A SHARED AUDIO SCENE APPARATUS

The present application relates to apparatus for the processing of audio and additionally audio-video signals to enable sharing of audio scene captured audio signals. The invention further relates to, but is not limited to, apparatus for processing audio and additionally audio-video signals to enable sharing of audio scene captured audio signals from mobile devices.

Background

Viewing recorded or streamed audio-video or audio content is well known. Commercial broadcasters covering an event often have more than one recording device (video-camera/microphone) and a programme director will select a 'mix' where an output from a recording device or combination of recording devices is selected for transmission.

Multiple 'feeds' may be found in sharing services for video and audio signals (such as those employed by YouTube). Such systems, which are known and are widely used to share user generated content recorded and uploaded or up- streamed to a server and then downloaded or down-streamed to a viewing/listening user. Such systems rely on users recording and uploading or up- streaming a recording of an event using the recording facilities at hand to the user. This may typically be in the form of the camera and microphone arrangement of a mobile device such as a mobile phone.

Often the event is attended and recorded from more than one position by different recording users at the same time. The viewing/listening end user may then select one of the up-streamed or uploaded data to view or listen. Summary

Aspects of this application thus provide a shared audio capture for audio signals from the same audio scene whereby multiple devices can record audio signals and these audio signals be combined to permit better audio capture operations.

There is provided according to a first aspect an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to with the at least one processor cause the apparatus to at least perform: request to join a shared audio content capture operation; receive an indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and process at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that the apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment.

The apparatus may be further caused to perform outputting the audio signal segment.

The apparatus may be further caused to perform capturing at least one audio signal.

Requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation may cause the apparatus to perform: generating a request token; and transmitting a request token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

Generating a request token may cause the apparatus to perform: determining an apparatus capture parameter indicator; generating a request token comprising the apparatus capture parameter indicator, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus. Receiving an indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may cause the apparatus to perform receiving a segment token comprising a segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

The segment token may further comprise an encoding indicator defining at least one of: an encoding format; and encoding rate, for encoding the audio signal segment. The apparatus may be further caused to perform encoding the audio signal segment based on the encoding indicator.

According to a second aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to with the at least one processor cause the apparatus to at least perform: receiving a request to join a shared audio content capture operation; generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and outputting at least one of the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request.

Receiving a request to join a shared audio content capture operation may cause the apparatus to perform receiving a request token from at least one further apparatus configured to join the operation of the shared content capture operation.

Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may cause the apparatus to perform generating a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture.

Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may cause the apparatus to perform: analysing the request to determine an apparatus capture parameter associated with an apparatus sending the request, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus; and generating the segment token for the apparatus sending the request dependent on the apparatus capture parameter.

The apparatus may be further caused to perform: receiving an audio content capture segment in response to outputting the at least one indicator; outputting at least one other indicator from the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to other apparatus further operating the shared capture operation such that the other apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment defined in the at least other at least one indicator.

Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may cause the apparatus to perform generating at least one other indicator comprising a segment token for apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

Outputting at least one other indicator may cause the apparatus to perform outputting at least one further segment token to the apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

According to a third aspect there is provided apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to with the at least one processor cause the apparatus to at least perform: request to leave a shared audio content capture operation; receive an indicator defining a null audio content capture segment in response to the request; and stop processing at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that the apparatus is configured to stop capturing the audio signal segment.

Requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation may cause the apparatus to perform: retrieve a segment token previously received by the apparatus; and transmit the segment token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

Receiving an indicator defining an null audio content capture segment may cause the apparatus to perform receiving a null segment token comprising a null segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

According to a fourth aspect there is provided apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to with the at least one processor cause the apparatus to at least perform: receiving a request to leave a shared audio content capture operation; generating a null indicator defining an audio content capture null segment in response to the request and at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and outputting the null indicator to the apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation and the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to the other apparatus performing the shared audio content capture operation.

Receiving a request to leave a shared audio content capture operation may cause the apparatus to perform receiving a previously output segment token from the apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation. Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may cause the apparatus to perform generating a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture. According to a fifth aspect there is provided a method comprising: requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation; receiving an indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and processing at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that an apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment.

The apparatus may further comprise outputting the audio signal segment. The apparatus may further comprise capturing at least one audio signal.

Requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation may comprise: generating a request token; and transmitting a request token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

Generating a request token may comprise: determining an apparatus capture parameter indicator; generating a request token comprising the apparatus capture parameter indicator, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus.

Receiving an indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise receiving a segment token comprising a segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

The segment token may further comprise an encoding indicator defining at least one of: an encoding format; and encoding rate, for encoding the audio signal segment. The method may further comprise encoding the audio signal segment based on the encoding indicator.

According to a sixth aspect there is provided a method comprising: receiving a request to join a shared audio content capture operation; generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and outputting at least one of the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request. Receiving a request to join a shared audio content capture operation may comprise receiving a request token from at least an apparatus configured to join the operation of the shared content capture operation.

Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise generating a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture.

Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise: analysing the request to determine an apparatus capture parameter associated with the apparatus sending the request, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus; and generating the segment token for the apparatus sending the request dependent on the apparatus capture parameter.

The method may further comprise: receiving an audio content capture segment in response to outputting the at least one indicator; outputting at least one other indicator from the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to other apparatus further operating the shared capture operation such that the other apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment defined in the at least other at least one indicator. Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise generating at least one other indicator comprising a segment token for apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

Outputting at least one other indicator may comprise outputting at least one further segment token to the apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

According to a seventh aspect there is provided a method comprising: requesting to leave a shared audio content capture operation; receiving an indicator defining a null audio content capture segment in response to the request; and stopping processing at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that an apparatus is configured to stop capturing the audio signal segment.

Requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation may comprise: retrieving a segment token previously received by the apparatus; and transmitting the segment token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

Receiving an indicator defining a null audio content capture segment may comprise receiving a null segment token comprising a null segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

According to an eighth aspect there is provided a method comprising: receiving a request to leave a shared audio content capture operation; generating a null indicator defining an audio content capture null segment in response to the request and at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and outputting the null indicator to an apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation and the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to the other apparatus performing the shared audio content capture operation. Receiving a request to leave a shared audio content capture operation may comprise receiving a previously output segment token from the apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation.

Generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise generating a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture.

According to a ninth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation; means for receiving an indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and means for processing at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that the apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment.

The apparatus may further comprise means for outputting the audio signal segment.

The apparatus may further comprise means for capturing at least one audio signal.

