Media Playback Method, Control Point, and Terminal

• US 20150181285A1
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Yajun, Kuang, Yunsheng, Shan, Zhenwei, Zhu, Yu
• Application Number:
  US14/634,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181285A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38

Abstract

The present invention provides a media playback method, where a control point controls a media playback device to play a first media, where the control point acquires a resolution supported by the media playback device; acquires, according to the resolution supported by the media playback device, address information of the first media to be sent to the media playback device; and sends the address information of the first media to the media playback device, so that the media playback device plays the first media according to the address information of the first media. Embodiments of the present invention are advantageous because the control point can select, according to the resolution supported by the media playback device, a media resource of a corresponding resolution, and push the media resource of the corresponding resolution to the media playback device.

Claims

1. A media playback method, wherein the method is used to push a second media to a second device when a first device plays a first media, wherein the first device and the second device are in a same local area network, and wherein the method comprises:

acquiring, by the first device, a resolution supported by the second device;

acquiring, by the first device according to the resolution supported by the second device, address information of the second media to be sent to the second device, wherein content of the second media is the same as content of the first media, and the second device supports a resolution of the second media; and

sending, by the first device, the address information of the second media to the second device such that the second device plays the second media according to the address information of the second media.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein acquiring, by the first device according to the resolution supported by the second device, the address information of the second media to be sent to the second device comprises:

acquiring, by the first device, media description information from a directory server, wherein the media description information comprises resolution information and address information of a media whose content is the same as the content of the first media;

determining, by the first device according to the resolution supported by the second device and resolution information in the media description information, a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the second device to be the second media; and

acquiring the address information of the second media from the media description information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein acquiring, by the first device according to the resolution supported by the second device, the address information of the second media to be sent to the second device comprises:

sending, by the first device, the resolution supported by the second device to a directory server such that the directory server determines a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the second device to be the second media that is to be pushed to the second device; and

receiving, by the first device, the address information of the second media from the directory server.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when a network bandwidth of the second device is less than a network bandwidth required to play the second media, address information of the first media is sent to the second device, so that the second device plays the first media, or address information of a third media is sent to the second device such that the second device plays the third media, wherein content of the third media is the same as the content of the first media, and a network bandwidth required to play the third media is less than or equal to the network bandwidth of the second device.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein when there does not exist the second media whose resolution is the same as the highest resolution supported by the second device, address information of a fourth media is sent to the second device such that the second device plays the fourth media according to the address information of the fourth media, wherein content of the fourth media is the same as the content of the first media, and a resolution of the fourth media is lower than the highest resolution supported by the second device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises sending, by the first device to the second device, information about a current playback progress where the first device stops playing the first media such that the second device starts to play the second media, the first media, the third media, or the fourth media from where the current playback progress stops.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the information about the current playback progress where the first device stops playing the first media comprises a current timestamp of the first-media playback by the first device.

8. A media playback method, wherein the method is used by a control point to control a media playback device to play a first media, and wherein the method comprises:

acquiring, by the control point, a resolution supported by the media playback device;

acquiring, by the control point according to the resolution supported by the media playback device, address information of the first media to be sent to the media playback device, wherein the media playback device supports a resolution of the first media; and

sending, by the control point, the address information of the first media to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the first media according to the address information of the first media.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein acquiring, by the control point according to the resolution supported by the media playback device, the address information of the first media to be sent to the media playback device comprises:

acquiring, by the control point, media description information from a directory server, wherein the media description information comprises resolution information and address information of a media whose content is the same as content of the first media;

determining, by the control point according to the resolution supported by the media playback device and resolution information in the media description information, a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the media playback device to be the first media; and

acquiring the address information of the first media from the media description information.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein acquiring, by the control point according to the resolution supported by the media playback device, the address information of the first media to be sent to the media playback device comprises:

sending, by the control point, the resolution supported by the media playback device to a directory server such that the directory server determines a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the media playback device to be the first media that is to be pushed to the media playback device; and

receiving, by the control point, the address information of the first media from the directory server.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein when a network bandwidth of the media playback device is less than a network bandwidth required to play the first media, address information of a second media is sent to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the second media, wherein content of the second media is the same as the content of the first media, and a network bandwidth required to play the second media is less than or equal to the network bandwidth of the media playback device.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein when there does not exist the first media whose resolution is the same as the highest resolution supported by the media playback device, address information of a third media is sent to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the third media according to the address information of the third media, wherein content of the third media is the same as the content of the first media, and a resolution of the third media is lower than the highest resolution supported by the media playback device.

13. A control point, wherein the control point is configured to push a second media to a second device when a first device plays a first media, wherein the first device and the second device are in a same local area network, and wherein the control point comprises:

a receiving unit;

an acquiring unit; and

a sending unit,

wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive capability information of the second device,

wherein the acquiring unit is configured to parse the capability information of the second device to acquire a resolution supported by the second device, and acquire, according to the resolution supported by the second device, address information of the second media to be sent to the second device, wherein content of the second media is the same as content of the first media, and the second device supports a resolution of the second media, and

wherein the sending unit is configured to send the address information of the second media to the second device such that the second device plays the second media according to the address information of the second media.

14. The control point according to claim 13, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to acquire media description information from a directory server, wherein the media description information comprises resolution information and address information of a media whose content is the same as the content of the first media, and wherein the acquiring unit is configured to determine, according to the resolution supported by the second device and resolution information in the media description information, a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the second device to be the second media, and acquire the address information of the second media from the media description information.

