Patent · US Active

System and method for synchronizing multiple media devices

US8726061B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
57References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 8, 2011
Grant dateMay 13, 2014
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 8, 2031

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B27/10
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Multiple media devices are synchronized in a multi-media system having a computer system, a plurality of media devices, and a display system. Each media device to be synchronized receives a front-end synchronization signal that periodically increments a front-end counter. The front-end counter represents an unadjusted system time (UST). The media device obtains a frame of data to be displayed from a computer system. The media device also receives a back-end synchronization signal that periodically increments a back-end counter each time a frame of data is to he displayed. The back-end counter represents a media stream count (MSC). UST and MSC data are periodically transmitted to the computer system for analysis and use by a synchronization algorithm. Specifically, UST is transmitted to the computer system each time a frame of data is obtained, and a UST/MSC pair is transmitted to the computer system each time a frame of data is displayed. The computer system executes a synchronization algorithm that uses the transmitted UST and UST/MSC pair to maintain the media devices in a synchronized state.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.