The means for requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation may comprise: means for generating a request token; and means for transmitting a request token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

The means for generating a request token may comprise: means for determining an apparatus capture parameter indicator; means for generating a request token comprising the apparatus capture parameter indicator, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus.

The means for receiving an indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise means for receiving a segment token comprising a segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

The segment token may further comprise an encoding indicator defining at least one of: an encoding format; and encoding rate, for encoding the audio signal segment. The apparatus may further comprise means for encoding the audio signal segment based on the encoding indicator.

According to a tenth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving a request to join a shared audio content capture operation; means for generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and means for outputting at least one of the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request.

The means for receiving a request to join a shared audio content capture operation may comprise means for receiving a request token from at least an apparatus configured to join the operation of the shared content capture operation.

The means for generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise means for generating a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture. The means for generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise: means for analysing the request to determine an apparatus capture parameter associated with the apparatus sending the request, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus; and means for generating the segment token for the apparatus sending the request dependent on the apparatus capture parameter.

The apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving an audio content capture segment in response to outputting the at least one indicator; means for outputting at least one other indicator from the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to other apparatus further operating the shared capture operation such that the other apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment defined in the at least other at least one indicator.

The means for generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise means for generating at least one other indicator comprising a segment token for apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

The means for outputting at least one other indicator may comprise means for outputting at least one further segment token to the apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

According to an eleventh aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for requesting to leave a shared audio content capture operation; means for receiving an indicator defining a null audio content capture segment in response to the request; and means for stopping processing at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that the apparatus is configured to stop capturing the audio signal segment.

The means for requesting to join a shared audio content capture operation may comprise: means for retrieving a segment token previously received by the apparatus; and means for transmitting the segment token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation. The means for receiving an indicator defining a null audio content capture segment may comprise receiving a null segment token comprising a null segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation. According to a twelfth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving a request to leave a shared audio content capture operation; means for generating a null indicator defining an audio content capture null segment in response to the request and at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and means for outputting the null indicator to an apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation and the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to the other apparatus performing the shared audio content capture operation. The means for receiving a request to leave a shared audio content capture operation may comprise receiving a previously output segment token from the apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation.

The means for generating at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request may comprise generating a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture. According to a thirteenth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: a controller configured to request to join a shared audio content capture operation; a transceiver configured to receive an indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and a processor configured to process at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that the apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment.

The apparatus transceiver may be configured to output the audio signal segment. The apparatus may further comprise at least one microphone configured to capture at least one audio signal.

The controller may comprise: a token controller configured to generate a request token; and wherein the transceiver may be configured to transmit the request token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

The token controller may comprise: a parameter reader configured to determine an apparatus capture parameter indicator; a request token generator configured to generate a request token comprising the apparatus capture parameter indicator, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus.

The transceiver may be configured to receive a segment token comprising a segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation. The segment token may further comprise an encoding indicator defining at least one of: an encoding format; and encoding rate, for encoding the audio signal segment. The apparatus may further comprise a content encoder configured to encode the audio signal segment based on the encoding indicator.

According to a fourteenth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: a receiver configured to receive a request to join a shared audio content capture operation; a token processor configured to generate at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and a transmitter configured to output the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request.

The receiver may be configured to receive a request token from at least an apparatus configured to join the operation of the shared content capture operation. The token processor may be configured to generate a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture.

The token processor may comprise: an analyser configured to analyse the request to determine an apparatus capture parameter associated with the apparatus sending the request, wherein the apparatus capture parameter indicator comprises at least one of: processing parameter indicating the audio processing capacity of the apparatus; and capturing parameter indicating the audio capturing capacity of the apparatus; and a token generator configured to generate the segment token for the apparatus sending the request dependent on the apparatus capture parameter.

The receiver may further be configured to receive an audio content capture segment in response to outputting the at least one indicator; the transmitter may be configured to output at least one other indicator from the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to other apparatus further operating the shared capture operation such that the other apparatus is configured to capture the audio signal segment defined in the at least other at least one indicator.

The token processor may comprise a token generator configured to generate at least one other indicator comprising a segment token for apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

The transmitter may be configured to output at least one further segment token to the apparatus operating the shared capture operation before receiving from a further apparatus a request to join a shared audio content capture operation.

According to a fifteenth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: a controller configured to request to leave a shared audio content capture operation; a receiver configured to receive an indicator defining a null audio content capture segment in response to the request; and a content controller configured to stop processing at least one audio signal dependent on the indicator such that the apparatus is configured to stop capturing the audio signal segment. The controller may be configured to retrieve a segment token previously received by the apparatus; and a transmitter configured to transmit the segment token to at least one further apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation. The receiver may be configured to receive a null segment token comprising a null segment indicator from at least one apparatus configured to control the operation of the shared content capture operation.

According to a fifteenth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: a receiver configured to receive a request to leave a shared audio content capture operation; a token processor configure to generate a null indicator defining an audio content capture null segment in response to the request and at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment in response to the request; and a transmitter configured to output the null indicator to an apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation and the at least one indicator defining an audio content capture segment to the other apparatus performing the shared audio content capture operation.

The receiver may be configured to receive a previously output segment token from the apparatus requesting to leave the shared audio content capture operation. The token processor may be configured to generate a segment token for the apparatus sending the request comprising a segment indicator configured to indicate a segment of the audio signal to capture.

A computer program product stored on a medium may cause an apparatus to perform the method as described herein.

An electronic device may comprise apparatus as described herein.

A chipset may comprise apparatus as described herein.

Embodiments of the present application aim to address problems associated with the state of the art.

Summary of the Figures

For better understanding of the present application, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows schematically a multi-user free-viewpoint service sharing system which may encompass embodiments of the application;

Figure 2 shows schematically an apparatus suitable for being employed in embodiments of the application; Figure 3 shows schematically an example content capture apparatus according to some embodiments;

Figure 4 shows schematically an example content co-ordinating apparatus according to some embodiments

Figure 5 shows an example audio scene and content division according to some embodiments;

Figures 6a and 6b show flow diagrams for example initiate sharing and manage capture apparatus sharing operations according to some embodiments;

Figure 7 shows flow diagram for an example stop sharing operation and manage capture apparatus operations according to some embodiments; and

Figure 8 shows a flow diagram for a segment token generation operation as shown in Figures 6a, 6b and 7 according to some embodiments.

Embodiments of the Application

The following describes in further detail suitable apparatus and possible mechanism for the provision of effective audio signal capture sharing. In the following examples, audio signals and audio capture signals are described. However it would be appreciated that in some embodiments the audio signal/audio capture is a part of an audio-video system.

