Dolby Labs Patents

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. licenses its audio technologies, including its noise-reduction systems, to the media industry. Its product portfolio includes Dolby Digital Plus (DD+), Dolby Digital (DD), AAC and HE-AAC, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby AC-4, Dolby Voice and Dolby Vision. Products that incorporate Dolby technologies include televisions, set-top boxes, computers, DVD and Blu-ray devices, soundbars, smartphones, tablets, video game consoles, and automobile entertainment systems.

Dolby Labs Patents by Type
  • Publication number: 20240114306
    Abstract: An multi-input, multi-output audio process is implemented as a linear system for use in an audio filterbank to convert a set of frequency-domain input audio signals into a set of frequency-domain output audio signals. A transfer function from one input to one output is defined as a frequency dependent gain function. In some implementations, the transfer function includes a direct component that is substantially defined as a frequency dependent gain, and one or more decorrelated components that have frequency-varying group phase response. The transfer function is formed from a set of sub-band functions, with each sub-band function being formed from a set of corresponding component transfer functions including direct component and one or more decorrelated components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: David S. MCGRATH
  • Publication number: 20240114309
    Abstract: Some examples involve rendering received audio data by determining a first relative activation of a set of loudspeakers in an environment according to a first rendering configuration corresponding to a first set of speaker activations, receiving a first rendering transition indication indicating a transition from the first rendering configuration to a second rendering configuration and determining a second set of speaker activations corresponding to a simplified version of the second rendering configuration. Some examples involve performing a first transition from the first set of speaker activations to the second set of speaker activations, determining a third set of speaker activations corresponding to a complete version of the second rendering configuration and performing a second transition to the third set of speaker activations without requiring completion of the first transition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joshua B. LANDO, Alan J. SEEFELDT
  • Publication number: 20240114127
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices implement intra-prediction for hexagonally-sampled compression and decompression of videos and images having a regular grid of hexagonally-shaped pixels. For encoding, a prediction unit (PU) shape is selected at a sequence level from the group consisting of parallelogram, zigzag-square, hexagonal super-pixel, a rectangular zigzag and an arrow, and the hexagonally-sampled image is divided into regions based on the PU shape. For each region: a prediction mode and a PU size are determined; reference pixels are determined for each predicted pixel in the PU shape based on the prediction mode; a weighted factor is determined for each of the reference pixels based on a distance between the reference pixel and the predicted pixel; and a predicted value of each of the predicted pixels in the PU shape is determined using the corresponding reference pixels and the weighted factors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Zhaobin ZHANG, Neeraj J. GADGIL, Guan-Ming SU
  • Publication number: 20240114153
    Abstract: A first image and a second image of different dynamic ranges are derived from the same source image. Based on a chroma sampling format of the first image, it is determined whether edge preserving filtering is to be used to generate chroma upsampled image data in a reconstructed image. If so, image metadata for performing the edge preserving filtering is generated. The first image, the second image and the image metadata are encoded into an image data container to enable a recipient device to generate the reconstructed image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Anustup Kumar Atanu CHOUDHURY, Guan-Ming SU
  • Patent number: 11948587
    Abstract: The present document relates to a method of layered encoding of a compressed sound representation of a sound or sound field. The compressed sound representation comprises a basic compressed sound representation comprising a plurality of components, basic side information for decoding the basic compressed sound representation to a basic reconstructed sound representation of the sound or sound field, and enhancement side information including parameters for improving the basic reconstructed sound representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Sven Kordon, Alexander Krueger
  • Patent number: 11948583
