Distributed and synchronized control system for environmental signals in multimedia playback

1. A method, comprising:

providing a media dataset comprising media content data and environmental effects metadata defining a set of environmental events each corresponding to a media timestamp of a plurality of media timestamps; and

for each environmental event in the set of environmental events,

correlating a media playback time indicated by the media timestamp of the environmental event with a device clock value in each of one or more environmental effect generators by identifying a protocol timestamp that corresponds to the media timestamp of the environmental event,

remapping a position defined in the environmental effects metadata for the environmental event to actual positions of two or more of the one or more environmental effect generators,

generating a message for transmission according a communication protocol, wherein the message reflects the remapping and associates the environmental event with the protocol timestamp, and

addressing the message to one or more environmental effect generators.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the communication protocol is a wireless communication protocol,

addressing the message to the one or more environmental effect generators is based on an orientation of the environmental event, and

the method further comprises wirelessly transmitting the message for each environmental event to a set of environmental effect generators including the one or more environmental effect generators.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

the media content data comprises a plurality of audio frames;

the message associates one or more of the plurality of audio frames with the protocol timestamp; and

the method further comprises transmitting in the message the one or more audio frames and a portion of the environmental effects metadata describing the environmental event.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the media content data comprises a plurality of media frames, and wherein the method further comprises, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, generating the environmental event at the one or more environmental effect generators within one millisecond prior to or after presenting a media frame associated with the media timestamp corresponding to the environmental event.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

for each environmental effect generator of the one or more environmental effect generators, storing an orientation of the environmental effect generator, wherein the orientation of the environmental effect generator comprises a position of the environmental effect generator and a direction of the environmental effect generator;

for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, identifying a subset of the environmental effect generators for generating the environmental event based on the orientation of the environmental event and an orientation of each environmental effect generator in the one or more environmental effect generators; and

for each environmental effect generator in the subset:

calculating a set of one or more directives for generating the environmental event in conjunction with other environmental effect generators in the subset based on the orientation of the environmental effect generator and the orientation of the environmental event, and

transmitting the set of one or more directives to the environmental effect generator.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving the media dataset as a data stream at a communication interface, wherein the media content data comprises a plurality of video frames each associated with one of the plurality of media timestamps, and wherein the plurality of video frames and the environmental effects metadata are multiplexed in the data stream; and

demultiplexing the data stream.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the environmental effects metadata based on an interactive representation of a three-dimensional environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events:

receiving the message at an environmental effect generator of the one or more environmental effect generators;

comparing the protocol timestamp associated with the environmental event with a clock value generated by a device clock of the environmental effect generator; and

in response to determining that the protocol timestamp is equal to or later than the clock value, generating the environmental event based on one or more directives in the message.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, the generated message specifies one or more directives for controlling a light source in one of the environmental effect generators, wherein the one or more directives indicate at least one of a color, an intensity, and a direction of light to be generated by the light source.

10. A multimedia device, comprising:

a media input configured to provide a media dataset comprising media content data and environmental effects metadata defining positions for a set of environmental events each corresponding to a media timestamp of a plurality of media timestamps;

a decoder module configured to, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, correlate a media playback time indicated by the media timestamp of the environmental event with a device clock value in each of one or more environmental effect generators by identifying a protocol timestamp that corresponds to the media timestamp of the environmental event;

a remapping module configured to, for an environmental event in the set of environmental events, compute a remapping of the defined position for the environmental event to actual positions of two or more of the one or more environmental effect generators;

an encapsulation module configured to, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events,

generate a message for transmission according to a communication protocol, wherein the message reflects the remapping and associates the environmental event with the protocol timestamp, and

address the message to the one or more environmental effect generators; and

a communication interface configured to transmit the message.

11. The multimedia device of claim 10 , further comprising a display module configured to display the media content, wherein the media content comprises video data.

12. The multimedia device of claim 10 , wherein:

the communication protocol is a wireless communication protocol,

the encapsulation module is configured to, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, address the message to the one or more environmental effect generators based on an orientation of the environmental event, and

the communication interface is further configured to wirelessly transmit the message for each environmental event to a set of environmental effect generators including the one or more environmental effect generators.

13. The multimedia device of claim 12 , wherein:

the media content data comprises a plurality of audio frames;

the message associates one or more of the plurality of audio frames with the protocol timestamp; and

the communication interface is further configured to transmit in the message the one or more audio frames and a portion of the environmental effects metadata describing the environmental event.

14. The multimedia device of claim 10 , further comprising:

a configuration memory configured to, for each environmental effect generator of the one or more environmental effect generators, store an orientation of the environmental effect generator, wherein the orientation of the environmental effect generator comprises a position of the environmental effect generator and a direction of the environmental effect generator; and

a remapping module configured to, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events,

identify a subset of the environmental effect generators for generating the environmental event based on the orientation of the environmental event and an orientation of each environmental effect generator in the one or more environmental effect generators, and

calculate a set of one or more directives for generating the environmental event in the subset of the environmental effect generators based on the orientation of each environmental effect generator in the subset and the orientation of the environmental event, wherein the communication interface is further configured to, for each environmental effect generator in the subset, transmit the set of one or more directives to the environmental effect generator.

15. The multimedia device of claim 10 , further comprising the one or more environmental effect generators, wherein each environmental effect generator of the one or more environmental effect generators comprises:

a wireless receiver configured to receive the message for each environmental event in the set of environmental events;

a device clock synchronized with each of one or more device clocks in the other environmental effect generators of the one or more environmental effect generators; and

a configurable light source configured to generate the environmental event in response to determining that the protocol timestamp is equal to or later than a clock value generated by the device clock.

16. The multimedia device of claim 10 , wherein for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, the generated message specifies one or more directives for controlling a light source in one of the environmental effect generators, wherein the one or more directives indicate at least one of a color, an intensity, and a direction of light to be generated by the light source.

17. A system, comprising:

an input configured to receive environmental effects metadata defining positions for each of a set of environmental events, wherein each environmental event specifies a visual effect;

a decoder module configured to, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, correlate a media playback time indicated by a media timestamp of the environmental event with a device clock value in each of one or more environmental effect generators by identifying a protocol timestamp for a communication protocol;

a remapping module configured to, for an environmental event in the set of environmental events, compute a remapping of the defined position for the environmental event to actual positions of two or more of the one or more environmental effect generators; and

an encapsulation module configured to, for each environmental event in the set of environmental events, generate a message for transmission according to the communication protocol, wherein the message associates the protocol timestamp with the environmental event.

18. The system of claim 17 , further comprising:

a set of one or more speakers;

the set of one or more environmental effect generators each located in the same enclosure as one of the speakers; and

a communication interface configured to:

wirelessly transmit the message to at least one of the environmental effect generators, and

wirelessly transmit audio data to the set of one or more speakers.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein:

the input is configured to receive the environmental effects metadata in a media dataset comprising media content data, wherein each environmental event in the set of environmental events corresponds to a media timestamp of a plurality of media timestamps for the media content data;

the protocol timestamp corresponds to the media timestamp of the environmental event; and

the encapsulation module is further configured to address the message to the one or more environmental effect generators.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the encapsulation module is configured to, for each environmental event of the set of environmental events, address the message to the one or more environmental effect generators based on an orientation of the environmental event.