WO2003032293A2

WO2003032293A2 - Audio and/or video and/or multimedia player

Info

Publication number: WO2003032293A2
Application number: PCT/EP2002/011002
Authority: WO
Inventors: Laurent Cauvin; Gilles Morillon; Nadine Patry
Original assignee: Thomson Multimedia; BARON, René-Louis
Priority date: 2001-10-05
Filing date: 2002-10-01
Publication date: 2003-04-17
Also published as: WO2003032293A3; AU2002340960A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an audio and/or video and/or multimedia player device comprising a display providing a representation of a media to be played, this media being divided into sections. The device comprises means for deriving from the media a line divided into segments, this line representing the whole media or one part of this media and each segment representing each section and having a length representing the duration of a corresponding section of the media.

Description

AUDIO AND/OR VIDEO AND/OR MULTIMEDIA PLAYER

The invention relates to a music, video or multimedia player device comprising a display for helping the user to visualize the play presently played by the device.

It is of common practice, for instance in CD players, to display the time elapsed since the beginning of the section which is played, such as a piece of music, the time remaining until the end of this section, and the complete duration of the section.

The invention starts from the recognition that such displays are not sufficient to avoid the use of other information supports, such as leaflets or information printed on the media housings, in order to obtain detailed information about the content of the media.

The invention starts also from the observation that, in order to navigate inside one section, the only possibility is, up to now, to use the fast forward or the fast backward command of the player . But these commands are not user ' s friendly. In fact, for a given section of music, the user may prefer given parts, such as the "refrain" (or chorus) or a given verse.

In a similar manner, in a DVD player, it is possible to access to a section of a movie through a table of contents, this table of contents containing generally the first picture of each part. In order to access to a scene inside a section of a film, it is necessary to first access to the beginning of the section and, afterwards, to use the fast forward command for accessing to the desired scene.

The invention provides an audio and/or video and/or multimedia player device comprising a display providing a representation of a media to be played, this media being divided into sections, wherein said device comprises means for deriving from the media a line divided into segments, this line representing the whole media or one part of this media and each segment representing each section and having a length representing the duration of a corresponding section of the media . In this way, the invention provides a player having a user's friendly display giving synthetic information about the played media and therefore, may avoid the necessity to look simultaneously to the cover of the housing of the media or to any similar information support. In the present specification, a "media" means not only a physical support such as a CD or DVD but also broadcasted information, for instance, compressed audio (MP3) or video, or information stored on a non permanent memory such as a hard disk or a solid state memory. Preferably, the player comprises means for deriving from the media an information about the content of each section or subsection in order to display a representation of this content with each segment or subsegment of the line display.

Said means may comprise means for providing to each segment or subsegment a colour and/or a name and/or a symbol associated with the content corresponding to this segment or subsegment .

For instance, in the case of music, the information or parameter representing the content may be a given colour or a title or a short title of a corresponding part of music. With this embodiment, a new function is provided for each player which is particularly useful for the user: he can visualize at a glance the whole content of the media or the whole content of a part of this media, with the duration of each section and its content.

Moreover, the user can select easily the parts he wishes to play, without having recourse to something different from the player itself, i.e. without having recourse to, for instance, a leaflet sold with the media. The invention relates also to an audio and/or video and/or multimedia player device comprising a display providing a representation of a section of the media to be played, wherein said device comprises means for deriving from the media a line divided into subsegments, this line representing one section and each subsegment representing a subsection and having a length representing the duration of the corresponding subsection.

Therefore, the user can visualize the actual content of a section. For instance, each track of a CD is subdivided, with the indexes provided by the standard, into different subparts such as the "refrain" (or "chorus"), the "verses", etc. This may be used also in DVD wherein a line may be used to represent each section of the film subdivided into scenes. This division may be used also with chapter markers provided in DVD. More generally, it is preferable to use data already provided in the media, independent of the content, which are time divisions, for instance, of the media.

Preferably, the player has means for displaying a line representing the whole media and means for displaying a section with its subsections.

In an embodiment, the player comprises means for deriving from the media an information about the content of each section or subsection in order to display a representation of this content with each segment or subsegment of the line display. In an embodiment, the time line is provided with a cursor representing the instantaneous position of the play.

In a preferred embodiment, the player is provided with control means in order to navigate into subsections. For instance, control means are provided for having a direct access to the next part or previous part of a given track. It is also possible to navigate into each part with fast forward and fast backward control means. Also in the case of the subdivision of each section, it is possible to rearrange the order of play of the subsections, i.e. to modify the structure of the section. It is also possible to replay any subsection.

It is also possible to provide the player with means for positioning the beginning of the play at any location, this location being represented by a locator. In that case, the player may also be provided with means for controlling the end of the play at any location, this desired end of the play being represented by a second locator on the line or close to the line display.

In that case, the player may be provided with a control button (which may be realized virtually) in order to control the play in loop mode between the two locators.

In order to realize the display line, the signal to be displayed contains meta-data, for instance signals or flags which appear regularly in the information received or on the actual media to be read. In a CD disc, these meta-data are the indexes or the information relating to the tracks. They are used for positioning and partitioning the data.

In addition to the meta-data which are used for the positioning and the partitioning, a table of contents, formed from meta-data, may be used for displaying the line display.

Whatever the nature of data to be displayed, with a line display, it is possible to use several lines at different levels. For instance, in a CD, the main line may represent the whole content of the CD and a second line represents the detailed content of the track which is currently played. In the case of a movie, for instance a DVD disc, a first line represents all the sections of the film and a second line represents the subdivision of the scene which is currently played. The invention relates also to media, such as CD and

DVD, having subdivisions. In case of CD, the subdivisions are the subsections of each track and in a DVD, the subdivisions are the difference parts or scenes of each section.