15. The control point according to claim 13, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send the resolution supported by the second device to a directory server such that the directory server determines a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the second device to be the second media that is to be pushed to the second device, and wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive the address information of the second media from the directory server.

16. The control point according to claim 13, wherein the control point further comprises a bandwidth comparing unit, wherein the bandwidth comparing unit is configured to determine whether a network bandwidth of the second device is less than a network bandwidth required to play the second media, wherein the sending unit is further configured to, when the network bandwidth of the second device is less than the network bandwidth required to play the second media, send address information of the first media to the second device such that the second device plays the first media, or send address information of a third media to the second device such that the second device plays the third media, wherein content of the third media is the same as the content of the first media, and a network bandwidth required to play the third media is less than or equal to the network bandwidth of the second device.

17. The control point according to claim 14, wherein the sending unit is further configured to, when there does not exist the second media whose resolution is the same as the highest resolution supported by the second device, send address information of a fourth media to the second device such that the second device plays the fourth media according to the address information of the fourth media, wherein content of the fourth media is the same as the content of the first media, and a resolution of the fourth media is lower than the highest resolution supported by the second device.

18. The control point according to claim 13, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send, to the second device, information about a current playback progress where the first device stops playing the first media such that the second device starts to play the second media, the first media, the third media, or the fourth media from where the current playback progress stops.

19. A control point, wherein the control point is configured to control a media playback device to play a first media, and wherein the control point comprises:

a receiving unit;

an acquiring unit; and

a sending unit,

wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive capability information of the media playback device,

wherein the acquiring unit is configured to parse the capability information of the media playback device to acquire a resolution supported by the media playback device, and acquire, according to the resolution supported by the media playback device, address information of the first media to be sent to the media playback device, wherein the media playback device supports a resolution of the first media, and

wherein the sending unit is configured to send the address information of the first media to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the first media according to the address information of the first media.

20. The control point according to claim 19, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to acquire media description information from a directory server, wherein the media description information comprises resolution information and address information of a media whose content is the same as content of the first media, and wherein the acquiring unit is configured to determine, according to the resolution supported by the media playback device and resolution information in the media description information, a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the media playback device to be the first media, and acquire the address information of the first media from the media description information.

21. The control point according to claim 19, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send the resolution supported by the media playback device to a directory server such that the directory server determines a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the media playback device to be the first media that is to be pushed to the media playback device and, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive the address information of the first media from the directory server.

22. The control point according to claim 19, wherein the control point further comprises a bandwidth comparing unit, wherein the bandwidth comparing unit is configured to determine whether a network bandwidth of the media playback device is less than a network bandwidth required to play the first media, and wherein the sending unit is further configured to, when the network bandwidth of the media playback device is less than the network bandwidth required to play the first media, send address information of a second media to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the second media, wherein content of the second media is the same as the content of the first media, and a network bandwidth required to play the second media is less than or equal to the network bandwidth of the media playback device.

23. The control point according to claim 20, wherein the sending unit is further configured to, when there does not exist the first media whose resolution is the same as the highest resolution supported by the media playback device, send address information of a third media to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the third media according to the address information of the third media, wherein content of the third media is the same as the content of the first media, and a resolution of the third media is lower than the highest resolution supported by the media playback device.

24. A terminal, wherein the terminal is configured to control a media playback device to play a first media, and wherein the terminal comprises:

a receiver;

a processor; and

a sender,

wherein the receiver is configured to receive capability information of the media playback device,

wherein the processor is configured to parse the capability information of the media playback device to acquire a resolution supported by the media playback device, and acquire, according to the resolution supported by the media playback device, address information of the first media to be sent to the media playback device, wherein the media playback device supports a resolution of the first media, and

wherein the sender is configured to send the address information of the first media to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the first media according to the address information of the first media.

25. The terminal according to claim 24, wherein the receiver is further configured to acquire media description information from a directory server, wherein the media description information comprises resolution information and address information of a media whose content is the same as content of the first media, and wherein the processor is configured to determine, according to the resolution supported by the media playback device and resolution information in the media description information, a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the media playback device to be the first media, and acquire the address information of the first media from the media description information.

26. The terminal according to claim 24, wherein the sender is further configured to send the resolution supported by the media playback device to a directory server such that the directory server determines a media whose resolution is the same as a highest resolution supported by the media playback device to be the first media that is to be pushed to the media playback device, and wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the address information of the first media from the directory server.

27. The terminal according to claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether a network bandwidth of the media playback device is less than a network bandwidth required to play the first media, and wherein the sender is further configured to, when the network bandwidth of the media playback device is less than the network bandwidth required to play the first media, send address information of a second media to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the second media, wherein content of the second media is the same as the content of the first media, and a network bandwidth required to play the second media is less than or equal to the network bandwidth of the media playback device.

28. The terminal according to claim 25, wherein the sender is further configured to, when there does not exist the first media whose resolution is the same as the highest resolution supported by the media playback device, send address information of a third media to the media playback device such that the media playback device plays the third media according to the address information of the third media, wherein content of the third media is the same as the content of the first media, and a resolution of the third media is lower than the highest resolution supported by the media playback device.

29. The terminal according to claim 24, wherein the terminal is a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, or a smart television.