Media item selection

• US 20060224259A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Buil, Vincentius Paulus, Geurts, Lucas Jacobus Franciscus
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/022 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]

Abstract

Creating a playlist of media items for a desired perceiving experience requires many actions for searching and selecting media items that fit the desired perceiving experience. The invention provides an alternative for creating a perceiving experience without the use of a playlist. To this end, the invention provides a method (1) for selecting a media item from a plurality of media items, each of the plurality of media items being linked to at least one out of a plurality of content related attribute-value pairs, the method (1) comprising the steps of defining (10) for at least one attribute of said plurality of attribute value pairs at least two desired probabilities of selecting a media item having a predetermined value for said at least one attribute, resulting in a desired probability distribution (22) of at least two predetermined values for which a desired probability has been defined, selecting (14) an actual value from said at least two predetermined values in accordance with said desired probability distribution (22), and selecting (16) one of said plurality of media items having an attribute-value pair corresponding to said actual value and the attribute linked to said actual value. The invention further provides a system (1) and a media player (5) for selecting a media item.

Claims

1. A method (1) for selecting a media item from a plurality of media items, each of the plurality of media items being linked to at least one out of a plurality of content related attribute-value pairs, the method (1) comprising the steps of:

defining (10) for at least one attribute of said plurality of attribute-value pairs at least two desired probabilities of selecting a media item having a predetermined value for said at least one attribute, resulting in a desired probability distribution (22) of at least two predetermined values for which a desired probability has been defined;

selecting (14) an actual value from said at least two predetermined values in accordance with said desired probability distribution (22); and

selecting (16) one of said plurality of media items having an attribute-value pair corresponding to said actual value and the attribute linked to said actual value.

2. The method (1) according to claim 1, wherein selecting a media item from a plurality of media items is performed at at least one of the following events (12):

a user indicates by a user input to play a next media item;

a previous media item has finished playing;

a previous media item has come nearly to its end;

a predetermined time has elapsed;

a remote signal has been received.

3. The method (1) according to claim 1, wherein the defining step (10) is performed at least twice for different attributes, resulting in at least two different desired probability distributions (22, 32) of at least two predetermined values, the method (1) further comprising the steps of

selecting (14) at least two actual values from said at least two predetermined values in accordance with said at least two desired probability distributions (22, 32);

and

selecting (16) one of said plurality of media items having attribute-value pairs corresponding to said at least two actual values and the attributes linked to said at least two actual values.

4. The method (1) according to claim 1, wherein the defining step (10) is performed at least twice, resulting in a first desired probability distribution (22) of at least two predetermined values defined for a starting moment in time and at least one further desired probability distribution (32) of at least two predetermined values defined for a later moment in time, the method (1) further comprising the steps of:

adapting said first desired probability distribution (22) over time in accordance with said at least one further desired probability distribution (32) to obtain an adapted desired probability distribution of at least two predetermined values;

selecting (14) an actual value from said at least two predetermined values in accordance with said adapted desired probability distribution; and

selecting (16) one of said plurality of media items having an attribute-value pair corresponding to said actual value and the attribute linked to said actual value.

5. The method (1) according to claim 1, wherein the defining step (10) is performed at least twice, resulting in at least two desired probability distributions (22, 32) of at least two predetermined values, the method (1) further comprising the steps of:

combining the at least two desired probability distributions into a combined desired probability distribution of at least two predetermined values;

selecting (14) an actual value from said at least two predetermined values in accordance with said combined desired probability distribution; and

selecting (16) one of said plurality of media items having an attribute-value pair corresponding to said actual value and the attribute linked to said actual value.

6. The method (1) according to claim 1, wherein the defining step (10) is performed by defining and visualizing a pie-chart (22) having at least two pie-parts corresponding to said at least two predetermined values, said pie-parts having proportions in dependence on said at least two desired probabilities.

7. The method (1) according to claim 6, wherein the selection step (14) of an actual value comprises the steps of

spinning (24) said pie-chart (22);

slowing down said pie-chart (22) until said pie-chart stops at a random position;

selecting said actual value corresponding to a pie-part of said pie-chart (22) in dependence on the position (26) where the pie-chart stopped.

8. A system (I) for selecting a media item from a plurality of media items, each of the plurality of media items being linked to at least one out of a plurality of content related attribute-value pairs, the system comprising:

means for defining (10) for at least one attribute of said plurality of attribute-value pairs at least two desired probabilities of selecting a media item having a predetermined value for said at least one attribute, resulting in a desired probability distribution (22) of at least two predetermined values for which a desired probability has been defined;

means for selecting (14) an actual value from said at least two predetermined values in accordance with said desired probability distribution (22); and

means for selecting (16) one of said plurality of media items having an attribute-value pair corresponding to said actual value and the attribute linked to said actual value.

9. The system (1) according to claim 8, the system (1) further comprising:

means for defining a pie-chart (22) having at least two pie-parts corresponding to said at least two predetermined values, said pie-parts having proportions in dependence on said at least two desired probabilities; and

means for visualizing said pie-chart (22).

10. The system (1) according to claim 9, the system (1) further comprising:

means for spinning (24) said pie-chart (22);

means for slowing down said pie-chart (22) until said pie-chart stops at a random position; and

means for selecting (14) said actual value corresponding to a pie-part of said pie-chart (22) in dependence on the position where the pie-chart stopped.

11. The system (1) according to claim 10, the system (1) further comprising means for selecting the moment in time said pie-chart (22) starts slowing down.

12. The system (1) according to claim 10, the system (1) further comprising means for adjusting the speed of slowing down said pie-chart (22).

13. The system (1) according to claim 10, the system (1) further comprising means for holding said pie-chart (22) at its current position for selecting (16) one of said plurality of media items having an attribute-value pair corresponding to a previous selected actual value and the attribute linked to said previous selected actual value.

14. A media player (5) comprising

means (50) for storing a plurality of media items;

means (58) for playing said plurality of media items; and

a system (1) for selecting a media item from said plurality of media items according to claim 8.