COORDINATED MULTI-MEDIA PLAYBACK

• US 20090070834A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Limbasia, Sunil
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4385 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream decrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A request is received for playback of a package of media files, the package of media files including at least a first set of media files of a first type and a second set of media files of a second type. The first set of media files and the second set of media files are retrieved via a network. The package of media files is provided to a media playback device such that at least some of the first set of media files are played generally simultaneously as at least some of the second set of media files.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for playback of a package of media files, the package of media files including at least a first set of media files of a first type and a second set of media files of a second type;

retrieving the first set of media files and the second set of media files via a network;

providing the package of media files to a media playback device such that at least some of the first set of media files are played generally simultaneously as at least some of the second set of media files.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media playback device is a television.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, during playback of the media files, an instruction regarding the playback of at least one of a specified one of the first set of media files and the second set of media files; and

applying the instruction as appropriate to the playback of the specified one of the first set of media files or the second set of media files without applying the instruction to the playback of media files that are not included in at least the specified one of the first set of media files and the second set of media files.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the instruction is one of an instruction to shuffle media files and an instruction to repeat one or more media files.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a first computing device to retrieve the first set of media files; and

accessing a second computing device to retrieve the second set of media files.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the package of media files by associating a first playlist for the first set of media files with a second playlist for the second set of media files.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first type is images and the second type is audio;

and further wherein the first playlist is a slideshow of images and the second playlist is a playlist of audio files.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising stopping playback on the media playback device of a media stream not provided from the package of media files.

10. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as a set of computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

11. A system, comprising:

a content processing device that is connected to at least one computing device and to at least one media playback device; and

a media manager module included in the content processing device, the media manager module configured for;

receiving a request for playback of a package of media files, the package of media files including at least a first set of media files of a first type and a second set of media files of a second type;

retrieving the first set of media files and the second set of media files via a network;

providing the package of media files to a media playback device such that at least some of the first set of media files are played generally simultaneously as at least some of the second set of media files.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the network is at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the media playback device is a television.

14. The system of claim 11, the media manager module being further configured for:

receiving, during playback of the media files, an instruction regarding the playback of at least one of a specified one of the first set of media files and the second set of media files; and

applying the instruction as appropriate to the playback of the specified one of the first set of media files or the second set of media files without applying the instruction to the playback of media files that are not included in at least the specified one of the first set of media files and the second set of media files.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instruction is one of an instruction to shuffle media files and an instruction to repeat one or more media files.

16. The system of claim 11, the media manager module being further configured for:

accessing a first computing device to retrieve the first set of media files; and

accessing a second computing device to retrieve the second set of media files.

17. The system of claim 11, the media manager module being further configured for:

creating the package of media files by associating a first playlist for the first set of media files with a second playlist for the second set of media files.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first type is images and the second type is audio;

and further wherein the first playlist is a slideshow of images and the second playlist is a playlist of audio files.

19. The system of claim 11, the media manager module being further configured for:

stopping playback on the media playback device of a media stream not provided from the package of media files.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for playback of a package of media files, the package of media files including at least a first set of media files of a first type and a second set of media files of a second type;

retrieving the first set of media files and the second set of media files via a network by accessing a first computing device to retrieve the first set of media files and accessing a second computing device to retrieve the second set of media files;

providing the package of media files to a media playback device such that at least some of the first set of media files are played generally simultaneously as at least some of the second set of media files;

receiving, during playback of the media files, an instruction regarding the playback of a specified one of the first set of media files or the second set of media files; and

applying the instruction as appropriate to the playback of the specified one of the first set of media files or the second set of media files without applying the instruction to the playback of media files that are not included in the specified one of the first set of media files or the second set of media files.