Abstract: A display device includes a display panel including a sub-pixel for displaying an image, a data driver configured to apply a data voltage to a data line of the sub-pixel, and a scan driver configured to apply a gate signal to a gate line of the sub-pixel. A gate voltage of the gate signal is compensated based on a sensing voltage sensed from the sub-pixel.

Abstract: A display system includes: a host processor which outputs first image data and outputs scan frequency information and a partial scan enable signal, based on an image driving frequency; a display module controlled by the host processor; and an interface. The display module includes: a display driving circuit which controls a selection of pixel rows to which the data signals are supplied based on the scan frequency information and the partial scan enable signal; and a display panel which displays an image on selected pixel rows based on the data signals. In a video mode of the interface, the host processor divides and outputs the first image data through the interface during transmission periods, based on the image driving frequency, and suspends an output of the first image data through the interface during suspend periods.

Abstract: A display panel and a display device are provided, the display panel includes a gate driving circuit, a first pixel module, and a second pixel module, the first pixel module includes a first pixel circuit, and the second pixel module includes a second pixel circuit; the gate driving circuit respectively provides corresponding gate driving signals for the first pixel circuit and the second pixel circuit; in the first display region, the number of columns of the pixel circuit included by the first pixel module is greater than the maximum number of columns of the pixel circuit included by the second pixel module in the second display region; the display panel further includes a loading structure arranged in a non-display region; the load structure is electrically connected to the gate wiring; the gate wiring is wiring between the gate driving circuit and the second pixel circuit for providing the corresponding gate driving signals to the second pixel circuit.

Abstract: A display device for a musical instrument includes a touch panel and a switcher. The touch panel is placed to be adjacent to an exterior member that constitutes appearance of the musical instrument. The switcher switches appearance of the touch panel between a first mode and a second mode in which the appearance of the touch panel is closer to appearance of the exterior member than in the first mode.

Abstract: The present invention includes systems and methods for a multi-primary color system for display. A multi-primary color system increases the number of primary colors available in a color system and color system equipment. Increasing the number of primary colors reduces metameric errors from viewer to viewer. One embodiment of the multi-primary color system includes Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta primaries. The systems of the present invention maintain compatibility with existing color systems and equipment and provide systems for backwards compatibility with older color systems.

Abstract: A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a display area comprising a gate line and a data line, and a gate driver connected to a terminal of the gate line. The gate driver includes a plurality of stages that are integrated on a substrate, and each stage comprises an inverter unit, an output unit, and a Q node stabilization unit. The output unit includes a first transistor and a first capacitor, wherein the first transistor includes an input terminal for receiving a clock signal, a control terminal connected to a node Q, and an output terminal connected to a gate voltage output terminal to output a gate voltage. A Vgs voltage of a transistor in the Q node stabilization unit has a value of equal to or less than 0 V when the output unit outputs a gate-on voltage.

Abstract: A method of presenting visual information on a screen (306) involves defining a boundary (314) delineating a first region of the screen (which may be towards a centre of the screen) from a second region of the screen (which may be towards a periphery of the screen), displaying a first portion of the visual information in the first region of the screen at a first display quality, and displaying a second portion of the visual information in the second region of the screen at a second, lower, display quality. The method further involves blurring the visual information for display in at least a portion of the second region. The location of the boundary (314) may change over time, and may be based on where a user is looking, or is expected to be looking, or on the type of information being displayed or based on other parameters.

Abstract: A display apparatus includes a display panel, a gate driver, a data driver and a driving controller. The display panel includes an edge area having a rounded shape in a first state and having a flat shape in a second state. The gate driver applies a gate signal to a gate line of the display panel, the data driver applies a data voltage to a data line of the display panel, and the driving controller processes input image data according to the first state and the second state. The display panel includes a first display area having a first pixel density and a second display area having a second pixel density less than the first pixel density. The second display area corresponds to the edge area of the display panel.

Abstract: A shift register unit includes an input sub-circuit, a pull-down node driving sub-circuit and an output sub-circuit. The pull-down node driving sub-circuit includes a first connection unit, a first voltage-reduction unit and a second connection unit, and configured to: under the control of the first voltage signal terminal and the pull-up node, transmit a first voltage signal from the first voltage signal terminal to the first pull-down node via the first connection unit, and reduce a voltage applied to the second connection unit via the first voltage-reduction unit; and transmit a second voltage signal from the second voltage signal terminal to the first pull-down node via the second connection unit under the control of the pull-up node.