    Abstract: Soundfield signals such as e.g. Ambisonics carry a representation of a desired sound field. The Ambisonics format is based on spherical harmonic decomposition of the soundfield, and Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) uses spherical harmonics of at least 2nd order. However, commonly used loudspeaker setups are irregular and lead to problems in decoder design. A method for improved decoding an audio soundfield representation for audio playback comprises calculating a panning function (W) using a geometrical method based on the positions of a plurality of loudspeakers and a plurality of source directions, calculating a mode matrix (?) from the loudspeaker positions, calculating a pseudo-inverse mode matrix (?+) and decoding the audio soundfield representation. The decoding is based on a decode matrix (D) that is obtained from the panning function (W) and the pseudo-inverse mode matrix (?+).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Johann-Markus Batke, Florian Keiler, Johannes Boehm
  • Patent number: 11948592
    Abstract: Many portable playback devices cannot decode and playback encoded audio content having wide bandwidth and wide dynamic range with consistent loudness and intelligibility unless the encoded audio content has been prepared specially for these devices. This problem can be overcome by including with the encoded content some metadata that specifies a suitable dynamic range compression profile by either absolute values or differential values relative to another known compression profile. A playback device may also adaptively apply gain and limiting to the playback audio. Implementations in encoders, in transcoders and in decoders are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Jeffrey Riedmiller, Harald Mundt, Michael Schug, Martin Wolters
  • Patent number: 11950082
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of loudspeaker equalization. The method combines default tunings (generated based on a default listening environment) and room tunings (generated based on an end user listening environment) to result in combined tunings that account for differences between the end user listening environment and the default listening environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Andrew P. Reilly
  • Patent number: 11950078
    Abstract: Methods for dialogue enhancing audio content, comprising providing a first audio signal presentation of the audio components, providing a second audio signal presentation, receiving a set of dialogue estimation parameters configured to enable estimation of dialogue components from the first audio signal presentation, applying said set of dialogue estimation parameters to said first audio signal presentation, to form a dialogue presentation of the dialogue components; and combining the dialogue presentation with said second audio signal presentation to form a dialogue enhanced audio signal presentation for reproduction on the second audio reproduction system, wherein at least one of said first and second audio signal presentation is a binaural audio signal presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Leif Jonas Samuelsson, Dirk Jeroen Breebaart, David Matthew Cooper, Jeroen Koppens
  • Patent number: 11948585
    Abstract: A method for generating a bitstream indicative of an object based audio program is described. The bitstream comprises a sequence of containers. A first container of the sequence of containers comprises a plurality of substream entities for a plurality of substreams of the object based audio program and a presentation section. The method comprises determining a set of object channels. The method further comprises providing a set of object related metadata for the set of object channels. In addition, the method comprises inserting a first set of object channel frames and a first set of object related metadata frames into a respective set of substream entities of the first container. Furthermore, the method comprises inserting presentation data into the presentation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Christof Fersch, Alexander Stahlmann
  • Patent number: 11949878
    Abstract: Described is picture segmentation through columns and slices in video encoding and decoding. A video picture is divided into a plurality of columns, each column covering only a part of the video picture in a horizontal dimension. All coded tree blocks (“CTBs”) belonging to a slice may belong to one or more columns. The columns may be used to break the same or different prediction or in-loop filtering mechanisms of the video coding, and the CTB scan order used for encoding and/or decoding may be local to a column. Column widths may be indicated in a parameter set and/or may be adjusted at the slice level. At the decoder, column width may be parsed from the bitstream, and slice decoding may occur in one or more columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Michael Horowitz
  • Patent number: 11948586
    Abstract: Methods and audio processing units for generating an object based audio program including conditional rendering metadata corresponding to at least one object channel of the program, where the conditional rendering metadata is indicative of at least one rendering constraint, based on playback speaker array configuration, which applies to each corresponding object channel, and methods for rendering audio content determined by such a program, including by rendering content of at least one audio channel of the program in a manner compliant with each applicable rendering constraint in response to at least some of the conditional rendering metadata. Rendering of a selected mix of content of the program may provide an immersive experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Coporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Sripal S. Mehta, Thomas Ziegler, Stewart Murrie
