Abstract: A wireless remote unit is operable to demodulate signals received over a plurality of different bands, such as the FM broadcast band, and one or more higher frequency bands. The various bands have different channels and the selection of the band and the channel is accomplished by control signals received by the receiver. The control signal can carry menu information in one direction to the user and can carry user data, including the identity of the user, in the other direction. There can be multiple transmitters, wherein each transmitter sends information on a different channel within a band, and tunes remote units to a particular transmitter based upon proximity to that transmitter. The transmitter is capable of displaying visual data. The visual data includes a predetermined number of advertisements to be displayed during a user session, prompted either by a user logging onto the system, or by the system's detection of a user's presence.

Abstract: A system for enhancing the effect of stereo audio signals while maintaining the central audio image includes an expander circuit that tracks the monaural information that is common to both left and right channels and that uses such monaural information to control variable attenuators that influence the inputs to the left and right audio image placement filters.

Abstract: The sound field in a stereo reproduction system is enhanced by a preprocessor that removes a portion of the audio information that is common or substantially common to both the left and right stereo input signals before processing the signals in left and right sound placement filters. The left and right placement filter output signals, from which a portion of the common audio information was previously removed before processing, are added to the right and left stereo input signals, respectively, to produce enhanced sound field stereo output signals. The input signals that do not undergo placement processing can be delayed in delay filters to improve coherency when the signals are added and both the placement filters and the delay filters can be implemented by a series of cascaded bi-quadratic filters.

Abstract: A player interactive live action football game which may be played for example on a television screen. A player interactive live action football game is provided which comprises a random access storage and retrieval device and a plurality of individual, pre-recorded action football plays illustrating interaction of players of opposite teams. This information is stored in random access storage and retrieval device and accessible according to type of play. The invention further comprises a microprocessor and microprocessor control device electronically associated with the random access storage and retrieval device. The microprocessor is programmed to enable one or more users to select in sequence, through the control device, different football plays according to play type. A display device is electronically associated with the microprocessor to enable the selected plays to be viewed by the users.

Abstract: A player interactive live action football game which may be played for example on a television screen. A player interactive live action football game is provided which comprises a random access storage and retrieval device and a plurality of individual, pre-recorded action football plays illustrating interaction of players of opposite teams. This information is stored in random access storage and retrieval device and accessible according to type of play. The invention further comprises a microprocessor and microprocessor control device electronically associated with the random access storage and retrieval device. The microprocessor is programmed to enable one or more users to select in sequence, through the control device, different football plays according to play type. A display device is electronically associated with the microprocessor to enable the selected plays to be viewed by the users.

Abstract: The sound field in a stereo reproduction system is enhanced by a preprocessor that removes a portion of the audio information that is common or substantially common to both the left and right stereo input signals before processing the signals in left and right sound placement filters. The left and right placement filter output signals, from which a portion of the common audio information was previously removed before processing, are added to the right and left stereo input signals, respectively, to produce enhanced sound field stereo output signals. The input signals that do not undergo placement processing are delayed in delay filters so that coherency is maintained when the signals are added and both the placement filters and the delay filters can be implemented by a series of cascaded bi-quadratic filters.

Abstract: A system for use with headphones provides sound imaging positioning that can accurately locate the sound image at any one of a number of points surrounding the listener and can smoothly fade the sound position from one point to the next as the apparent sound source moves relative to the listener during panning. Individual sound positioners are provided that include only scalers or delay lines are provided for each channel, so that the same sound location filters can be utilized with a number of voices or input channels.

Abstract: A system for processing an audio signal for playback over headphones in which the apparent sound source is located outside of the head of the listener processes the input signal as if it were made up of a direct wave portion, an early reflections portion, and a reverberations portion. The direct wave portion of the signal is processed in filters whose filter coefficients are chosen based upon the desired azimuth of the virtual sound source location. The early reflection portion is passed through a bank of filters connected in parallel whose coefficients are chosen based on each reflection azimuth. The outputs of these filters are passed through scalars to adjust the amplitude to simulate a desired range of the virtual sound source. The reverberation portion is processed without any sound source location information, using a random number generator, for example, and the output is attenuated in an exponential attenuator to be faded out.

