Media Playlist Methods and Apparatus

• US 20120057853A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Kwarnmark, Johan, Svedberg, Johan, Andersson, Ola, Huber, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,385,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/292
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for easily creating playlists of media programs to be played sequentially, where each program on a playlist either is played in real time, i.e., when broadcast, or is played time-shifted when the program temporally conflicts with one or more other programs on the playlist. When a playlist is played, a user can pause viewing at any time, in which case the methods and apparatus recompute the program sequence of the playlist and schedules program recordings as required.

Claims

1. A method of generating a playlist of media programs in an arrangement of electronic media devices that includes at least one programmable media recorder, comprising:

(a) adding a media program to a playlist maintained by an electronic processor;

(b) determining by the electronic processor whether the added media program is preferred to be viewed in a first condition or in a second condition;

(c) if the electronic processor determines that the added media program is preferred to be viewed in the first condition;

setting the programmable media recorder to record the added media program;

determining whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist;

if it is determined that the added media program does not temporally conflict with any previously added program in the playlist, placing the added media program in the playlist at a transmission time of the added media program; and

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist, determining a temporal gap in the playlist long enough to accommodate the added media program, and placing the added media program in the temporal gap; and

(d) if the electronic processor determines that the added media program is preferred to be viewed in the second condition;

determining whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist;

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the second condition, carrying out step (c);

if it is determined that the added media program does not temporally conflict with any previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the second condition, placing the added media program in the playlist at a transmission time of the added media program;

determining whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition; and

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition, determining a temporal gap in the playlist long enough to accommodate the previously added media program that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition, and placing in the temporal gap the previously added media program that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a media program that is preferred to be viewed in the second condition is a media program that is preferred to be viewed at a time the program is transmitted.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to pausing viewing a media program in the playlist, repeating steps (a) through (d), with the paused media program being the added media program in step (a).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein repeating steps (a) through (d) comprises:

(e) determining whether viewing has been restarted;

(f) if viewing has been restarted, the media program is preferred to be viewed in the second condition, and viewing the media program is to be restarted in real time, determining whether the media program is a media program of the second condition in the playlist and whether an end time of the media program has occurred;

if the media program is not a media program of the second condition in the playlist and the end time of the media program has not occurred, continuing the playlist; and

if the media program is a media program of the second condition in the playlist and/or the end time of the media program has occurred, generating a new playlist by repeating steps (a) through (d) for each media program in the playlist.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether an added media program is preferred to be viewed in a first condition or in a second condition comprises evaluating the added media program with respect to at least one user-adjustable preference and at least one predetermined program type.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one predetermined program type comprises a first type that need not be viewed live and a second type that needs to be viewed live.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein an evaluation of the added media program with respect to the at least one predetermined program type can be overridden.

8. An arrangement of electronic media devices for generating a playlist of media programs, comprising:

at least one programmable media recorder; and

at least one programmable electronic processor in communication with the at least one programmable media recorder;

wherein the processor is configured to;

(a) add a media program to a playlist;

(b) determine whether the added media program is preferred to be viewed in a first condition or in a second condition;

(c) if the processor determines that the added media program is preferred to be viewed in the first condition;

set the programmable media recorder to record the added media program;

determine whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist;

if it is determined that the added media program does not temporally conflict with any previously added program in the playlist, place the added media program in the playlist at a transmission time of the added media program; and

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist, determine a temporal gap in the playlist long enough to accommodate the added media program, and place the added media program in the temporal gap; and

(d) if the processor determines that the added media program is preferred to be viewed in the second condition;

determine whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist;

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the second condition, carry out (c);

if it is determined that the added media program does not temporally conflict with any previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the second condition, place the added media program in the playlist at a transmission time of the added media program;

determine whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition; and

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition, determine a temporal gap in the playlist long enough to accommodate the previously added media program that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition, and place in the temporal gap the previously added media program that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition.

9. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein a media program that is preferred to be viewed in the second condition is a media program that is preferred to be viewed at a time the program is transmitted.

10. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured, in response to pausing viewing a media program in the playlist, repeat (a) through (d), with the paused media program being the added media program in (a).

11. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to repeat (a) through (d) by at least:

(e) determining whether viewing has been restarted;

(f) if viewing has been restarted, the media program is preferred to be viewed in the second condition, and viewing the media program is to be restarted in real time, determining whether the media program is a media program of the second condition in the playlist and whether an end time of the media program has occurred;

if the media program is not a media program of the second condition in the playlist and the end time of the media program has not occurred, continuing the playlist; and

if the media program is a media program of the second condition in the playlist and/or the end time of the media program has occurred, generating a new playlist by repeating steps (a) through (d) for each media program in the playlist.

12. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether an added media program is preferred to be viewed in a first condition or in a second condition by evaluating the added media program with respect to at least one user-adjustable preference and at least one predetermined program type.

13. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein the at least one predetermined program type comprises a first type that need not be viewed live and a second type that needs to be viewed live.

14. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to override, in response to a command, an evaluation of the added media program with respect to the at least one predetermined program type.

15. A computer-readable medium having stored instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a method of generating a playlist of media programs in an arrangement of electronic media devices that includes at least one programmable media recorder, wherein the method comprises:

(a) adding a media program to a playlist maintained by an electronic processor;

(b) determining by the electronic processor whether the added media program is preferred to be viewed in a first condition or in a second condition;

(c) if the electronic processor determines that the added media program is preferred to be viewed in the first condition;

setting the programmable media recorder to record the added media program;

determining whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist;

if it is determined that the added media program does not temporally conflict with any previously added program in the playlist, placing the added media program in the playlist at a transmission time of the added media program; and

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist, determining a temporal gap in the playlist long enough to accommodate the added media program, and placing the added media program in the temporal gap; and

(d) if the electronic processor determines that the added media program is preferred to be viewed in the second condition;

determining whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist;

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the second condition, carrying out step (c);

if it is determined that the added media program does not temporally conflict with any previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the second condition, placing the added media program in the playlist at a transmission time of the added media program;

determining whether the added media program temporally conflicts with any previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition; and

if it is determined that the added media program temporally conflicts with a previously added program in the playlist that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition, determining a temporal gap in the playlist long enough to accommodate the previously added media program that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition, and placing in the temporal gap the previously added media program that has been determined to be viewed in the first condition.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein a media program that is preferred to be viewed in the second condition is a media program that is preferred to be viewed at a time the program is transmitted.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises, in response to pausing viewing a media program in the playlist, repeating steps (a) through (d), with the paused media program being the added media program in step (a).

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein repeating steps (a) through (d) comprises:

(e) determining whether viewing has been restarted;

(f) if viewing has been restarted, the media program is preferred to be viewed in the second condition, and viewing the media program is to be restarted in real time, determining whether the media program is a media program of the second condition in the playlist and whether an end time of the media program has occurred;

if the media program is not a media program of the second condition in the playlist and the end time of the media program has not occurred, continuing the playlist; and

if the media program is a media program of the second condition in the playlist and/or the end time of the media program has occurred, generating a new playlist by repeating steps (a) through (d) for each media program in the playlist.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining whether an added media program is preferred to be viewed in a first condition or in a second condition comprises evaluating the added media program with respect to at least one user-adjustable preference and at least one predetermined program type.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the at least one predetermined program type comprises a first type that need not be viewed live and a second type that needs to be viewed live.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein an evaluation of the added media program with respect to the at least one predetermined program type can be overridden.