  • Patent number: 11948584
    Abstract: The present document relates to a method of layered encoding of a compressed sound representation of a sound or sound field. The compressed sound representation comprises a basic compressed sound representation comprising a plurality of components, basic side information for decoding the basic compressed sound representation to a basic reconstructed sound representation of the sound or sound field, and enhancement side information including parameters for improving the basic reconstructed sound representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Sven Kordon, Alexander Krueger
  • Publication number: 20240107252
    Abstract: An attenuation or “gap” may be inserted into at least a first frequency range of at least first and second audio playback signals of a content stream during at least a first time interval to generate at least first and second modified audio playback signals. Corresponding audio device playback sound may be provided by at least first and second audio devices. At least one microphone may detect at least the first audio device playback sound and the second audio device playback sound and may generate corresponding microphone signals. Audio data may be extracted from the microphone signals in at least the first frequency range, to produce extracted audio data. A far-field audio environment impulse response and/or audio environment noise may be estimated based, at least in part, on the extracted audio data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Graham HINES, Benjamin John SOUTHWELL
  • Publication number: 20240107255
    Abstract: Some methods involve receiving, by a control system configured for implementing a plurality of Tenderers, audio data and listening configuration data for a plurality of listening configurations, each listening configuration of the plurality of listening configurations corresponding to a listening position and a listening orientation in an audio environment, and rendering, by each Tenderer and according to the listening configuration data, the received audio data to obtain a set of Tenderer-specific loudspeaker feed signals for a corresponding listening configuration. Each Tenderer may be configured to render the audio data for a different listening configuration. Some such methods may involve decomposing each set of renderer-specific loudspeaker feed signals into a Tenderer-specific set of frequency bands and combining the renderer-specific frequency bands of each Tenderer to produce an output set of loudspeaker feed signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Alan J. SEEFELDT, C. Phillip BROWN
  • Publication number: 20240105186
    Abstract: A method for encoding an input audio stream including the steps of obtaining a first playback stream presentation of the input audio stream intended for reproduction on a first audio reproduction system, obtaining a second playback stream presentation of the input audio stream intended for reproduction on a second audio reproduction system, determining a set of transform parameters suitable for transforming an intermediate playback stream presentation to an approximation of the second playback stream presentation, wherein the transform parameters are determined by minimization of a measure of a difference between the approximation of the second playback stream presentation and the second playback stream presentation, and encoding the first playback stream presentation and the set of transform parameters for transmission to a decoder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicants: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Dirk Jeroen Breebaart, David Matthew Cooper, Leif Jonas Samuelsson, Jeroen Koppens, Rhonda J. Wilson, Heiko Purnhagen, Alexander Stahlmann
  • Publication number: 20240105191
    Abstract: The present invention relates to transposing signals in time and/or frequency and in particular to coding of audio signals. More particular, the present invention relates to high frequency reconstruction (HFR) methods including a frequency domain harmonic transposer. A method and system for generating a transposed output signal from an input signal using a transposition factor T is described. The system comprises an analysis window of length La, extracting a frame of the input signal, and an analysis transformation unit of order M transforming the samples into M complex coefficients. M is a function of the transposition factor T. The system further comprises a nonlinear processing unit altering the phase of the complex coefficients by using the transposition factor T, a synthesis transformation unit of order M transforming the altered coefficients into M altered samples, and a synthesis window of length Ls, generating a frame of the output signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Per EKSTRAND, Lars VILLEMOES
  • Publication number: 20240105192
