Methods, systems and media players for rendering different media types

• US 7,272,794 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Novak, Michael J., Harris, Geoffrey, Olson, Kipley J., Feller, Chris, Dideriksen, Tedd
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US11/062,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20050188310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/727, 715/728, 715/730, 715/840, 715/854, 715719-723, 715/757
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel

Abstract

Methods and systems are described that assist media players in rendering different media types. In some embodiments, a unified rendering area is provided and managed such that multiple different media types are rendered by the media player in the same user interface area. This unified rendering area thus permits different media types to be presented to a user in an integrated and organized manner. An underlying object model promotes the unified rendering area by providing a base rendering object that has properties that are shared among the different media types. Object sub-classes are provided and are each associated with a different media type, and have properties that extend the shared properties of the base rendering object. In addition, an inventive approach to visualizations is presented that provides better synchronization between a visualization and its associated audio stream.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed, provide a media player comprising:

a user interface configured to enable a user to interact with the media player to play different types of media; and

a unified rendering area within the user interface and within which multiple different types of media can be rendered for the user, wherein the media player utilizes an object model that comprises;

a base rendering object that manages and defines the unified rendering area; and

multiple different media type rendering objects which are individually associated with and render different media types, respectively, in the unified rendering area;

wherein the object model has shared attributes that the base rendering object and multiple different media type objects support.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the media player is configured to render all visual media types that can be rendered by the media player in the rendering area.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the different types of media comprise video types, animation types, and skin types.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the different types of media comprise video types, animation types, HTML types and skin types.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the different types of media comprise video types, animation types, and visualization types that can be presented and generally synchronized with audio media that can be played by the media player.

6. A computer-implemented media rendering method comprising:

providing a media player user interface;

providing a rendering area within the user interface; and

rendering different media types within the rendering area, wherein the acts of providing a rendering area and rendering different media types are performed by an object model comprising;

a base rendering object that defines the rendering area; and

multiple different rendering objects individual ones of which render different media types, wherein the multiple different rendering objects are subclasses of the base rendering object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said rendering comprises rendering all visual media that can be rendered by the media player in the rendering area.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said rendering comprises rendering video types, animation types, and visualization types associated with audio media in the rendering area.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said rendering comprises

hosting the multiple different rendering objects within the rendering area.

10. One or more computer-readable media embodying in computer-readable instructions that provide an object model comprising:

a base rendering object associated with a rendering area in which multiple different media types can be rendered, the rendering area providing at least a portion of a media player application user interface that can be viewed by a user;

and

multiple different media type rendering objects each of which being associated with a different media type that can be rendered in the rendering area, the different media type rendering objects being configured to render their associated media, wherein the media player application can be unaware of specific media type rendering objects and yet still cause media associated with unknown media type rendering objects to be rendered in the rendering area.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the different media type rendering objects comprise a skin rendering object that is configured to render a skin.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the different media type rendering objects comprise a video rendering object that is configured to render video.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the different media type rendering objects comprise a audio rendering object that is configured to provide a visualization.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13 further comprising one or more effects associated with the audio rendering object, individual effects being configured to render an associated visualization.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the different media type rendering objects comprise a animation rendering object that is configured to render animation.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the different media type rendering objects comprise a HTML rendering object that is configured to render HTML.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the different media type rendering objects comprise one or more of:

a skin rendering object that is configured to render a skin, a video rendering object that is configured to render video, a audio rendering object that is configured to provide a visualization, a animation rendering object that is configured to render animation, and a HTML rendering object that is configured to render HTML.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein one or more of the media type rendering objects can host one or more other media type rendering objects.