio) and the other playback device is reconfigured to output a second channel different from the first channel (e.g., left channel audio instead of right channel audio).

In another embodiment, a set of three or more playback devices (where the three or more playback devices are each configured to output a plurality of audio channels independently of another playback device in the set) are selectively paired such that, upon pairing, each of the playback devices is configured to output a different audio channel from the set. This embodiment is particularly useful in a television or movie theater type setting where a particular playback device of the plurality of playback devices is configured to output in a dual channel or stereo mode once (e.g., when playing a song) and, after pairing, is configured to output in a front right channel, a front center channel, a front left channel, a rear right channel, a rear left channel, a subwoofer channel, etc. (e.g., when watching television or a movie or listening to music containing more than two channels).

In another embodiment, one of the paired playback devices processes the data of the audio item to separate the data into channels, each channel representing, for example, a single audio track. The playback device sends the separate channels to other respective playback devices. The playback device synchronously plays its different channels, creating a multi-channel listening environment. Alternatively, each of the paired playback devices processes data, or a portion of data, of the audio item and only plays one or more channels designated for the respective playback device.

In another embodiment, two or more playback devices may be grouped into a single or merged playback device, and the merged playback device may be paired with one or more playback devices. For example, two playback devices may be grouped as a first merged playback device and two additional playback devices may be grouped as a second merged playback device. For example, a first merged playback device and a second merged playback device may be paired. In particular embodiments, each of the merged playback devices is brought into a merge mode, which may result in altered equalization of one or more speaker drivers for any particular playback device. Further, one or more additional playback devices may be added to the merged playback device.

In particular embodiments, a playback device configured to output an audio channel is paired with one or more additional playback devices such that the playback device is reconfigured to output a different audio channel. For example, a playback device may be configured to output a right channel for stereo mode, but after pairing with one or more additional playback devices, may be reconfigured to output a rear right channel for theater mode. The playback device may be paired with one or more other playback devices.

In particular embodiments, a playback device configured to output a plurality of audio channels is paired with one or more additional playback devices such that the playback device is configured to output a subset of the plurality of audio channels relative to the one or more additional playback devices. For example, the playback device may be configured to output in a dual channel or stereo mode, but after pairing with one or more playback devices, may be configured to output a right channel or a left channel. The playback device may be paired with one or more other playback devices.

In a particular embodiment, the playback device includes: a network interface, one or more speaker drivers, an amplifier, and a processor. The network interface receives audio data over a network. The amplifier powers the speaker driver. The processor processes the audio data for output through the speaker driver. The processor further configures a first equalization of output from the speaker driver according to the first type of pairing and configures a second equalization of output from the speaker driver according to the second type of pairing. The playback device may operate in any one of the following: unpaired mode, paired mode, merged mode, and grouped mode.

In particular embodiments, the controller is particularly configured to pair two or more playback devices to establish a multi-channel audio environment. That is, the user may select which playback devices to pair through the controller. Once programmed, the playback device may operate in the pairing mode until, for example, deactivated (disabled). In some embodiments, the controller is wirelessly coupled to one or more playback devices. In other embodiments, the controller is wired to one or more playback devices.

According to particular embodiments, the act of pairing two or more playback devices is triggered based on a command from a user via a control interface (e.g., a manual command to create a pair) or in response to an event (e.g., an automatic command to create a pair). Exemplary events include detecting a change in audio content (e.g., a change in audio content from having two-channel content to three-channel or more-channel content, or vice versa), detecting a particular time, detecting a particular type of entertainment (e.g., detecting that a user is watching television relative to just listening to music), or any other event programmed to create a pair in a playback device. Event detection may be performed by, for example, the controller, one of the playback devices, or some other device.

According to particular embodiments, in an attempt to optimize multi-channel pairing, the configuration of the playback device may include any of the following: the equalization of the playback device is changed by changing the equalization of one or more particular speaker drivers and optimizing synchronization between the paired devices. Examples of changing the equalization are described in more detail below.

These embodiments and many others are described in more detail below. Moreover, the detailed description is presented largely in terms of exemplary environments, systems, processes, procedures, logic blocks, processes, and other symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble the operation of a data processing device coupled to a network. These process descriptions and representations are generally used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

II、Exemplary Environment

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals may indicate like parts throughout the several views. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary configuration 100 in which certain embodiments may be implemented. Configuration 100 may represent, but is not limited to: a home, office building, or a portion of an integrated facility having multiple zones. There are multiple multimedia players, three examples of which 102, 104, and 106 are shown as audio devices. Each of the audio devices may be installed or provided in a particular area or zone and is therefore referred to herein as a zone player. It will be understood that a partition may include more than one partition player.

As used herein, an audio source is typically in a digital format and may be transmitted or streamed over a data network, unless explicitly stated otherwise. To facilitate an understanding of the exemplary environment of FIG. 1, assume that configuration 100 represents a home. However, it will be understood that the technology is not limited to its place of application. Referring back to fig. 1, zone players 102 and 104 may be located in one or both of the bedrooms, while zone player 106 may be installed or located in the living room. All zone players 102, 104, and 106 are coupled, directly or indirectly, to a data network 108. Further, a computing device 110 is shown coupled to the network 108. In fact, any other device such as a home gateway device, storage device, or MP3 player may also be coupled to the network 108.

The network 108 may be a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination of both. In one example, all devices, including zone players 102, 104, and 106, are coupled to the network 108 by wireless means based on an industry standard such as IEEE 802.11. In another example, all devices, including zone players 102, 104, and 106, are part of a local area network that communicates with a wide area network (e.g., the internet). In another example, all devices including zone players 102, 104, and 106 and controller 142 form an ad hoc network and are specifically named, for example, a home identifier: smith's, to distinguish from similar proximity settings using a family identifier such as Kallai's or the like.

Many devices on the network 108 are configured to download and store audio sources. For example, the computing device 110 may download an audio source, such as music or audio associated with a video, from the internet (e.g., the "cloud") or some other source, and store the downloaded audio source locally for sharing with other devices on the internet or network 108. The computing device 110 or any of the zone players 102, 104, and 106 may also be configured to receive streaming audio. The device 112, shown as a stereo system, is configured to receive analog audio sources (e.g., from a broadcast) or to acquire digital audio sources (e.g., from a compact disk). An analog audio source may be converted to a digital audio source. According to particular embodiments, the various audio sources may be shared among devices on the network 108.

Two or more zone players (e.g., any two or more of zone players 102, 104, and 106) may be grouped together to form a new zone group. Any combination of partition players and existing partition groups may be grouped together. In one example, a new partition group is formed by adding one partition player to another partition player or to an existing partition group.

In certain embodiments, there are two or more zone players in one environment (e.g., a living room within a residence). Rather than grouping the two zone players to play back the same audio source in synchronization, the two zone players may be configured to play two separate sounds in the left and right channels. In other words, the stereo effect of the sound is reproduced or enhanced by the two zone players, one for the left and the other for the right. Likewise, for three channel (or 2.1 sound effect) sound, the three zone players can be reconfigured as if there were three speakers (left and right speakers and subwoofer) to form stereo sound. Details of reconfiguring zone players and operating these audio products are described in more detail below. Similar configurations with multiple channels (greater than 3 channels, e.g., 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 channels, etc.) are also suitable. For example, configurations using more than two channels may be used in television and cinema type settings where video content, e.g., in the form of television and movies, is played along with audio content containing more than two channels. Furthermore, similarly, more than two channels of sound may be used to encode a particular music.

In particular embodiments, two or more zone players may be merged to form a single merged zone player. The merged partition player may be further paired with a single partition player or another merged partition player. The merge partition player may include one or more separate playback devices. Preferably, each of the incorporated playback devices is set in the incorporated mode.