Abstract: An display driver and an operating method of the display driver are provided. The display driver includes a receiver comprising a bias current control circuit. The receiver receives image data. The bias current control circuit computes a data bit rate of the image data, and adjusting a bias current of the receiver according to the data bit rate. The operating method is adapted to the display driver.

Abstract: An electroluminescent display device comprises a pixel including a plurality of subpixels; a plurality of power lines for providing a power voltage to the plurality of subpixels; a data line for providing data signals to the plurality of subpixels; a plurality of gate lines for providing gate signals to the plurality of subpixels; and a reference node line for connecting a plurality of reference nodes included in the plurality of subpixels, wherein each of the subpixels comprises a light emitting diode and a subpixel driving circuit for controlling light emission of the light emitting diode, and wherein the subpixel driving circuit provides a driving current without including a high potential voltage to the light emitting diode as a reference voltage that is applied from one of the plurality of power lines to the reference node included in the subpixel driving circuit, and some of the plurality of subpixels include a compensation transistor connected to the reference node receiving the reference voltage.

Abstract: A display device including: a first power line; a second power line; a data line; a first scan line; a second scan line; a light emitting element connected between the first power line and a first node; a first transistor connected between the first node and the second power line and including a gate electrode connected to a second node; a second transistor connected between the data line and the second node and including a gate electrode connected to the first scan line; and a fourth transistor connected between the first power line and the first node and including a gate electrode connected to the second scan line.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a display device includes pixels, gate lines, source lines, a first driver, and a second driver selecting a gradation voltage corresponding to a gradation value of input image data from either of a plurality of gradation voltages of a first system and gradation voltages of a second system, and supplying the selected gradation voltage to the corresponding source line of the plurality of source lines. In at least a gradation region of all gradation regions of the image data, a value of the corresponding gradation voltage of the second system is relatively different from a value of the corresponding gradation voltage of the first system, for each of same gradation values.

Abstract: A display device includes a first pixel unit located on a substrate and including a first micro-LED, a second pixel unit located on the substrate and including a second micro-LED having a differently colored emission and a different level of luminous efficiency from the first micro-LED, and an emission controller that controls light intensities of the first micro-LED and the second micro-LED. The first pixel unit includes a first current control switch and a first period control switch. The second pixel unit includes a second current control switch and a second period control switch. The first current control switch, the first period control switch, the second current control switch, and the second period control switch are connected to the emission controller.

Abstract: A display device is able to be operated with a first state and a second state, and the display device includes a substrate and a plurality of light emitting units. When the display device is extended along a stretched direction from the first state to the second state, the substrate has a first width in the first state and a second width in the second state. The second width is greater than the first width. The plurality of light emitting units are disposed on the substrate, and the plurality of light emitting units can be in a mode of ON or in a mode of OFF. The light emitting units being in the mode of ON are in a number of N1 while in the first state. The light emitting units being in the mode of ON are in a number of N3 while in the second state, and N3>N1.

Abstract: A pixel circuit, a method of driving a pixel circuit and a display panel. The pixel circuit (10) includes: a drive circuit (100), a data writing circuit (200), a compensation circuit (300), and a light emitting element (500). The drive circuit (100) includes a control terminal (130), a first terminal (110) and a second terminal (120), and is configured to control a drive current flowing through the first terminal (110) and the second terminal (120) for driving the light emitting element (500) to emit light. The data writing circuit (200) is configured to write a data signal to a first terminal (110) of the drive circuit (100) in response to a first scanning signal. The compensation circuit (300) is configured to store a data signal written by the data writing circuit (200) and compensate the drive circuit (100) in response to a second scanning signal.

Abstract: A display device includes a light emitting element including an anode, a cathode, and a light emitting layer between the anode and the cathode, a first transistor connected between the anode and a first power line, the first transistor may be switched by a voltage of a node, a second transistor connected between the first transistor and a data line, the second transistor may be switched by a write scan signal, a third transistor connected between the node and the anode, the third transistor may be switched by a compensation scan signal, a fourth transistor connected between the node and an initialization line, the fourth transistor may be switched by an initialization scan signal, an insulating layer on the first to the fourth transistors, and a light blocking pattern protruding from the insulating layer, the light blocking pattern being adjacent to the third transistor and the fourth transistor.