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for spatial noise filling in multi-channel codecs. In an embodiment, a method of regenerating background noise ambience in a multi-channel codec by generating spatial hole filling noise comprises: computing noise estimates based on a primary downmix channel generated from an input audio signal representing a spatial audio scene with background noise ambience; computing spectral shaping filter coefficients based on the noise estimates; spectrally shaping the multi-channel noise signal using the spectral shaping filter coefficients and a noise distribution, the spectral shaping resulting in a diffused, multi-channel noise signal with uncorrelated channels; spatially shaping the diffused, uncorrelated multi-channel noise signal with uncorrelated channels based on a noise ambience of the spatial audio scene; and adding the spatially and spectrally shaped multi-channel noise to a multi-channel codec output to synthesize the background noise ambience of the spatial audio scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Rishabh TYAGI, Michael ECKERT
  • Publication number: 20240103801
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a method and system for receiving, in a bitstream, metadata associated with the audio data, and analyzing the metadata to determine whether a loudness parameter for a first group of audio playback devices are available in the bitstream. Responsive to determining that the parameters are present for the first group, the system uses the parameters and audio data to render audio. Responsive to determining that the loudness parameters are not present for the first group, the system analyzes one or more characteristics of the first group, and determines the parameter based on the one or more characteristics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicants: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Jeffrey RIEDMILLER, Scott Gregory NORCROSS, Karl Jonas ROEDEN
  • Patent number: 11943466
    Abstract: A method for tracking a reference picture on an electronic device is described. The method includes receiving a bitstream. The method also includes decoding a portion of the bitstream to produce a decoded reference picture. The method further includes tracking the decoded reference picture in a decoded picture buffer (DPB) with reduced overhead referencing. The method additionally includes decoding a picture based on the decoded reference picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Kiran Misra, Sachin G. Deshpande, Christopher A. Segall
  • Patent number: 11943605
    Abstract: Described herein is a method (30) of rendering an audio signal (17) for playback in an audio environment (27) defined by a target loudspeaker system (23), the audio signal (17) including audio data relating to an audio object and associated position data indicative of an object position. Method (30) includes the initial step (31) of receiving the audio signal (17). At step (32) loudspeaker layout data for the target loudspeaker system (23) is received. At step (33) control data is received that is indicative of a position modification to be applied to the audio object in the audio environment (27). At step (38) in response to the position data, loudspeaker layout data and control data, rendering modification data is generated. Finally, at step (39) the audio signal (17) is rendered with the rendering modification data to output the audio signal (17) with the audio object at a modified object position that is between loudspeakers within the audio environment (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignees: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Dirk Jeroen Breebaart, Antonio Mateos Sole, Heiko Purnhagen, Nicolas R. Tsingos
  • Patent number: 11943485
    Abstract: A method for encoding an image having been cut up into partitions. The method includes: predicting data of a current partition based on an already encoded and then decoded reference partition, generating a predicted partition; determining residual data by comparing data relating to the current partition with the predicted partition, the residual data associated with various digital data items. Prior producing a signal containing the encoded information, performing the following steps; determining, from the predetermined residual data, a subset containing residual data capable of being modified; calculating the value of a function representative of the residual data; comparing the calculated value with a value of at least one of the digital data items; based on the comparison, modification or non-modification of at least one of the residual data items of the subset; and, in the event of a modification, entropy encoding the at least one modified residual data item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Felix Henry, Gordon Clare
  • Patent number: 11942097
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods of processing a spatial audio signal for generating a compressed representation of the spatial audio signal. The methods include analyzing the spatial audio signal to determine directions of arrival for one or more audio elements; for at least one frequency subband, determining respective indications of signal power associated with the directions of arrival; generating metadata including direction information that includes indications of the directions of arrival of the audio elements, and energy information that includes respective indications of signal power; generating a channel-based audio signal with a predefined number of channels based on the spatial audio signal; and outputting, as the compressed representation, the channel-based audio signal and the metadata.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: David McGrath
  • Patent number: 11941791