According to some embodiments, any of the grouping, merging, and pairing may continue until the desired configuration is complete. Preferably, the acts of grouping, merging and pairing are performed by a control interface rather than physically connecting and reconnecting speaker lines to, for example, separate different speakers to create different configurations. Thus, certain embodiments described herein provide a more flexible and dynamic platform by which sound reproduction may be provided to end users.

It will be understood that the technology described herein is not limited to its place of application. Further, it will be understood that the zones and zone players and embodiments described herein may be used in vehicles, boats, airplanes, arenas, outdoors, along streets in a village or city, etc., in addition to homes, offices, gyms, schools, hospitals, hotels, movie theaters, malls, stores, casinos, museums, amusement parks, or any other location where audio content may be played. Thus, it will be apparent that the embodiments described herein may be used in connection with any system or application that requires multi-channel pairing.

III、Exemplary playback device

Referring now to FIG. 2A, an exemplary functional block diagram of a zone player 200 according to one embodiment is shown. Zone player 200 includes network interface 202, processor 204, memory 206, audio processing circuitry 210, module 212, and optionally includes an audio amplifier 214, which may be internal or external, and optionally a speaker unit 218 connected to audio amplifier 214. The network interface 202 facilitates data flow between a data network (i.e., the data network 108 of fig. 1) and the zone player 200, and typically implements a special set of rules (i.e., protocols) to send data back and forth. One of the common protocols used in the internet is TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/internet protocol). In general, the network interface 202 manages the grouping of audio sources or files into smaller packets to be sent over the data network, or the reassembly of received packets into original sources or files. In addition, the network interface 202 processes the address portion of each packet so that it arrives at the correct destination or intercepts packets destined for the zone player 200. Thus, in particular embodiments, each of the packets includes an IP-based source address and an IP-based destination address.

The network interface 202 may include one or both of a wireless interface 216 and a wired interface 217. Wireless interface 216 (also referred to as an RF interface) provides network interface functionality wirelessly to zone player 200 to communicate with other devices according to a communication protocol (e.g., wireless standards ieee802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.15.1). The wired interface 217 provides network interface functionality via a wired means (e.g., an ethernet cable). In one embodiment, the zone player includes both interfaces 216 and 217, and the other zone player includes only an RF interface or a wired interface. Thus, these other zone players communicate with other devices on the network or acquire audio sources via the zone players. Processor 204 is configured to control the operation of the other parts of zone player 200. The memory 206 may be loaded with one or more software modules that may be executed by the processor 204 to achieve desired tasks. According to one embodiment, a software module executing an embodiment such as described herein is executed, and the processor 204 operates in accordance with the software module with reference to a saved zone group configuration that describes characteristics of a user-created zone group, causing the zone player 200 to acquire audio sources from another zone player or device on the network, and synchronize the players in the zone group to play back the audio sources as desired. According to another embodiment, a software module executing an embodiment described herein creates a pair between two or more partitioned players to create a desired multi-channel audio environment.

According to one embodiment, memory 206 is used to store one or more saved partition profiles that may be retrieved for modification at any time. Typically, when a user operates a control device, the saved partition group configuration file is sent to a controller (e.g., control device 140 or 142 of FIG. 1, a computer, a portable device, or a TV). The zone group configuration provides an interactive user interface that allows for various processing or control of the zone player.

In particular embodiments, audio processing circuit 210 is similar to circuits in an audio playback device and includes one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs), audio pre-processing portions, audio enhancement portions, or digital signal processors, among others. In operation, when an audio source is acquired via the network interface 202, the audio source is processed in the audio processing circuit 210 to produce an analog audio signal. The processed analog audio signal is then provided to an audio amplifier 214 for playback on a speaker. In addition, audio processing circuit 210 may include the circuitry necessary to process the analog signal as an input to produce a digital signal for sharing with other devices on the network.

Depending on the particular implementation, the module 212 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and software. In one embodiment, module 212 is used to save a scene. The audio amplifier 214 is typically an analog circuit that provides analog audio signals to drive one or more speakers.

It will be understood that zone player 200 is an example of a playback device. Examples of playback devices include those zone players commercially sold by Sonos ltd, san babara, california. They currently include ZonePlayer90, ZonePlayer 120, and Sonos S5. ZonePlayer90 is an exemplary zone player without a built-in amplifier, while ZonePlayer 120 is an exemplary zone player with a built-in amplifier. S5 is an exemplary zone player with built-in amplifier and speaker. Specifically, S5 is a five-driver speaker system including two tweeters, two midrange drivers, and a subwoofer. When the audio content is played via S5, the left audio data of the track is emitted from the left tweeter and the left mid driver, while the right audio data of the track is emitted from the right tweeter and the right mid driver, and the single-channel bass is emitted from the subwoofer. Furthermore, the two midrange drivers and the two tweeters have the same equalization (or substantially the same equalization). That is, they are all emitted at the same frequency, but from different audio channels. While S5 is an example of a zone player with speakers, it will be understood that a zone player with speakers is not limited to a zone player with a particular number of speakers (e.g., five speakers in S5), but may contain one or more speakers. Furthermore, the zone player may be part of another device that may even serve a primary purpose other than audio.

IV、Exemplary controller

Referring now to fig. 2B, an exemplary controller 240 is shown, which may correspond to the control device 140 or 142 of fig. 1. The controller 240 may be used to facilitate control of multimedia applications, automation, etc. in an integrated facility. In particular, the controller 240 is configured to facilitate selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network to control operation of one or more zone players (e.g., zone player 200) via an RF interface corresponding to the wireless interface 216 of fig. 2A. According to one embodiment, the wireless manner is based on an industry standard (e.g., infrared, radio, wireless standard IEEE802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.15.1). When a particular audio source is being played in the zone player 200, if there is any picture associated with the audio source, that picture may be sent from the zone player 200 to the controller 240 for display. In one embodiment, the controller 240 is used to synchronize the audio playback of more than one zone player by grouping the zone players into a group. In another embodiment, the controller 240 is used to control the volume of each zone player in a zone group individually or collectively.

In one embodiment, the controller 240 is used to create a pairing between two or more playback devices to create or enhance a multi-channel listening environment. For example, the controller 240 may be used to select and pair two or more playback devices. In addition, the controller 240 may be used to turn pairing on or off. The controller 240 may also be used to merge playback devices and further set a particular playback device in merge mode. Thus, in some embodiments, the controller 240 provides a flexible mechanism for dynamically configuring a multi-channel audio environment. In some instances, the pairing creates a multi-channel listening environment. In some instances, pairing enhances a multi-channel listening environment by increasing the separation between devices. For example, two separate playback devices at a distance from each other may provide a listener with a greater channel separation than audio from only a single device.

The user interface of the controller 240 includes a screen 242 (e.g., L CD screen) and a set of function buttons, "zone" button 244, "Back" button 246, "music" button 248, scroll wheel 250, "ok" button 252, a set of transport control buttons 254, a mute button 262, a volume up/down button 264, a set of soft buttons 266 corresponding to tabs 268 displayed on the screen 242.

Screen 242 displays various on-screen menus in response to user selections. In one embodiment, a "partition" button 244 activates a partition management screen or "partition menu," which is described in more detail below. The "back" button 246 may cause different actions depending on the current screen. In one embodiment, the "back" button triggers the current screen display to return to the previous screen display. In another embodiment, the "back" button cancels the user's wrong selection. The "music" button 248 activates a music menu, which allows the selection of an audio source (e.g., song) to be added to the music queue of the zone player for playback.

The scroll wheel 250 is used to select items in the list each time the list is presented on the screen 242. When the items in the list are too many to fit in one screen display, a scroll indicator, such as a scroll bar or scroll arrow, is displayed next to the list. When the scroll indicator is displayed, the user may rotate the scroll wheel 250 to select a displayed item or to display a hidden item in the list. An "OK" button 252 is used to confirm the user's selection on screen 242.

