Device and method to play back contents according to reception sensitivity

• US 8,379,594 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jo, Hwan-ju, Yang, Chee-hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/580,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20070091835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,318 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455 301- 306, 455/435.1, 455/450, 455/445, 455/560, 455/439, 455/456, 455/3.6, 455/413, 455/414.1, 370/328, 370/331, 709/219, 709/218, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/90 Wireless transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A device and method to play back contents according to a reception sensitivity, more specifically, a device and method to select a wireless communication system according to the reception sensitivity of wireless signals such as AirTV signals, digital multimedia broadcasting signals and wireless LAN signals, and playing back received multimedia content. The device includes a communication unit receiving multimedia content through a wireless communication device corresponding to a selection instruction message input by a user among one or more wireless communication devices; a reception sensitivity check unit checking the reception sensitivity of the received multimedia content; and an interface unit outputting the received multimedia content according to the reception sensitivity.

Claims

1. A device to play back multimedia content from one or more wireless communication systems according to a reception sensitivity, the device comprising:

a communication unit comprising wireless sub-communication units, each wireless sub-communication unit receiving a corresponding one of a plurality of multimedia content from one of the one or more wireless communication systems selected on the basis of one or more selection instruction messages input by a user;

a reception sensitivity check unit to check the reception sensitivity of signals corresponding to each of the received plurality of multimedia content received at the corresponding wireless sub-communication units; and

an interface unit to output a selected one of the received plurality of multimedia content according to reception sensitivities and priorities corresponding to each of the plurality of multimedia content indicated in the one or more selection instruction messages, to output a notification message to the user when switching between wireless communication systems can be performed according to the reception sensitivities and the priorities corresponding to each of the plurality of multimedia content indicated in the one or more selection instruction messages, and to receive input from the user for the performing of the switching,

wherein if a reception sensitivity of first multimedia content that is received from a first wireless sub-communication unit of the plurality of wireless sub-communication units is lower than a first threshold value set to correspond to the first wireless sub-communication unit, the interface unit outputs a second multimedia content that is received from a second wireless sub-communication unit of the plurality of wireless sub-communication units with a reception sensitivity higher than a second threshold value set to correspond to the second wireless sub-communication unit.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless sub-communication units receive the multimedia content by using at least one of an AirTV system, a digital multimedia broadcasting system, a wireless LAN system, a wireless broadcasting system, or combinations thereof.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a determining unit to determine whether to output the received multimedia content on the basis of the checked reception sensitivity and the one or more selection instruction messages.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the wireless sub-communication units has a priority number assigned thereto in the corresponding one of the one or more selection instruction messages, and the determining unit determines to output the multimedia content that is received from a first wireless sub-communication unit, of the wireless sub-communication units, with the reception sensitivity higher than a threshold value set to correspond to the first wireless sub-communication unit, when the first wireless sub-communication unit has a first priority number that is higher than the priority number of any other of the wireless sub-communication units having the reception sensitivity higher than a corresponding threshold value.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the reception sensitivity of the multimedia content received from a second one of the wireless sub-communication units changes from a first level lower than the corresponding threshold value to a second level higher than or equal to the corresponding threshold value, and the second wireless sub-communication unit has a second priority number that is higher than the first priority number, the determining unit determines to output the multimedia content received from the second wireless sub-communication unit.

6. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the reception sensitivity of the multimedia content received from a second one of the wireless sub-communication units changes from a first level lower than the corresponding threshold value to a second level higher than or equal to the corresponding threshold value, and the second wireless sub-communication unit has the priority number that is higher than the priority number of the first wireless sub-communication unit, the interface unit outputs a notification message to the user.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the notification message is in a form of a sound and/or an image.

8. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the determining unit determines to output the multimedia content received from the second wireless sub-communication unit.

9. A device to play back contents from one or more wireless communication systems according to a reception sensitivity, the device comprising:

a communication unit comprising one or more wireless sub-communication units, that receive corresponding multimedia content through using at least one of the one or more wireless communication systems selected on the basis of one or more selection instruction messages input by a user;

a reception sensitivity check unit to check the reception sensitivity of the received multimedia content received at the sub-communication units;

an interface unit to output the received multimedia content according to the reception sensitivity and a priority indicated in the one or more selection instruction messages; and

a determining unit to determine whether to output the received multimedia content on the basis of the checked reception sensitivity and the one or more selection instruction messages,

wherein if the reception sensitivity of a first multimedia content that is received from a first wireless sub-communication unit of the one or more wireless sub-communication units is lower than a first threshold value set to correspond to the first wireless sub-communication unit, the determining unit determines to output a second multimedia content that is received from a second wireless sub-communication unit of the one or more wireless sub-communication units with the reception sensitivity higher than a second threshold value set to correspond to the second wireless sub-communication unit, and

wherein the interface unit outputs a notification message to the user when switching between wireless communication systems can be performed according to the reception sensitivities and the priorities corresponding to each of the plurality of multimedia content indicated in the one or more selection instruction messages, and receives input from the user for the performing of the switching.

10. A method of playing back multimedia content from one or more wireless communication systems according to a reception sensitivity, the method comprising:

receiving multimedia content through a wireless sub-communication unit selected from among a plurality of wireless sub-communication units on the basis of one or more selection instruction messages input by a user, each of the plurality of wireless sub-communication units receiving one of a plurality of multimedia content;

checking the reception sensitivity of signals corresponding to each of the received plurality of multimedia content;

outputting a selected one of the received plurality of multimedia content according to reception sensitivities and priorities corresponding to each of the plurality of multimedia content indicated in the one or more selection instruction messages;

outputting a notification message to the user when switching between wireless communication systems can be performed according to the reception sensitivities and the priorities corresponding to each of the plurality of multimedia content indicated in the one or more selection instruction messages; and

receiving input from the user for the performing of the switching,

wherein if a reception sensitivity of a first multimedia content that is received from a first wireless sub-communication unit of the plurality of wireless sub-communication units is lower than a first threshold value set to correspond to the first wireless sub-communication unit, the outputting of the selected one of the plurality of multimedia content includes outputting a second multimedia content that is received from a second wireless sub-communication unit of the plurality of wireless sub-communication units with a reception sensitivity higher than a second threshold value set to correspond to the second wireless sub-communication.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the outputting of the received multimedia content comprises determining to output the multimedia content received from a second one of the wireless sub-communication units when the reception sensitivity of the multimedia content received from the second wireless sub-communication unit changes from a first level lower than the corresponding threshold value to a second level higher than or equal to the corresponding threshold value, and the second wireless sub-communication unit has a second priority number that is higher than the first priority number.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising outputting a notification message to the user if the reception sensitivity of the multimedia content received from a second one of the wireless sub-communication units changes from a first level lower than the corresponding threshold value to a second level higher than or equal to the corresponding threshold value, and the second wireless sub-communication unit has a second priority number that is higher than the first priority number.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising determining to output the multimedia content received from the second wireless sub-communication unit.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the determining of the output of the multimedia content further comprises receiving an instruction message from the user instructing whether to output the multimedia content received from the second wireless sub-communication unit.

15. A computer-readable medium encoded with instructions to execute the method of claim 10 implemented by a computer.