    Abstract: A method for generating a high-dynamic-range (HDR) image includes (a) denoising a short-exposure-time image, wherein the denoising comprises applying a first guided filter to the short-exposure-time image, the guided filter utilizing a long exposure-time-image as its guide, (b) after the step of denoising, scaling at least one of the short-exposure-time image and the long-exposure-time image to place the short-exposure-time image and the long-exposure-time image on a common radiance scale, and (c) after the step of scaling, merging the short-exposure-time image with the long-exposure-time image to generate the HDR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Jon S. McElvain, Walter C. Gish, Gregory John Ward, Robin Atkins
  • Patent number: 11943600
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of rendering audio objects with multiple types of renderers. The weighting between the selected renderers depends upon the position information in each audio object. As each type of renderer has a different output coverage, the combination of their weighted outputs results in the audio being perceived at the position according to the position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: François G. Germain, Alan J. Seefeldt
  • Publication number: 20240095893
    Abstract: A first reshaping mapping is performed on a first image represented in a first domain to generate a second image represented in a second domain. The first domain is of a first dynamic range different from a second dynamic range of which the second domain is. A second reshaping mapping is performed on the second image represented in the second domain to generate a third image represented in the first domain. The third image is perceptually different from the first image in at least one of: global contrast, global saturation, local contrast, local saturation, etc. A display image is derived from the third image and rendered on a display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Guan-Ming SU, Harshad KADU, Per Jonas Andreas KLITTMARK, Tao CHEN
  • Publication number: 20240098436
    Abstract: A method for performing DRC on a HOA signal comprises transforming the HOA signal to the spatial domain, analyzing the transformed HOA signal, and obtaining, from results of said analyzing, gain factors that are usable for dynamic compression. The gain factors can be transmitted together with the HOA signal. When applying the DRC, the HOA signal is transformed to the spatial domain, the gain factors are extracted and multiplied with the transformed HOA signal in the spatial domain, wherein a gain compensated transformed HOA signal is obtained. The gain compensated transformed HOA signal is transformed back into the HOA domain, wherein a gain compensated HOA signal is obtained. The DRC may be applied in the QMF-filter bank domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Johannes BOEHM, Florian KEILER
  • Publication number: 20240098446
    Abstract: Images are acquired through image sensors operating in conjunction with a media consumption system. The acquired images are used to determine a user's movement in a plurality of degrees of freedom. Sound images depicted in spatial audio rendered by audio speakers operating in conjunction with the media consumption system are adapted based at least in part on the user's movement in the plurality of degrees of freedom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Ajit NINAN, William Anthony ROZZI
  • Publication number: 20240098438
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for translating a first plurality of audio input channels to a second plurality of audio output channels. This includes determining that there is pair-wise coding among any of the first plurality of audio input channels, determining an input/output-mapping matrix for mapping at least a first set of the first plurality of audio input channels to at least a second set of the second plurality of audio output channels; and deriving the second plurality of audio output channels based on first plurality of audio input channels, the input/output-mapping matrix and the determined pair-wise coding. The first plurality of audio input channels represent the same soundfield represented by the second plurality of audio output channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Mark F. DAVIS
  • Publication number: 20240098286
    Abstract: An electronic device for encoding a picture is described. The electronic device includes a processor and instructions stored in memory that are in electronic communication with the processor. The instructions are executable to encode a step-wise temporal sub-layer access (STSA) sample grouping. The instructions are further executable to send and/or store the STSA sample grouping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventor: Sachin G. Deshpande
  • Publication number: 20240098229
    Abstract: Dual and multi-modulator projector display systems and techniques are disclosed. In one embodiment, a projector display system comprises a light source; a controller, a first modulator, receiving light from the light source and rendering a halftone image of said the input image; a blurring optical system that blurs said halftone image with a Point Spread Function (PSF); and a second modulator receiving the blurred halftone image and rendering a pulse width modulated image which may be projected to form the desired screen image. Systems and techniques for forming a binary halftone image from input image, correcting for misalignment between the first and second modulators and calibrating the projector system—e.g. over time—for continuous image improvement are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Jerome SHIELDS, Martin J. RICHARDS, Juan P. PERTIERRA
