Delay management of presentation output system and method
View Patent ↗A system and method of delivering synchronized audio and audio/video signals in the form of analog signals and streamed data over networks such a hybrid power line communications network is described. Signal magnitude matching by monitoring directly feed audio outputs is also provided.
1. A system for an audio/video source, first directly fed audio outputs, and second networked audio outputs, the system comprising:
a control;
a packetizer;
a network interface configured to operate with the control and packetizer to send an audio signal received from the audio/video source to the second networked audio outputs with a first delay adjustment; and
a delay module configured to send the audio signal to the first directly fed audio outputs with a second delay adjustment, the delay module configured to send a video signal received from the audio/video source to the video output with a third delay adjustment, the first delay adjustment, second delay adjustment, and third delay adjustment provided whereby synchronization discrepancy between audio presentation by the first audio output and audio presentation by the second audio output is less than a first time period and synchronization discrepancy between video presentation by the video output and audio presentations by the first audio outputs and the second audio outputs is less than a second time period, the first time period being less than the second time period.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the delay module is further configured to determine network delay to each of the second networked audio outputs and based at least in part on the network delays to each of the second networked audio outputs, determine the second delay adjustment.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a level detector configured to determine audio signal levels to the first directly fed audio outputs and adjust audio signal levels to the second networked audio outputs to match audio signal levels to the first directly fed audio outputs.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second time period is less than approximately 40 ms, and the first time period is less than approximately 1 ms.
5. A method comprising:
receiving a first video signal from an audio/video source;
sending a first audio signal based on the first video signal to a networked audio output, the first audio signal having a first delay adjustment;
sending a second audio signal based on the first video signal to a directly fed audio output, the second audio signal having a second delay adjustment;
sending a second video signal based on the first video signal to a video output, the second video signal having a third delay adjustment;
determining the first and second delay adjustments such that a synchronization discrepancy between audio presentation by the networked audio output and audio presentation by the directly fed audio output is less than a first time period; and
determining the first, second, and third delay adjustments such that a synchronization discrepancy between video presentation by the video output and audio presentations by the networked audio output and the directly fed audio output is less than a second time period, the first time period being less than the second time period.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining a network delay to the networked audio output; and
based at least in part on the network delay to the networked audio output, determining the second delay adjustment.
7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining an audio signal level to the directly fed audio output; and
adjusting an audio signal level to the networked audio output to match the audio signal level to the directly fed audio output.