WO2015051716A1

WO2015051716A1 - Method and apparatus for playing back data

Info

Publication number: WO2015051716A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/087656
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fei Song
Original assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
Priority date: 2013-10-10
Filing date: 2014-09-28
Publication date: 2015-04-16
Also published as: CN104581401B; CN104581401A

Abstract

A method for playing back data includes: displaying, by a browser installed on a client device, a webpage on which a file is embedded; generating, by the browser, a data request upon selection of the file; intercepting, by an auxiliary playing module installed on the client device, the data request; determining, by the auxiliary playing module, whether the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data; and sending the data request to the media server without sending the data request to the web server when the auxiliary playing module determines that the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING BACK DATA

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to internet technologies, especially to a method and an apparatus for playing back recorded data, such as video/audio data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As mobile webs become popular, people spend more time playing a mobile phone, a tablet or other mobile devices. People can use the mobile devices to surf on the Internet, chat with friends through social network platform, send/receive emails, watch movies, and listen to music, among other activities. Video websites generally have players embedded on the webpages to play streamed video/audio data on the mobile devices. Typically, the players embedded on the webpages play back the audio/video data in full-screen by default. When the embedded players play back the streamed video/audio data, the users cannot navigate away from the video/audio webpage to perform other tasks on the mobile devices without stopping the players. Moreover, if the users wish to stop the player and navigate away from the video/audio webpage during audio/video data buffering, the users need to wait until the data buffering is completed before the users can stop the player.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for playing back data. The method and apparatus of the present application allow the users to watch a video or listen to an audio recording on the mobile device while using the mobile device to perform other tasks.

In a first aspect, a method for playing back data includes: displaying, by a browser installed on a client device, a webpage on which a file is embedded； generating, by the browser, a data request upon selection of the file； intercepting, by an auxiliary playing module installed on the client device, the data request； determining, by the auxiliary playing module, whether the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data； and sending the data request to the media server without sending the data request to the web server when the auxiliary playing module determines that the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data.

In a second aspect, a method for playing back data includes: obtaining, by a video website, an API for playing back audio and video data from a client device； triggering the API and obtaining API parameters by the video website； based upon an absolute URL in the API parameters, sending a request for data； according to a playback mode flag in the API parameters, playing back the data in a small window with a player embedded in the webpage.

In a third aspect, an auxiliary playing module according to the present application includes: an intercepting unit configured to intercept a data request generated by a browser； a determining module configured to determine whether the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data； a data requesting unit configured to send the data request to a media server when the determining units determines that the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data without sending the data request to a web server of the webpage. The auxiliary playing module activates a local player to play back the at least one of video and audio data received from the media server.

In a fourth aspect, an apparatus for playing back data according to the present disclosure includes: an interface-obtaining unit, used for obtaining an API for playing back audio and video data； a parameter-obtaining unit, used for triggering the API obtained by the information-obtaining unit, and obtaining API parameters； a data-requesting unit, used for sending a request for a required data based upon an absolute URL in the API parameters obtained by the parameter-obtaining unit； a playing unit, used for playing back the data requested by the data-requesting unit in a small window with a player embedded in the page according to a playback mode flag in the API parameters obtained by the parameter-obtaining unit.

The method and apparatus for playing back data provided by the embodiments of the present invention can intercept the data request sent from the browser to the web server, obtain the link to the requested data, and send the data request directly to the media server based on the link contained in the data request, and finally play back the data in a local player in a small (i. e. , pop-up) window. Compared to the prior art method where the data request is sent from the browser to the web server upon selection of a file on the webpage and the data is played back using a player embedded in the webpage in full-screen, the method and apparatus according to the present disclosure can intercept the data request and obtain the requested data by itself, and play back the data in a local player in a small window. The local player can be preset to be always displayed at a front level of all windows displayed on the client device. As such, the user can, while watching video or listening to audio recording, perform other tasks on the client device.

In addition, the method and apparatus for playing back data according to another embodiment of the present disclosure can provide the API (Application Programming Interface) for playing back audio and video data to the video website. After the website obtains the API, it triggers the API and obtains the API parameters, then based on the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in the API parameters, sends the request for the requested data, and finally, according to the playback mode flag in the API parameters, plays back the data in a small window with a player embedded in the webpage.