  • Publication number: 20240098435
    Abstract: A computer implemented system for rendering captured audio soundfields to a listener comprises apparatus to deliver the audio soundfields to the listener. The delivery apparatus delivers the audio soundfields to the listener with first and second audio elements perceived by the listener as emanating from first and second virtual source locations, respectively, and with the first audio element and/or the second audio element delivered to the listener from a third virtual source location. The first virtual source location and the second virtual source location are perceived by the listener as being located to the front of the listener, and the third virtual source location is located to the rear or the side of the listener.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard J. CARTWRIGHT, David S. MCGRATH, Glenn N. DICKINS
  • Publication number: 20240098264
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a block partitioning structure in video coding technology, and a video encoding and decoding method and apparatus using the same, wherein the video encoding and decoding method includes the steps of: acquiring quad-partitioning information of a block; acquiring bi-partitioning information of the block when the acquired quad-partitioning information of the block does not indicate four partitions; acquiring partitioning direction information for bi-partitioning of the block when the acquired bi-partitioning information of the block indicates two partitions; acquiring information on whether to perform any other type of partitioning, when the acquired bi-partitioning information of the block does not indicate two partitions; and acquiring additional information required for the any other type of partitioning, when the acquired information on whether to perform any other type of partitioning indicates that the any other type of partitioning is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Ho Chan RYU, Yong Jo AHN
  • Patent number: 11936888
    Abstract: Methods and systems for frame rate scalability are described. Support is provided for input and output video sequences with variable frame rate and variable shutter angle across scenes, or for input video sequences with fixed input frame rate and input shutter angle, but allowing a decoder to generate a video output at a different output frame rate and shutter angle than the corresponding input values. Techniques allowing a decoder to decode more computationally-efficiently a specific backward compatible target frame rate and shutter angle among those allowed are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Peng Yin, Taoran Lu, Fangjun Pu, Sean Thomas McCarthy, Walter J. Husak, Tao Chen, Guan-Ming Su
  • Patent number: 11937074
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio object and the two additional audio objects, and rendering the audio object and the two additional audio objects to one or more speaker feeds in accordance with the determined weight factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix Torres, Antonio Mateos Sole, Daniel Arteaga, Adam J. Mills, Mark David de Burgh, Andrew Robert Owen
  • Patent number: 11937023
    Abstract: A novel high efficiency image projection system includes a beam-steering modulator, an amplitude modulator, and a controller. In a particular embodiment the controller generates beam-steering drive values from image data and uses the beam-steering drive values to drive the beam-steering modulator. Additionally, the controller utilizes the beam-steering drive values to generate a lightfield simulation of a lightfield projected onto the amplitude modulator by the beam-steering modulator. The controller utilizes the lightfield simulation to generate amplitude drive values for driving the amplitude modulator in order to project a high quality version of the image described by the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Juan P. Pertierra, Martin J. Richards, Christopher John Orlick, Clement Le Barbenchon, Angelo M. Pires Arrifano
  • Patent number: 11935508
    Abstract: The present document relates to audio coding systems which make use of a harmonic transposition method for high frequency reconstruction (HFR), and to digital effect processors, e.g. so-called exciters, where generation of harmonic distortion adds brightness to the processed signal. In particular, a system configured to generate a high frequency component of a signal from a low frequency component of the signal is described. The system may comprise an analysis filter bank (501) configured to provide a set of analysis subband signals from the low frequency component of the signal; wherein the set of analysis subband signals comprises at least two analysis subband signals; wherein the analysis filter bank (501) has a frequency resolution of ?f.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Per Ekstrand, Lars Villemoes, Per Hedelin
  • Patent number: 11935551
