System and method for controlling synchronization of media and multi-devices for single-media multi-device media service

• US 8,688,851 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Shin, Hyun-Soon, Yun, Jae-Kwan, Lee, Hae-Ryong, Park, Kwang-Roh
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US12/155,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/232, 709/203, 709/217, 725/110
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for controlling synchronization of media and multi-devices for an SMMD media service. The system includes a metadata managing unit and a synchronization controlling unit. The metadata managing unit analyzes ne-media to extract metadata. The synchronization controlling unit constructs a synchronization information table to store control data extracted from the metadata, and controls one or more devices for media reproduction on the basis of the synchronization information table. Optimal connectable devices are mapped according to device attributes and synchronization information extracted from metadata of ne-media and the results are controlled according to the contents of media, thereby maximizing the effect of vivid media reproduction.

Claims

1. A system for controlling synchronization of media and multi-devices for a Single-Media Multi-Device (SMMD) media service, the system comprising:

a metadata managing unit analyzing ne-media to extract metadata; and

a synchronization controlling unit comprised of a memory, the synchronization controlling unit constructing a 2D synchronization information table to store control data extracted from the metadata, and selecting optimal ones of one or more devices for media reproduction and controlling one or more devices for media reproduction on the basis of the synchronization information table,

wherein the synchronization controlling unit applies the same system time in devices in a home network allowing the devices to operate in synchronization with the same system time,

wherein the 2D synchronization information table stores device media reproduction format type, a device mapped for the reproduction format type and a device command generation time.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a device profile managing unit for generating the profiles of devices in a home network and managing the generated device profiles.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a device controlling means controlled by the synchronization controlling unit, the device controlling means comprising:

a multi-device controlling unit for controlling the one or more devices;

a hardware interface unit comprising interfaces for supporting wired/wireless interfaces with the corresponding devices; and

a device driver unit comprising drivers for the corresponding interfaces.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata managing unit comprises:

an ne-media parser for extracting metadata from the ne-media; and

a metadata analyzing unit for analyzing/extracting data necessary for control of the devices from the metadata.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the synchronization information table comprises device types for vivid media reproduction, mapping devices, control times, error process types, interfaces, device control commands, device control values, and media statuses.

6. A method for controlling synchronization of media and multi-devices for a Single-Media Multi-Device (SMMD) media service, the method comprising:

initializing a device interworking with media in a home network;

constructing a 2D synchronization information table;

parsing ne-media to extract metadata;

extracting data necessary for device control from the metadata to map an optimal device by selecting optimal ones of one or more devices for media reproduction, and setting/managing the extracted data in the synchronization information table; and

controlling synchronization of media and devices on the basis of the synchronization information table,

wherein one or more devices are interworked according to contents of the media,

wherein the controlling synchronization applies a same system time in devices in the home network allowing the devices to operate in synchronization with the same system time,

wherein the 2D synchronization information table stores device media reproduction format type, a device mapped for the reproduction format type and a device command generation time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, before the initializing operation:

obtaining information about all devices interworking with media in the home network to construct device profiles; and

applying the same system time to all the devices interworking with the media in the home network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the parsing operation and the extracting operation are performed a predetermined time before the controlling operation.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the parsing operation and the extracting operation are completed before the controlling operation.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the initializing operation comprises:

analyzing header information of metadata to extract initialization information of devices and a list of devices necessary for media reproduction;

mapping a device satisfying a condition necessary for interworking reproduction; and

checking the statuses of devices in the home network to initialize the devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the initialization in the device status checking operation supplies power to the devices to perform basic setting.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the constructing operation construct the synchronization information table for storing control information for each point/device.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the extracting operation comprises:

extracting device control information from the metadata;

mapping an available optimal device according to a device type defined in the metadata;

setting data necessary for optimal device control with respect to the mapped device;

determining whether a device driving time among the device control information is equal to a system time;

clearing the corresponding device information if the device driving time is equal to the system time;

checking whether media parsing is completed, and repeating the device control information extracting operation through the clearing operation until the media parsing is completed.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising periodically setting reproduction status and time information of the current media during the device control information extracting operation through the checking operation.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the synchronization controlling operation comprises:

monitoring whether there is device control information having a synchronization control start time in the synchronization information table equal to a current system time, the synchronization control start time being equal to a control command generation time minus a synchronization control execution time;

when there is the device control information, selecting a device type, a mapping device, and a device interface for control signal exchange from the synchronization information table;

selecting a control command, a control value, a driving time, and a control time for a corresponding device;

checking whether the control command generation time exceeds the current system time;

when the control command generation time does not exceed the current system time, checking whether the control command generation time exceeds a media reproduction time;

when the control command generation time does not exceed the media reproduction time, generating a device control command corresponding to arrival of the control command generation time;

calling the corresponding device at the driving time;

driving the device according to the control command; and

checking whether medial reproduction is completed, and repeating the monitoring operation through the driving operation until the medial reproduction is completed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the control command generation time is a device control time before the device driving time.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising, if the control command generation time exceeds the current system time or the media reproduction time in the two checking operations for the control command generation time, abandoning generation of a device driving command and returning to the monitoring operation to repeat the monitoring operation through the checking/repeating operation.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising, if the media reproduction is not completed in the checking/repeating operation, returning to the monitoring operation to repeat the monitoring operation through the checking/repeating operation until the medial reproduction is completed.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the synchronization control execution time is the time taken to perform at least the monitoring operation through the driving operation.