There are three deck buttons 254 that are used to control the effect of the currently playing song. For example,

the functions of the tape-out button may include play/pause and forward/reverse songs, move forward to the next song track, or move backward to the previous track. According to one embodiment, pressing one of the volume control buttons, such as mute button 262 or volume up/down button 264, activates the volume panel. In addition, there are three soft buttons 266 that can be activated according to tabs 268 on the screen 242. It will be appreciated that in a multi-zone system, there may be multiple audio sources that are respectively playing in more than one zone player. When one of the zone players or zone groups is selected, the music tape-out functionality described herein will be selectively applied to respective ones of these sources.

Fig. 2C illustrates an exemplary controller 260 that may correspond to the control device 140 or 142 of fig. 1. The controller 260 is equipped with a touch screen that allows a user to interact with the controller, for example, to navigate a playlist having a large number of items to control the operation of one or more players. In one embodiment, as further shown in fig. 10A-10F, a user may interact with the controller to produce a multi-channel audio environment, e.g., create stereo pairs, and may even be used to separate the multi-channel audio environment, e.g., disarm the stereo pairs. It should be noted that other network-enabled portable devices (e.g., an iPhone, iPad, or any other smartphone or network-enabled device) may be used as a controller to interact with and control multiple zone players in the environment (e.g., a networked computer such as a PC or Mac may also be used as a controller). According to one embodiment, an application may be downloaded to a network-enabled device. Such an application may use a navigation mechanism or touch screen in the device to perform most of the functions discussed above with respect to the controller 240. The flexibility of such applications and their ability to be ported to new portable devices will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the detailed description herein.

FIG. 2D illustrates an internal functional block diagram of an exemplary controller 270, which exemplary controller 270 may correspond to the controller 240, computing device, smartphone, or any other communication device of FIG. 2B, the screen 272 on the controller 270 may be an L CD screen, the screen 272 communicates with and is directed by the screen driver 274, wherein the screen driver 274 is controlled by a microcontroller (e.g., a processor) 276. the memory 282 may be loaded with one or more application modules 284, which the microcontroller 276 may execute with or without user input via a user interface 278 to implement a desired task.

The controller 270 includes a network interface 280 (referred to as an RF interface 280) that facilitates wireless communication with the zone player via its respective RF interface. In one embodiment, commands such as volume control and audio playback synchronization are sent via the RF interface. In another embodiment, the saved partition group configuration is transmitted between the partition player and the controller via an RF interface. Controller 270 may control one or more zone players, e.g., 102, 104, and 106 of fig. 1. However, there may be more than one controller, each preferably in a zone (e.g., a room close to each other) and configured to control any and all zone players.

In one embodiment, a user creates a partition group comprising at least two partition players through the controller 240, wherein the controller 240 sends a signal or data to one of the partition players. When all zone players are coupled on the network, the signal received in one zone player may cause the other zone players in the group to be synchronized such that all zone players in the group play back the same audio source or have the same list of audio sources in a time-synchronized manner such that no (or substantially no) audible delay or short pause is audible. Similarly, when the user increases the audio volume of a group via the controller, a signal or data to increase the audio volume of the group is sent to one of the zone players and causes the volume of the other zone players in the group to increase along with the scale (scale).

According to one embodiment, application modules are loaded into memory 282 for partition group management. When a predetermined key (e.g., the "zone" button 244) is activated on the controller 240, the application module is executed in the microcontroller 276. An input interface 278 coupled to the microcontroller 276 and controlled by the microcontroller 276 receives input from a user. Then, "partition menu" is displayed on the screen 272. The user may begin to group partition players into partition groups by activating the "link partition" or "add partition" soft buttons, or to ungroup partition groups by activating the "unlink partition" or "subtract partition" buttons. The details of the split group processing are discussed further below.

As described above, the input interface 278 includes a plurality of function buttons and an on-screen graphical user interface. It should be noted that the controller 240 in fig. 2B is not the only control device in which embodiments may be implemented. Other devices (e.g., computing devices, handheld devices) providing equivalent control functions may also be configured to implement the invention. In the description above, unless specifically described otherwise, it will be clear that a key or button is generally referred to as a physical button or soft button that enables a user to input commands or data.

One mechanism for "joining" partitioned players together for music playback is to link multiple partitioned players together to form a group. To link multiple zone players together, a user may manually link each zone player or room together in succession. For example, there are multi-partition systems that include the following partitions:

bathroom

Bedroom

Study room

Dining room

Household room

Rest room

If the user wishes to link five of the six zone players using the current mechanism, the user may start with a single zone and then manually link each zone to that zone. This mechanism can sometimes be very time consuming. According to one embodiment, a command may be used to dynamically link partition sets together. By using the theme or zoning scenarios mentioned herein, zones can be configured in a particular scenario (e.g., morning, afternoon, or garden), where predetermined grouping of zones and setting of properties for the groups is automatically implemented.

For example, a "morning" partition scenario/configuration command would link bedrooms, study, and restaurant together in one action. Without this single command, the user would need to link each partition manually and individually. FIG. 3A provides an illustration of a partitioning scenario, where the left column shows the starting partition grouping-all partitions are independent, and the right column shows the effect of grouping partitions to form a group of three partitions named "morning".

Further extending this idea, a partition scenario may be set up to create multiple sets of linked partitions. For example, the scenario creates three separate partition groups, downstairs partitions will be linked together in their own group, upstairs partitions will be linked together in their own group, and outdoor partitions (in this case, the terraces) will move to only their own group.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, the user defines multiple groups to be aggregated simultaneously. For example, it is desirable that "night scene" links the following partitions:

group 1

o bedroom

O study room

o dining room

Group 2

o garage

o garden

Where bathrooms, family rooms and rest rooms should be separated from any group if they are part of the group before the zoning scenario is invoked.

Particular embodiments feature that the partitions do not need to be split before the partition scenario is invoked. In one embodiment, if a command is invoked, the command is provided and links all partitions in one step. The command is in the form of a partitioned scene. After linking the appropriate partitions, the partition scene command may apply the following attributes:

setting the volume level in each partition (each partition may have a different volume)

Mute/unmute partition.

Specific music in the partition is selected and played.

Setting music play mode (random, repeat, random-repeat)

The music playback balance (e.g., bass) of each partition is set.

Another extension of this embodiment is to trigger a zone scene command as an alarm clock function. For example, the partition scenario is set to be at 8: applied at 00 am. It can automatically link the appropriate partition, set a particular music to play, and then stop the music after a predetermined duration. While a single partition may be assigned to an alarm, a scenario set as an alarm provides a synchronized alarm, allowing any partition linked in the scenario to play predetermined audio (e.g., favorite music, predetermined playlist) at a particular time or for a particular duration. If for any reason scheduled music fails to play (e.g., empty playlist, not connected to shared, failed UPnP, no internet connection to internet radio station), the standby alarm will sound. The alarm will be a sound file stored in a zone player.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary user interface 400 that may be displayed on the controller 142 or computer 110 of FIG. 1. The interface 400 displays a list of items that can be set up by the user to have the scene work at a particular time. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the item list includes "alarm clock", "time", "section", "music", "frequency", and "alarm clock length". An "alarm clock" may be set to turn on or off. When the "alarm clock" is set to on, the "time" is a specific time at which the alarm clock is set to off. "zone" shows which zone players are being set to play specified audio at a particular time. "music" shows content to be played when a specific time comes. The "frequency" allows the user to define the frequency of the alarm clock. The "alarm clock length" defines how long the audio is to be played. It should be noted that the user interface 400 is provided herein to display some of the functionality associated with setting up an alarm clock. Other functions such as time zone, daylight savings, time synchronization, and time/date format for display may also be provided according to particular embodiments.

