Systems and methods of remotely enabling sound enhancement techniques

1. A method of identifying a surround sound audio technique in an encoded audio stream, the method comprising:

encoding with a surround sound matrix encoder a first multi-channel audio signal into a first two-channel audio signal, the first multi-channel audio corresponding to audio for a first television commercial, the surround sound matrix encoder comprising a Circle Surround encoder;

encoding with the surround sound matrix encoder a second multi-channel audio signal into a second two-channel audio signal, the second multi-channel audio corresponding to audio for a second television commercial;

embedding a watermark in at least one channel of the first two-channel audio signal to produce a watermarked audio signal, the watermark configured to identify the watermarked audio signal as surround sound matrix encoded audio, the watermark comprising a pattern of data that can be detected by a watermark detector and having a bit rate of at least one bit per three seconds, the watermark being substantially inaudible;

transmitting the watermarked audio signal and the second two-channel audio signal to a watermark detector, the watermark detector configured to:

analyze the watermarked audio signal for a predetermined period of time lasting between approximately 1 millisecond and 3 seconds to detect the watermark;

transmit a first control signal to a matrix decoder in response to detecting the presence of the watermark in the watermarked audio signal, the first control signal indicating the presence of a watermark in the watermarked audio signal;

analyze the second two-channel audio signal for a predetermined period of time lasting between approximately 1 millisecond and 3 seconds to detect the watermark; and

transmit a second control signal to the matrix decoder in response to detecting the presence of the watermark in the watermarked audio signal, the second control signal indicating the lack of a watermark in the second two-channel audio signal; and

transmitting the watermarked audio signal and the second two-channel audio signal to the matrix detector.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the two-channel audio signal with the embedded watermark on a storage device for playback at a receiver.

3. A method of identifying a surround sound audio encoding technique in an audio stream comprising:

embedding a watermark in multi-channel audio, wherein the watermark identifies the audio as surround sound matrix encoded audio; and

encoding with a surround sound matrix encoder the multi-channel audio having the embedded watermark into two-channel audio.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising transmitting the two-channel audio with the embedded watermark.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising storing the two-channel audio with the embedded watermark on a storage device for playback at a receiver.

6. A method of identifying a surround sound audio technique in an encoded audio stream comprising:

receiving two-channel audio with an embedded watermark, wherein the watermark identifies a surround sound audio encoding process associated with the two-channel audio;

detecting the watermark, and activating a surround sound matrix decoder when the watermark identifies a surround sound matrix encoding process; and

decoding with the active surround sound matrix decoder the two-channel audio into multi-channel audio for playback through a speaker system.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the watermark is substantially inaudible.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising enabling a surround sound indicator when the watermark identifies a surround sound matrix encoding process.

9. An apparatus to identify a surround sound audio technique comprising:

a watermark encoder to embed a watermark in a multi-channel audio stream, wherein the watermark identifies a surround sound encoding process associated with a surround sound matrix encoder; and

the surround sound matrix encoder to encode the multi-channel audio stream with the embedded watermark into a two-channel audio stream.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a transmitter to transmit the two-channel audio stream.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a storage device to store the two-channel audio stream.

12. An apparatus to remotely enable a surround sound audio decoder comprising:

a receiver to receive an encoded two-channel audio stream with an embedded watermark, wherein the watermark identifies a surround sound encoding process associated with the two-channel audio stream;

a watermark detector to detect the watermark and to enable a surround sound audio decoder when the watermark identifies the surround sound encoding process associated with the surround sound audio decoder; and

the enabled surround sound audio decoder to decode the two-channel audio stream into a multi-channel audio signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the watermark is substantially inaudible.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a surround sound indicator to indicate that the receiver is receiving a surround sound encoded audio signal when the watermark indicates the surround sound encoded audio signal.

15. An apparatus to remotely enable an enhanced audio decoder comprising:

a watermark encoder to embed a watermark in a multi-channel audio stream, wherein the watermark identifies an audio encoding process associated with an enhanced audio encoder; and

the enhanced audio encoder to encode the multi-channel audio stream with the embedded watermark into a two-channel audio stream.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a transmitter to transmit the two-channel audio stream with the embedded watermark.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a storage device to store the two-channel audio stream with the embedded watermark.

18. An apparatus to remotely enable an enhanced audio decoder comprising:

a receiver to receive an encoded two-channel audio stream with an embedded watermark, wherein the watermark identifies an audio encoding process associated with the two-channel audio stream;

a watermark detector to detect the watermark and to enable an enhanced audio decoder when the watermark identifies the audio encoding process associated with the enhanced audio decoder; and

the enabled enhanced audio decoder to decode the two-channel audio stream.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the watermark is substantially inaudible.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising an enhanced audio indicator to indicate when the receiver receives audio encoded with the encoding process associated with the enhanced audio decoder.

21. A method of identifying a sound enhancement technique in an encoded audio stream comprising:

enhancing audio with an audio enhancement technique; and

incorporating a watermark into the enhanced audio to produce a watermarked audio stream, wherein the watermark identifies the audio enhancement technique.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising transmitting the watermarked audio stream.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising storing the watermarked audio stream on a storage device.

24. A method of identifying a sound enhancement technique in an encoded audio stream comprising:

receiving an enhanced audio stream with an embedded watermark, wherein the watermark identifies an audio enhancement process associated with the enhanced audio stream;

detecting the watermark; and

activating an enhanced audio decoder to decode the enhanced audio stream when the detected watermark indicates the enhancement process associated with the enhanced audio decoder.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the watermark is substantially inaudible.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising activating an audio enhancement indicator when the watermark indicates the receiver is receiving the enhanced audio stream.

27. An apparatus to identify Circle Surround encoded audio comprising:

a means to embed a watermark in an audio stream indicating the audio stream is a Circle Surround encoded audio stream; and

a Circle Surround matrix encoder to encode the audio stream as the Circle Surround encoded audio.

28. An apparatus to remotely enable a Circle Surround matrix decoder comprising:

a receiving means to receive a Circle Surround encoded audio stream with an embedded watermark, wherein the watermark identifies the audio stream as the Circle Surround encoded audio stream;

a means to detect the watermark; and

a means to activate a Circle Surround matrix decoder to decode the Circle Surround encoded audio stream when the watermark is detected.