Patent  US 8,374,712

Gapless audio playback

Abstract

Various embodiments related to the performance of gapless audio playback of two or more audio tracks are provided. One disclosed embodiment provides a method of performing gapless audio playback comprising rendering a plurality of samples of a current audio track via a current filter graph, and notifying an end-of-stream soon event via a current filter graph.   Upon detecting the end-of-stream soon event...

Patent   US 8,060,637

Playback apparatus and playback control method

Abstract

In a playback apparatus adapted to receive stream data transmitted from a server and play back the received stream data, attribute information is sequentially received from the server and stored in an attribute information buffer, and, on the basis of the attribute information stored in the attribute information buffer, a request is issued to the server to transmit stream data corresponding to the attribute information. The stream data received from the server is sequentially stored in a first-in-first-out stream data buffer...

Patent   US 8,190,441

Playback of compressed media files without quantization gaps

Abstract

Playback by a decoder of a lossy compressed digital media file without quantization gaps, wherein the digital media file is formed of a number of audio samples grouped into a corresponding number of audio frames. As a method, the invention is carried out by identifying an encoder used to compress the digital media file; obtaining an encoder delay value for the identified encoder; obtaining a decoder delay value for the decoder; determining a audio sample count corresponding to a last valid audio sample...

Patent   US 9,111,524

Seamless playback of successive multimedia files

Abstract

The present document relates to methods and systems for encoding and decoding multimedia files. In particular, the present document relates to methods and systems for encoding and decoding a plurality of audio tracks for seamless playback of the plurality of audio tracks. A method for encoding an audio signal comprising a first and a directly following second audio track for seamless and individual playback of the first and second audio tracks is described. The first and second audio tracks comprise a first and second plurality of audio frames, respectively. The method comprises jointly encoding the audio signal using a frame based audio encoder, thereby yielding a continuous sequence of encoded frames; extracting a first plurality of encoded frames...

Patent   US 9,282,403

User perceived gapless playback

Abstract

A computing system for selecting and providing content items to a device. The device is configured to output a first content item to a user and to detect events related to the output of the first content item and, in response, to provide a notification to a cloud service related to the event. The device is further configured to receive at least a second content item from the cloud services and to buffer the second content item while outputting the first content item.

Patent   US 9,124,235

Media content management and presentation systems and methods

Abstract

Exemplary media content management and presentation systems and methods are described herein. An exemplary method includes a media content presentation system linking together multiple media content instances, playing back or managing a playlist that includes the linked media content instances, and processing the linked media content instances as a block of linked media content instances within the playing back or managing of the playlist. Another exemplary method includes a media content presentation system playing back a media content instance for experiencing by a user, presenting a playback user interface in conjunction with the playing back of the media content instance, and providing, within the playback user interface, one or more media management tools configured for use by the user to manage the media content instance...

Patent Application   JP2005373783A

Music player, reproduction control method, and program

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a music player capable of properly and continuously reproducing music data converted from music sources having no interval.

SOLUTION: To determine the continuity of adjacent music data, a control unit 10 compares the section average volume value of the tail part of music data to be reproduced first with the section average volume value of the head part of music data to be reproduced next. When it is determined that the section average volume values are equal to each other, and so there is continuity between the music data, the control unit 10 deletes a silent part added to the tail of the music data to be reproduced first or a silent part...

Patent   US 8,538,565

Music playing apparatus, music playing method, recording medium storing music playing program, and integrated circuit that implement gapless play

Abstract

A music playing apparatus includes: a sound and silence determining unit determining whether or not each frame included in first and second output PCM data is a sound frame including a sample having an output level not lower than a predetermined threshold; a connection point extracting unit extracting a candidate connection point being a sample having a largest variation in a lean of a PCM waveform, from each of the determined sound frames; an end detecting unit detecting candidate connection points included in a last sound frame of the first output PCM data and an initial sound frame of the second output PCM data, respectively, as a first connection point and a second connection point; and a tune continuously-output unit connecting the first output PCM data to the second output PCM data at the first and the second connection points, and playing the connected data.