Abstract: The OLED voltage of a selected pixel is extracted from the pixel produced when the pixel is programmed so that the pixel current is a function of the OLED voltage. One method for extracting the OLED voltage is to first program the pixel in a way that the current is not a function of OLED voltage, and then in a way that the current is a function of OLED voltage. During the latter stage, the programming voltage is changed so that the pixel current is the same as the pixel current when the pixel was programmed in a way that the current was not a function of OLED voltage. The difference in the two programming voltages is then used to extract the OLED voltage.

Abstract: A pixel circuit driving method is a method for driving a pixel circuit that includes a drive transistor that supplies a current corresponding to a signal voltage supplied via a signal line, a write transistor connected between the signal line and a gate electrode of the drive transistor, and an organic EL element that emits light in accordance with the current. The pixel circuit driving method includes supplying a reference potential to the gate electrode of the drive transistor before a threshold correction preparation operation of making a gate-source voltage of the drive transistor higher than a threshold voltage of the drive transistor.

Abstract: A method of controlling a display panel includes steps of: detecting a plurality of lines of display data to generate a detection result; determining whether to apply a general timing or a compensation timing to each of the lines of display data according to the detection result; allocating a first display line period for a first line of display data determined to be applied with the general timing; outputting at least one control signal to the display panel in the first display line period according to a length of the first display line period; allocating a second display line period for a second line of display data determined to be applied with the compensation timing; and outputting the at least one control signal to the display panel in the second display line period according to a length of the second display line period different from the first display line period.

Abstract: A display device includes a sensing circuit and a controller which selects a pixel row in a frame period. A vertical blank period of the frame period includes a sensing time in which the sensing circuit performs a sensing operation for the selected pixel row. The sensing circuit measures a first source voltage of a driving transistor of a pixel in the selected pixel row at a first time point of the sensing time, and measures a second source voltage of the driving transistor at a second time point of the sensing time. The controller calculates a threshold voltage parameter and a mobility parameter based on the first and second source voltages, predicts a saturated source voltage of the driving transistor based on the threshold voltage parameter and the mobility parameter, and calculates a threshold voltage of the driving transistor based on the saturated source voltage.

Abstract: The invention provides a display equipment, an operation method thereof, and a backlight control device. The display equipment includes a display panel, a backlight module, an image processing circuit, a panel control circuit, a first backlight control circuit, and a second backlight control circuit. The image processing circuit provides a VRR video frame to the panel control circuit. The first backlight control circuit generates a main dimming signal to the backlight module during a valid data period of the VRR video frame according to a first timing information of the image processing circuit. The second backlight control circuit generates a compensation dimming signal to the backlight module during a blank period of the VRR video frame according to a second timing information of the image processing circuit. In particular, a peak current value of the compensation dimming signal is less than a peak current value of the main dimming signal.

Abstract: A non-emissive display includes a backlight controller sending a pulse during each sub-frame of a plurality of frames to row and column drivers that drive backlight zones. The row drivers count each pulse to keep a pulse count total, and reset the pulse count total when it is equal to a first number indicating how many row drivers are present. Each row driver activates its channels and waits for a next pulse if the pulse count total is not equal to the first number and if the pulse count total is equal to a second number indicating in which sub-frame that first driver is to be activated. Each row driver waits for a next pulse if the pulse count total is not equal to the first number and the second number. Each column driver activates its channel in response to receipt of each pulse.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a timing controller and a timing controller. The method for controlling the timing controller includes: acquiring a bus address in a bus signal transmitted over an I2C bus, the I2C bus being connected to the timing controller; if the timing controller determining that the bus address matches an address of the timing controller, acquiring data information in the bus signal; acquiring an address of a target function circuit according to the data information; generating and transmitting a query instruction to a memory according to the address of the target function circuit, and receiving switch control data corresponding to the target function circuit fed back by the memory; controlling, according to the switch control data, a switch connected to the target function circuit to be turned on.