According to one embodiment, each zone player in a scene may be set for a different alarm clock. For example, a "morning" scenario includes three zone players, respectively in a bedroom, a study, and a restaurant. After selecting a scene, the user may set an alarm clock for the entire scene. Thus, each of the zone players will be activated at a particular time.

Fig. 5A illustrates a user interface 500 that allows a user to form a scene. The panel on the left shows the available partitions in the home. The panel on the right displays the partitions that have been selected and grouped as part of the scene. Depending on the particular implementation of the user interface, an add/remove button may be provided to move a partition between panels, or a partition may be dragged between panels.

Fig. 5B illustrates another user interface 520 that allows a user to form a scene. A user interface 520, which may be displayed on the controller or computing device, lists the available partitions in the system. A check box is provided next to each partition so that the user can check (check in) the partition to be associated with the scene.

Fig. 5C shows a user interface 510 that allows a user to individually or collectively adjust the volume level of a zone player in a zone scene. As shown in user interface 510, a "volume …" button (shown as a slider, among other forms) allows a user to affect the volume of an associated zone player when a zone scene is invoked. In one embodiment, the zone players may be set to save whatever volume they currently have when a scene is invoked. Furthermore, the user may decide whether the volume should be unmuted or muted when invoking the scene.

V、Providing example Player themes or zoning scenarios

FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram or process 600 for providing player themes or zone scenes to a plurality of players, where one or more of the players are placed in a zone. Process 600 is presented according to one embodiment of the invention and process 600 may be performed in a module to be located in memory 282 of fig. 2C.

Process 600 is initiated when a user decides to continue processing a partition scenario at 602. The process 600 then moves to 604, which allows the user to decide which zone players are associated with the scene at 604. For example, there are ten players in a home, and a scene is named "morning". An interface may be provided to the user to select four of the ten players to associate with the scene. At 606, the scene is saved. A scene may be saved in any of the members in the scene. In the example of fig. 1, the scenes are saved in one of the zone players and displayed on the controller 142. In operation, a data set relating to a scene includes a plurality of parameters. In one embodiment, the parameters include, but may not be limited to, an identifier (e.g., an IP address) and a playlist of the associated player. The parameters may also include volume/tone settings for the associated player in the scene. If desired, the user may return to 602 to configure another scenario.

Given the saved scenes, at 610, the user may activate the scene at any time or set a timer to activate the scene. The process 600 may continue when the saved scene is activated at 610. At 612, upon activation of the saved scenes, the process 600 checks the state of the player associated with the scene. The state of the players means that each of the players will be in a state to react in a synchronized manner. In one embodiment, the interconnection of the players is checked to ensure that the players communicate with each other and/or with the controller (if present in the scene).

It is assumed that all players associated with a scene are in good condition. At 614, the command is executed using parameters (e.g., related to playlist and volume). In one embodiment, data including parameters is transmitted from one member (e.g., a controller) to the other members in the scene so that the player synchronizes the operations configured in the scene. This operation may cause all players to play back songs or pre-stored files at the same or different volume.

VI、Exemplary Multi-channel Environment

Fig. 7 shows an exemplary configuration for playback of audio sources on two players 702 and 704 according to an exemplary embodiment. The two players 702 and 704 may be located in and near a venue (e.g., a lobby, room, or nearby room) and designated to play two audio tracks, respectively. For example, an audio source may have a left sound channel and a right sound channel or a left audio track and a right audio track (e.g., stereo). Rather than grouping players 702 and 704 together to play back audio sources synchronously (where each player 702 and 704 plays the same audio content substantially simultaneously), players 702 and 704 may be paired to play different channels of audio sources synchronously. As a result of the pairing, stereo effects may be simulated or enhanced via both players 702 and 704 relative to via one or zero of the players 702 and 704.

In certain embodiments, each of players 702 and 704 includes a network interface, one or more speaker drivers (in some instances, two or more speaker drivers, e.g., when the players can play in a stereo mode without pairing), an amplifier, a processor, as shown in fig. 2A. The network interface receives audio data over a network. One or more amplifiers power the speaker drivers. The processor processes the audio data for output through the speaker driver. The processor may further configure a first equalization of output from the speaker driver according to the first type of pairing and configure a second equalization of output from the speaker driver according to the second type of pairing.

In one embodiment, the two players 702 and 704 are configured to output multiple audio channels independently of each other. For example, each player 702 and 704 may be configured to output audio content in stereo independent of each other. After pairing, one playback device (e.g., player 702) is configured to output a first subset of the plurality of audio channels and another playback device (e.g., player 704) is configured to output a second subset of the plurality of audio channels. The first subset and the second subset are different. In this example, after pairing players 702 and 704, player 702 may play the right channel and player 704 may play the left channel. In another example, player 702 may play the right channel plus the middle channel (e.g., in television or movie theater mode), and player 704 may play the left channel plus the middle channel. Even in the latter example, the first subset and the second subset are different because player 702 is playing right channel + center channel, and player 704 is playing left channel + center channel. In another embodiment, after pairing, player 702 may play all channels except for a particular bass audio, which may be played via player 704, thereby using player 704 as a subwoofer.

In another embodiment, each playback device in a set of three or more playback devices (e.g., players 702, 704, and one or more additional players) is configured to output multiple audio channels independently of another playback device in the set. After pairing, each of the playback devices is configured to output a generally different audio channel from the collection. This embodiment is particularly useful in a television or movie theater setting where a particular playback device of the multiple playback devices is configured to output simultaneously (e.g., when playing a song) in a dual channel or stereo mode and, after pairing, is configured to output (e.g., when watching a movie or television) in a front right channel, a front center channel, a front left channel, a back right channel, a back left channel, etc.

In another embodiment, one of the paired playback devices (e.g., player 702 or player 704) processes the data of the audio item to substantially separate the data into channels, where each channel represents, for example, a single audio track and is being played back in one of the playback devices to create or enhance a multi-channel listening environment. In an alternative embodiment, both playback devices (e.g., players 702 and 704) may receive and process data for an audio item, and each playback device may output only audio content designated for the respective player. For example, player 702 may receive left channel audio and right channel audio but only play the left channel, while player 704 may also receive left channel audio and right channel audio but only play the right channel.

In another embodiment, two or more playback devices (e.g., players 702 or 704) may be grouped into a single or merged playback device, and the merged playback device (e.g., merged player 702+704) may be paired with one or more playback devices. For example, two playback devices may be grouped as a first merged playback device, while two additional playback devices may be grouped as a second merged playback device. The first and second merged playback devices may then be paired to create or enhance a multi-channel listening environment.

In particular embodiments, a playback device configured to output an audio channel (e.g., player 702 or 704) is paired with one or more additional playback devices such that the playback device is configured to output an audio channel that is different from a previously configured audio channel. For example, the playback device may be configured to output the right channel in stereo mode, but after pairing with one or more additional playback devices, may be configured to output the rear right channel in cinema mode. The playback device may be paired with one or more other playback devices.

In particular embodiments, a playback device (e.g., player 702 or 704) configured to output multiple audio channels is paired with one or more additional playback devices such that the playback device is configured to output a subset of the multiple audio channels relative to the one or more additional playback devices. For example, the playback device may be configured to output in a dual channel or stereo mode, but after pairing with one or more playback devices, may be configured to output a right channel or a left channel. The playback device may be paired with one or more other playback devices.

According to particular embodiments, the act of pairing two or more playback devices is triggered based on a command from a user via a control interface (e.g., a manual command) or in response to an event (e.g., an automatic command). For example, a user may create a pairing between two or more playback devices using the controller, or unpair between two or more playback devices. In another example, the pairing may be triggered by the audio content itself, a signal received from the source device, or some other predetermined event, such that the pairing occurs when an event is detected, for example, by a controller or playback device. Further, another device may be programmed to detect the event and provide a pairing signal to the controller and/or the playback device.