    Abstract: The present invention relates to audio coding systems which make use of a harmonic transposition method for high frequency reconstruction (HFR). A system and a method for generating a high frequency component of a signal from a low frequency component of the signal is described. The system comprises an analysis filter bank providing a plurality of analysis subband signals of the low frequency component of the signal. It also comprises a non-linear processing unit to generate a synthesis subband signal with a synthesis frequency by modifying the phase of a first and a second of the plurality of analysis subband signals and by combining the phase-modified analysis subband signals. Finally, it comprises a synthesis filter bank for generating the high frequency component of the signal from the synthesis subband signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Lars Villemoes, Per Hedelin
  • Patent number: 11937064
    Abstract: Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to audio object clustering. A method for metadata-preserved audio object clustering is disclosed. The method comprises classifying an audio object into at least a category based rendering mode information metadata. The method further comprises assigning a predetermined number of clusters to the categories and rendering the audio object based on the rendering mode. Corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lianwu Chen, Lie Lu, Nicolas R. Tsingos
  • Patent number: 11935555
    Abstract: The present document relates to audio source coding systems which make use of a harmonic transposition method for high frequency reconstruction (HFR), as well as to digital effect processors, e.g. exciters, where generation of harmonic distortion add brightness to the processed signal, and to time stretchers where a signal duration is prolonged with maintained spectral content. A system and method configured to generate a time stretched and/or frequency transposed signal from an input signal is described. The system comprises an analysis filterbank configured to provide an analysis subband signal from the input signal; wherein the analysis subband signal comprises a plurality of complex valued analysis samples, each having a phase and a magnitude. Furthermore, the system comprises a subband processing unit configured to determine a synthesis subband signal from the analysis subband signal using a subband transposition factor Q and a subband stretch factor S.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventor: Lars Villemoes
  • Patent number: 11935492
    Abstract: Methods and systems to adjust differently brightness and contrast for dark and bright pictures on a display are provided. Given a tone-mapping curve mapping an input dynamic range to a display comprising a minimum and maximum display luminance value, the maximum display luminance value is lowered to an adjusted luminance value according to user defined parameters. The input dynamic range is tone-mapped to the display dynamic range using the adjusted luminance value. For brightness control, the tone mapped image is stretched linearly back to the maximum display luminance value. For contrast control, a gamma or power EOTF of the display is adjusted according to the adjusted luminance. For displays with global backlight control, the global backlight is adjusted only when contrast is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Jaclyn Anne Pytlarz
  • Patent number: 11937042
    Abstract: Some headphone systems include two ear cups, a headband assembly, an interface system and a control system. Each ear cup may include an ear cup enclosure, an ear pad assembly, a speaker system and a hinge assembly. The hinge assembly may be disposed within the ear cup enclosure such that it is not visible from outside the ear cup. The headband assembly may connect with each of the ear cups via the hinge assembly. The interface system may include at least one interface and a plurality of input source buttons disposed on at least one of the ear cups. Each of the input source buttons may be configured for selecting a source of audio data received via the at least one interface. The control system may be configured for controlling the speaker system to reproduce audio data received via the interface and selected by one of the input source buttons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lucas E. Saule, Gareth James Selfe, Richard Louis Weisman, Daniel Corey Wiggins, Louis D. Fielder, Peter Michaelian
  • Publication number: 20240087584
    Abstract: An encoding system encodes an N-channel audio signal (X), wherein N?3, as a single-channel downmix signal (Y) together with dry and wet upmix parameters ({tilde over (C)}, {tilde over (P)}). In a decoding system, a decorrelating section outputs, based on the downmix signal, an (N?1)-channel decorrelated signal (Z); a dry upmix section maps the downmix signal linearly in accordance with dry upmix coefficients (C) determined based on the dry upmix parameters; a wet upmix section populates an intermediate matrix based on the wet upmix parameters and knowing that the intermediate matrix belongs to a predefined matrix class, obtains wet upmix coefficients (P) by multiplying the intermediate matrix by a predefined matrix, and maps the decorrelated signal linearly in accordance with the wet upmix coefficients; and a combining section combines outputs from the upmix sections to obtain a reconstructed signal ({circumflex over (X)}) corresponding to the signal to be reconstructed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Lars Villemoes, Heidi-Maria Lehtonen, Heiko Purnhagen, Toni Hirvonen
