Media file conversion using plug-ins

• US 20070226238A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Madhuvan, Kiilerich, Dennis, Olson, Kipley
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel

Abstract

A media player for use with any file format is provided. The system receives a file and provides it to a plug-in to generate a corresponding file having a native file format if the file is not already in a native file format. The system stores both the original file and the converted file, or the original file if no converted file is generated. When synchronizing media content to a media device, the system provides the file having a file format corresponding to a file format preferred by the media device.

Claims

1. A method for use with a plurality of plug-ins for converting a media file to a format which a media player is adapted to render, said method comprising:

receiving a first media file;

identifying a file format of the received first media file;

selecting a plug-in from the plurality of plug-ins as a function of the identified format of the first media file; and

providing the first media file to the selected plug-in wherein the selected plug-in generates a second media file in a second file format which the media player is adapted to render.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the first and second media files;

rendering the second media file via the media player;

storing data in a database, said data associating the first media file and the second media file; and

storing content data in the database relating to a media content of the first and second media files in the database.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the database provides a user interface for displaying the content data, permitting a user to select media content to be rendered by the media player, and providing the file corresponding to the selected media content to the media player for rendering, said provided file having a format which the media player is adapted to render.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second media files are stored in a directory and the first media file is hidden from a user;

or wherein the first media file is stored in a first directory hidden from a user and the second media file is stored in a second directory which may be viewed by the user.

5. A method of synchronizing a media device with selected media content wherein a plurality of files having different file formats correspond to the selected media content, said method comprising:

determining one or more preferred file formats of the media device;

identifying media files corresponding to the selected media content and identifying the file format of the corresponding media files;

selecting one of the corresponding media files as a function of its identified file format and as a function of the determined preferred file formats; and

providing the selected media file to the media device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the identified media files are media files residing on a computing device to which the media device is operatively coupled.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein determining comprises:

receiving from the media device an ordered list of file formats supported by said media device;

or

receiving a parameter from the media device; and

retrieving from a memory a ranking of preferred file formats associated with the parameter.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the ranking of preferred file formats is an ordered list of file formats supported by the media device.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein identifying media files comprises:

locating the selected media content in a database; and

determining media files representing the selected media content based on the location of the selected media content in the database.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising converting the selected media content to a determined preferred file format if none of the identified file formats of the identified corresponding media files are preferred by the media device.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the selected media content is a selected media file;

wherein said identifying comprises determining if the selected media file has a corresponding shadow file; and

wherein said selecting comprises selecting the corresponding shadow file if said shadow file exists and is in a format preferred by the media device over the format of the selected media file.

12. A media player comprising:

a conversion component for;

receiving a first media file;

identifying a file format of the received first media file;

selecting a plug-in from a plurality of plug-ins as a function of the identified format of the first media file;

providing the first media file to the selected plug-in wherein the selected plug-in generates a corresponding second media file in a second file format which the media player is adapted to render; and

a synchronization component for;

determining one or more preferred file formats of a media device;

identifying media files corresponding to user selected media content and identifying the file format of the corresponding media files;

selecting one of the corresponding media files as a function of its identified file format and as a function of the determined preferred file formats; and

providing the selected media file to the media device.

13. The media player of claim 12 wherein the conversion component further performs:

storing data in a database, said data associating the first media file and the second media file; and

storing content data in the database relating to a media content of the first and second media files in the database.

14. The media player of claim 13 further comprising a rendering component adapted to render files in the format of the second media file;

and

wherein the database provides a user interface for displaying the content data, permitting a user to select media content to be rendered by the media player, and providing the file corresponding to the selected media content to the rendering component for rendering, said provided file having a format which the media player is adapted to render.

15. The media player of claim 12 wherein the identified media files are media files residing on a computing device to which the media device is operatively coupled.

16. The media player of claim 12 wherein determining comprises:

receiving from the media device an ordered list of file formats supported by said media device;

or

receiving a parameter from the media device; and

retrieving from a memory a ranking of preferred file formats associated with the parameter.

17. The media player of claim 16 wherein the ranking of preferred file formats is an ordered list of file formats supported by the media device.

18. The media player of claim 12 wherein identifying media files comprises:

locating the selected media content in a database; and

determining media files associated with the selected media content based on the location of the selected media content in the database.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the user selected media content is a user selected media file.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the synchronization component is further adapted for converting the user selected media content to a determined preferred file format if none of the identified file formats of the identified corresponding media files are preferred by the media device.