Abstract: Driving method of display panel, display panel, and display device are provided. The driving method includes a first-frequency driving mode and a second-frequency driving mode. A first frequency of the first-frequency driving mode is lower than a second frequency of the second-frequency driving mode. In the first-frequency driving mode, a frame time includes a scanning section and a front and rear porch section, and the scanning section and the front and rear porch section are operated in sequence. In the scanning section, sub-pixels of the display panel are scanned, and in the front and rear porch section, the sub-pixels of the display panel are not scanned. The display panel includes data lines. The front and rear porch section corresponding to at least part of a plurality of frames includes at least one compensation section. In a compensation section, a data signal is provided to each data line.

Abstract: A data authorization controlling and matching system includes a receiver, a plurality of display devices, and at least one transmitter. The receiver is used for receiving an image signal. The plurality of display devices are coupled to the receiver for displaying the image signal. The at least one transmitter is coupled to the receiver for outputting the image signal. After a member list saved in the receiver is configured, a data link between the receiver and the at least one transmitter is established. Hardware information of the at least one transmitter is saved in the receiver. The receiver automatically identifies the at least one transmitter according to the hardware information of the at least one transmitter. After the at least one transmitter is identified, the receiver sets authorization information of the at least one transmitter.

Abstract: The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method enabling a user to visually recognize a surrounding environment promptly based on a sudden change in brightness. An information processing apparatus of the present technology includes an acquisition section that acquires environmental information which is information associated with an environment including an object present in a real space, and a display control section that exercises display control based on the environmental information with respect to form information representing a form of the object over a display section that displays predetermined information in a visually recognizable state while superimposing the predetermined information on the real space based on occurrence of a change in brightness of the real space higher than a threshold. The present technology is applicable to an HMD that displays information while superimposing the information on a scene in front of a user.

Abstract: It is desirable to provide a technology for enhancing quality of a displayed image in an overlap region among a plurality of display regions even in a case where a position of the displayed image is changed. There is provided an information processing apparatus including a display controller (134) that controls display of a displayed image in at least one display region of a plurality of display regions on the basis of an input position detected on the basis of a captured image, in which the plurality of display regions includes a first display region and a second display region, and in a case where the input position has moved to an overlap region where the first display region and the second display region overlap with each other, the display controller controls display of the displayed image in the overlap region on the basis of the input position before moving to the overlap region.

Abstract: An electronic device is disclosed that includes a display, a display driver IC that drives the display, and at least one processor operationally connected with the display and the display driver IC. The display driver IC moves a display location of one or more pixel data corresponding to an image associated with at least one application from a specified point by a specified distance on an active area of the display. The at least one processor is configured to scale up a first portion of the image by a specified range based on the specified distance, scale down a second portion of the image by the specified range based on the specified distance, and display the image on the active area based on the scaled-up first portion or the scaled-down second portion. In addition, various embodiments recognized through the specification are possible.

Abstract: A resolution adjustment method applied to image display of a display device includes the display device providing a display menu to obtain a display layout composed of a plurality of display areas, the display device performing a resolution parameter setting on each display area according to the display layout and an original resolution parameter of the display device, the display device generating an updated product code and a plurality of updated resolution parameters according to an original product code and the original resolution parameter of the display device and each resolution parameter setting, and each image source reading the updated product code and the updated resolution parameter and outputting an image corresponding to the updated resolution parameter via a corresponding transmission port to the corresponding display area.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a piano-action. The piano-action may comprises a first moving component including a concavity structure, a second moving component including a convexity structure, wherein the convexity structure and the concavity structure are configured to match each other and capable of being clipped together, and a third moving component being thin and flexible and configured to fixedly fit between the first moving component and the second moving component when the convexity structure of the second moving component is clipped into the concavity structure of the first moving component.

Abstract: A guitar slide for use with a finger of a person on guitar strings of a guitar comprises a hollow body open at a first end and at a second end. The hollow body has an outside surface adapted for contacting the guitar strings of the guitar simultaneously, and an inside surface adapted to receive the person's finger therein. A spring clip is fixed with the inside surface of the hollow body and is adapted to pivot between a first position and a second position. The spring clip includes an urging mechanism to urge the spring clip into the first position. As such, the person inserts his finger into the hollow body, causing the spring clip to pivot towards the second position. The urging mechanism applies pressure to the person's finger to keep the guitar slide in place on the person's finger by friction, while the person plays the guitar.