The concept of this application is related to assisting in the production of immersive person-to-person communication and can include video. It would be understood that the space within which the devices record the audio signal can be arbitrarily positioned within an event space. The captured signals as described herein are transmitted or alternatively stored for later consumption where the end user can select the listening point based on their preference from the reconstructed audio space. The rendering part then can provide one or more down mixed signals from which the multiple recordings that correspond to the selective listening point. It would be understood that each recording device can record the event seen and upload or upstream the recorded content. The uploaded or upstream process can include implicitly positioning information about where the content is being recorded. Furthermore an audio scene can be defined as a region or area within which a device or recording apparatus effectively captures the same audio signal. Recording apparatus operating within an audio scene and forwarding the captured or recorded audio signals or content to a co-ordinating or management apparatus effectively transmit many copies of the same or very similar audio signal. The redundancy of many devices capturing the same audio signal permits the effective sharing of the audio recording or capture operation. For example with respect to Figure 5 an event scene 461 or region is shown within which there are located five recording or capturing apparatus. These are for example a first capturing apparatus A 451 , a second capturing apparatus B 453, a third capturing apparatus C 455, a fourth capturing apparatus D 457, and a fifth capturing apparatus E 459. Furthermore as shown in Figure 5 the event scene has an audio spectrum which can be band limited or represented by the frequency range 0 to F Hz.

As each of the recording apparatus effectively record the same event scene spectrum 401 it is possible to divide the event scene audio spectrum 401 into frequency bands or segments which can be assigned to the recording apparatus (for example the event scene audio spectrum 401 can be subdivided into five segments or parts - one for each of the example recording apparatus). For example the first capturing apparatus A can be configured to capture the first segment 403, the second capturing apparatus 453 configured to capture the second segment 405, the third capturing apparatus 455 configured to capture the third segment 407, the fourth capturing apparatus 457 configured to capture the fourth segment 409 and the fifth capturing apparatus 459 configured to capture the fifth segment 41 1 . The segments or parts of the audio spectrum can then be transmitted to a receiver (for example the co-ordinating or management apparatus), where the segments can be combined to form a copy of the full audio spectrum 421 from 0 to F Hz. It would be understood that by dividing or sharing the capturing operation amongst the capture apparatus, individual apparatus reduces the amount of content data that is processed and sent. Thus in other words the apparatus within a shared or divided content audio scene need only a portion of the processing power and transmission bandwidth when compared to an undivided audio scene.

However it would be understood that the division of the content or the apportioning of the spectrum to enable full coverage of the audio scene required to maximise the end-user experience can be difficult to organise in practice.

Thus embodiments as described herein describe apparatus and methods which address these problems and in some embodiment provide a minimal overlapping capture with an optimisation of the audio scene coverage. In the embodiments described herein there are examples of shared or divided content audio scene recording method and apparatus for multi-user environments. The methods and apparatus describe the following concepts: distributing audio segments of the audio spectrum for apparatus for shared capture; releasing audio segments from devices for audio capture; monitoring overlapping audio segments capture to maximise audio scene quality and minimise processing power amongst participating apparatus.

With respect to Figure 1 an overview of a suitable system within which embodiments of the application can be located is shown. The audio space 1 can have located within it at least one recording or capturing device or apparatus 19 which are arbitrarily positioned within the audio space to record suitable audio scenes. The apparatus 19 shown in Figure 1 are represented as microphones with a polar gain pattern 101 showing the directional audio capture gain associated with each apparatus. The apparatus 19 in Figure 1 are shown such that some of the apparatus are capable of attempting to capture the audio scene or activity 103 within the audio space. The activity 103 can be any event the user of the apparatus wishes to capture. For example the event could be a music event or audio of a "news worthy" event. The apparatus 19 although being shown having a directional microphone gain pattern 101 would be appreciated that in some embodiments the microphone or microphone array of the recording apparatus 19 has a omnidirectional gain or different gain profile to that shown in Figure 1.

Each recording apparatus 19 can in some embodiments transmit or alternatively store for later consumption the captured audio signals via a transmission channel 107 to an audio scene server 109. The recording apparatus 19 in some embodiments can encode the audio signal to compress the audio signal in a known way in order to reduce the bandwidth required in "uploading" the audio signal to the audio scene server 109.

The recording apparatus 19 in some embodiments can be configured to estimate and upload via the transmission channel 107 to the audio scene server 109 an estimation of the location and/or the orientation or direction of the apparatus. The position information can be obtained, for example, using GPS coordinates, cell-ID or a-GPS or any other suitable location estimation methods and the orientation/direction can be obtained, for example using a digital compass, accelerometer, or gyroscope information.

In some embodiments the recording apparatus 19 can be configured to capture or record one or more audio signals for example the apparatus in some embodiments have multiple microphones each configured to capture the audio signal from different directions. In such embodiments the recording device or apparatus 19 can record and provide more than one signal from different the direction/orientations and further supply position/direction information for each signal. With respect to the application described herein an audio or sound source can be defined as each of the captured or audio recorded signal. In some embodiments each audio source can be defined as having a position or location which can be an absolute or relative value. For example in some embodiments the audio source can be defined as having a position relative to a desired listening location or position. Furthermore in some embodiments the audio source can be defined as having an orientation, for example where the audio source is a beamformed processed combination of multiple microphones in the recording apparatus, or a directional microphone. In some embodiments the orientation may have both a directionality and a range, for example defining the 3dB gain range of a directional microphone.

The capturing and encoding of the audio signal and the estimation of the position/direction of the apparatus is shown in Figure 1 by step 1001 .

The uploading of the audio and position/direction estimate to the audio scene server 109 is shown in Figure 1 by step 1003.

The audio scene server 109 furthermore can in some embodiments communicate via a further transmission channel 11 to a listening device 113. In some embodiments the listening device 113, which is represented in Figure 1 by a set of headphones, can prior to or during downloading via the further transmission channel 1 1 1 select a listening point, in other words select a position such as indicated in Figure 1 by the selected listening point 105. In such embodiments the listening device 1 13 can communicate via the further transmission channel 1 1 to the audio scene server 09 the request.

The selection of a listening position by the listening device 1 13 is shown in Figure 1 by step 1005. The audio scene server 109 can as discussed above in some embodiments receive from each of the recording apparatus 19 an approximation or estimation of the location and/or direction of the recording apparatus 19. The audio scene server 109 can in some embodiments from the various captured audio signals from recording apparatus 19 produce a composite audio signal representing the desired listening position and the composite audio signal can be passed via the further transmission channel 11 1 to the listening device 1 13. The generation or supply of a suitable audio signal based on the selected listening position indicator is shown in Figure 1 by step 1007.