Abstract: The illusion of distinct sound sources distributed throughout the three-dimensional space containing the listener is possible using only conventional stereo playback equipment by processing monaural sound signals prior to playback on two spaced-apart transducers. A plurality of such processed signals corresponding to different sound source positions may be mixed using conventional techniques without disturbing the positions of the individual images. Although two loudspeakers are required the sound produced is not conventional stereo, however, each channel of a left/right stereo signal can be separately processed according to the invention and then combined for playback.

Abstract: Sound location information provided in the game program of a video game is employed by a sound processor to produce two-channel sound signals that provide an apparent location of a sound source to the video game player that need not correspond to the actual locations of the loudspeakers. The sound processor processes the sound signals produced by an audio synthesizer of the kind known for use in a video game system in accordance with audio information contained in the game program cartridge. The sound processor can be connected to the central processing bus along with the audio synthesizer. Alternatively, the sound processor can be connected to a separate audio synthesizer, both of which are connected to the video game system through a parallel bus provided therein for communication with the central processing unit bus.

Abstract: The illusion of distinct sound sources distributed throughout the three-dimensional space containing the listener is possible using only conventional stereo playback equipment by processing monaural sound signals prior to playback on two spaced-apart transducers. A plurality of such processed signals corresponding to different sound source positions may be mixed using conventional techniques without disturbing the positions of the individual images. Although two loudspeakers are required the sound produced is not conventional stereo, however, each channel of a left/right stereo signal can be separately processed according to the invention and then combined for playback.

Abstract: In a sound image placement system, which provides sound image placement by processing a monaural input signal to produce two signals that have a phase and amplitude differential therebetween on a frequency dependent basis and that are fed to respective loudspeakers, an off-axis listening location can be obtained by producing an incoherent multiple of the monaural input signal, processing the incoherent signal to produce two signals with a different phase shift and amplitude alteration differential and then adding these two signals to the two signals produced from the original monaural input signal. The combined signals are played back simultaneously through the two loudspeakers. Each incoherent multiple of the monaural input signal can be processed to provide a different off-axis listening locale relative to a center axis of the two loudspeakers, with each off-axis listening locale resulting in the same sound image placement.

Abstract: The game software for a video game system includes audio data and sound positioning information, in order that the audio data can be processed in accordance with the sound positioning information and played back over two spaced-apart speakers to give the player the impression that the sound is emanating from a location other than the actual speaker locations. A sound processor operates upon monaural signals from an audio synthesizer in response to the sound positioning information from the game software so that each monaural signal from the audio synthesizer is divided into two signals and at least one of the signals is passed through a transfer function to produce two-channel output signals that have a differential phase and amplitude relationship therebetween that is adjusted on a frequency dependent basis.

Abstract: A process is described to produce the illusion of distinct sound sources distributed throughout the three-dimensional space containing the listener, using conventional stereo playback equipment. The present process places an apparent image of the assumed sound source in a predetermined and highly localized position. A plurality of such processed signals corresponding to different sources and positions may be mixed using conventional techniques without disturbing the positions of the individual images. Monophonic signals, each representing an assumed sound source, are processed to produce left and right stereo signals. Resulting stereo signals may be reproduced by two loudspeakers, directly or via conventional recording and replay techniques. A listener perceives a realistic image of each source at its respective position as predetermined by the process.

Abstract: A game software for a video game system includes sound positioning information that utilizes two spaced-apart speakers to give the player the impression that the sound is emanating from a location other than the actual speaker locations, for example, to the far right or the far left of the speakers. A sound processor operates in conjunction with a sound synthesizer similar to the one normally employed in a video game system to process the synthesized sound signals in accordance with the sound location information from the software so that it can be reproduced over the two speakers. By arranging the sound processor at various locations relative to the existing sub-systems of the video game, all existing and future video game systems can be adapted to utilize sound location information contained in the game software. In addition, synthesized sound signals from video game software that does not include sound positioning information can be enhanced.