Different from the former technical solution that intercept the data request, the later technical solution provides the API for the site on the network side. In the API, a playback mode flag used for indicating playing back the data in a small window is defined. After the data request is sent to the web server, the web server can modify the playback parameters of the embedded player according to the playback mode flag, so as to realize playing back the data in a small window. Compared to the prior art method where the data is played back in full-screen by default, the two technical solutions mentioned above can resize the window by itself or by command, both ways can be used to play back the data in half-screen or in a small window, so that the user can perform other tasks on the client device during video/audio data playing or buffering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To describe the technical solutions in the prior art or in the embodiments of the present invention more clearly, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings needed for describing the embodiments or the prior art. Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description show some embodiments of the present invention, and persons of ordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing operating environment of a method for playing back data according to the present invention；

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for playing back data according to a first embodiment of the present invention；

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary video webpage of a video website showing a plurality of embedded videos according to the teachings of the present invention；

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the exemplary video webpage of FIG. 3 showing a user selects a video to trigger a data request according to the teachings of the present invention；

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an exemplary screen of the client device showing a selected video is played in a full-screen mode；

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an exemplary screen of the client device showing a selected video is played in a pop-up window having a half-screen size according to the method of the present application；

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an exemplary screen of the client device showing a selected video is played in a pop-up window having a size smaller than half-screen, according to the method of the present invention；

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method for playing back data according to a second embodiment of the present invention；

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an auxiliary playing module for playing back data according to a third embodiment of the present invention； and

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for playing back data according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In order to make the technical advantage of the present invention more clearly, detailed description of the invention is given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, operating environment for a method and an apparatus for playing back data according to any of the present embodiments is shown to include a client device 12, a web server 16, and a media server 18. The client device 12 may be a mobile device, such as a smart phone, a tablet or a computer. The web server 16 stores webpages which may include a plurality of links to video/audio data/files or on which video/audio data/files are embedded. The media server 18 is a streaming server that stores video/audio data/files and, in response to a request for video/audio data, sends the requested video/audio data to the web server 16 or the client device 12. The client device 12 includes an auxiliary playing module 20 and a browser 22. The client device 12 communicates with the web server 16 and the media server 18 through the browser 20, which may retrieve and present information received from the web server 16 and the stream server 18, among others. The auxiliary playing module 20 may be a plugin to the browser 22 or may be integrated with the browser 22 to form an integrated unit.

In a typical method, when the user clicks a link to a video/audio data/file or a video/audio data/file embedded on the webpage, the client device 12 sends, through a browser, a data request for video/audio data corresponding to the link to the web server 16, which in turns, sends the data request to the media server 18. In response, the media server 18 sends the requested data to the web server 16 so that the player embedded on the webpage plays back the video/audio data. The embedded player plays back the audio/video data in full-screen by default and is automatically stopped when a user navigates away from the webpage. Therefore, the typical method does not allow the user to watch the video or listen to music while using the client device to perform other tasks.

According to the teachings of the present application, the auxiliary playing module 22 is provided to improve the video/audio playback experience. When the user selects a video/audio data/file embedded on a webpage or link to video/audio data/files on the webpage, the browser 22, in response, generates a data request for video/audio data. Before the data request is sent to the web server 16, the auxiliary playing module 20 intercepts the data request and determines whether the data request includes a request for video/audio data/file. When the auxiliary playing module 20 determines that the data request includes a request for video/audio data, the auxiliary playing module 20 prevents the data request generated by the browser 22 from being sent out to the web server 16. Instead, the auxiliary playing module 20 sends the data request directly to the media server 18 based on the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the requested data contained in the data request. In response, the media server 18 sends the requested video/audio data to the client device 12. The auxiliary playing module 20 activates a local player, such as a built-in player of the browser, a playing unit of the auxiliary playing module 20, or an additional player installed on the client device 12, to play back the requested video/audio data. The local player may be preset to play back the video/audio data in a pop-up window. The pop-up window may be pre-set to have a half-screen size or a size smaller than half screen. The pop-up window may also be pre-set to be always displayed on the front level of all windows displayed on the client device 12. As such, the user can, while watching the video or listening to the audio on the client device 12, perform other tasks on the client device 12, such as surfing websites, checking/writing emails or chatting with friends through social networking platforms, among others.

