Media projector system

• US 7,393,110 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2004
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Taft, Frederick D., Ochs, David H., Stephens, Bruce A., Bronstein, Kenneth H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sever, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US10/885,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20060007792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 353/121, 353/15, 353/19, 353/85, 353/122, 348/794, 348/462, 348/738, 386/125, 386/126, 352/25, 352/26, 352/28, 352/32, 369/53.45
• US Class Current: 353/85
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing

Abstract

A system comprising a media player configured to play media content, a projector operatively coupled to the media player and comprising a lamp, and a control unit operatively coupled to the media player and the projector is provided. The control unit is configured to determine whether the media content comprises visual content, and the control unit is configured to prevent the lamp from being turned on in response to determining that the media content does not comprise visual content.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a media player configured to play media content;

a projector operatively coupled to the media player and comprising a lamp; and

a first control unit operatively coupled to the media player and the projector;

wherein the first control unit is configured to determine whether the media content comprises visual content, and wherein the first control unit is configured to prevent the lamp from being turned on in response to determining that the media content does not comprise visual content.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the media content is stored on a disc, and wherein the first control unit is configured to determine whether the disc comprises visual content in response to detecting a disc play state associated with the disc.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first control unit is configured to prevent the lamp from being turned on in response to determining that the media content comprises only audio content.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first control unit is configured to cause the lamp to be turned on in response to determining that the media content comprises visual content.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the projector comprises a second control unit, and wherein the first control unit is configured to provide a first signal to the second control unit to cause the lamp to be turned on in response to determining that the media content comprises visual content.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the first control unit is configured not to provide the first signal to the second control unit in response to determining that the media content does not comprise visual content.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the media player comprises a third control unit configured to determine whether the media content comprises visual content, and wherein the third control unit is configured to provide a second signal to the first control unit to indicate whether the media content comprises visual content.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the projector comprises a spatial light modulator.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a digital micromirror device (DMD).

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the media content comprises a digital video disc (DVD).

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a speaker operatively coupled to the media player.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an input/output unit operatively coupled to the first control unit;

wherein the input/output unit is configured to receive a signal from a remote control device.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a source selection unit operatively coupled to the media player, the first control unit, and the projector;

wherein the source selection unit is configured to provide a first signal from the media player to the projector in response to a second signal from the first control unit.

15. A method comprising:

detecting a disc play state associated with a disc in a media player;

determining whether the disc comprises visual content; and

turning on a lamp of a projector operatively coupled to the media player only in response to determining that the disc comprises visual content.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

preventing the lamp of the projector from being turned on in response to determining that the disc does not comprise visual content.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

preventing the lamp of the projector from being turned on in response to determining that the disc comprises only audio content.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the disc comprises a digital video disc (DVD).

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing a video signal associated with the visual content from the media player to the projector in response to determining that the disc comprises visual content.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

projecting an image associated with the video signal onto a surface using a digital micromirror device (DMD).

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

projecting an image associated with the video signal onto a surface using a liquid crystal display (LCD) device.

22. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing an audio signal associated with the disc from the media player to a speaker in response to determining that the disc does not comprise visual content.

23. A system including a media player configured to play a disc and a projector including a spatial light modulator and a lamp and operatively coupled to the media player, the system comprising:

means for detecting a disc play state associated with the disc;

means for determining whether the disc comprises visual content; and

means for preventing the lamp from being turned on in response to determining that the disc does not comprise visual content.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising:

means for determining whether the disc comprises visual content in response to receiving a signal from the means for detecting the disc play state associated with the disc.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the means for determining whether the disc comprises visual content includes means for determining whether the disc comprises audio content, the system further comprising:

means for preventing the lamp from being turned on in response to receiving a signal from the means for determining whether the disc comprises audio content.

26. The system of claim 23 further comprising:

means for causing the lamp to be turned on in response to receiving a signal from the means for determining that the disc comprises visual content.

27. A system including a media player configured to play a disc and a projector including a spatial light modulator and a lamp and operatively coupled to the media player, the system comprising:

means for detecting a disc play state associated with the disc;

means for determining whether the disc comprises visual content; and

means for turning on the lamp only in response to determining that the disc comprises visual content.

28. The system of claim 27 further comprising:

means for determining whether the disc comprises visual content in response to receiving a signal from the means for detecting the disc play state associated with the disc.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the means for determining whether the disc comprises visual content includes means for determining whether the disc comprises audio content, the system further comprising:

means for preventing the lamp from being turned on in response to receiving a signal from the means for determining whether the disc comprises audio content.

30. A system comprising:

a media player configured to play a disc;

a projector operatively coupled to the media player and comprising a lamp; and

a first control unit operatively coupled to the media player and the projector;

wherein the first control unit is configured to determine whether the disc comprises visual content, and wherein the first control unit is configured to prevent the lamp from being turned on in response to determining that the disc does not comprise visual content.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the first control unit is configured to determine whether the disc comprises visual content in response to detecting a disc play state associated with the disc.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the first control unit is configured to prevent the lamp from being turned on in response to determining that the disc comprises only audio content.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the first control unit is configured to cause the lamp to be turned on in response to determining that the disc comprises visual content.

34. The system of claim 30 wherein the projector comprises a second control unit, and wherein the first control unit is configured to provide a first signal to the second control unit to cause the lamp to be turned on in response to determining that the disc comprises visual content.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the first control unit is configured not to provide the first signal to the second control unit in response to determining that the disc does not comprise visual content.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the media player comprises a third control unit configured to determine whether the disc comprises visual content, and wherein the third control unit is configured to provide a second signal to the first control unit to indicate whether the disc comprises visual content.

37. The system of claim 30 wherein the disc comprises a digital video disc (DVD).