Computer-implemented techniques can include establishing, between first and second computing devices, an audio communication session via a network. The first computing device can receive and temporarily store audio packets corresponding to an audio input signal obtained by the second computing device. When the audio packets cause the buffer to fill beyond or at a rate exceeding a loss threshold indicative of a temporary loss of communication via the network, the techniques can decode the audio packets to obtain an audio output signal, determine whether the audio output signal includes speech, and when the audio output signal includes speech, remove a redundant portion of the audio output signal corresponding to a pitch period to obtain a modified audio output signal. The modified audio output signal can then be output via a speaker of the first computing device.

A computer-implemented technique can include establishing an audio communication session between first and second computing devices and obtaining, by the first computing device, an audio input signal using audio data captured by a microphone. The first computing device can analyze the audio input signal to detect a speech input by its first user and can determine a duration of a detection period from when the audio input signal was obtained until the analyzing has completed. The first computing device can then transmit, to the second computing device, (i) a portion of the audio input signal beginning at a start of the speech input and (ii) the detection period duration, wherein receipt of the portion of the audio input signal and the detection period duration causes the second computing device to accelerate playback of the portion of the audio input signal to compensate for the detection period duration.

A system capable of speech gap modulation is configured to: receive at least one composite speech portion, which comprises at least one speech portion and at least one dynamic-gap portion, wherein the speech portion(s) comprising at least one variable-value speech portion, wherein the dynamic-gap portion(s) associated with a pause in speech; receive at least one synchronization point, wherein synchronization point(s) is associating a point in time in the composite speech portion(s) and a point in time in other media portion(s); and modulate dynamic-gap portion(s), based at least partially on the at variable-value speech portion(s), and on the point(s), thereby generating at least one modulated composite speech portion. This facilitates improved synchronization of the modulated composite speech portion(s) and the other media portion(s) at the synchronization point(s), when combining the other media portion(s) and the audio-format modulated composite speech portion(s) into a synchronized multimedia output.

A system capable of speech gap modulation is configured to: receive at least one composite speech portion, which comprises at least one speech portion and at least one dynamic-gap portion, wherein the speech portion(s) comprising at least one variable-value speech portion, wherein the dynamic-gap portion(s) associated with a pause in speech; receive at least one synchronization point, wherein synchronization point(s) is associating a point in time in the composite speech portion(s) and a point in time in other media portion(s); and modulate dynamic-gap portion(s), based at least partially on the at variable-value speech portion(s), and on the point(s), thereby generating at least one modulated composite speech portion. This facilitates improved synchronization of the modulated composite speech portion(s) and the other media portion(s) at the synchronization point(s), when combining the other media portion(s) and the audio-format modulated composite speech portion(s) into a synchronized multimedia output.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to perform speed-enhanced playback of recorded media are disclosed. Example media playback devices disclosed herein include a target frames calculator to determine a target number of frames of recorded media to drop during playback of the recorded media based on a target playback rate and a total number of frames of the recorded media. Disclosed example media playback devices also include a frames selector to select a subset of the frames of the recorded media to drop during the playback of the recorded media, the frames selector to select the subset of the frames based on the target number of frames to drop and skip bytes included in the subset of frames.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to perform speed-enhanced playback of recorded media are disclosed. Example media playback devices disclosed herein include a target frames calculator to determine a target number of frames of recorded media to drop during playback of the recorded media based on a target playback rate and a total number of frames of the recorded media. Disclosed example media playback devices also include a frames selector to select a subset of the frames of the recorded media to drop during the playback of the recorded media, the frames selector to select the subset of the frames based on the target number of frames to drop and skip bytes included in the subset of frames.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to perform speed-enhanced playback of recorded media are disclosed. An example method includes parsing an audio frame included in the media to determine a number of skip bytes included in the audio frame, identifying the audio frame as a candidate frame when the number of skip bytes satisfies a skip bytes threshold, and calculating a speed-enhanced playback rate for the media based on a plurality of candidate frames identified in the media.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to perform speed-enhanced playback of recorded media are disclosed. An example method includes parsing an audio frame included in the media to determine a number of skip bytes included in the audio frame, identifying the audio frame as a candidate frame when the number of skip bytes satisfies a skip bytes threshold, and calculating a speed-enhanced playback rate for the media based on a plurality of candidate frames identified in the media.

A method for slowing a digital audio signal from the transmitter in order to transmit a slowed-down digital audio signal to a receiver, comprises the conversion of the digital audio signal received from a transmitter into a text made up of a series of words, assigning a timestamp bookmark to each word of the text, identifying words that belong to patterns referenced in a database of patterns to be eliminated, the definition of a rate of slowing, the adaptation of timestamped bookmarks to a slowed-down time frame based on the time of slowing, the slowing of the digital audio signal, the deletion of patterns to be eliminated, and the transmission to the receiver of a slowed-down digital audio signal.

A method for slowing a digital audio signal from the transmitter in order to transmit a slowed-down digital audio signal to a receiver, comprises the conversion of the digital audio signal received from a transmitter into a text made up of a series of words, assigning a timestamp bookmark to each word of the text, identifying words that belong to patterns referenced in a database of patterns to be eliminated, the definition of a rate of slowing, the adaptation of timestamped bookmarks to a slowed-down time frame based on the time of slowing, the slowing of the digital audio signal, the deletion of patterns to be eliminated, and the transmission to the receiver of a slowed-down digital audio signal.