GROUP CONTROL AND MESSAGING FOR DIGITAL VIDEO PLAYBACK SESSIONS

• US 20100202761A1
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nesbitt, Richard, Boss, Gregory J., O'Connell, Brian M., Bhogal, Kulvir S., Hamilton, Rick Allen II
• Granted Patent: US 9,245,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Group management of video device playback provides a mechanism for shared playback of recorded video content. Digital video playback devices are linked to a central management system through network connections which manages the shared playback, or a peer-to-peer network connection is used without the central management system. One user may be responsible for all actions affecting content playback, or all users may be permitted to affect content playback, with certain actions of those users limited in type or quantity. Group membership and group member permissions can be accomplished using the digital playback device through interactive interfaces implemented by the digital video playback device, or can be accomplished using a personal computer coupled to the device or central management system. Users may comment on shared playback using interactive video-based commentary functionality that may provide a text channel or graphical images that may be selected from a set of pre-configured commentary items.

Claims

1. A method of managing group playback of a digital video program presented to a group of users at a plurality of remote locations via multiple digital video playback devices, comprising:

initiating a group video playback session controlling video playback by the multiple playback devices;

receiving a user input at a given one of the multiple playback devices;

transmitting a command from the given one of the multiple playback devices responsive to the receiving the user input, wherein the command is a command for controlling playback of the digital video program;

receiving the command at other ones of the multiple playback devices; and

controlling playback of the digital video program on the other playback devices in conformity with the received command, whereby a video playback sequence of the given one of the multiple playback devices is shared with the other playback devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering commands transmitted by the transmitting in conformity with permissions data specifying video manipulation actions permitted to individual members of the group of users, and wherein the controlling is performed in conformity with a result of the filtering.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a user input receives commentary for display by the other playback devices in conjunction with the playback of the digital video program, and wherein the transmitting further transmits the commentary.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the commentary is selected from graphical or textual commentary stored in the multiple playback devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting transmits the command to a remote server coupled to the multiple playback devices via a network, wherein the receiving the command receives the command from the remote server, wherein the method further comprises maintaining a database of playback device data at the remote server, and wherein the database includes multiple playback device identification data and multiple playback device permissions data corresponding to the multiple digital video playback devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting transmits the command directly to the other multiple playback devices over an interconnecting network, and wherein the method further comprises maintaining databases of playback device data at each of the multiple playback devices, wherein the databases include multiple playback device identification data and multiple playback device permissions data corresponding to the multiple digital video playback devices.

3. The method of claim 3, wherein the filtering comprises:

maintaining a count of the video manipulation actions requested by a member of the group of users; and

rejecting the commands when the count has exceeded a predetermined value.

8. A system for controlling playback of a digital video program, comprising at least one processor for executing program instructions, at least one memory coupled to a corresponding one of the at least one processors for storing the program instructions, wherein the system is coupled to multiple digital video playback devices via a network, and wherein the program instructions comprise program instructions for:

initiating a group video playback session controlling video playback by the multiple playback devices;

receiving a user input at a given one of the multiple playback devices;

transmitting a command from the given one of the multiple playback devices responsive to the receiving the user input, wherein the command is a command for controlling playback of the digital video program;

receiving the command at other ones of the multiple playback devices; and

controlling playback of the digital video program on the other playback devices in conformity with the received command, whereby a video playback sequence of the given one of the multiple playback devices is shared with the other playback devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions for filtering commands transmitted by the transmitting in conformity with permissions data specifying video manipulation actions permitted to individual members of the group of users, and wherein the program instructions for controlling perform the controlling in conformity with a result of the filtering.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the program instructions for filtering comprise program instructions for:

maintaining a count of the video manipulation actions requested by a member of the group of users; and

rejecting the commands when the count has exceeded a predetermined value.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions for receiving a user input comprise program instructions for receiving commentary for display by the other playback devices in conjunction with the playback of the digital video program, and wherein the program instructions for transmitting further transmit the commentary.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions for selecting the commentary from graphical or textual commentary stored in the multiple playback devices.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions for transmitting comprise program instructions for transmitting the command to a remote server coupled to the multiple playback devices via a network, wherein the program instructions for receiving the command receive the command from the remote server, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions for maintaining a database of playback device data at the remote server, and wherein the database includes multiple playback device identification data and multiple playback device permissions data corresponding to the multiple digital video playback devices.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions for transmitting comprise program instructions for transmitting the command directly to the other multiple playback devices over an interconnecting network, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions for maintaining databases of playback device data at each of the multiple playback devices, and wherein the databases include multiple playback device identification data and multiple playback device permissions data corresponding to the multiple digital video playback devices.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage media system encoding program instructions for execution by a processor, wherein the program instructions comprise program instructions for controlling playback of a digital video program, wherein the program instructions comprise program instructions for:

initiating a group video playback session controlling video playback by the multiple playback devices;

receiving a user input at a given one of the multiple playback devices;

transmitting a command from the given one of the multiple playback devices responsive to the receiving the user input, wherein the command is a command for controlling playback of the digital video program;

receiving the command at other ones of the multiple playback devices; and

controlling playback of the digital video program on the other playback devices in conformity with the received command, whereby a video playback sequence of the given one of the multiple playback devices is shared with the other playback devices.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions for filtering commands transmitted by the transmitting in conformity with permissions data specifying video manipulation actions permitted to individual members of the group of users, and wherein the program instructions for controlling perform the controlling in conformity with a result of the filtering.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions for filtering comprise program instructions for:

maintaining a count of the video manipulation actions requested by a member of the group of users; and

rejecting the commands when the count has exceeded a predetermined value.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program instructions for receiving a user input comprise program instructions for receiving commentary for display by the other playback devices in conjunction with the playback of the digital video program, and wherein the program instructions for transmitting further transmit the commentary.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions for selecting the commentary from graphical or textual commentary stored in the multiple playback devices.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program instructions for transmitting comprise program instructions for transmitting the command to a remote server coupled to the multiple playback devices via a network, wherein the program instructions for receiving the command receive the command from the remote server, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions for maintaining a database of playback device data at the remote server, and wherein the database includes multiple playback device identification data and multiple playback device permissions data corresponding to the multiple digital video playback devices.