Further, it will be understood that from unpaired (unpaired or unpaired) configurations to paired configurations or from one type of pairing (e.g., pairing used in one type of stereo mode or theater mode) to a different type of pairing (e.g., another pairing used in one type of stereo mode or theater mode) are various types of "pairing" that may occur in accordance with particular embodiments. Further, unpairing between multiple playback devices may, for example, change from paired to unpaired or from a first type of pairing back to a previous type of pairing.

In one example, a first type of pairing may include "unpaired" with another playback device, and a second type of pairing may include pairing with one or more additional playback devices. In a second example, the first type of pairing may include pairing with a second playback device, and the second type of pairing may include pairing with a plurality of playback devices. In a third example, the first type of pairing may include reproducing two-channel sound via the speaker driver, and the second type of pairing includes reproducing no more than one channel of the two-channel sound via the speaker driver. In a fourth example, the first type of pairing may include rendering the first audio channel via a speaker driver, and the second type of pairing may include rendering the second audio channel via the speaker driver. In a fifth example, the first type of pairing may include reproducing audio content via speaker drivers in stereo mode and the second type of pairing may include reproducing audio content via speaker drivers in cinema mode. In a sixth example, the first type of pairing may include reproducing audio content via a speaker driver, and the second type of pairing includes reproducing audio content via the speaker driver when in a merge mode. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made to the examples described immediately above to achieve some or all of the advantages of the techniques described herein.

According to particular embodiments, the configuration of the playback device may include any one of: the equalization of the playback device is changed by changing the equalization of one or more particular speaker drivers and optimizing synchronization between the paired devices. Changing the equalization of the playback device may include any of the following: turning on or off (or actually muting) one or more particular speaker drivers, changing the channel output of one or more speaker drivers, changing the frequency response of one or more particular speaker drivers, changing the amplifier gain of any particular speaker driver, changing the amplifier gain of the playback device as a whole.

In particular embodiments, changing the equalization of the playback device (e.g., changing the equalization of one or more speaker drivers of the playback device) may affect the frequency-related parameter. Examples may include adjusting intensity of frequencies in the audio data, phase adjustments, and time delay adjustments. Further, a particular equalization may use a first type of bandpass filter, e.g., a bandpass filter that attenuates, e.g., high, intermediate, or low frequencies while allowing other frequencies to pass unfiltered (or substantially unfiltered). The filters may also be of different types or different orders (e.g., first order filters, second order filters, third order filters, fourth order filters, etc.). For example, a first equalization of the playback device may include using a first type of band pass filter to modify the output based on a first type of pairing, and a second equalization of the playback device may include using a second type of band pass filter to modify the output based on a second type of pairing. In this example, the first type of band pass filter and the second type of band pass filter have one or different properties and/or characteristics, thereby changing the equalization and acoustic wave characteristics of the device.

For example, when, for example, two S5 devices are paired to create a stereo pair, one S5 device may be configured as "left" and the other S5 device may be configured as "right". In one embodiment, the user may determine which is left or right. In this configuration, for example, left and right audio data may be sent to two S5 devices, but the left audio data of a track is played out from an S5 device configured as the left and the right audio data of a track is played out from an S5 device configured as the right. In addition, the equalization of each S5 device is changed in an attempt to reduce or eliminate certain constructive or destructive interference. For example, one tweeter on each S5 device may be turned off or substantially muted. In particular embodiments, the crossover frequency with each driver may even change relative to the previous configuration such that two or more drivers do not necessarily output the exact same audio data, otherwise constructive or destructive interference may occur. In particular embodiments, the amplifier gain is adjusted for a particular speaker driver and/or for the entire playback device.

In operation, according to particular embodiments, controller 706 (e.g., controller 142 of fig. 1 or controller 240 of fig. 2B or a portable device) is used to initiate operations. If the audio source is on a network 708 (e.g., the internet or a local area network), the controller 706 causes the player 702 to retrieve the audio source via the user interface. Similarly, the controller 706 can also cause a designated device (e.g., another networked device) to establish a communication session with the player 702 to deliver the requested audio source. In any case, either or both of players 702 and 704 may access data representing audio sources.

In certain embodiments, modules in player 702 are activated to process data. According to one embodiment, the right audio track and the left audio track are separated. One track is stored locally in one player and another track is pushed or uploaded (e.g., via an ad hoc network) to another device. When the right and left audio tracks are played back simultaneously or substantially simultaneously, a stereo effect can be enjoyed.

In another embodiment, for example, in television or movie theater mode, the multiple audio tracks are separate. For example, the audio track may be separated into a center channel, a right front channel, a left front channel, a right back channel, a left back channel, and so forth. Thus, one or more audio tracks may be stored locally in one player, with other audio tracks being pushed or uploaded to other devices.

In another embodiment, one player may process the data and save one or more tracks locally, while the remaining data is sent to another player. The receiving player can then process the data, save one or more tracks locally, and send any remaining data to another player. This process, or a process similar to this, may continue until all audio tracks are saved locally by the respective player device.

In another embodiment, each player may receive and process data and only play the channel specified for that player.

In certain embodiments, it is important to maintain good synchronization, particularly when two or more independently clocked playback devices are paired such that multi-channel audio content is played back as originally intended. According to one embodiment, a message may be initiated from one device to another device, where the other device is also activated to send back an acknowledgement. Once the acknowledgement is received, the time delay for transmitting data from one device to another device may be measured. This time delay will be taken into account when synchronizing the two players for playback of two separate audio tracks. In certain embodiments, if it takes more than fifteen milliseconds, for example, to send a packet (e.g., a packet conforming to the SNTP protocol) to the playback device and receive a response, the timing information (e.g., clock information) contained in the packet is discarded. If the transmitted and received packets are less than fifteen milliseconds, information from the packets is used to adjust playback, if necessary.

Commonly assigned U.S. application No. entitled "System and Method For synchronizing operations Of the am mong A precision Of independent closed Digital Data processing devices" filed on 1/4/2004: 10/816,217, which is incorporated herein by reference, provides additional details for synchronizing the operation of two or more independently clocked players.

Fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary configuration for pairing between multiple players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 in a theater-like environment, according to one embodiment. The player 802 may operate as a front left channel, the player 804 may operate as a center channel, the player 806 may operate as a front right channel, the player 808 may operate as a subwoofer, the player 810 may operate as a rear right channel, and the player 812 may operate as a rear right channel. In this example, players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 are wirelessly coupled over a network 815 to receive and transmit data over the wireless network and obtain power from an outlet in a wall or from some other power source (e.g., a battery). Players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may be wired (if so configured in alternative embodiments). The controller 814 may be a network-enabled device, examples of which include a smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer, or television.

In one embodiment, a designated player, such as player 804, receives multi-channel audio content from source 816. Sources 816 may include audio and/or video content downloaded or streamed from the internet, a DVD, or a blu-ray player, or from some other source of audio and/or video content. The player 804 separates the multi-channel audio and sends the corresponding audio channels to its playback owner. For example, if a particular audio channel is specified for the front right speaker, then content is directed wirelessly from player 804 to player 802, and so on. Players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 play audio content synchronously to create a multi-channel listening environment. Further, if the source 816 provides video content as well as audio content, the audio content is preferably played in synchronization with the video content.

In another embodiment, each of the players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may differentiate its own channel or channels for playback. That is, all or a portion of the audio content is sent to each player (e.g., from source 816 or another playback device), and the players themselves obtain their own data for playback.

