CONTROL APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20110131518A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: OHASHI, Shikyo
• Application Number:
  US12/957,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131518A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• 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

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a control apparatus includes a display module configured to display a window in a first window state or a second window state on a display screen of a display device, the display module displaying a server object corresponding to a digital media server in a first area of the window and a renderer object corresponding to a digital media renderer in a second area of the window when the window in the first window state is displayed, the display module displaying the window in the second window state when the server object is selected, the display module displaying one or more content objects corresponding to the one or more digital media contents in the first area and the renderer object in the second area when the window in the second window state is displayed.

Claims

1. A control apparatus comprising:

a server detector configured to detect a digital media server connected to a network;

a renderer detector configured to detect a digital media renderer connected to the network;

an information acquisition module configured to acquire content information from the digital media server, the content information comprising one or more network addresses of one or more digital media contents comprised in the digital media server;

a display module configured to display a window in a first window state or a second window state on a display screen of a display device;

an operation module configured to perform a drag-and-drop operation of a content object of one or more content objects in accordance with a user operation when the window in the second window state is displayed, the drag-and-drop operation comprising dragging the content object and dropping the content object at a renderer object; and

a command transmission module configured to transmit, to the digital media renderer, a network address of a digital media content corresponding to the content object and a command to playback the digital media content, the digital media server corresponding to the renderer object at which the content object is dropped,

wherein the display module is configured to display a server object corresponding to the digital media server in a first area of the window and the renderer object corresponding to the digital media renderer in a second area of the window when the window is in the first window state,

wherein the display module is configured to display the window in the second window state when the server object is selected, and

wherein the display module is configured to display the one or more content objects in the first area and the renderer object in the second area when the window is in the second window state, the one or more content objects corresponding to the one or more digital media contents comprised in the digital media server corresponding to the selected server object.

2. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the content information further comprises one or more names of the one or more digital media contents,

the display module is configured to display, in the second area, a name of the digital media content based on the content information and a control button in order to control the playback of the digital media content, after the command transmission module transmits the command.

3. The control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the display module is configured to display a changeover button in the second area;

and

the display module is configured to switch, in accordance with operation of the changeover button, between a display of a name of the digital media content and the control button, and a display of names of both the digital media content and another digital media content that corresponds to another content object dropped at the renderer object by the drag-and-drop operation.

4. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the content information comprises encoding formats of the one or more digital media contents,

wherein the control apparatus further comprises:

an encoding format acquisition module configured to acquire, from the digital media renderer, an encoding format with which the digital media renderer is compatible; and

a determination module configured to determine whether the digital media renderer can play back the digital media content based on the content information and the encoding format acquired from the digital media renderer.

5. A control method comprising:

detecting one or more digital media servers which are connected to a network and comprise one or more digital media contents;

detecting one or more digital media renderer connected to the network;

displaying one or more server objects, each corresponding to the one or more digital media servers, in a first area in a window to be displayed on a display screen of a display, and one or more renderer objects each corresponding to the one or more digital media renderer in a second area in the window;

displaying a content object corresponding to the digital media content in the first area and the one or more renderer object in the second area when one of the one or more server objects is selected, the digital media content comprised by the server corresponding to the selected server object; and

transmitting, when the content object is dragged and dropped at the renderer object by a drag-and-drop operation, a network address of the digital media content and a command to play back the digital media content to the digital media renderer, the digital media content corresponding to the content object and the digital media renderer corresponding to the renderer object.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which is executable by a computer, the computer program being configured to control the computer to execute functions of:

detecting one or more digital media servers which are connected to a network and comprise one or more digital media contents;

detecting one or more digital media renderer connected to the network;

displaying one or more server objects, each corresponding to the one or more digital media servers, in a first area in a window to be displayed on a display screen of a display, and one or more renderer objects each corresponding to the one or more digital media renderer in a second area in the window;

displaying a content object corresponding to the digital media content in the first area and the one or more renderer object in the second area when one of the one or more server objects is selected, the digital media content comprised by the server corresponding to the selected server object; and

transmitting, when the content object is dragged and dropped at the renderer object by a drag-and-drop operation, a network address of the digital media content and a command to play back the digital media content to the digital media renderer, the digital media content corresponding to the content object and the digital media renderer corresponding to the renderer object.