In some embodiments the listening device 1 13 can request a multiple channel audio signal or a mono-channel audio signal. This request can in some embodiments be received by the audio scene server 109 which can generate the requested multiple channel data.

The audio scene server 109 in some embodiments can receive each uploaded audio signal and can keep track of the positions and the associated direction/orientation associated with each audio source. In some embodiments the audio scene server 109 can provide a high level coordinate system which corresponds to locations where the uploaded/upstreamed content source is available to the listening device 1 13. The "high level" coordinates can be provided for example as a map to the listening device 1 13 for selection of the listening position. The listening device (end user or an application used by the end user) can in such embodiments be responsible for determining or selecting the listening position and sending this information to the audio scene server 109. The audio scene server 109 can in some embodiments receive the selection/determination and transmit the downmixed signal corresponding to the specified location to the listening device. In some embodiments the listening device/end user can be configured to select or determine other aspects of the desired audio signal, for example signal quality, number of channels of audio desired, etc. In some embodiments the audio scene server 109 can provide in some embodiments a selected set of downmixed signals which correspond to listening points neighbouring the desired location/direction and the listening device 1 13 selects the audio signal desired.

In this regard reference is first made to Figure 2 which shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary apparatus or electronic device 10, which may be used to record (or operate as a recording or capturing apparatus 19) or listen (or operate as a listening apparatus 1 13) to the audio signals (and similarly to record or view the audio-visual images and data). Furthermore in some embodiments the apparatus or electronic device can function as the audio scene server 109.

The electronic device 10 may for example be a mobile terminal or user equipment of a wireless communication system when functioning as the recording device or listening device 1 3. In some embodiments the apparatus can be an audio player or audio recorder, such as an MP3 player, a media recorder/player (also known as an MP4 player), or any suitable portable device suitable for recording audio or audio/video camcorder/memory audio or video recorder.

The apparatus 10 can in some embodiments comprise an audio subsystem. The audio subsystem for example can comprise in some embodiments a microphone or array of microphones 1 1 for audio signal capture. In some embodiments the microphone or array of microphones can be a solid state microphone, in other words capable of capturing audio signals and outputting a suitable digital format signal. In some other embodiments the microphone or array of microphones 1 1 can comprise any suitable microphone or audio capture means, for example a condenser microphone, capacitor microphone, electrostatic microphone, Electret condenser microphone, dynamic microphone, ribbon microphone, carbon microphone, piezoelectric microphone, or microelectrical-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone. The microphone 1 1 or array of microphones can in some embodiments output the audio captured signal to an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) 14. In some embodiments the apparatus can further comprise an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) 14 configured to receive the analogue captured audio signal from the microphones and outputting the audio captured signal in a suitable digital form. The analogue-to-digital converter 14 can be any suitable analogue-to- digital conversion or processing means.

In some embodiments the apparatus 10 audio subsystem further comprises a digital-to-analogue converter 32 for converting digital audio signals from a processor 21 to a suitable analogue format. The digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) or signal processing means 32 can in some embodiments be any suitable DAC technology.

Furthermore the audio subsystem can comprise in some embodiments a speaker 33. The speaker 33 can in some embodiments receive the output from the digital- to-analogue converter 32 and present the analogue audio signal to the user. In some embodiments the speaker 33 can be representative of a headset, for example a set of headphones, or cordless headphones. Although the apparatus 10 is shown having both audio capture and audio presentation components, it would be understood that in some embodiments the apparatus 10 can comprise one or the other of the audio capture and audio presentation parts of the audio subsystem such that in some embodiments of the apparatus the microphone (for audio capture) or the speaker (for audio presentation) are present.

In some embodiments the apparatus 10 comprises a processor 21. The processor 21 is coupled to the audio subsystem and specifically in some examples the analogue-to-digital converter 14 for receiving digital signals representing audio signals from the microphone 1 1 , and the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) 12 configured to output processed digital audio signals. The processor 21 can be configured to execute various program codes. The implemented program codes can comprise for example audio signal or content sharing and audio token processing routines.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a memory 22. In some embodiments the processor is coupled to memory 22. The memory can be any suitable storage means. In some embodiments the memory 22 comprises a program code section 23 for storing program codes implementable upon the processor 21. Furthermore in some embodiments the memory 22 can further comprise a stored data section 24 for storing data, for example data that has been encoded in accordance with the application or data to be encoded via the application embodiments as described later. The implemented program code stored within the program code section 23, and the data stored within the stored data section 24 can be retrieved by the processor 21 whenever needed via the memory-processor coupling. In some further embodiments the apparatus 10 can comprise a user interface 15. The user interface 15 can be coupled in some embodiments to the processor 21. In some embodiments the processor can control the operation of the user interface and receive inputs from the user interface 15. In some embodiments the user interface 5 can enable a user to input commands to the electronic device or apparatus 10, for example via a keypad, and/or to obtain information from the apparatus 10, for example via a display which is part of the user interface 15. The user interface 15 can in some embodiments comprise a touch screen or touch interface capable of both enabling information to be entered to the apparatus 10 and further displaying information to the user of the apparatus 10.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a transceiver 13, the transceiver in such embodiments can be coupled to the processor and configured to enable a communication with other apparatus or electronic devices, for example via a wireless communications network. The transceiver 13 or any suitable transceiver or transmitter and/or receiver means can in some embodiments be configured to communicate with other electronic devices or apparatus via a wire or wired coupling.

The coupling can, as shown in Figure 1 , be the transmission channel 07 (where the apparatus is functioning as the recording device 19 or audio scene server 109) or further transmission channel 1 11 (where the device is functioning as the listening device 1 13 or audio scene server 109). The transceiver 13 can communicate with further devices by any suitable known communications protocol, for example in some embodiments the transceiver 13 or transceiver means can use a suitable universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) protocol, a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol such as for example IEEE 802.X, a suitable short-range radio frequency communication protocol such as Bluetooth, or infrared data communication pathway (IRDA). In some embodiments the apparatus comprises a position sensor 16 configured to estimate the position of the apparatus 10. The position sensor 16 can in some embodiments be a satellite positioning sensor such as a GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS or Galileo receiver.

In some embodiments the positioning sensor can be a cellular ID system or an assisted GPS system. In some embodiments the apparatus 10 further comprises a direction or orientation sensor. The orientation/direction sensor can in some embodiments be an electronic compass, accelerometer, a gyroscope or be determined by the motion of the apparatus using the positioning estimate. It is to be understood again that the structure of the electronic device 10 could be supplemented and varied in many ways.

Furthermore it could be understood that the above apparatus 10 in some embodiments can be operated as an audio scene server 109. In some further embodiments the audio scene server 109 can comprise a processor, memory and transceiver combination.

