MEDIA PLAYBACK SETTINGS FOR PLAYLISTS

• US 20110276155A1
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lindahl, Aram
• Application Number:
  US12/776,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276155A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/038 Cross-faders therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

This is directed to selecting and associating media playback settings with playlists. A user may create a playlist from a library of media items, and associate one or more selected media playback settings with the playlist. The media playback items can include audio, image, and video files, for example, and the media playback settings can include, for example, cross-fading properties, volume properties, equalizer settings, sequential playback settings, and the like. When the user selects a playlist for playback, the media items of the playlist may be played back according to the media playback settings associated with the playlist.

Claims

1. A method of media playback comprising:

identifying a first playlist comprising a first subset of media items from a plurality of media items;

associating a first media playback setting with the first playlist; and

applying the first media playback setting to the first subset of media items during playback of the first playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media playback setting comprises one of an equalizer setting and a volume level setting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media playback setting comprises one of a sequential setting and a transitional setting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media playback setting affects the order in which the first subset of media items are played back.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media playback setting affects the transition between the playback of a first media item in the first subset of media items and the playback of a second media item in the first subset of media items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the first playlist comprises a user creating the first playlist by selecting the first subset of media items from the plurality of media items.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the first playlist comprises a user selecting an existing playlist as the first playlist.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

associating a second media playback setting with the first playlist that is different than the first media playback setting; and

applying the first media playback setting and the second media playback setting to the first subset of media items during play back of the first playlist.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting a specific value of the first media playback setting before the associating.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a second playlist comprising a second subset of media items from the plurality of media items that is different than the first subset of media items;

associating a second media playback setting with the second playlist that is different than the first media playback setting;

applying the second media playback setting to the second subset of media items during play back of the second playlist.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first subset of media items and the second subset of media items both share at least one media item in common.

12. A method for playing back playlists, comprising:

identifying a playlist comprising a subset of a plurality of media items selected from a media library; and

setting media playback characteristics for the playlist, wherein the media playback characteristics control at least the playback transitions between media items in the playlist.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the media playback characteristics also control at least one of:

random playback of the media items in the playlist;

equalizer settings of the media items in the playlist;

cross-fading between media items in the playlist; and

volume levels of the media items in the playlist.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

playing back a media item that is not in the subset of the plurality of media items; and

providing a default playback transition after the media item has been played back, wherein the default playback transition is different from the playback transition between media items in the playlist.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying the playlist comprises receiving a user selection of the subset of the media items.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying the playlist comprises:

receiving a user selection of metadata values corresponding to media items;

identifying a set of media items from the media library that includes the selected metadata values; and

assigning the set as the subset making up the playlist.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the metadata values comprise at least one of genre, artist, album, year, rating, and composer.

18. A method for playing back playlists comprising:

identifying a plurality of media items available to a user;

creating a first playlist comprising a first subset of the plurality of media items;

creating a second playlist comprising a second subset of the plurality of media items, wherein the first and second subsets are different;

associating a first set of media playback settings with the first playlist;

associating a second set of media playback settings with the second playlist, wherein the first set of media playback settings and the second set of media playback settings are different; and

playing back media items from one of the first and second playlists using the corresponding set of media playback settings associated with the one of the first and second playlists.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the first set of media playback settings comprises at least one of a cross-fade setting, an equalizer setting, a random playback setting, and a volume setting; and

the second set of media playback settings comprises at least one of a cross-fade setting, an equalizer setting, a random playback setting, and a volume setting.

20. An electronic device for playing back media items, comprising:

a storage module configured to store a plurality of media items and a first playlist comprising a first subset of media items of the plurality of media items;

a settings module configured to store a first set of media playback characteristics, wherein the first set of media playback characteristics is associated with the first playlist; and

a control module configured to;

retrieve the first playlist from the storage module;

retrieve the first set of media playback characteristics from the settings module; and

play back the retrieved first playlist using the retrieved set of playback characteristics.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the control module is further configured to:

receive an instruction to modify the first playlist;

direct the storage module to store the modified first playlist; and

associate the first set of media playback characteristics with the modified first playlist.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the control module is further configured to:

identify a media item to play back;

determine that the identified media item is not included in the first subset of media items; and

play back the identified media item using a default set of media playback characteristics in response to the determining, wherein the default set of media playback characteristics is different than the first set of media playback characteristics.

23. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the control module is further configured to:

receive a request to play back a first media item, wherein the first subset of media items comprises the first media item;

determine that the received request is independent of the first playlist; and

play back the first media item using a default set of media playback characteristics, wherein the default set of media playback characteristics is different than the first set of media playback characteristics.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one media playback characteristic of the first set of media playback characteristics comprises one of an equalizer characteristic, a volume level characteristic, a sequential characteristic, and a transitional characteristic.

25. Computer readable media for controlling an electronic device, comprising computer readable code recorded thereon for:

identifying a first playlist comprising a first subset of media items from a plurality of media items;

associating a first media playback setting with the first playlist; and

applying the first media playback setting to the first subset of media items during playback of the first playlist.