APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PLAYBACK OF VIDEOS GROUPED IN A PLURALITY OF PLAYLISTS

• US 20130198778A1
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Sim, Wong Hoo
• Application Number:
  US13/878,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198778A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45457 applied to a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus for controlling playback of videos grouped in a plurality of playlists. The apparatus may be for controlling a host device and includes a plurality of buttons. Each button is used to perform at least one task such as, for example, toggling the host device from a standby mode to an active mode and subsequently running a first video from one of the plurality of playlists associated with the button; playing back a second video from one of the plurality of playlists associated with the button; tagging a video frame from any video; skipping amongst videos grouped in one of the plurality of playlists associated with the button and so forth. A corresponding method is also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling playback of videos grouped in a plurality of playlists, the apparatus being for controlling a host device and including a plurality of buttons, each button being used to perform at least one task selected from a group comprising:

toggling the host device from a standby mode to an active mode and subsequently running a first video from one of the plurality of playlists associated with the button;

playing back a second video from one of the plurality of playlists associated with the button;

tagging a video frame from any video; and

skipping amongst videos grouped in one of the plurality of playlists associated with the button,

wherein each button performs the at least one task at specific instances and with specific actions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buttons are either physical or virtual.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the videos are stored at either the host device or a remote storage.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tagged video frame allows the video to be played back from the tagged video frame onwards.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the toggling of the host device from the standby mode to the active mode is performed when the button is pressed when the host device is in the standby mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the playback of the video from one of the plurality of playlists associated with the button is performed when the button is pressed when a video from a playlist which is not associated with the button is being played back.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tagging of a video frame from the video is performed when the button is pressed when a video from a playlist associated with the button is being played back.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the skipping amongst videos grouped in one of the plurality of playlists is performed when the button is pressed twice when a video from a playlist associated with the button is being played back.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a subsequent video after the skipping is run in a manner selected from a group comprising:

in its entirety from start till end, from a tagged portion in the subsequent video and from a last viewed portion in the subsequent video.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each playlist has a discrete theme.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second videos are run in a manner selected from a group comprising:

in its entirety from start till end, from a tagged portion in the video and from a last viewed portion in the video.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein portions of the first video are stored in buffer memory of the host device.

13. A method for controlling playback of videos grouped in a plurality of playlists, the method including:

pressing a button to toggle a host device from a standby mode to an active mode;

playing back a video from a playlist associated with the button;

pressing the button during playback of the video to tag a video frame from the video; and

pressing the button twice during playback of the video to skip amongst the videos grouped in the playlist associated with the button.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the buttons are either physical or virtual.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the videos are stored at either the host device or a remote storage.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the tagged video frame allows the video to be played back from the tagged video frame onwards.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein each playlist has a discrete theme.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the video is run in a manner selected from a group comprising:

in its entirety from start till end, from a tagged portion in the video and from a last viewed portion in the video.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein a subsequent video after the skipping is run in a manner selected from a group comprising:

in its entirety from start till end, from a tagged portion in the subsequent video and from a last viewed portion in the subsequent video.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein portions of the video from the playlist are stored in buffer memory of the host device.