Providing Playback Timing in a Multi-Zone Audio Environment

摘要

A multi-channel and multi-zone audio environment is provided. Various inventions are disclosed that allow playback devices on one or more networks to provide an effective multi-channel and a multi-zone audio environment using timing information. According to one example, timing information is used to coordinate playback devices connected over a low-latency network to provide audio along with a video display. In another example, timing information is used to coordinate playback devices connected over a mesh network to provide audio in one or more zones or zone groups.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving an audio signal at a first device from an audio source; identifying home theater audio information contained in the audio signal for playback by a plurality of home theater players; identifying zone group audio information contained in the audio signal for playback by one or more players in a zone group; assigning one or more timestamps to home theater audio information that indicates a time at which audio is to be played by the plurality of home theater players; assigning a zone group timestamp to the zone group audio information that indicates a time at which audio is to be played by the one or more players in the zone group; and sending, from the first device, the home theater audio information with the one or more timestamps to the plurality of home theater players and sending the zone group audio information with the zone group timestamp to the one or more players in the zone group.