Audio playback system monitoring

摘要

In some embodiments, a method for monitoring speakers within an audio playback system (e.g., movie theater) environment. In typical embodiments, the monitoring method assumes that initial characteristics of the speakers (e.g., a room response for each of the speakers) have been determined at an initial time, and relies on one or more microphones positioned in the environment to perform a status check on each of the speakers to identify whether a change to at least one characteristic of any of the speakers has occurred since the initial time. In other embodiments, the method processes data indicative of output of a microphone to monitor audience reaction to an audiovisual program. Other aspects include a system configured (e.g., programmed) to perform any embodiment of the inventive method, and a computer readable medium (e.g., a disc) which stores code for implementing any embodiment of the inventive method.

主权项

1. A method for monitoring status of N speakers in a playback environment, where N is a positive integer, said method including steps of:
(a) playing back an audiovisual program whose soundtrack has N channels, including by emitting sound, determined by the program, from the N speakers in response to driving each speaker of the N speakers with a speaker feed for a different one of the channels of the soundtrack; (b) obtaining audio data indicative of a status signal captured by each microphone of M microphones in the playback environment during emission of the sound in step (a), where M is a positive integer; and (c) processing the audio data to perform a status check on each speaker of the N speakers, including by comparing, for each said speaker and each of at least one microphone in the M microphones, the status signal captured by the microphone and a template signal, wherein the template signal is indicative of response of a template microphone to playback by the speaker, in the playback environment at an initial time, of a channel of the soundtrack corresponding to said speaker.