In the following examples there are described an audio scene/content recording or capturing apparatus which correspond to the recording device 19 and an audio scene/content co-ordinating or management apparatus which corresponds to the audio scene server 109. However it would be understood that in some embodiments the audio scene management apparatus can be located within the recording or capture apparatus as described herein and similarly the audio scene recording or content capture apparatus can be a part of an audio scene server 109 capturing audio signals either locally or via a wireless microphone coupling.

With respect to Figure 3 an example content capture or recording apparatus suitable for audio scene sharing is shown. The recording apparatus as shown in Figure 3 can comprise a microphone input 201 configured to receive the microphone signals and pass these to a content processor 205. The microphone signals can be any suitable microphone signals such as those as described with respect to Figure 2.

In some embodiments the recording apparatus comprises a content processor 205 configured to receive the microphone input signals and process these according to any suitable processing method. In some embodiments the content processor 205 can be configured to filter the microphone input signals and output specific frequency bands or sub bands from the full frequency range. Furthermore the content processor 205 can be configured to output the processed content to a content encoder 209. The content processor 205 in some embodiments can be controlled or set-up by a content controller 203.

In some embodiments the recording apparatus comprises a content encoder 209. The content encoder 209 can be configured to receive the processed content from the content processor 205 and encode the content according to any suitable encoding for transmission purposes. The content encoder 209 can be configured in some embodiments to output the encoded content to the transceiver 21 1.

In some embodiments the recording apparatus comprises a transceiver 21 1. The transceiver can be any suitable transceiver such as the transceiver shown in Figure 2 and described herein.

In some embodiments the recording apparatus comprises a content controller 203. The content controller 203 can in some embodiments be configured to control the content processor 205. For example in some embodiments the content controller 203 can be configured to set up or control the filtering operations performed by the content processor 205.

Furthermore in some embodiments the recording apparatus comprises a token controller 207. The token controller 207 can be configured to generate, receive, and process tokens. Based on the value of the received tokens the token controller 207 can be configured to control the content controller 203 and content processor 205 (to filter the microphone input content). The operation of the token controller 207 will be described herein.

With respect to Figure 4 an example content co-ordinating/management apparatus is shown with respect to some embodiments.

In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus comprises a transceiver 301. The transceiver 301 in some embodiments is configured to receive and transmit content and tokens by a wireless link to the recording apparatus. In other words the transceiver 301 can considered to be coupled to the transceiver 21 1 of the audio capture apparatus. It would be understood that in some embodiments the transceiver 301 can be coupled or communicate with other apparatus or devices. For example in some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus operating as an audio server can operate the transceiver 301 to communicate the combined content from the content segments to a listener operating a listening apparatus such as described in the example system described with respect to Figure 1. The transceiver 301 can in some embodiments be configured to output received content to a content analyser 305. Furthermore the transceiver 301 can in some embodiments be configured to transmit and receive tokens with the token processor 303. In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus comprises a content analyser 305. The content analyser 305 can in some embodiments be configured to receive content from the transceiver 301 and analyse the content to determine whether the content received is the content segment associated with the recording apparatus. The results of the analysis can in some embodiments be passed to the token processor 303.

Furthermore in some embodiments the content analyser 305 comprises a content decoder configured to perform a decoding process to the received content (the reciprocal operation to the content encoder 209 of the recording apparatus). The content analyser 305 can in such embodiments be configured to output the analysed (decoded) content to a content combiner 309. In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus comprises a content combiner 309. The content combiner 309 can be configured to receive the content from the content analyser 305 and configured to combine segments to form a complete content or audio signal spectrum. In some embodiments the content combiner 309 can be configured to operate under the control of the content segmenter 307 which 'knows' which segment has been received. In some embodiments the content combiner 309 is configured to process or equalise the content received before combining based on information on how each recording apparatus has captured the content or by comparing a commonly captured segment. The content combiner 309 can be configured to output the content to a content output/sink 311.

In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus comprises a content output/sink 311. The content output/sink 311 can be configured in some embodiments to store the combined content (for example in the memory prior to being recalled) or output (for example stream) the combined content dependent on the use required.

In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus comprises a content segmenter 307. The content segmenter 307 can be configured to, under control of the token processor 303, apportion or segment the frequency spectrum of the audio scene into a number of segments (or frequency bands) and indicate to the token processor 303 which apparatus is to capture which segment. In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus comprises a token processor 303. The token processor 303 in some embodiments is configured to generate, receive, and process tokens as described herein. For example in some embodiments the token processor 303 can trigger the content segmenter 307 to divide the audio scene spectrum into a suitable number of segments from which the token processor 303 can be configured to generate suitable segment tokens to co-ordinate the division of the capture spectrum at each recording apparatus. With respect to Figures 6a and 6b an example co-ordination operation of the audio scene is shown by the addition of a new recording apparatus within an audio scene. Figure 6a specifically shows an example 'sharing start operation', and Figure 6b the co-ordination of the current recording apparatus following the receipt of content data at the co-ordination apparatus.

In some embodiments a 'new' recording apparatus, in other words a recording apparatus entering a defined audio scene region can be configured to start an audio capture operation or process. The audio capture operation or process can for example be triggered where the recording apparatus determines that it is within specific or designated area, a user interface input in response to a request to join content capture or some other trigger. In such embodiments the token controller 207 can be configured to generate a request token. The request token can be configured to indicate that the 'new' recording apparatus is ready to record or capture content such as audio signals. In some embodiments the request token can comprise information on the recording, processing or bandwidth capacity which the apparatus can implement in capturing the content.

The generation of the request token is shown in Figure 6a by step 501. The token controller 207 can then in some embodiments be configured to output the request token to the transceiver 21 1.

The transceiver 21 1 can be configured in some embodiments to receive the request token and transmit the request token to a suitable co-ordinating apparatus. In some embodiments where there is more than one co-ordinating apparatus, for example the co-ordination is ad-hoc, the transceiver 21 1 can be configured to receive information indicating to which apparatus the transceiver 21 1 is to transmit the request token. The operation of transmitting the request token is shown in Figure 6a by step 503.

In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus transceiver 301 can be configured to receive the request token.

The operation of receiving the request token is shown in Figure 6a by step 601.

The co-ordinating apparatus transceiver 301 can be configured to output the received request token to the token processor 303.

The token processor 303, having received the request token can be configured to control the content segmenter 307 to divide the content spectrum into a suitable number of segments and allocate segments to the recording apparatus within the audio scene, which now includes the 'new' recording apparatus. The content segmenter 307 can then return the allocated segment identifier for the 'new' recording apparatus and generate a segment token comprising the allocated segment information for the 'new' recording apparatus. The token processor 303 can in some embodiments pass the segment token to the transceiver 301.