Abstract: A foldable stringed instrument having a neck and/or body that may assume a reduced profile by folding an upper neck portion away from the playing position through the use of a translating bridge assembly and a translating truss assembly, wherein the foldable stringed instrument is capable of housing or otherwise being coupled to any of a variety of electronics or electrical components (e.g. a smart phone or tablet computer) having one or more applications (apps) for driving the operation, functionality and/or effects associated with the foldable stringed instrument.

Abstract: A drumstick is provided. The drumstick comprises a shaft. A plurality of sound initiating elements are disposed along the shaft. The sound initiating elements are adapted for initiating generation of sound associated with simultaneously activating a plurality of percussion surfaces of a percussion music instrument.

Abstract: A wall-mounted acoustic deadening device includes a mounting device including a mounting plate configured to be mounted to a wall and a mounting peg extending from the mounting plate. The mounting peg has a first portion adjacent the mounting plate with a first diameter and a second portion opposite the mounting plate having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. The device further includes a panel configured to dampen sound, which has a plurality of panel holes extending through a thickness of the panel. A panel hole diameter of one of the plurality of panel holes is less than the first diameter and greater than or equal to the second diameter, and the panel is configured to attach to the mounting device via the mounting peg extending through the one of the plurality of panel holes.

Abstract: An input device includes an operation panel member with an operation surface; a support member contacting a side face of the operation panel member to support the operation panel member, the side face being perpendicular to the operation surface of the operation panel member; and an actuator configured to vibrate the support member in a direction parallel to the operation surface. The support member contacts the operation panel member only at the side face, and the operation panel member vibrates in a direction parallel to the operation surface by transmission of a vibration of the support member from the side face to the operation panel member.

Abstract: The overall performance of an ANC system may be improved by configuring the ANC system to perform adaption in the frequency domain. The ANC systems may be configured to update an algorithm of an adaptive filter based, at least in part, on the first input signal, the second input signal, and a feedback signal that is based on an output of the adaptive filter. Updating may include changing parameters of the algorithm based on a SDR based, at least in part, on the first input signal. Updating may also include normalizing a step size and processing at least full band information for the input signal in a frequency domain to generate coefficient values for the algorithm. Updating may also include applying a frequency domain magnitude constraint on adaptive filter coefficients.

Abstract: An electronic system includes a fan module, an embedded controller, a reference microphone, an error microphone, an active noise cancellation controller, and a micro speaker module. The reference microphone outputs a wide-band noise signal associated with the operation of the fan module. The error microphone outputs an error signal by detecting the noise level of the electronic system. According to the wide-band noise signal, the error signal and the fan information provided by the embedded controller, the active noise cancellation controller provides a speaker control signal by calculating narrow-band and wide-band noises of the fan module, and drives the micro speaker module to provide a noise cancellation signal which is adjusted according to the wind pressure under the current fan speed of the fan module. The error signal may be reduced to zero by adaptively adjusting the noise cancellation signal for canceling the noises in the electronic system.

Abstract: An active noise control device controls a speaker so as to output a canceling sound for canceling noise transmitted from a vibration source. The active noise control device includes a control signal generating unit configured to perform signal processing on a basic signal corresponding to a predetermined frequency by a feedback filter and a extraction filter, which is an adaptive notch filter, to generate a control signal that control the speaker, a secondary path filter updating unit configured to update sequentially and adaptively a secondary path filter, and a feedback filter setting unit configured to set the feedback filter based on the secondary path filter.

Abstract: Ray tracing is performed with sound sources and a listener position in a listening environment, to generate impulse responses associated with each of the sound sources. The impulse responses are combined to form a combined impulse response. One or more filters are determined, each corresponding to the sound sources, based on the combined impulse response and the impulse responses. Each filter serves as a correction factor that holds unique acoustic information for the sound source that the filter is associated with. The combined impulse response and the filters can be applied to one or more audio signals that contain the sound sources, resulting in audio having reverberation that is tailored to the various sound sources. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Abstract: A method of detecting occupancy in an area includes obtaining, with a processor, an audio sample from an audio sensor and determining, with the processor, feature functional values of a set of selected feature functionals from the audio sample. The determining of the feature functional values includes extracting features in the set of selected feature functionals from the audio sample, and determining the feature functional values of the set of selected features from the extracted features. The method further includes determining, with the processor, occupancy in the area using a classifier based on the determined feature functional values.

