Abstract: While a media content item is emitted by a second electronic device that is remote from the first electronic device, the first electronic device receives data that includes: timing information, offset information that indicates a difference between an initial position of the media content item and a current playback position of the media content item, and an audio stream that corresponds to the media content item. The first electronic device detects ambient sound that includes sound corresponding to the media content item emitted by the second electronic device. The first electronic device generates a cleaned version of the ambient sound by using the timing information and the offset information to align the audio stream with the ambient sound and performing a subtraction operation to substantially subtract the audio stream from the ambient sound.

Abstract: A media content item recommendation system recommends media content items based on one or more attributes of a seed playlist. The recommended media content items can be determined from a plurality of existing playlists that have been created over a period of time. Such existing playlists can be selected based on similarity to the seed playlist.

Abstract: Term masking is performed by generating a time-alignment value for a plurality of identifiable units of sound in vocal audio content contained in a mixed audio track, force-aligning each of the plurality of identifiable units of sound to the vocal audio content based on the time-alignment value, thereby generating a plurality of force-aligned identifiable units of sound, identifying from the plurality of force-aligned identifiable units of sound a force-aligned identifiable unit of sound to be muddled, and audio muddling the force-aligned identifiable unit of sound to be muddled.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for human-machine interfaces for improving machine understanding and fulfillment of utterance-based requests provided via the interfaces. Multiple candidate understandings from multiple stages of a natural language processing flow are preserved for arbitration and choosing by an arbitrator that applies arbitration rules to the plurality of candidates and chooses a single candidate for initiation of a corresponding service. In an embodiment, the arbitrator uses a media content taste profile to choose a candidate understanding for initiation of a corresponding service.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and related products that provide enhanced broadening and narrowing navigation capabilities through visualized populations of items, such as media content items. Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods of identifying a population of items and groupings of those items for visualizing, via a graphical interface, in a meaningful and easily navigable configuration. Aspects of the present disclosure relate to pre-selection interactions with visualized populations to explore potential narrowing or broadening navigation actions, and selection interactions for performing a narrowing or broadening navigation.

Abstract: An electronic device associated with a media-providing service has one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors. For each track of a plurality of tracks consumed by a user of the media-providing service, the electronic device receives, over a time window, an indication of user selection of the track to compile a listening history of the user and determines, based on the listening history of the user with the media-providing service, whether the track has previously been consumed by the user. The electronic device determines, for the user, a discovery score corresponding to an average preference of the user for selecting previously unconsumed tracks. In response to determining that an amount of use of the media-providing service by the user does not satisfy a use threshold, the electronic device forgoes recommending tracks to the user based on the discovery score.

Abstract: An electronic device stores, for a first user of a media-providing service, a listening history corresponding to media content items provided by the media-providing service that have been previously consumed by the first user. The electronic device provides a shared playback queue to a first device of the first user and a second device of a second user. The electronic device identifies a source of a first media content item of the one or more media content items in the shared playback queue. Based on the identified source of the first media content item in the shared playback queue, the electronic device determines whether to include the first media content item in the listening history of the first user. The electronic device provides information for a second media content item to the first device of the first user based on the listening history of the first user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and related products that provide emotion-sensitive responses to user's commands and other utterances received at an utterance-based user interface. Acknowledgements of user's utterances are adapted to the user and/or the user device, and emotions detected in the user's utterance that have been mapped from one or more emotion features extracted from the utterance. In some examples, extraction of a user's changing emotion during a sequence of interactions is used to generate a response to a user's uttered command. In some examples, emotion processing and command processing of natural utterances are performed asynchronously.

