COMPOSITION OF LOCAL MEDIA PLAYBACK WITH REMOTELY GENERATED USER INTERFACE

• US 20110072081A1
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Speicher, Ashley C., Bowra, Todd, Fang, Nicholas J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A media server in a home entertainment network coordinates with a media player connected with the network to provide a media presentation with a combined user interface (UI) on an attached display device. Media content is sourced locally on a networked media player. The media player extracts metadata related to the media content and transmits the metadata to the media server. The media server creates the UI to include components related to the media content rendered by the media player. The media server then transmits the UI to the media player for combination with the rendered media content for a composite output to a presentation device. The media server may further develop and transmit compositing instructions and additional media content to the media player for inclusion in the composite output.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing local media content for playback at a media player that provides a local user interface for playback of the local media content;

extracting metadata related to the local media content and the local user interface at the media player;

transmitting the metadata from the media player to a media server;

receiving, at the media player, a remotely sourced user interface related to the local media content, the remotely sourced user interface generated by the media server based, at least in part, upon the metadata transmitted by the media player;

receiving, at the media player, remotely sourced video media content related to the local media content, the remotely sourced video content generated at the media server based, at least in part, upon the metadata transmitted by the media player; and

rendering, at the media player, a composite user interface including the remotely sourced user interface, the remotely sourced video media content, and the local media content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting the composite user interface to a presentation device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the media player, compositing instructions from the media server for combining the remotely sourced user interface, the remotely sourced video media content, and the local media content in the composite user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media player renders the composite user interface by overlaying the remotely sourced user interface on top of the local media content and the local user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media player renders the composite user interface by inserting the remotely sourced video media content and the local media content in the remotely sourced user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the remotely sourced video media content is received at the media player over a local network within a media channel, and

the remotely sourced user interface is received at the media player over the local network within a separate user interface channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the remotely sourced user interface comprises a first set of descriptive information derived from metadata associated with the remotely sourced video media content and a second set of descriptive information derived from the metadata transmitted from the media player to the media server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the remotely sourced video media content comprises a movie or a television program that is related to the local media content.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a computer system to perform a method comprising:

accessing local media content that is rendered for playback in a local user interface;

extracting metadata related to the local media content and the local user interface;

transmitting the metadata to a media server;

receiving a remotely sourced user interface related to the local media content, the remotely sourced user interface generated by the media server based, at least in part, upon the metadata;

receiving remotely sourced video media content related to the local media content, the remotely sourced video content generated at the media server based, at least in part, upon the metadata; and

rendering a composite user interface including the remotely sourced user interface, the remotely sourced video media content, and the local media content.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for outputting the composite user interface to a presentation device.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for overlaying the remotely sourced user interface on top of the local media content and the local user interface.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for inserting the remotely sourced video media content and the local media content in the remotely sourced user interface.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for:

receiving the remotely sourced video media content over a local network within a media channel, and

receiving the remotely sourced user interface over the local network within a separate user interface channel.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein:

the remotely sourced user interface comprises a first set of descriptive information derived from metadata associated with the remotely sourced video media content and a second set of descriptive information derived from the metadata transmitted to the media server.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the remotely sourced video media content comprises a movie or a television program that is related to the local media content.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a media server, metadata transmitted by a media player, the metadata related to local media content rendered for playback at the media player and related to a local user interface provided by the media player;

generating, at the media server, a remotely sourced user interface related to the local media content based, at least in part, upon the metadata transmitted by the media player;

generating, at the media server, remotely sourced video media content related to the local media content based, at least in part, upon the metadata transmitted by the media player;

transmitting, by the media server, the remotely sourced user interface and the remotely sourced video media content to the media player; and

transmitting, by the media server, compositing instructions to the media player, the compositing instructions for combining the remotely sourced user interface, the remotely sourced video media content, and the local media content in a composite user interface to be rendered by the media player.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the remotely sourced video media content is transmitted by the media server over a local network within a media channel, and

the remotely sourced user interface is transmitted by the media server over the local network within a separate user interface channel.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the remotely sourced user interface comprises a first set of descriptive information derived from metadata associated with the remotely sourced video media content and a second set of descriptive information derived from the metadata transmitted by the media player.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the remotely sourced video media content comprises a movie or a television program that is related to the local media content.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having stored computer-executable instructions causing a computer to perform a computer process implementing the method of claim 16.