Resume point for digital media playback

• US 8,942,549 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truesight Communications LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Media IP LLC.
• Inventors: Duffin, Todd E., Malsbary, Todd R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, William
• Application Number:
  US12/906,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20110091187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 386/349
• US Class Current: 386/349
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43078 for seamlessly watching content streams when changing device, e.g. when watching the same program sequentially on a TV and then on a tablet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate

Abstract

A system (and method and computer readable medium) are disclosed for configuring a digital media device to resume playback of content stopped at a first digital media playback device to resume at a second digital media playback device. The configuration detects a stop in play of content stored on a digital media storage device and determines digital media playback preference selections for the content played on the first digital media playback device. The configuration generates a playback preference file and determines a stop location for content, the stop location corresponding to a resume point for the content on the second media playback device. The configuration writes the playback preference file and the stop location to the digital media storage device.

Claims

1. A method executable in a first digital media playback device for configuring a digital media storage device to resume playback of video content stopped on the first digital media playback device on a second digital media playback device, the method comprising:

detecting a stop in play of the video content stored on a writeable, portable digital media storage device;

determining digital media playback preference selections for the video content played on the first digital media playback device, the first media playback device separate and distinct from the second media playback device, the digital media playback preference selections including at least one of audio language, subtitle presentation, closed captioning features, and screen format;

generating a playback preference file containing the determined media playback preference selections by creating a new playback preference file and updating the created playback preference file or by updating a previously created playback preference file;

determining a stop location for the video content, the stop location corresponding to a resume point for the video content when played on the second media playback device;

writing the stop location to the generated playback preference file;

writing the generated playback preference file that includes the stop location to the digital media storage device, without communication over a network, wherein the playback preference selections including the stop location are accessible, after the digital media storage device is removed from the first media playback device, to the second media playback device not communicatively coupled to the first media playback device, and wherein the second media playback device determines whether a playback preference file is present on the digital media storage device and whether the playback preference file includes the stop location, and, if the playback preference file is present and includes the stop location, determines the resume point for playback of the video content and the playback preferences by retrieving the stop location and the playback preferences from the generated playback preference file stored on the digital media storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital media storage device comprises a flash memory storage device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the flash memory storage device is a secured digital (SD) flash memory storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital media storage device comprises one of solid state storage device and a hard disk drive.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing thereon instructions for configuring a digital media device to resume playback of video content stopped at a first digital media playback device to resume at a second digital media playback device, the instructions, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform a method comprising:

detecting a stop in play of the video content stored on a writeable, portable digital media storage device;

determining digital media playback preference selections for the video content played on the first digital media playback device, the first media playback device separate and distinct from the second media playback device, the digital media playback preference selections including at least one of audio language, subtitle presentation, closed captioning features, and screen format;

generating a playback preference file containing the determined media playback preference selections by creating a new playback preference file and updating the created playback preference file or by updating a previously created playback preference file;

determining a stop location for the video content, the stop location corresponding to a resume point for the video content when played on the second media playback device;

writing the stop location to the generated playback preference file;

writing the generated playback preference file that includes the stop location to the digital media storage device, without communication over a network, wherein the playback preference selections including the stop location are accessible, after the digital media storage device is removed from the first media playback device, to the second media playback device not communicatively coupled to the first media playback device, and wherein the second media playback device determines whether a playback preference file is present on the digital media storage device and whether the playback preference file includes the stop location, and, if the playback preference file is present and includes the stop location, determines the resume point for playback of the video content and the playback preferences by retrieving the stop location and the playback preferences from the generated playback preference file stored on the digital media storage device.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the digital media storage device comprises a flash memory storage device.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the flash memory storage device is a secured flash memory storage device.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the digital media storage device comprises one of solid state storage device and a hard disk drive.

9. A method executable on a first digital media playback device to resume playback of video content from a point at which the video content was stopped on a remote second digital media playback device, the method comprising:

detecting insertion of a portable and writeable digital media storage device into the first digital media playback device;

determining presence of a previously generated playback preferences file on the digital media storage device, the previously generated playback preferences file having been recorded on the digital media storage device at a time the video content was stopped on the remote second digital media playback device;

extracting, in response to the determined presence of the previously generated playback preferences file, the playback preferences from the playback preferences file, the playback preferences including at least one of audio language, subtitle presentation, closed captioning features, and screen format;

setting, in response to extracting, playback preferences of the first digital media playback device;

determining presence of a stop point of video content stored within the determined previously generated playback preferences file along with the playback preferences including the at least one of audio language, subtitle presentation, closed captioning features, and screen format on the digital media storage device, the stop point previously stored onto the digital media storage device without communication over a network by the remote second digital media playback device, the remote second digital media playback device separate and distinct from the first digital media playback device and not communicatively coupled to the first digital media playback device; and

resuming playback on the digital media playback device, in response to the determined presence of the stop point, of the video content stored within the determined previously generated playback preferences file on the digital media storage beginning at the stop point previously stored by the remote second digital media playback device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital media storage device comprises a flash memory storage device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the playback preferences file and the stop point are stored within a playback file.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital media storage device comprises one of solid state storage device and a hard disk drive.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing thereon instructions for resuming playback of video content from a point at which the video content was stopped on a remote second digital media playback device, the instructions when executed on a first digital media playback device cause at least one processor to perform a method comprising:

detecting insertion of a portable and writeable digital media storage device into the first digital media playback device;

determining presence of a previously generated playback preferences file on the digital media storage device, the previously generated playback preferences file having been recorded on the digital media storage device at a time the video content was stopped on the remote second digital media playback device;

extracting, in response to the determined presence of the previously generated playback preferences file, the playback preferences from the playback preferences file, the playback preferences including at least one of audio language, subtitle presentation, closed captioning features, and screen format;

setting, in response to extracting, playback preferences of the first digital media playback device;

determining presence of a stop point of video content stored within the determined previously generated playback preferences file along with the playback preferences including the at least one of audio language, subtitle presentation, closed captioning features, and screen format on the digital media storage device, the stop point previously stored onto the digital media storage device without communication over a network by the remote second digital media playback device, the remote second digital media playback device separate and distinct from the first digital media playback device and not communicatively coupled to the first digital media playback device; and

resuming playback on the digital media playback device, in response to the determined presence of the stop point, of the video content stored within the previously generated determined playback preferences file on the digital media storage beginning at the stop point previously stored by the remote second digital media playback device.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the digital media storage device comprises a flash memory storage device.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the playback preferences file and the stop point are stored within a playback file.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the digital media storage device comprises one of solid state storage device and a hard disk drive.