Abstract: A system for refinement of a voice query interpretation interprets a voice query received at a voice-enabled device to identify commands responsive to the voice query for execution at the voice-enabled device, and enables refinement of the interpretation of the voice query through a graphical user interface generated and displayed at a GUI-capable device. The graphical user interface includes a set of selectable options relating to the voice query and identifying a refinement of the interpretation of the voice query to enable control and/or adjustment of commands to be executed by the voice-enabled device. For example, if one of the selectable options is selected, then a command associated with the selected option is identified and executed by the voice-enabled device.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for configuring automatic playback settings on a media playback device. A graphical user interface displays automatic playback settings and receives selections of customized settings for automatic playback. The settings can include context granularity for automatic playback, limiting autoplay to when the media playback device is connected to a wireless network, and activating an audible notification when automatic playback of media content is beginning. An initial queue of media content is selected for playback on the media playback device. The system ascertains whether autoplay is enabled for a particular situation. If autoplay is enabled, the system automatically generates a queue of media that is related to the initial queue and initiates playback on the media playback device after the initial queue concludes.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and/or devices for controlling media presentation at a shared media presentation system are described herein. To that end, an electronic device defines a distance-related access restriction between a media presentation system and a second electronic device. The device selects one or more access control settings for the media presentation system to be controlled by the second electronic device. The device receives a request, from the second electronic device, to control playback at the media presentation system. In accordance with a determination that the second electronic device meets the distance-related access restriction, the device provides authorization for the second electronic device to access the media presentation system using media control requests that comply with the one or more access control settings selected by the electronic device.

Abstract: A system and method for confirming a voice command of a media playback device is disclosed. The method includes receiving an instruction of a voice command and producing an audio confirmation of the command. A confirmation may be playing a media context item associated with the command, playing a verbal confirmation phrase, or playing a non-verbal audio cue.

Abstract: A media system includes: media-playback device including: a media-output device that plays media content items; and a tempo control engine configured to: receive a selection of a desired tempo; and suggest additional media content associated with the desired tempo.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and related products that provide detection of media content items that are under-locatable by machine voice-driven retrieval of uttered requests for retrieval of the media items. For a given media item, a resolvability value and/or an utterance resolve frequency is calculated by a number of playbacks of the media item by a speech retrieval modality to a total number of playbacks of the media item regardless of retrieval modality. In some examples, the methods, systems and related products also provide for improvement in the locatability of an under-locatable media item by collecting and/or generating one or more pronunciation aliases for the under-locatable item.

Abstract: Systems and methods for audio advertising user interaction are disclosed. A voice interactive device causes an advertising audio file to be played for a user. The user can express interest in the advertising content of the advertising audio file by speaking one of a plurality of predetermined intents. Based on expressed user response, one or more results can be provided to the user and/or to a user device. The results relate to advertising content of the advertising audio file.

Abstract: Systems, devices, apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for providing media content to a media playback system are provided. The techniques provide for determining whether a playback system is connected, or otherwise associated with, a playback device suitable for 3D audio playback. Upon determining that a playback system is or is not connected or otherwise associated with a playback device suitable for 3D audio playback, audio content in a corresponding format may then be transferred and/or played by a requesting system. In some examples, one or more filters may be applied to requested audio content to compensate for determined user head movement and/or to create simulated 3D audio from generic two-channel recording.

Abstract: A method of providing voice feedback to a listener as part of a user interface of a media playback system may include: storing multiple different voice feedback recordings in at least one computer-readable storage device, where each of the multiple different voice feedback recordings is of a different voice artist; receiving a listener command corresponding to a musical selection; determining an identifying musical characteristic of the musical selection; selecting a first voice feedback recording from the multiple different voice feedback recordings, where the first voice feedback recording corresponds to the identifying musical characteristic; and playing the first voice feedback recording to the listener via the media playback system.

Abstract: A system is provided for streaming media content in a vehicle. The system includes a personal media streaming appliance system configured to connect to a media delivery system and receive media content from the media delivery system at least via a cellular network. The personal media streaming appliance system operates to transmit a media signal representative to the received media content to a vehicle media playback system so that the vehicle media playback system operates to play the media content in the vehicle.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and related products that provide enhanced personalized media content experiences. Past media content consumption is inferred based on requests for media content selection associated with a time or period of time in the past. The requests are fulfilled by selecting one or more media content items from the inferred media content consumption.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for training and testing utterance based frameworks are disclosed. The training and testing can be conducting using synthetic utterance samples in addition to natural utterance samples. The synthetic utterance samples can be generated based on a vector space representation of natural utterances. In one method, a synthetic weight vector associated with a vector space is generated. An average representation of the vector space is added to the synthetic weight vector to form a synthetic feature vector. The synthetic feature vector is used to generate a synthetic voice sample. The synthetic voice sample is provided to the utterance-based framework as at least one of a testing or training sample.