Composition of local media playback with remotely generated user interface

• US 20080034029A1
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Speicher, Ashley C., Bowra, Todd, Fang, Nicholas J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A media server in a home entertainment network coordinates with a media player connected with the network to provide a media presentation with a combined user interface (UI) on an attached display device. Media content is sourced locally on a networked media player. The media player extracts metadata related to the media content and transmits the metadata to the media server. The media server creates the UI to include components related to the media content rendered by the media player. The media server then transmits the UI to the media player for combination with the rendered media content for a composite output to a presentation device. The media server may further develop and transmit compositing instructions and additional media content to the media player for inclusion in the composite output.

Claims

1. A method for combining a separately generated user interface and media playback, the method comprising

rendering media content from media data at a media player;

extracting metadata related to the media content from the media data;

transmitting the metadata from the media player to a media server over a network;

generating a user interface based, at least in part, upon the metadata and related to the media content at the media server;

transmitting the user interface from the media server to the media player over the network; and

generating a composite of the rendered media content and the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising outputting the composite to a presentation device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting compositing information from the media server to the media player.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting additional media content from the media server to the media player.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the operation of generating the composite further comprises including the additional media content received from the media server in the composite.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising

generating a local user interface at the media player;

and

wherein the operation of generating the composite further comprises including the local user interface in the composite.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a computer process implementing the method of claim 1.

8. A method for combining a user interface and media content for playback that are separately generated, the method comprising

receiving metadata related to media content rendered at a media player over a network;

generating a user interface based, at least in part, upon the metadata and related to the media content; and

transmitting the user interface to the media player over the network for compositing by the media player with the media content for output to a presentation device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising

generating compositing instructions for combining the user interface and the media content;

and

transmitting the compositing instructions to the media player.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising transmitting additional media content to the media player.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising

generating compositing instructions for combining the user interface, the media content, and the additional media content;

and

transmitting the compositing instructions to the media player.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a computer process implementing the method of claim 8.

13. A method for combining a user interface and media rendered for playback that are separately generated, the method comprising

rendering media content from locally accessed media data;

extracting metadata related to the media content from the media data;

transmitting the metadata to a media server over a network;

receiving a user interface related to the media content from the media server; and

creating a composite display of the media content and the user interface.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising outputting the composite to a presentation device.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving compositing information from the media server for combining the user interface and the media content.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising

generating a local user interface;

and

wherein the operation of creating the composite display further comprises including the local user interface in the composite display.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving additional media content from the media server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the operation of creating the composite further comprises including the additional media content received from the media player in the composite.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising

receiving compositing instructions from the media server for combining the user interface, the media content, and the additional media content, and

wherein the operation of creating the composite further comprises including the additional media content received from the media player in the composite.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a computer process implementing the method of claim 13.