The operation of generating the segment token is shown in Figure 6a by step 603.

In some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus transceiver 301 can then be configured to transmit to the 'new' recording apparatus the segment token comprising the allocated segment information.

The operation of transmitting the segment token to the new recording apparatus is shown in Figure 6a by step 605. In some embodiments the 'new' recording apparatus transceiver 21 1 is configured to receive the segment token. The segment token can then be passed to the token controller 207. The operation of receiving the segment token at the 'new' recording apparatus is shown in Figure 6a by step 505.

The 'new' recording apparatus token controller 207, in some embodiments having received the segment token can determine from the segment token information which segment or segments (frequency bands) have been allocated to the 'new' recording apparatus.

In such embodiments the 'new' recording apparatus token controller 207 can be configured to pass to the content controller 203 the information on which frequency band or bands are to be captured/recorded.

The 'new' recording apparatus content controller 203, having received the frequency band information, can in some embodiments be configured to control or set up the content processor 205 to band filter the audio signals received from the microphone input 201 such that the content encoder 209 receives only the audio signals of the frequency band or bands which are to be encoded and transmitted by the transceiver. The operation of configuring for segment capture operation is shown in Figure 6a by step 507.

Furthermore the 'new' recording apparatus content controller 203 can be configured to start the capturing of content within the allocated segment(s) or frequency band(s).

The operation of segment capture is shown in Figure 6a by step 509.

With respect to Figure 6b the co-ordination of the current recording apparatus following the receipt of content data at the co-ordination apparatus.

As described herein the 'new' recording apparatus starts to capture the segment(s) or frequency band(s) allocated to the 'new' recording apparatus. The operation of segment capture is shown in Figure 6b by step 509.

The 'new' recording apparatus content processor 205 having processed the content segment(s) passes the segment content to the content encoder 209. The 'new' recording apparatus content encoder 209 can then encode the content and pass the encoded segment content to the transceiver 21 1.

The 'new' recording apparatus transceiver 21 1 can then be configured to transmit the encoded audio signals for the segment to the coordinating apparatus.

The operation of encoding and transmitting the segment from the new recording apparatus is shown in Figure 6b by step 51 1 . The co-ordinating apparatus transceiver 301 can be configured to receive the encoded captured segment(s).

The operation of receiving the encoded captured segment(s) is shown in Figure 6b by step 61 1.

The co-ordinating apparatus transceiver 301 can in some embodiments be configured to pass the captured segment(s) to the content analyser 305.

The co-ordinating apparatus content analyser 305 can be configured to decode the received content. The decoding of the content can be by any suitable decoding process.

The co-ordinating apparatus content analyser 305 can furthermore be configured to determine whether the captured content is the content segment allocated to the 'new' recording apparatus.

The co-ordinating apparatus content analyser 305 can therefore in some embodiments be configured to indicate to the token processor 303 that the 'new' recording apparatus has begun to record or capture content for the allocated segment.

Furthermore the co-ordinating apparatus content analyser 305 can be configured to output to the content combiner 309 the decoded content segment.

The co-ordinating apparatus content combiner 309 can then in some embodiments combine the received content segment with other received content segments to generate the full frequency spectrum of the audio scene.

The co-ordinating apparatus token processor 303, in some embodiments, on receiving the indicator from the content analyser 305 that the new recording apparatus has begun capturing or recording the segment allocated to the 'new' recording apparatus can be configured to generate other recording apparatus segment tokens.

The other recording apparatus segment tokens comprise information on the allocated segments for the other recording apparatus taking into account the segment or segments allocated to the 'new' recording apparatus.

The other recording apparatus segment tokens can in some embodiments be generated at the same time as the generation of the 'new' recording apparatus segment token as shown in Figure 6a step 603. In such embodiments the coordinating apparatus token processor 303 is configured to generate the other recording apparatus segment tokens at the same time as the generation of the 'new' recording apparatus segment token but are stored and recovered once the 'new' recording apparatus transmits content.

The co-ordinating apparatus token processor 303 can in some embodiments be configured to pass the other recording apparatus segment tokens to the transceiver 301. The operation of generating the other recording apparatus segment tokens is shown in Figure 6b by step 613.

The co-ordinating apparatus transceiver 301 can then in some embodiments be configured to transmit the other recording apparatus segment tokens to the other recording apparatus within the audio scene.

The transmission of the other recording apparatus segment tokens is shown in Figure 6b by step 615.

The other recording apparatus can then be configured to receive at their transceivers the other recording apparatus segment tokens.

The operation of receiving at the other recording apparatus the other recording apparatus segment tokens is shown in Figure 6b by step 701.

These other recording apparatus segment tokens can in some embodiments then be processed by the other recording apparatus token controllers and content controllers so to configure the content processors/content encoders of the other recording apparatus such that they capture the segments allocated to them and indicated in the other recording apparatus segment tokens.

The operation of configuring the other recording apparatus for the new allocated segment capture is shown in Figure 6b by step 703.

The other recording apparatus can then be configured to begin capturing the segments as now allocated and defined in the other recording apparatus segment tokens. The operation of segment capture in the other recording apparatus is shown in Figure 6b by step 705. In such a manner it can be seen that the recording apparatus can acquire tokens which describe which segments from the audio spectrum to capture. Furthermore the distribution of tokens between participating apparatus or devices is shown in these embodiments in the operations of receiving the token to initiate the start of the shared capture at the new recording apparatus and furthermore receiving tokens to change the audio segments capture at the other recording apparatus following the new recording apparatus having sent captured audio signal content to the coordinating apparatus. In other words when a recording apparatus or device enters the shared capture area (the audio scene) and wishes to join the new recording apparatus first sends a request for a token, the token describes what and how the 'new' recording apparatus or device should capture with respect to the audio scene. Once the token is received the 'new' recording apparatus or device can actually start the capturing process. Furthermore the segments can be redistributed amongst the participating devices in such a way that only once the 'new' recording apparatus has sent content the co-ordinating apparatus releases the segment tokens for the other recording apparatus thus preventing an interrupted service for the period of time between the generation of the segments and the output by the new recording apparatus of the segment capture output.

With respect to Figure 7 an example of the co-ordination operations for a recording apparatus leaving the audio scene is shown. In some embodiments the recording apparatus token controller 207 can be configured to initiate the recording apparatus leaving operation by retrieving the segment token allocated to the recording apparatus.

The operation of retrieving the segment token is shown in Figure 7 by step 801 .