Further, the players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may be reconfigured to operate in many different configurations as described above. For example, players 802 and 806 may be paired to operate in stereo mode while the other player remains in sleep mode or is turned off (player 808 may continue to remain in any particular configuration (if so desired and configured) because it is operating as a subwoofer). In another example, players 802 and 810 may be merged and output left channel audio, while players 806 and 812 may be merged and output right channel audio. In another example, some of the players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 are consolidated into a single player and paired with additional playing devices, e.g., in adjacent rooms. In another example, when the audio content is music (as opposed to, for example, movie content), players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 are grouped together but not paired. These are just some configuration examples. Many other configurations are possible using the teachings described herein.

Fig. 9 shows a flow diagram or process 900 for grouping multiple audio products to synchronously play separate audio tracks to simulate a multi-channel listening environment. Process 900 is presented in accordance with certain embodiments and process 900 may be performed in a module to be located in memory 282 of fig. 2D. To facilitate the description of process 900, a stereo listening environment having a left channel and a right channel is described. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present description is equally applicable to other forms of multi-channel listening environments (e.g., three-channel environments, five-channel environments, seven-channel environments).

Typically, there are multiple players being controlled by one or more controllers, where the players are located at multiple locations. For example, there are five players in a home; three of which are located in three rooms, respectively, and two players are located in a larger room. Thus, the two players would be candidates to be paired to simulate a stereo listening environment, rather than merely playing synchronized audio from the two players in a packetized manner. In another example, where there are four players in a larger space or adjacent spaces, two pairs of players may be paired to simulate a stereo listening environment, where two players in one merged pair may be grouped to play back one (left) audio track and the other two players in another merged pair may be grouped to play back one (right) audio track.

In any case, at 902, a decision is made to pair two groups of players or two players. If the players are not paired, process 900 will not be activated. Assume at 902 that two players from a group of players being controlled by a controller are selected for pairing. Process 900 continues.

At 904, the user may decide which player to play back which audio track. Depending on the position of the user or listener relative to the selected player, it is assumed that player or unit a is selected to play back the left audio track and the other player or unit B is selected to play back the right audio track. In an alternative embodiment, the player itself (or the controller) may automatically determine which unit is configured to play the right channel and which unit is configured to play the left channel without input from the user.

According to one embodiment, at 906, the time delay for transmitting data between the two units A and B is measured. This time delay may facilitate sound synchronization between the two units, since one of the units will receive the processed audio track from the other unit. At 910, the user may continue to operate the controller to select a title (e.g., an audio source or item from a playlist) to be played back on both units.

Once the title is determined at 912, the data for the title is accessed. Depending on where the data is located, the controller may be configured to cause one of the two units to obtain or flood (stream in) the data. In one embodiment, controller or unit A initiates a request to provide or store data to a remote networked device. Assuming that the authentication process (if any) is successfully completed, the remote device starts uploading data to unit a. Likewise, if the data is stored locally in unit a, the data may be accessed locally without requesting the data from the network. While the data is being received or accessed in unit a, a processing module is activated in unit a to process the data, at 914, to essentially separate the data into two streams of audio tracks. In an alternative embodiment, each unit may receive and process the data, essentially separating the data into streams to be played by the respective units.

At 916, one of the streams is uploaded from unit a to unit B via a local network (e.g., an ad hoc network formed by all players being controlled by the controller). While the streams are being distributed, the two units are configured to playback the streams separately, at 918, each stream reproducing a single track of sound. The two units together create a stereo listening environment synchronously.

It should be noted that if the delay time is significant, a delay time may be incorporated into unit a to delay the consumption of the stream by the delay time in order to synchronize with unit B. Alternatively, the unselected player may be used to process streaming data of the title, and configured to provide both streams to the pair of players, thereby equalizing the time delay that would otherwise be experienced by unit B.

Fig. 10A-10F illustrate exemplary screen shots of a controller for creating stereo pairs, according to particular embodiments. The screen shot is from a computing device (e.g., a tablet computer, laptop computer, or desktop computer) that serves as a controller. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that fig. 10A-10F can be readily modified for use in a network-enabled portable device (e.g., an iPhone or iTouch or other smart phone or other network-enabled device). Furthermore, the controller may be present as part of the player itself, or may be directly/indirectly coupled to the player, and therefore these screenshots may be modified accordingly — because the player will have a network connection, such a controller need not have network capabilities.

Fig. 10A shows a graphical interface 1000 that may be displayed on the controller when a user desires to create a stereo pair using two players in the system. It will be understood that the system may comprise two or more players. If a stereo pair is desired, as discussed in connection with the examples of fig. 10A-10F, any two players in the system (one or both of which may be a merged player) may be paired. However, if it is desired to pair more than two players, for example, to create an environment capable of playing more than two channels of audio data, graphical interface 1000 may include additional options. For example, the options may include "make movie surround sound pairing", "make music surround sound pairing", or "make dolby directional logic pairing". Any descriptive language may be used to indicate to the user the types of pairings that may be created, as appropriate. Upon selection of the option, an installation wizard on the controller may help the user to configure the system appropriately so that the system can effectively implement multi-channel discrete audio.

Returning to FIG. 10A, interface 1000 allows a user to initiate a stereo pair using a zone player named "ZPS 5-Black". In particular embodiments, the system identifies that ZPS5-Black is part of a particular zone (e.g., kitchen, home room, bedroom, etc.). The system may allow the user to pair ZPS5-Black with another player in only the same partition, or alternatively, the system may allow the user to pair ZPS5-Black with another player in a different partition (e.g., a neighboring partition). Pairing players in different partitions may be particularly useful when the open space is divided into two or more partitions (e.g., the open space may include, for example, a kitchen and a home room).

Further, the system may be programmed such that pairing players from different partitions creates another partition, reflecting the players in a paired mode (e.g., a single kitchen-home room partition during pairing operation may originate from a kitchen partition and a home room partition during unpaired operation). In such embodiments, the user can switch between partitions or dynamically create new partitions.

In particular embodiments, if another similar player can be paired, the screenshot of FIG. 10B can be displayed. If the user wishes to continue creating pairs, the user may select "OK". If not, the user may select "Cancel". In another embodiment, different players (e.g., players other than S5) may be paired together. That is, different types of players may be paired (if the players are so designed to pair). To accommodate differences in player types, the equalization of one or more players may be adjusted accordingly to compensate for parameters such as the number and size of speaker drivers used in one player relative to another player. In another embodiment, a list of players in the system may be displayed (not shown) from which the user may select two or more players to make a stereo pair. The system may automatically determine the player list based on the player's configuration at the home, at a particular location in the room, or in relation to other players in the room.

Turning now to fig. 10C, in this example, assume that the user can select a zone player named "ZPS 5-White" to pair with "ZPS 5-Black" to create a stereo pair. If desired, the user may select "OK" to continue pairing. Otherwise, the user may select "cancel". In particular embodiments, ZPS5-White may be in the same zone as ZPS 5-Black. In other embodiments, ZPS5-White may be in a different zone than ZPS 5-Black.

When "OK" is selected in fig. 10C, a screenshot, such as that of fig. 10D, may be displayed to the user, instructing the user to press the mute button (or some other designated button) on the "left" player of the stereo pair. In addition, a light on the players may flash to further indicate that each of the players may be used for left channel pairing. After selecting the left player, if desired, FIG. 10E may be displayed to inform the user that a pairing has been created and the name of the pairing. In response, the system will play the left channel audio from the user-specified player, and will automatically play the right channel audio from the other player. Fig. 10F provides an exemplary screen shot that allows the user to separate stereo pairs, if desired.