In an embodiment, the invention, is used in a device for generating automatically musical data, such as the device described in international application PCT/FR99/02262, published under n° WO 00/17850, and which is programmed in order to generate musical pieces according to a given frame divided into subsections having a predetermined duration. For instance, each frame comprises an introduction, one or several choruses, one or several verses in a given order. It is also possible to provide several kinds of frames but which alternate randomly or in a predefined way.

In that case, the device comprises a screen for displaying the time line divided into segments representing each duration of each section and, preferably, the nature of each part.

In brief, the invention concerns an audio and/or video and/or multimedia player device comprising a display providing a representation of a media to be played, this media being divided into sections, wherein said device comprises means for deriving from the media a line divided into segments, this line representing the whole media or one part of this media and each segment representing each section and having a length representing the duration of a corresponding section of the media.

The invention concerns also an audio and/or video and/or multimedia player device comprising a display providing a representation of a section of the media to be played, wherein said device comprises means for deriving from the media a line divided into subsegments, this line representing one section and each subsegment representing a subsection and having a length representing the duration of the corresponding subsection.

The device may comprise means for deriving from the media an information about the content of each section or subsection in order to display a representation of this content with each segment or subsegment of the line display.

In an embodiment, said means comprise means for providing to each segment or subsegment a colour and/or a name and/or a symbol associated with the content corresponding to this segment or subsegment.

The device may comprise means for deriving from the media and the reading means, the position of the reading in the whole media or section, and means for displaying a cursor, on the line or close to the line, representing the time position of the play in the media or in the section.

The device may also comprise means for positioning the beginning of the play at any location, this location being represented by a locator. The device may further comprise means for controlling the end of the play at any location, this desired end of the play being represented by a second locator on the line or close to the line display.

In an embodiment, the media is divided into sections and at least some of the sections are divided into subsections, and the device comprise means for displaying a line display for the whole media and another line display for at least one section.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear with the description of certain of its embodiments which are made with the appended drawings wherein: figure 1 represents a line display for a CD player, and figure 2 represents a line display also for a CD player wherein a CD has indexes for subsections of each track. In the example represented on figure 1, a CD player of the standard type has the improvement wherein a line display is formed on a screen from the tracks provided on all CD discs .

The line display comprises a succession of sections representing the tracks of the disc, i.e. from track 1 to track 18, for instance. The length of each track represents its duration. Moreover, to each line is associated an information representing the content of the section. For instance, as represented on figure 1, if the CD disc is an Opera CD, on track n° 1, there is an indication, in clear, of the mention "opening", on track n° 2, there is an indication "act 1, scene 1" or a short descriptive sentence of this track.

It may be also possible to have other representations for the content of each track such as a colour of the corresponding segment, a symbol, etc.

In addition, a cursor C appears on the screen and represents the present situation of the play.

In an embodiment, the player has on its control panel means for positioning a locator at any location on the line display. More precisely, the line display, which is formed from the table of contents of the CD player, appears on the screen before any play and simultaneously, or at any time, an actual locator or cursor on the control panel of the player is used in order to position a virtual locator which determines the start of reading of the player at the desired location. This start location may be either conventional, i.e. at the beginning of a given track, or at any location on any track.

It appears that this device is particularly user ' s friendly: it provides a synthetic view of the disc on a screen which is much more convenient than reading a side on the housing of the CD and the access to any part of the disc is very simple.

In the embodiment represented on figure 2, a given track of the CD is divided into subsections. This subdivision is performed by the manufacturer of the CD who uses the standardized indexes in order to represent the subsections of each track.

In this example, a track represents a song, and this song on the CD has an introductory part, a verse n° 1, a refrain (or chorus) n° 1, a verse n° 2, a refrain or chorus n° 2, a solo sax part and a refrain or chorus n° 3. As in the embodiment represented on figure 1, the length of each segment represents the duration of each subsection of the track and a colour and/or a clear representation of the content of each subsection is indicated. Moreover, a cursor C represents the present location of the reading head.

In another embodiment, which applies also to figure 1, a first locator L is provided which represents the start of the play and a second locator L¹ represents the end of the play. The part of the CD between both locators L and L' may be also played continuously in a loop mode.

If no command is performed, the default position of locator L is at the very beginning of the line and the default position of locator L¹ is at the very end of the line.

Claims

1. An audio and/or video and/or multimedia player device comprising a display providing a representation of a media to be played, this media being divided into sections, wherein said device comprises means for deriving from the media a line divided into segments, this line representing the whole media or one part of this media and each segment representing each section and having a length representing the duration of a corresponding section of the media.

2. An audio and/or video and/or multimedia player device comprising a display providing a representation of a section of the media to be played, wherein said device comprises means for deriving from the media a line divided into subsegments, this line representing one section and each subsegment representing a subsection and having a length representing the duration of the corresponding subsection.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2 comprising means for deriving from the media an information about the content of each section or subsection in order to display a representation of this content with each segment or subsegment of the line display.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said means comprise means for providing to each segment or subsegment a colour and/or a name and/or a symbol associated with the content corresponding to this segment or subsegment.

5. A device according to any of claims 1 to 4 comprising means for deriving from the media and the reading means, the position of the reading in the whole media or section, and means for displaying a cursor, on the line or close to the line, representing the time position of the play in the media or in the section.

6. A device according to claim 5 comprising means for positioning the beginning of the play at any location, this location being represented by a locator.

7. A device according to claim 6 comprising means for controlling the end of the play at any location, this desired end of the play being represented by a second locator on the line or close to the line display.

8. A device according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the media being divided into sections and at least some of the sections being divided into subsections, said device comprise means for displaying a line display for the whole media and another line display for at least one section.