The recording apparatus token controller 207 can in some embodiments pass the retrieved segment token to the transceiver 21 1. The recording apparatus transceiver 21 1 can then transmit the retrieved segment token to the coordinating apparatus.

The operation of transmitting the segment token is shown in Figure 7 by step 803.

The co-ordinating apparatus transceiver 301 can then be configured to receive the segment token associated with the recording apparatus leaving the audio scene. The transceiver 301 can pass the received segment token to the token processor 303.

The operation of receiving the segment token is shown in Figure 7 by step 901 .

The co-ordinating apparatus token processor 303, having received the segment token can in some embodiments then trigger a segment re-distribution or re- sorting operation by the content segmenter 307. In some embodiments the token processor 303 can configure the content segmenter 307 to the segment the frequency spectrum according to a spectrum division process but with the number of recording apparatus reduced by 1. The co-ordinating apparatus content segmenter 307 can then in such embodiments pass the new segment distribution to the token processor 303.

The co-ordinating apparatus token processor 303 can in some embodiments generate a null (or acknowledgement) token to be transmitted to the recording apparatus requesting to leave the audio scene. Furthermore in some embodiments the co-ordinating apparatus token processor 303 can be configured to further generate segment tokens for the remaining audio scene recording apparatus according to the new segment distribution. The operation of generating a null token and generating the other recording apparatus segment tokens is shown in Figure 7 by step 903. The null token and the remaining recording apparatus segment tokens can be passed from the token processor 303 to the transceiver 301.

The transceiver 301 , in some embodiments can be configured to transmit the null token to the recording apparatus requesting to leave the audio scene and further be configured to transmit the other recording apparatus segment tokens to the remaining recording apparatus,

The recording apparatus requesting to leave transceiver 21 1 can in some embodiments receive the null token and pass the null token to the token controller 207.

The operation of receiving the null token is shown in Figure 7 by step 805. In some embodiments the leaving recording apparatus token controller 207 can be configured wait until the receipt of the null or acknowledgement token from the co-ordinating apparatus to initialise the content capture end operation. However in some embodiments the leaving recording apparatus token controller can be configured to initialise a timer with a defined value and when the timer value has expired perform the content capture end operation.

The token event controller 207 can then control the content controller and through the content controller the content processor and content encoder to stop segment capture operations.

The operation of stopping the segment capture operation is shown in Figure 7 by step 807.

At the other or remaining recording apparatus the other recording apparatus can receive the segment tokens for the remaining recording apparatus. The remaining recording apparatus segment tokens can be with passed to their token controllers. The operation of receiving the remaining recording apparatus segment tokens at the remaining recording apparatus is shown in Figure 7 by step 1002.

The remaining recording apparatus can then at the remaining recording apparatus token controllers be configured to control the operation of the content controller so to control the content processing of audio signal inputs.

The operation of configuring for the new distribution segment capturing is shown in Figure 7 by step 1004.

The remaining recording apparatus thus in such embodiments are configured to capture and forward to the co-ordinating apparatus segments such that the new distribution of segments for the remaining recording apparatus is followed. The operation of segment capturing is shown in Figure 7 by step 1006.

Thus in these embodiments by having separate communication before starting and ending the capturing ensures that the perceptual quality of the audio scene is not compromised.

With respect to Figure 8 the operation of the content segmenter 307 and token processor 303 with respect to the allocation of segments and the generation of segment tokens is shown. The token processor 303 in some embodiments can be configured to maintain a count of the number of recording apparatus within the audio scene. In some embodiments this can be determined by incrementing an audio scene apparatus count on receiving a start request and decrementing the count on receiving a recovered or retrieved segment token (or in some embodiments an express leaving request token). In some embodiments the variable defining the number of recording apparatus, nDevices, is initially zero. The operation of determining the number of devices is shown in Figure 8 by step 1 101.

In some embodiments furthermore the token processor 303 can be configured to assign an unique identifier to each recording apparatus within the audio space. In some embodiments the unique identifier for each recording apparatus can be for example based on the IMEI code of the apparatus, or the MAC address of the apparatus or any other suitable unique identifier. The identifiers can in some embodiments be stored in a vector deviceslDs which is initialised as a null vector.

The operation of assigning an unique identifier to each recording apparatus is shown in Figure 8 by step 1 103.

Furthermore in some embodiments the content segmenter 307 is configured to determine the number of audio segments within the full spectral range. The number of segments, nSegments, describing the audio spectrum can be any number of segments.

The operation of determining the number of audio segments is shown in Figure 8 by step 1 105.

The content segmenter 307 can furthermore be configured to determine the segment ranges based on the defined number of segments and the full-spectrum range. The ranges of the segments within the audio spectrum can in some embodiments be freely selected or can follow some predefined boundary distribution. For example in some embodiments the boundaries can be mapped to utilise the human auditory system model. As the human auditory system operates on a pseudo-logarithmic scale non uniform frequency bands or frequency ranges can be used as they more closely reflect the auditory sensitivity. For example in some embodiments a non-uniform band range follows the boundaries of the ERB bands. In some embodiments the non-uniform bands follow the boundaries of the BARK bands. The operation of determining the range of the audio segments is shown in Figure 8 by step 107.

The content segmenter 307 can in some embodiments perform a segment distribution operation. In the following description the segment distribution is a 'blind' distribution, in other words segments are distributed to the recording apparatus without considering the recording apparatus capture capacities. However in some embodiments the segment distribution can be performed based on further information from each of the recording apparatus (such as processing capacity, recording quality, bandwidth capacity etc).

In some embodiments the content segmenter 307 can be configured to perform an initial segment distribution where the content segmenter 307 is configured to distribute a first segment to all of the recording apparatus within the audio scene. This initial segment distribution is configured to force each of the recording apparatus to capture a common segment which can be used to compare the output from each recording apparatus in order that signal quality can be compared and in some embodiments for equalisation parameter determination for equalising the captured segments prior to combining the segments.

The operation of distributing a first segment to all the recording apparatus is shown in Figure 8 by step 1109.

The content segmenter 307 can in some embodiments be configured to distribute further segments sequentially for each of the apparatus. In other words the second segment is allocated to the first recording apparatus, the third segment is allocated to the second recording apparatus, and so on until the last recording apparatus in the audio scene is allocated a segment. The operation of distributing a segment for each of the apparatus is shown in Figure 8 by step 1 1 11. Then while unallocated or undistributed segments remain further loops of sequentially distributing the remaining segments to recording apparatus can be performed. The operation of forming a while segment distribution loop is shown in Figure 8 by step 1 113.

The content segmenter 307 then can pass to the token processor 303 the segment distribution information.