Patent   US 8,892,229

Audio Apparatus

Abstract

An audio apparatus according to an embodiment includes an audio signal receiving unit, a music gap signal receiving unit, a playback unit, and a determining unit. The audio signal receiving unit receives an audio signal in which successive multiple music data are contained in a single block of data. The determining unit determines a boundary of the music data on the basis of the time at which the music gap signal that indicates the boundary of the music data by the music gap signal receiving unit and the duration of a silent period in the audio signal that is played back by the playback unit.

Patent Application   US 13/649,298

Method and encoder and decoder for sample-accurate representation of an audio signal

Abstract

A method for providing information on the validity of encoded audio data is disclosed, the encoded audio data being a series of coded audio data units. Each coded audio data unit can contain information on the valid audio data. The method comprises: providing either information on a coded audio data level which describes the amount of data at the beginning of an audio data unit being invalid, or providing information on a coded audio data level which describes the amount of data at the end of an audio data unit being invalid, or providing information on a coded audio data level which describes both the amount of data at the beginning and the end of an audio data unit being invalid. A method for receiving encoded data including information on the validity of data and providing decoded output data is also disclosed. Furthermore, a corresponding encoder and a corresponding decoder are disclosed.

Patent Application   US 20140208374 A1

Method and apparatus for adaptive transcoding of multimedia stream

Abstract

A method of streaming an output content stream adaptively transcoded from a corresponding input content stream includes offering, to a client device, a number of alternative versions of the output content stream, for selection by the client device, and dividing the input content stream into two or more segments. Prior to the offering step at least a first segment of the input content stream is transcoded into at least one corresponding segment of an output content stream corresponding to at least one version from the number of alternative versions offered to the client device. Upon receiving a request from the client device for a selected version of the output content stream, streaming is begun with using a first one of the at least one corresponding segments of an output content stream corresponding to at least one version from the number of alternative versions offered to the client device that had been transcoded and stored prior to offering. Transcoding parameters are extracted from the request, for controlling the transcoding of a subsequent segment of the input content stream into the version selected by the client device, and the subsequent segment transcoded into the requested version is streamed to the client.

Patent   US 9,230,529

Music reproducing apparatus

Abstract

In a music reproducing apparatus for converting audio data into audio data of different data format so as to reproduce it, gapless reproduction and cross-fade reproduction are performed in a switching manner, and generation of a noise at time of the gapless reproduction is repressed. When a reproducing section performs the gapless reproduction, a converting section performs conversion into PCM data to be reproduced latterly using a buffer used for conversion into the PCM data to be reproduced formerly. Further, when the reproducing section performs the cross-fade reproduction, the converting section generates a buffer different from the buffer used for the conversion into the PCM data to be reproduced formerly in a storage section, and performs the conversion into the PCM data to be reproduced latterly using the generated buffer.

Patent   US 7,797,064

Apparatus and method for skipping songs without delay

Abstract

In an Internet based personalized radio, where a user has a pre-selected list of songs to be played in a particular order, the invention provides an apparatus and method allowing the user to skip one or more songs without having an unintended delay between skips. This is accomplished by pre-buffering the first ten seconds of each of the next several songs on the list so that, should the user choose to skip to any of the next several songs, the pre-buffered ten seconds of the target song is already available to be played. The apparatus starts to play the pre-buffered port of the target song and starts to download the rest of it at the same time. Because the initial buffering time for the rest of the target song is less than ten seconds, the target song is played smoothly.

Patent Application   US 20090228125

Processing of heterogeneous media in a mobile computing device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a media server for a mobile computing device that can efficiently arbitrate media content, such as audio or video, among a plurality of client applications. In some embodiments, audio from the client applications is handled based on buffers in an audio queue. The media server is capable of arbitrating both compressed and uncompressed audio in these buffers with the availability of various resources, such as a decompressor. In addition, the media server is capable of scheduling various commands that support the audio in the buffers. For example, in some embodiments, the media server may be able to schedule various commands in advance of a format change in the audio. Other commands may also be scheduled, such as, transitions between compressed and uncompressed audio, digital rights management operations, and the like.