Speech-Based Media Playback Control Across Different Media Players
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Solution Overview
Problem
Controlling media playback on a display device, such as a television, from a personal computing device like a mobile phone is challenging due to distance and interference with normal viewing, especially when web media is played on computers.
Innovation Solution
A system that synchronizes a personal computing device with a display device through a server system, allowing the computing device to control media playback on the display device by sending commands via a network, converting unrecognized commands, and using a universal adapter to manage different media players.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If web media is played on a computer connected to a television set, then the user can watch Web media on the television display, but it is difficult to control the system from a distance and may interfere with normal television program viewing by other persons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control device as an intermediary between the user and the television system. This control device receives user input and transmits control signals to the television set, enabling remote operation without requiring the user to be physically close to the device. The intermediary approach resolves the contradiction by providing distance control capability while maintaining system manageability.
2Ease of operation
If a wireless device is used to control the television from a distance, then the user can control the television remotely, but it can be difficult to view a web browser display on the television set and may interfere with normal television program viewing by other persons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the display visibility issue by introducing a synchronization code mechanism that operates in a different dimension - the communication protocol dimension. Instead of trying to improve physical display visibility, the system uses wireless synchronization signals to maintain display state coherence between the control device and television, allowing remote operation without compromising information access.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the display device loads a media player from the content provider, then the display device can play content from that content provider, but it increases the time to start playing content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a caching mechanism that performs preliminary action by storing previously loaded media players in the display device's memory. When the same content provider is accessed again, the cached media player is reused instead of reloading, significantly reducing playback delay while maintaining adaptability to different content providers.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the server system converts commands to be recognizable by different media players, then the personal computing device can control various media players, but it increases the complexity of the server system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal command translation layer in the server system that can recognize and translate various media player-specific commands into a standardized format. This universal approach allows the server to control multiple types of media players without requiring complex device-specific logic for each player type, achieving versatility while managing complexity through standardization.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling playback of various types of content includes a first computing device that provides a unique identifier to a second computing device to establish an association there between. By virtue of the established association, the second computing device can send one or more messages to the first computing device, the one or more messages referencing a piece of content associated with a first media playing element of a plurality of media playing elements, and one or more commands corresponding to the first media playing element. The first computing device can select the first media playing element based on the received one or more messages, and control how the first media playing element plays the referenced piece of content utilizing the one or more commands.