Method and apparatus for creating an indexed playlist in a digital audio data player

Abstract

A digital audio player and a method for providing audio playlist files. The audio data player comprises a DSP coupled with data storage. Data storage is a high-volume storage device such a hard drive for storing audio data files. The method provides playlist records in a playlist file for use by audio data player by locating audio data files stored on data storage, reading content information for the audio data files, determining file pointers locating the audio data files, sorting the content information and file pointers by at least a portion of the content information, determining indexing information indicating the location and number of playlist records related by content information, and storing the content information, indexing information and file pointers in playlist records in a playlist. The method includes creating a number of playlist files, each sorted by different content information such as ID3 tag information stored in MP3 files, for example, artist, album, genre, and title. Additionally, the method may be executed in a personal computer as a stand-alone application or as a plug-in used with existing music management software. Created playlists may then be transferred to an audio data player.

Description

Technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a device and method for processing digitally encoded audio data, in particular to a method and device for establishing a playlist of audio data files in a digital audio data player. Background technique [0002] The use of portable audio data players capable of playing digitally encoded audio data has become commonplace. In particular, smaller handheld devices that can process digitally encoded audio data stored on solid-state memory have become common. In addition, with the increasing demand for larger data storage capacity in portable audio data players, another generation of players including miniaturized large-capacity hard disk drives has been developed and is gaining popularity. [0003] In an audio data player, the digital audio data is loaded into the data storage by first downloading the data from the audio CD, the Internet, or another digital audio device to the PC. The data is then usually compressed according to ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Each time a file is displayed, the application must repeatedly access the audio data file on the audio data player to obtain the ID3 tag information, resulting in high cost and slow operation when hundreds or thousands of files can be accessed

Therefore, it is not possible to browse available audio data files in various sequences according to their ID3 information in non-PC-based audio data players

Images