Method and device for switching media renderers during streaming playback of content

• US 20070136488A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Joon-ho, Yoon, Hyun-sik
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and a device for switching a media renderer to another media renderer while a client performs streaming playback of content of a server are provided. Accordingly, a first client that performs streaming playback of the content transmits playback environment information and a URL of the content to the second client, and the second client transmits the received information and information about features of the second client to the server and requests the corresponding content which has the optimized format for the second client from the server. Therefore, a user can continue to watch the media content through a new media renderer in existing playback environment setting without additional manipulation.

Claims

1. A method of streaming playback of content of a server in a first client, the method comprising:

(a) receiving playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of a second client from the second client that is performing streaming playback of the content; and

(b) performing streaming playback of the content in the first client based on the playback environment information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating information about features of the first client; and

transmitting the generated information about the features of the first client to the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the features of the first client includes at least one of screen size information, information about playable content formats, and information about a supported resolution.

5. A computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for performing a method of streaming playback of content of a server in a first client, the method comprising:

receiving playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of a second client from the second client that is performing streaming playback of the content; and

performing streaming playback of the content in the first client based on the playback environment information.

6. A first client which performs streaming playback of content of a server, wherein the first client comprises:

a receiver which receives playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of a second client from the second client when the second client is performing streaming playback of the content; and

a streaming unit which performs streaming playback of the content based on the playback environment information.

7. The first client of claim 6, further comprising:

a generator which generates information about features of the first client; and

a transmitter which transmits the generated information about the features to the server.

8. The first client of claim 6, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

9. The first client of claim 7, wherein the information about features of the first client includes at least one of screen size information, information about playable content formats, and information about a supported resolution.

10. A method of switching from a first client that is performing streaming playback of content of a server to a second client, the method comprising:

(a) generating playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of the first client; and

(b) transmitting the generated playback environment information to the second client.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

12. A computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for performing a method of switching from a first client that is performing streaming playback of content of a server to a second client, the method comprising:

generating playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of the first client; and

transmitting the generated playback environment information to the second client.

13. A first client which performs streaming playback of content of a server, the first client comprising:

a generator which generates playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of the first client that is performing streaming playback of the content; and

a transmitter which transmits the generated playback environment information to a second client.

14. The first client of claim 13, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

15. A method of transmitting streaming data from a server to a client, the method comprising:

(a) receiving playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of a first client and access information for access to a second client from the first client that is performing streaming playback of a predetermined content of the server; and

(b) transmitting streaming data of the predetermined content and the playback environment information to the second client by referring to the access information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein (b) comprises:

(b1) determining a playback position of the content by referring to the playback environment information; and

(b2) performing streaming transmission of the content from the determined playback position to the second client.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving information about features of the second client from the first client, wherein (b) comprises:

(b1) determining an optimized content format for the second client by referring to the received information about the features of the second client;

(b2) searching for content which has the optimized content format; and

(b3) transmitting the content which has the optimized content format for the second client based on a search result to the second client.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein (b3) further comprises:

transmitting the content to the second client by encoding the content of a pre-stored format in the server into the optimized content format when streaming data of the content which has the optimized content format does not exist in the server.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the information about the features includes at least one of screen size information, information about playable content formats, and information about a supported resolution.

21. A computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for performing a method of transmitting streaming data from a server to a client, the method comprising:

receiving playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of a first client and access information for access to a second client from the first client that is performing streaming playback of a predetermined content of the server; and

transmitting streaming data of the predetermined content and the playback environment information to the second client by referring to the access information.

22. A server which transmits streaming data to a client, the server comprising:

a receiver which receives playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of a first client and access information for access to a second client from the first client that is performing streaming playback of a predetermined content of the server; and

a transmitter which transmits streaming data of the predetermined content and the playback environment information to the second client by referring to the access information.

23. The server of claim 22, wherein the transmitter comprises:

a playback position determiner which detrermines a playback position of the content by referring to the playback environment information; and

a streaming unit which performs streaming transmission of the content from the determined playback position to the second client.

24. The server of claim 22,

wherein the receiver receives information about features of the second client from the first client, and

wherein the transmitter comprises:

a format determiner which determines an optimized data format for the second client by referring to the received information about the features;

a searching unit which searches for the content which has the optimized data format; and

a streaming unit which transmits the content which has the optimized format for the second client based on a search result of the searching unit to the second client.

25. The server of claim 24, wherein the streaming unit transmits the content to the second client, wherein the context is encoded from the content of a pre-stored format in the server into the optimized data format, when streaming data of the content having the optimized data format does not exist in the server.

26. The server of claim 22, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

27. The server of claim 24, wherein the information about the features of the second client includes at least one of screen size information, information about playable content formats, and information about a supported resolution.

28. A method of switching from a first client that is performing streaming playback of content of a server to a second client, the method comprising:

(a) generating playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of the first client;

(b) obtaining access information needed for access to the second client from the second client; and

(c) transmitting the playback environment information and the access information to the server.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

obtaining information about features of the second client from the second client; and

transmitting the obtained information about the features of the second client to the server.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the information about the features of the second client includes at least one of screen size information, information about playable content formats, and information about a supported resolution.

32. A computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for performing a method of switching from a first client that is performing streaming playback of content of a server to a second client, the method comprising:

generating playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment of the first client;

obtaining access information needed for access to the second client from the second client; and

transmitting the playback environment information and the access information to the server.

33. A first client which performs streaming playback of content of a server, the first client comprising:

a generator which generates playback environment information which specifies a current playback environment during playback of the content by the first client;

a receiver which obtains access information for access to a second client from the second client; and

a transmitter which transmits the playback environment information and the access information to the server.

34. The first client of claim 33, wherein the receiver receives information about features of the second client from the second client, and the transmitter transmits the received information about the features of the second client to the server.

35. The client of claim 33, wherein the playback environment information includes at least one of playback position information, caption setting information, information for access to the content, and volume information.

36. The client of claim 34, wherein the information about the features of the second client includes at least one of screen size information, information about playable content formats, and information about a supported resolution.