In an alternative embodiment, creating stereo pairs may be an option for a particular partition or partitions (e.g., a family with partitions). For example, an option such as "create stereo pair" or the like may exist such that upon selection, the installation wizard may begin to ask the user to press a flashing mute button (or some other designated button) on whichever speaker the user wishes to be the left speaker in a partition, a portion of a partition, or all of the partitions. In one embodiment, the flashing will occur for all of the same speaker types. In another embodiment, the flashing will occur for all speaker types that can be paired. After selecting the left speaker, the wizard screen will require the user to do the same for the right speaker. Preferably, only the speaker that can be paired as the right speaker blinks to narrow the user's selection appropriately.

Further, in one embodiment and as shown in fig. 3A or 3B, a graphical display is provided to show the user all players in the system and how they are grouped or named. If FIG. 3A is modified after the stereo pair is complete, the nickname of the stereo pair in display 1040 may be highlighted in FIG. 3A and will be further displayed.

Similar graphical interfaces may be used to create pairs in environments with more than two channels. For example, in a home theater environment, the system may list more than two separate players, and the user may create the pairing by selecting players from the more than two separate players to operate as a front right player, a middle player, a front left player, a rear right player, and a rear left player. Subwoofer may also be added to the list so that it can be incorporated into a multi-channel pairing by the user.

For example, similar to what was described in the various embodiments above with respect to creating stereo pairs, the system may flash indicator lights on all involved players, and the installation guide may ask the user to select "front left," then "front right," then "front center," then "back left," then "back right," and so on until all players are properly paired. Preferably, only the speaker that can be paired as the next speaker can blink to narrow down the user's selection appropriately.

VII、Conclusion

The components, elements and/or functions of the systems discussed above may be implemented individually or in various combinations in hardware, firmware, and/or as sets of instructions in software, for example. Particular embodiments may be provided as a set of instructions residing on a computer readable medium (e.g., memory, hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD, and/or EPROM) for execution on a processing device, such as a controller and/or playback device.

Various inventions have been described in sufficient detail with a certain degree of pertinence. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure of embodiments has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. Although the embodiments discussed herein may appear to include certain limitations on the presentation of information units in terms of format and arrangement, it may be clear to those skilled in the art that such embodiments have applicability beyond this embodiment. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description of the embodiments.

For example, the following represents several of many apparatus, methods, and system combinations based on the description provided above. They are provided for non-limiting illustration purposes, and it will be understood that many other combinations may be described and claimed based on the present description.

1. An apparatus for providing audio in a multi-channel listening environment, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface to facilitate communication over a network, wherein the network interface receives audio data over the network;

a plurality of speaker drivers;

an amplifier for powering the plurality of speaker drivers; and

a processor to process the audio data for output by the plurality of speaker drivers, and further to configure a first equalization of outputs from the plurality of speaker drivers according to a first type of pairing and a second equalization of the outputs from the plurality of speaker drivers according to a second type of pairing.

2. The apparatus of 1, wherein the first equalization comprises: using a first type of band pass filter to modify the output based on the first type of pairing, the second equalization comprising: using a second type of band pass filter to modify the output based on the second type of pairing, the first type of band pass filter and the second type of band pass filter being different.

3. The apparatus of 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a playback device, and the first type of pairing comprises not pairing with another playback device, and the second type of pairing comprises pairing with one or more additional playback devices.

4. The apparatus of 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a playback device, and the first type of pairing comprises pairing with a second playback device, and the second type of pairing comprises pairing with a plurality of playback devices.

5. The apparatus of 1, wherein the first type of pairing comprises reproduction of dual channel sound via a plurality of speaker drivers, and the second type of pairing comprises reproduction of no more than one channel of the dual channel sound via a plurality of speaker drivers.

6. The apparatus of 1, wherein the first type of pairing comprises rendering a first audio channel via the plurality of speaker drivers and the second type of pairing comprises rendering a second audio channel via the plurality of speaker drivers, the first and second audio channels being different.

7. The apparatus of 1, wherein the first type of pairing comprises reproducing the audio content via the plurality of speaker drivers in a stereo mode and the second type of pairing comprises reproducing the audio content via the plurality of speaker drivers in a theater mode.

8. The apparatus of 1, wherein the first type of pairing comprises rendering the audio content via the plurality of speaker drivers, and the second type of pairing comprises rendering the audio content via the plurality of speaker drivers when in a merge mode.

9. The apparatus of 1, wherein the processor is further configured to separate the audio data into separate audio channels, at least one separate audio channel being output from the plurality of speaker drivers, and at least one additional separate audio channel being transmitted over the network by the network interface.

10. The apparatus of 1, wherein the apparatus is a playback device and the network interface receives signals from a controller over the network to pair with one or more playback devices.

11. The apparatus of 1, wherein the apparatus is a playback device and the network interface receives a signal from a controller over the network to configure the playback device in a merge mode.

12. The apparatus of 1, wherein the apparatus is a playback device, and further comprising a button that, when selected, selects the channel of the playback device.

13. The apparatus of 1, wherein the network is a wireless network.

14. A method for providing audio in a multi-channel listening environment, the method comprising:

receiving audio data over a network;

processing the audio data for output by a plurality of speaker drivers; and

configuring a first equalization of output from the plurality of speaker drivers according to a first type of pairing and configuring a second equalization of output from the plurality of speaker drivers according to a second type of pairing.

15. The method of 14, wherein the first equalizing comprises using a first type of band pass filter to modify the content based on the first type of pairing and the second equalizing comprises using a second type of band pass filter to modify the output based on the second type of pairing, the first and second types of band pass filters being different.

16. The method of 14, wherein the first type of pairing includes not pairing with another playback device and the second type of pairing includes pairing with one or more additional playback devices.

17. The method of 14, wherein the first type of pairing comprises pairing with a second playback device, and the second type of pairing comprises pairing with a plurality of playback devices.

18. The method of 14, wherein the first type of pairing includes reproduction of two-channel sound via a plurality of speaker drivers, and the second type of pairing includes reproduction of no more than one channel of the two-channel sound via a plurality of speaker drivers.

19. The method of 14, wherein the first type of pairing comprises rendering a first audio channel via the plurality of speaker drivers and the second type of pairing comprises rendering a second audio channel via the plurality of speaker drivers, the first and second audio channels being different.

20. The method of 14, wherein the first type of pairing comprises rendering the audio content via the plurality of speaker drivers, and the second type of pairing comprises rendering the audio content via the plurality of speaker drivers when in a merge mode.

21. The method of 14, wherein the processor is further configured to separate the audio data into separate audio channels, at least one separate audio channel being output from the plurality of speaker drivers, and at least one additional separate audio channel being transmitted over the network by the network interface.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising: sending a signal over the network to a controller that selects a channel of the audio data output from the plurality of speaker drivers.

23. A system for providing multi-channel audio playback, the system comprising:

a set comprising at least three playback devices, each playback device configured to independently output a plurality of audio channels, each playback device comprising a network interface, a speaker driver, and an amplifier; and

a processor in at least one playback device of the set of playback devices to selectively pair the at least three playback devices such that, upon pairing, each of the at least three playback devices is to be configured to output a different audio channel from the other of the at least three playback devices.

24. The system of 23, wherein the at least three playback devices are to output their respective audio channels synchronously.

25. The system of 23, wherein the processor is housed in one of the at least three playback devices and the processor is configured to process input audio data to separate the data into audio channels to be provided to other ones of the at least three playback devices to synchronously output their respective audio channels.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the processor is configured to process the input audio data to locally save one or more audio tracks corresponding to one or more audio channels and to send the remaining audio tracks to another of the at least three playback devices until the playback device locally saves all of the input audio tracks.

27. The system of 23, wherein the selective pairing is triggered based on a command via a control interface.

28. The system of 23, wherein the selective pairing is triggered in response to an event.

29. The system of 28, wherein the event comprises at least one of: a change in audio content, a time, a type of audio content associated with the plurality of audio channels.

