Provisioning and Streaming Media to Wireless Speakers from Fixed and Mobile Media Sources and Clients

• US 20080025535A1
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Blackfire Research Corporation
• Inventors: Rajapakse, Ravi
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate

Abstract

Embodiments include system architectures and processes for handling the provisioning, management and control of media renderers. A plurality of media renderers are organized into a plurality of zones. Provisioning is performed dynamically as mobile media sources move between zones. Media renderers are dynamically detected, resources are allocated, and the system is configured for playback without noticeable interruption of the streaming and rendering of the media.

Claims

1. A system for streaming media to a plurality of media renderers, the system comprising:

a bridge renderer having a input and an output, the input of the bridge renderer configured to receive a media stream from a media server, the media stream having a first format and comprising audio data; and

a distribution server having an input and an output, the input of the distribution server communicatively coupled to the output of the bridge renderer, the output of the distribution server configured to stream the audio data in a second format from the distribution server to a plurality of media renderers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media renderers comprises a plurality of IP addressable speakers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first format of the media stream from the media server to the bridge renderer is different than the second format from the distribution server to the media renderers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the media stream from the media server to the bridge renderer is transformed into a plurality of media streams from the distribution server, wherein each of the media streams of the plurality is streamed to a respective media renderer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the media streams at each respective media renderer is rendered synchronously.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a control point, wherein the bridge renderer is unavailable for use by the control point as a destination for a media stream until the control point has previously selected a set of media renderers.

7. A system for selecting media renderers within a zone for rendering a media stream, the system comprising:

a plurality of media renderers, each media renderer assigned to one or more zones;

a zone manager that collects information from the media renderers assigned to a zone; and

a control point that interacts with the zone manager to identify media renderers assigned to the zone based on the information collected by the zone manager and selects media renderers within the zone for rendering a media stream.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a media source for transmitting the media stream, wherein the media source is one selected from a group consisting of a media server and a media player.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the zone manager collects information from the media renderers by sending a broadcast message and receiving responses to the broadcast message.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the selection of media renderers by a control point reserves those media renderers for use by the control point until the control point releases those media renderers.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the control point selects media renderers that have already been reserved by another control point, and wherein the first control point releases its reservation of media renderers for the subsequent reservation and use of the set of renderers by the new control point.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein a new control point may request forced reservation of a set of media renderers that have already be reserved by a previous control point, and wherein the previous reservation is cancelled and the set of renderers is made available for subsequent reservation and use by the new control point.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the zone manager tracks media renderer to zone manager communication signal strength information and provides the information to a control point, and wherein the control point uses the information to select a zone.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein responsive to a communication signal strength from a media renderer in a first zone being below a threshold, the control point selects a different zone.

15. The system of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of zone managers, wherein the control point selects a zone based at least in part on signal strength of communications between the control point and the plurality of zone managers.

16. The system of claim 7, further comprising a means for a zone manager to authenticate requests from a control point.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the media stream is streamed from a media source comprising a media player, and wherein a virtual audio device driver intercepts the media being played by the media player and streams the media to the plurality of media renderers.

18. The system of claim 7, where the media renderer provides information comprising speaker volume or role that the control point displays to a users, wherein the role comprises one selected from a group consisting of front left, front right, front center, back left, back right, back center, and subwoofer.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein the zone provides information regarding the zone to a control point, the information comprising physical location and zone ownership information, and wherein the control point displays the information to a user.

20. The system of claim 7, wherein the zone manager resides on a mobile computing device.

21. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of media renderers is assigned to more than one zone.

22. The system of claim 7, wherein the control point displays zone information to a user of the control point.

23. The system of claim 7, wherein a control point is able to cause a pre-recorded or real time media to be streamed to at least one zone.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the control point has a first location, and the IP addressable speakers to which the media server streams the selected media are in a vicinity of the control point.

24. A method of streaming media to IP addressable speakers, the method comprising:

querying a media server for information about media that is available for playback by the media server;

displaying the information about the media that is available for playback to a user at a control point, the control point remotely located from the media server; and

responsive to the user selecting media for playback, initiating, via the control point, a signal to cause the media server to stream the selected media from the media server to the IP addressable speakers.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the user is authenticated by an authentication server prior to the control point initiating streaming from the media server.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising charging the user a price for playback of the selected media.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the media server is an Internet-based server and the control point is a web-based application.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the web browser displays advertisements to the user.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the media server, the media served by the media server, and the media renderer all reside on the same computing device.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein each IP addressable speaker includes functionality to receive control commands from a remote control and to process the control commands or redirect the control commands to a control point for processing.

31. The method of claim 30, where the IP addressable speakers include functionality to respond to the remote control based on the processing of the control command.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein each IP addressable speaker renders a media stream according to at least one property selected from a group consisting of stream identifiers, zone identifiers, and audio system position roles.

34. A system for streaming media to a plurality of media renderers, the system comprising:

a plurality of geographically dispersed media renderers; and

a control point having a first location, the control point able to cause media to be streamed to one or more media renderers.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the control point causes media to be streamed to a first set of media renderers in a vicinity of the first location.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the control point moves to a second location and the control point causes the media to be streamed to a second set of media renderers in a vicinity of the second location.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the second set of media renderers automatically play the media responsive to the control point moving to the second location.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the media played is based on at least one of properties of the control point or user responses to prompts.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein there are no media renderers in the vicinity of the first location, and wherein the control point moves to a second location and the control point causes the media to be streamed to a set of media renderers in a vicinity of the second location.

40. The system of claim 34, further comprising a second control point, wherein the second control point at a second location is able to cause media to be streamed to media renderers in a vicinity of the first control point.

41. A system for streaming media to wireless speakers;

the system comprising;

a media source for streaming audio;

a plurality of media renderers, the media renderers comprising IP addressable devices connected to one or more speakers, wherein the media source and media renderers are networked via a wireless IP network; and

a control point that can cause streaming of audio from the media source to the plurality of media renderers simultaneously.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the media source has a virtual audio device installed.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the media source is one selected from a group consisting of a PC, a laptop, a media PC, a PDA, an MP3 player, a cell phone, a cable set-top box, a satellite set-top box, and a video game.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the control point comprises software that is downloadable from a web site.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein a media renderer of the plurality of media renderers switches roles based on information in the audio stream received from the media source.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein a media renderer renders a pre-recorded media segment based on a message from the control point or based on sensing different conditions of the media renderer.

47. A method of provisioning a wireless speaker system for media playback in a zone, the method comprising:

registering a plurality of media renderers in a zone with a zone manager;

discovering the zone manager with a zone control point;

reserving through the zone manager a plurality of media renderers in the zone for use by the zone control point; and

rounting media from a media server to a plurality of reserved media renderers in the zone.