  • Publication number: 20240087590
    Abstract: A method for decoding an encoded audio bitstream is disclosed. The method includes receiving the encoded audio bitstream and decoding the audio data to generate a decoded lowband audio signal. The method further includes extracting high frequency reconstruction metadata and filtering the decoded lowband audio signal with an analysis filterbank to generate a filtered lowband audio signal. The method also includes extracting a flag indicating whether either spectral translation or harmonic transposition is to be performed on the audio data and regenerating a highband portion of the audio signal using the filtered lowband audio signal and the high frequency reconstruction metadata in accordance with the flag. The high frequency regeneration is performed as a post-processing operation with a delay of 3010 samples per audio channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Kristofer KJOERLING, Lars VILLEMOES, Heiko PURNHAGEN, Per EKSTRAND
  • Publication number: 20240089474
    Abstract: Methods and systems for frame rate scalability are described. Support is provided for input and output video sequences with variable frame rate and variable shutter angle across scenes, or for input video sequences with fixed input frame rate and input shutter angle, but allowing a decoder to generate a video output at a different output frame rate and shutter angle than the corresponding input values. Techniques allowing a decoder to decode more computationally-efficiently a specific backward compatible target frame rate and shutter angle among those allowed are also presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Peng Yin, Taoran Lu, Fangjun Pu, Sean Thomas McCarthy, Walter J. Husak, Tao Chen, Guan-Ming Su
  • Publication number: 20240089438
    Abstract: According to the present invention, an adaptive scheme is applied to an image encoding apparatus that includes an inter-predictor, an intra-predictor, a transformer, a quantizer, an inverse quantizer, and an inverse transformer, wherein input images are classified into two or more different categories, and two or more modules from among the inter-predictor, the intra-predictor, the transformer, the quantizer, and the inverse quantizer are implemented to perform respective operations in different schemes according to the category to which an input image belongs. Thus, the invention has the advantage of efficiently encoding an image without the loss of important information as compared to a conventional image encoding apparatus which adopts a packaged scheme.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Jong Ki HAN, Chan Won SEO, Kwang Hyun CHOI
  • Patent number: 11929082
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the field audio coding, an in particular to an audio decoder having at least two decoding modes, and associated decoding methods and decoding software for such audio decoder. In one of the decoding modes, at least one dynamic audio object is mapped to a set of static audio objects, the set of static audio objects corresponding to a predefined speaker configuration. The present disclosure further relates to a corresponding audio encoder, and associated encoding methods and encoding software for such audio encoder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Tobias Friedrich, Heiko Purnhagen, Stanislaw Gorlow, Celine Merpillat
  • Patent number: 11929058
    Abstract: Novel methods and systems for adapting a voice cloning synthesizer for a new speaker using real speech data are disclosed. Utterances from one or more target speakers are parameterized and are used to initialize an embedding vector for use with a voice synthesizer, by means of clustering the utterance data and determining the centroid of the data, using a speaker identification neural network, and/or by finding the closest stored embedded vector to the utterance data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cong Zhou, Xiaoyu Liu, Michael Getty Horgan, Vivek Kumar
  • Patent number: 11930342
    Abstract: An electro-acoustic transducer, comprising a supporting frame, a magnet assembly with an annular yoke surrounding a magnet a diaphragm attached to the front edge of the supporting frame, a voice coil suspended by the diaphragm in a gap formed between the magnet and the annular yoke, the voice coil being axially movable with respect to the magnet, and an annular damper arranged to stabilize the diaphragm. The transducer further comprises a damper holder having a substantially flat annular portion attached to the diaphragm, and a conical wall portion surrounding the voice coil, wherein an inner perimeter of the damper is attached to a rear region of the conical wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Tiezhong Liu, Pengcheng Ji, Wenjie Gui
  • Patent number: 11929091
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of blind detection of binauralized audio. If the input content is detected as binaural, a second binauralization may be avoided. In this manner, the user experience avoids audio artifacts introduced by multiple binauralizations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Chunmao Zhang, Lianwu Chen, Ziyu Yang, Joshua Brandon Lando, David Matthew Fischer, Lie Lu