30. The system of 23, wherein the processor is configured to change the equalization of the at least three playback devices by changing the equalization of one or more particular speaker drivers and adjusting synchronization between the paired playback devices.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the equalizing comprises a first equalization using a first type of band pass filter to modify an output of a first playback device of the at least three playback devices based on a first type of pairing, a second equalization using a second type of band pass filter to modify an output of a second playback device of the at least three playback devices based on a second type of pairing, and a third equalization using a third type of band pass filter to modify an output of a third playback device of the at least three playback devices based on a third type of pairing.

32. The system of 31, wherein the first type of pairing comprises rendering a first audio channel of the plurality of audio channels, the second type of pairing comprises rendering a second audio channel of the plurality of audio channels, and the third type of pairing comprises rendering a third audio channel of the plurality of audio channels.

33. The system of 30, wherein the equalization is based on at least one of a non-paired mode, a merge mode, and a group mode of selective pairing for the at least three playback devices.

34. The system of 23, wherein at least two playback devices in a set of at least three playback devices are to be grouped as a merged playback device, and the merged playback device is capable of being paired with one or more additional playback devices.

35. A method for providing multi-channel audio playback, the method comprising:

receiving audio data comprising a plurality of audio channels at a set comprising at least three playback devices;

selectively pairing, using a processor housed in at least one playback device of the set of playback devices, the at least three playback devices such that each of the at least three playback devices is configured to output a different audio channel from the other of the at least three playback devices.

36. The method of 35, wherein the at least three playback devices are to output their respective audio channels synchronously.

37. The method of 35, wherein the processor is housed in one of the at least three playback devices and the processor is configured to process input audio data to separate the data into audio channels to be provided to other ones of the at least three playback devices to thereby input their respective audio channels synchronously.

38. The method of 37, wherein the processor is configured to process the input audio data to locally save one or more tracks corresponding to one or more audio channels and to send the remaining tracks to another of the at least three playback devices until the playback device locally saves all of the input tracks.

39. The method of 35, wherein the selective pairing is triggered based on a command via a control interface.

40. The method of 35, wherein the selective pairing is triggered in response to an event.

41. The method of 39, wherein the event comprises a change in audio content.

42. The method of 35, further comprising: changing the equalization of the at least three playback devices by changing the equalization of one or more particular speaker drivers and adjusting the synchronization between the paired playback devices.

43. The method of 42, wherein the equalizing comprises a first equalization using a first type of band pass filter to modify an output of a first playback device of the at least three playback devices based on a first type of pairing, a second equalization using a second type of band pass filter to modify an output of a second playback device of the at least three playback devices based on a second type of pairing, and a third equalization using a third type of band pass filter to modify an output of a third playback device of the at least three playback devices based on a third type of pairing.

44. The method of 43, wherein the first type of pairing comprises rendering a first audio channel of the plurality of audio channels, the second type of pairing comprises rendering a second audio channel of the plurality of audio channels, and the third type of pairing comprises rendering a third audio channel of the plurality of audio channels.

45. The method of 42, wherein the equalizing is based on at least one of a non-paired mode, a merge mode, and a group mode of selective pairing for the at least three playback devices.

46. The method of 35, further comprising: at least two playback devices of a set of at least three playback devices are grouped into a merged playback device, and the merged playback device is capable of being paired with one or more additional playback devices.

47. An apparatus for providing audio in a multi-channel listening environment, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface to facilitate communication over a network, wherein the network interface receives audio data over the network;

a plurality of speaker drivers;

an amplifier for powering the plurality of speaker drivers; and

a processor to process the audio data for output by the plurality of speaker drivers, wherein the processor applies a first equalization of outputs from the plurality of speaker drivers according to a first type of pairing between the apparatus and at least a second apparatus and ignores a remaining portion of the audio data that does not correspond to the first equalization.

48. The apparatus of 47, wherein the first equalization uses a first filter to select a first number of one or more audio channels from the audio data for output via the apparatus, and ignores remaining one or more channels in the audio data that are to be separately processed for output by the second apparatus.

49. The apparatus of 47, wherein the processor selectively pairs the apparatus with the second apparatus in response to a trigger.

50. The apparatus of 49, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of: control interface commands, changes in audio content, time, and type of audio type.

51. An apparatus for providing audio in a multi-channel listening environment, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface to facilitate communications over a network, wherein the network interface receives audio data over the network;

a plurality of speaker drivers;

an amplifier for powering the plurality of speaker drivers; and

a processor to process the audio data for output by the plurality of speaker drivers, and further to configure a first equalization of outputs from the plurality of speaker drivers according to a first type of pairing and a second equalization of the outputs from the plurality of speaker drivers according to a second type of pairing based on an external trigger.

52. The apparatus of 51, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of: control interface commands, changes to audio content, time, and type of audio content.

53. An apparatus, comprising: a plurality of playback devices grouped into a merged playback device.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein equalization of at least one of the plurality of playback devices is due to the merging.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the merged playback device is further paired with one or more playback devices.

56. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the plurality of playback devices are wirelessly grouped with each other.

57. An apparatus, comprising: a network interface to facilitate communication over a network, wherein the network interface receives more than two channels of audio data over the network; at least one speaker driver; at least one amplifier for powering the at least one speaker driver; and a processor to process more than two channels of audio data such that a single channel of the more than two channels of audio data is to be output through the at least one speaker driver, the remaining channels of the more than two channels of audio data being sent via the network interface to be output through a plurality of playback devices.

58. A method, comprising: three or more playback devices are paired wirelessly.

Claims (13)

1. A method to be performed by a plurality of playback devices for outputting audio in a multi-channel listening environment, comprising:

receiving audio data over a network;

processing audio data to be output from a plurality of speaker drivers by:

in response to a first type of pairing between the plurality of playback devices, performing a first equalization of audio data to be output from a plurality of speaker drivers in accordance with the first type of pairing;

in response to a second type of pairing between the plurality of playback devices, performing a second equalization of audio data to be output from a plurality of speaker drivers in accordance with the second type of pairing; and

the processed audio data is output from the plurality of speaker drivers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the first equalization and the second equalization comprises: the audio data is modified using a first type of band pass filter and a second type of band pass filter, respectively.

3. The method of any preceding claim,

the first type of pairing includes not pairing with another playback device; and

the second type of pairing includes pairing with one or more additional playback devices.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2,

the first type of pairing comprises pairing with a second playback device; and

the second type of pairing includes pairing with a plurality of playback devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein,

in a first type of pairing, the playback device is configured to output audio comprising two-channel sound; and

in a second type of pairing, the playback device is configured to output audio that includes no more than one channel of a two-channel sound.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein,

in a first type of pairing, the playback device is configured to output audio for a first audio channel that includes audio data; and

in a second type of pairing, the playback device is configured to output audio for a second audio channel that includes audio data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein,

in a first type of pairing, the playback device is configured to output audio in stereo mode; and

in a second type of pairing, the playback device is configured to output audio in one of a merge mode and a theater mode.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

separating the audio data into individual audio channels; and

at least one individual audio channel is transmitted over the network,

wherein the outputting step comprises outputting at least one further individual audio channel.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: sending a signal over a network to a controller configured to select a channel of the audio data output from the plurality of speaker drivers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from a controller over a network, a signal comprising instructions to:

pairing the playback device with one or more playback devices; or

Configuring the playback device in a merge mode.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless network.

12. A playback device configured to output audio in a multi-channel listening environment, the playback device comprising:

a network interface configured to receive audio data over a network;

a plurality of speaker drivers configured to output audio based on the audio data;

an amplifier for powering the plurality of speaker drivers; and

one or more processors configured to perform the method of any preceding claim.

13. The playback device of claim 12, further comprising: a button that, when selected, configures the playback device to output one channel of audio that includes playback device audio data.

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