Audio-Based and Video-Based Social Experiences in a Networked Media Playback System

1 . A video communication device comprising:

at least one speaker;

at least one graphical display;

at least one processor;

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to:

receive, from a computing platform via a wide area network (WAN), a composite stream including video content and audio content;

determine that a user of the video communication device is located more closely to an audio playback device than to the video communication device, wherein the audio playback device is connected to the video communication device via a local area network (LAN); and

based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device:

cause the computing platform to switch from (a) transmitting the composite stream including the video content and the audio content to the video communication device to (b) transmitting a first stream and a second stream to the video communication device, wherein the first stream includes the video content and the second stream includes the audio content; and

transmit the audio content in the second stream to the audio playback device via the LAN such that the audio playback device renders the audio content while the video communication device renders the video content.

2 . The video communication device of claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one microphone; and

program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to:

capture, via the at least one microphone, audio data;

transmit the captured audio data to the computing platform via the WAN; and

based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device:

discontinue transmitting the captured audio data to the computing platform via the WAN; and

cause the audio playback device to (i) capture, via at least one microphone of the audio playback device, audio data and (ii) transmit the audio data captured by the audio playback device to the computing platform via the WAN.

3 . The video communication device of claim 2 , further comprising:

at least one camera; and

program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to:

capture, via the at least one camera, video data;

transmit the captured video data to the computing platform via the WAN; and

based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device:

discontinue transmitting the captured video data to the computing platform via the WAN.

4 . The video communication device of claim 1 , further comprising program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to:

render (i) the video content via the at least one graphical display and (ii) the audio content via the at least one speaker;

wherein the program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprise program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device while rendering (i) the video content via the at least one graphical display and (ii) the audio content via the at least one speaker.

5 . The video communication device of claim 4 , further comprising program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to:

before rendering (i) the video content and (ii) the audio content, determine that the user is located more closely to the video communication device than to the audio playback device.

6 . The video communication device of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprise program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that a first RSSI measurement between the audio playback device and a control device of the user is greater than a second RSSI measurement between the video communication device and the control device of the user.

7 . The video communication device of claim 1 , further comprising program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to:

receive an indication that an ultrasonic tone emitted by a control device of the user was detected by the audio playback device; and

wherein the program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprise program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device based on receiving the indication that the ultrasonic tone emitted by the control device of the user was detected by the audio playback device.

8 . The video communication device of claim 1 , wherein:

the audio playback device is a portable audio playback device;

the video communication device further comprises program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to receive an indication of a user input at the portable audio playback device; and

the program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprise program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to determine that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device based on receiving the indication of the user input at the portable audio playback device.

9 . The video communication device of claim 8 , wherein the portable audio playback device comprises headphones, and wherein the program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to receive the indication of the user input at the portable audio playback device comprise program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to receive, from the headphones, an indication that the user has donned the headphones.

10 . The video communication device of claim 8 , wherein the program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to receive the indication of the user input at the portable audio playback device comprise program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video communication device to detect, via an NFC sensor of the video communication device, that the user has tapped the portable audio playback device to the video communication device.

11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a video communication device to:

receive, from a computing platform via a wide area network (WAN), a composite stream including video content and audio content;

determine that a user of the video communication device is located more closely to an audio playback device than to the video communication device, wherein the audio playback device is connected to the video communication device via a local area network (LAN); and

based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device:

cause the computing platform to switch from (a) transmitting the composite stream including the video content and the audio content to the video communication device to (b) transmitting a first stream and a second stream to the video communication device, wherein the first stream includes the video content and the second stream includes the audio content; and

transmit the audio content in the second stream to the audio playback device via the LAN such that the audio playback device renders the audio content while the video communication device renders the video content.

12 . A method implemented via a video communication device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a computing platform via a wide area network (WAN), a composite stream including video content and audio content;

determining that a user of the video communication device is located more closely to an audio playback device than to the video communication device, wherein the audio playback device is connected to the video communication device via a local area network (LAN); and

based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device:

causing the computing platform to switch from (a) transmitting the composite stream including the video content and the audio content to the video communication device to (b) transmitting a first stream and a second stream to the video communication device, wherein the first stream includes the video content and the second stream includes the audio content; and

transmitting the audio content in the second stream to the audio playback device via the LAN such that the audio playback device renders the audio content while the video communication device renders the video content.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

capturing, via at least one microphone of the video communication device, audio data;

transmitting the captured audio data to the computing platform via the WAN; and

based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device:

discontinuing transmission of the captured audio data to the computing platform via the WAN; and

causing the audio playback device to (i) capture, via at least one microphone of the audio playback device, audio data and (ii) transmit the audio data captured by the audio playback device to the computing platform via the WAN.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

capturing, via at least one camera of the video communication device, video data;

transmitting the captured video data to the computing platform via the WAN; and

based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device:

discontinuing transmission of the captured video data to the computing platform via the WAN.

15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

rendering (i) the video content via at least one graphical display of the video communication device and (ii) the audio content via at least one speaker of the video communication device;

wherein determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprises determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device while rendering (i) the video content via the at least one graphical display and (ii) the audio content via the at least one speaker.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

before rendering (i) the video content and (ii) the audio content, determining that the user is located more closely to the video communication device than to the audio playback device.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprises determining that a first RSSI measurement between the audio playback device and a control device of the user is greater than a second RSSI measurement between the video communication device and the control device of the user.

18 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving an indication that an ultrasonic tone emitted by a control device of the user was detected by the audio playback device;

wherein determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprises determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device based on receiving the indication that the ultrasonic tone emitted by the control device of the user was detected by the audio playback device.

19 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving an indication of a user input at the audio playback device, wherein the audio playback device comprises a portable audio playback device;

wherein determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device comprises determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device based on receiving the indication of the user input at the portable audio playback device.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein:

the portable audio playback device comprises headphones; and

receiving the indication of the user input at the portable audio playback device comprises receiving, from the headphones, an indication that the user has donned the headphones.