In some embodiments the following pseudocode can perform the operation of the content segmenter.

where the variable nDevices is the number of recording apparatus within the audio scene participating to the shared capture. In line 2, devicelDs assigns an unique ID for each participating device. In line 3, nSegments describes the number of segments in the audio spectrum and the segment boundaries are described in line 4. Lines 7-19 describe the distribution of the audio segments for the participating recording apparatus in the shared audio space. If value of segFlag of the i ^th index is set to one, the corresponding audio segment as described by segOffset is captured by the recording apparatus. To guarantee at least some basic audio quality, the first segment band is captured (this is as described herein optional) by all devices (lines 7-8). Lines 10-12 distribute the audio segments evenly to participating recording apparatus or devices. Lines 14- 19 further distribute the audio segments in case there are fewer participating recording apparatus than there are number of audio segments.

In some embodiments the token processor 303 can be configured to generate the segment tokens, for example for the 'new' recording apparatus requesting to the join the audio scene, the other recording apparatus in the audio scene following the joining in of the 'new' recording apparatus, or the remaining recording apparatus when a recording apparatus requests to leave the audio scene.

The token that can be transmitted can in some embodiments contain the following format segFlag Audio segments to capture

In some embodiments the number of segments in the audio spectrum can be dynamically changed causing a redistribution or reallocation of segments. For example in some embodiments where the number of recording apparatus or devices is larger than the number of audio segments then the number of segments can be increased, for example doubled. In such embodiments the corresponding segment boundaries are decreased, for example halved.

This 'doubling and halving' operation can be performed until some predefined threshold is achieved. For example in some embodiments a limit of two 'doubling and halving' operations can occur. Similarly in some embodiments where the number of recording apparatus is lower than the number of audio segments the number of audio segments can be (reduced) halved and the corresponding segment boundaries can be (increased) doubled. Again in some embodiments the 'halving and doubling' operations can continue until some predetermined threshold has been achieved. For example a limit of two 'halving and doubling' operations from the initial value can occur.

In some embodiments the 'halving and doubling' operations can continue until there is at least one recording apparatus recording each audio segment.

In some embodiments the token is complemented or comprises an element defining the number of dynamic operations. For example the token can comprise a value split Audio segments split factor (... ,-2,0,2,4,...) where a split value 0 indicates the default value, positive values indicate doubling of the number of segments and negative values indicate a halving th number of segments.

The decision when to activate the doubling or halving can take place for exampl in the pseudocode shown above before line 7.

Although in the embodiments described herein the allocation or division of the audio spectrum is non-overlapping it would be understood that in some embodiments there can be overlapping between segments such that two or more apparatus capture the same audio segment.

In some embodiments the token can define the accuracy required for the capturing of the segment. For example in some embodiments the token can define where there are overlapping recording apparatus capturing the same audio segment a first recording apparatus capturing the segment at full or higher accuracy and a second recording apparatus capturing the segment at reduced or lower accuracy than the first recording apparatus.

In such examples the lower accuracy recording apparatus can use a decreased bit rate and processing power.

In some embodiments the overlapping segments can be identified then some of the recording apparatus are set to capture at a lower accuracy and some at full accuracy. In some embodiments the token can comprise or be complemented with the following element capFlag _i Capture accuracy setting

In the simplest form the variable capFlag contains a flag bit which indicates whether a full (0) or lower (1 ) accuracy capture is required for the corresponding audio segment.

The operation of defining capture accuracy settings can take place for example after line 19 of the pseudocode described above. For example in some embodiments the audio segments to capture can be defined as segFla _gller→l = [l 1 0 0 l]

segFla _giln . _→] = [l 0 1 0 1]

se _g Fla _gda . _→] = [\ 0 0 1 l]

The shared capture event as shown in the flags above shows three recording apparatus or devices with the specified audio segments. The first segment is allocated for all recording apparatus and the remaining segments are checked to determine whether there are overlapping segments.

In the example, the 5 ^th segment is allocated such that it overlaps with all recording apparatus. In some embodiments, variable capture accuracy can be enabled such that only one recording apparatus operates at full accuracy for the overlapping segment and the other recording apparatus operate at lower accuracy.

The capture accuracy settings for the recording apparatus could therefore translate into capFlag _dcvl→] = [0 0 0 0 θ]

capFIag _MDii] = [0 0 0 0 l]

capFlag _da→l] = [0 0 0 0 l]

In some embodiments the start and leaving sequences can vary.

For example in some embodiments the co-ordination or management functionality can reside on a network server and each recording apparatus connects to the server to join and leave the shared capture event - in other words become part of the audio scene. In some embodiments at least one of the recording apparatus in the audio scene can be configured to act as the co-ordinating apparatus or server and recording apparatus connect to the 'server' through an ad hoc network such as Bluetooth.

In some embodiments the recording apparatus can be configured to keep a record of its own distribution of audio segments as it only needs to know the recording apparatus that are joining and leaving the shared capture space or audio scene. In some embodiments this information can be handled through ad hoc networking where each recording apparatus sends a start request to neighbouring recording apparatus and receives tokens from one or more devices. In other words rather than a centralised coordination each recording apparatus forms a localised coordination.

Although the above has been described with regards to audio signals, or audiovisual signals it would be appreciated that embodiments may also be applied to audio-video signals where the audio signal components of the recorded data are processed in terms of the determining of the base signal and the determination of the time alignment factors for the remaining signals and the video signal components may be synchronised using the above embodiments of the invention. In other words the video parts may be synchronised using the audio synchronisation information. It shall be appreciated that the term user equipment is intended to cover any suitable type of wireless user equipment, such as mobile telephones, portable data processing devices or portable web browsers.

Furthermore elements of a public land mobile network (PLMN) may also comprise apparatus as described above.

In general, the various embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device, although the invention is not limited thereto. While various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof. The embodiments of this invention may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of the mobile device, such as in the processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Further in this regard it should be noted that any blocks of the logic flow as in the Figures may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on such physical media as memory chips, or memory blocks implemented within the processor, magnetic media such as hard disk or floppy disks, and optical media such as for example DVD and the data variants thereof, CD.

The memory may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The data processors may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), gate level circuits and processors based on multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

Embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is by and large a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate. Programs, such as those provided by Synopsys, Inc. of Mountain View, California and Cadence Design, of San Jose, California automatically route conductors and locate components on a semiconductor chip using well established rules of design as well as libraries of pre-stored design modules. Once the design for a semiconductor circuit has been completed, the resultant design, in a standardized electronic format (e.g., Opus, GDSII, or the like) may be transmitted to a semiconductor fabrication facility or "fab" for fabrication.

The foregoing description has provided by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples a full and informative description of the exemplary embodiment of this invention. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.