Abstract: System and method for detecting cognitive decline in a subject using a classification system for detecting cognitive decline in the subject based on a speech sample. The classification system is trained using speech data corresponding to audio recordings of speech from normal and cognitive decline patients to generate an ensemble classifier comprising a plurality of component classifiers and an ensemble module. Each of the plurality of component classifiers is a machine-learning classifier configured to generate a component output identifying a sample data as corresponding to a normal patient or a cognitive patient. The machine-learning classifier is generated based on a subset of available features. The ensemble module receives component outputs from all of the component classifiers and generates an ensemble output identifying the sample data as corresponding to a normal or cognitive decline patient based on the component outputs.

Abstract: A method for logging an item of information relating to a rail vehicle, includes recording a speech input having the item of information, by a user of the rail vehicle and saving the recorded speech input as an audio file. The saved audio file is sent via a wireless communications network to a subscriber, remote from the rail vehicle, of the communications network. A device logs the subscriber, remote from a rail vehicle, of the communications network.

Abstract: Example methods and apparatus for providing voice alignment are described. One example method including: obtaining an original voice and a test voice, the test voice is a voice generated after the original voice is transmitted over a communications network; performing loss detection and/or discontinuity detection on the test voice, the loss detection is used to determine whether the test voice has a voice loss compared with the original voice, and the discontinuity detection is used to determine whether the test voice has voice discontinuity compared with the original voice; and aligning the test voice with the original voice based on a result of the loss detection and/or the discontinuity detection, to obtain an aligned original voice and an aligned test voice, the result of the loss detection and/or the discontinuity detection is used to indicate a manner of aligning the test voice with the original voice.

Abstract: A voice aware audio system and a method for a user wearing a headset to be aware of an outer sound environment while listening to music or any other audio source. An adjustable sound awareness zone gives the user the flexibility to avoid hearing far distant voices. The outer sound can be analyzed in a frequency domain to select an oscillating frequency candidate and in a time domain to determine if the oscillating frequency candidate is the signal of interest. If the signal directed to the outer sound is determined to be a signal of interest the outer sound is mixed with audio from the audio source.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a machine learning model may include an input layer to receive an input signal as a series of frames representing handwriting data, speech data, audio data, and/or textual data. A plurality of time layers may be provided, and each time layer may comprise a uni-directional recurrent neural network processing block. A depth processing block may scan hidden states of the recurrent neural network processing block of each time layer, and the depth processing block may be associated with a first frame and receive context frame information of a sequence of one or more future frames relative to the first frame. An output layer may output a final classification as a classified posterior vector of the input signal. For example, the depth processing block may receive the context from information from an output of a time layer processing block or another depth processing block of the future frame.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus configured to acquire information on a plurality of candidate texts corresponding to input speech of a user through a general speech recognition module, determine text corresponding to the input speech from among the plurality of candidate texts using a trained personal language model, and output the text as a result of speech recognition of the input speech.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system to use conversation data of patients to detect dangerous mental or physical conditions, such as suicidal thoughts, physical abuse, recent falls, and viral infection. A machine learning system may be trained to identify a dangerous mental or physical condition from conversations based on examples of patients evaluated to have a specific mental or physical condition. Conversations of patients may be monitored, natural language understanding (NLU) processing performed, and a machine learning system used to detect dangerous mental or physical conditions.

Abstract: A method of detecting a replay attack comprises: receiving an audio signal representing speech; identifying speech content present in at least a portion of the audio signal; obtaining information about a frequency spectrum of each portion of the audio signal for which speech content is identified; and, for each portion of the audio signal for which speech content is identified: retrieving information about an expected frequency spectrum of the audio signal; comparing the frequency spectrum of portions of the audio signal for which speech content is identified with the respective expected frequency spectrum; and determining that the audio signal may result from a replay attack if a measure of a difference between the frequency spectrum of the portions of the audio signal for which speech content is identified and the respective expected frequency spectrum exceeds a threshold level.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a controllable appliance resident in an environment which includes a device adapted to receive speech input. The system and method establishes a noise threshold for the environment in which the device is operating, receives at the device a speech input, determines a noise level for the environment at the time the speech input is received by the device, compares the determined noise level to the established noise threshold, and causes one or more commands to be automatically issued to the controllable device to thereby cause the controllable device to transition from a first volume level to a second volume level that is less than the first volume level when the determined noise level for the environment is greater than the established noise threshold for the environment.