Referring to FIG. 2, a method 100 for playing back data starts with the browser 22 obtaining and displaying a webpage of a video website on the client device 12 in step 101. The browser 22 generates a data request when the user selects a link or file embedded on the webpage in step 102. The auxiliary playing module 20 intercepts the data request generated by the browser 22 in step 103. The auxiliary playing module 20 analyzes the data request in step 104. The auxiliary playing module 20 determines whether the data request includes a request for video/audio data in step 105.

The auxiliary playing module 20 analyzes the data request and determines whether the data request includes a request for video/audio data based on two methods. In a first method, the auxiliary playing module 20 can obtain and analyze the URL of the requested data and determines whether the requested data is video/audio data based on filename extension of the URL. As an example, in an exemplary URL contained in the request for data, http: //video. qq. com/abc/movie. mov, the auxiliary playing module 20 disregards the name of the protocol (e. g. , http) , host name (e. g. , video. qq. com) , parameter (e. g. , abc) and file name (e. g. , movie) , and obtains the filename extension “. mov” from the file “movie. mov” . Based on the filename extension, e. g. , “. mov” , the auxiliary playing module 20 determines that the particular URL, e. g. , http: //video. qq. com/abc/movie. mov, is linked to a movie file.

Other filename extensions to indicate video data include, but are not limited to, “. mp4” (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer IV) , “. mpeg” (Motion Picture Experts Group) , “. avi (Audio Video Interleaved) ” . Filename extensions to indicate audio data include, but are not limited to, “. mp3” (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III) , “. wma” (Windows Media Audio) , and ” . midi” (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) .

In a second method, the auxiliary playing module 20 may determine whether the data request includes a request for video/audio data based on the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) files sent from the web server 16. HTML is the standard markup language used to create web pages and is written in the form of HTML elements consisting of tags enclosed in angle brackets < >. The browser 22 can read the HTML files sent from a web server and compose them into visible or audible web pages on the client device 12. When the client device sends a request for a webpage to the web server, the web server actually returns an HTML file corresponding to the webpage. The browser composes the HTML file into a visible or audible webpage and displays the visible or audible webpage on the client device. The auxiliary playing module 20 is configured to search a video or audio tag, such as <video>, or <audio> in the HTML file returned by the web server when the webpage includes embedded audio/video data. The auxiliary playing module 20 determines that the data request includes a request for video/audio data when the HTML files contain an audio/video tag. The auxiliary playing module 20 can also obtain from the HTML files a URL of the requested data.

After the auxiliary playing module 20 determines that the data request includes a request for video/audio data in step 105, the auxiliary playing module 20 sends the data request to the media server 18, instead of the web server 16, based on the URL contained in the data request in step 106. In response, the media server 18 sends the requested video/audio data to the client device 12 in step 107. The auxiliary playing module 20 then activates a local player to play the requested video/audio data in a pop-up window in step 108. The local player is configured to play the video data in a small window by default when activated. The local player may be preset to be always on the front level of all windows displayed on the client device. Therefore, the small window is always shown on top of all windows even when the user navigates away from the current video website. The user can also preset the size of the small window so that the local player plays the video in a small window having the preset size by default. The size of the window can also be adjusted to full screen, half screen, or be dragged to a different location when the video/audio data are being played in the window.

On the other hand, when the auxiliary playing module 20 determines that the data request does not include a request for video/audio data, the auxiliary playing module 20 allows the data request generated by the browser 22 to be sent to the web server 16 in step 109. The browser 22 then displays the requested data on the user client 12 in step 110.

By intercepting and analyzing the data request generated by the browser 22, the auxiliary playing module 20 selectively prevents the data request from being sent to the web server 16 depending on whether the data request includes a request for video/audio data/file. When the requested data includes video/audio data, the auxiliary playing module 20 prevents the data request from being sent to the web server 16. Instead, the auxiliary playing module 20 sends the data request to the media server 18 to obtain the requested video/audio data directly from the media server 18 and play the requested video/audio data in a local player. Therefore, the requested video/audio data is prevented from being played in full screen by default using the player embedded on the webpage. The auxiliary playing module 22 activates a local player to play back the video/audio data in a small (pop-up) window, which can be preset to be always displayed on the front level of all windows by default even when the user navigates away from the webpage that contains the embedded the video/audio data/files. Therefore, the user can perform other tasks on the client device 12 while watching the video.

Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary webpage is displayed on the client device 12 and is shown to include a plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of videos, each including a hyperlink to a URL of the corresponding video data. Referring to FIG. 4, the user can select a particular video by clicking or selecting a corresponding video icon and consequently the corresponding hyperlink.

Referring to FIG. 5, in a typical method, after the user clicks a hyperlink to the URL of a corresponding video data, the client device 12, through the browser, sends a data request to the web server 16, which, in turn, sends the data request to the media server 18. The media server 18 then sends the requested video/audio data to the web server 16 to be played in a full screen mode by default using a player embedded on the webpage. The user is unable navigate away from the webpage without stopping the player or stopping video/audio streaming.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, after the user clicks the hyperlink of a URL of video data on the video webpage shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary playing module 20 intercepts the data request generated by the browser 22 and prevents the data request from being sent to the web server 16. Instead, the auxiliary playing module 20 obtains the URL and sends the data request directly to the media server 18 based on the URL and activates a local player to play back the video/audio data received from the media server 18 in a pop-up window.

The local player allows the user to set the size and position of the playback window. For example, the local player can play the video data in a pop-up window in half screen and located on the upper part of the screen of the client device as shown in FIG. 6, or at a certain position on the screen of the client device as shown in FIG. 7. The position and size of the pop-up playback window can be preset so that the local player plays back the video in a pop-up window of preset size and at a preset location by default. During playing, the user can change the length and width of pop-up window and/or drag the pop-up window to change the display location of the pop-up window. The pop-up window can also be adjusted to full screen as shown in FIG. 5.

The playback window may be pre-set to be always displayed on the front level of all windows displayed on the client device. Therefore, the user can, while watching the video in the pop-up playback window, browses other content on the webpage, navigates away from the webpage to perform other tasks, such as surfing other webpages, emailing, or chatting with friends on the client device 12, among others.

Referring to FIG. 8, a method 200 for playing back data according to the present embodiment starts with a video/audio website obtaining an application programming interface (API) for playing back audio and video data in step 201. A browser provider can provide the API for playing back data for a third-party website (i. e. , the video website) . API is an interface protocol for playing back video data. Therefore, based on the API parameters, the video website can modify the parameters of the player embedded in the webpage in order to play back the video/audio data in a small window using the player embedded in the webpage.

Taken video data as an example, the video website obtains an operator-authorized API authorized by the browser provider. For example, the API can be QQB_playVideo (video_title, video_url, video_mode) wherein, the video_title is the title of the video data, such as movie； the video_url is the absolute URL that links to the video data, such as http: //video. qq. com/abc/movie. mov； the video_mode is a playback mode flag used for indicating the size of the playback window. The playback mode includes default-size mode, half-screen mode, and full-screen mode. In the default-size mode, the size of the playback window is pre-set by the browser provider or the user to be smaller than half screen, as shown in FIG. 7. In the half-screen mode, the playback window takes half screen of the display area of the client device, as shown in FIG. 6. In the full-screen mode, the playback window covers the entire display area of the screen of the client device, as shown in FIG. 5.

In this embodiment, the playback mode flag has 1 or more bits for indicating the playback mode of the page. For example, 00 stands for default-size mode, 01 stands for half-screen mode, and 10 stands for full-screen mode.

In addition, for the default-size mode or half-screen mode, the playback mode flag can further have the bits that indicate the position of the playback window. For example, for the half-screen mode, if the playback mode flag is 0100, the bits for mode 01 indicate the half-screen mode, the bits for position 00 indicate the upper part of the video web page.

Next, the API is triggered and the API parameters are obtained by the video/audio webpage in step 202. After receiving the operator-authorized API, the video website triggers the API by Javascript, and obtains the API parameters, such as video_title, video_url, video_mode etc. Based upon an absolute URL in the API parameters, a request for data is sent in step 203. For example, a request for the video data is sent to the URL http: //video. qq. com/abc/movie. mov to which the video date is linked.

Next, data is played in a small window using a player embedded in the video/audio webpage according to a playback mode flag in the API parameters in step 204.

The video/audio webpage modifies the parameters of the player according to the API parameters, for example, if the playback mode flag is 01, then according to the playback mode flag, resize the default full-screen window to a half-screen window, after that, play back the video data requested in step 203 with the modified player. More specifically, display the playback window on the page according to the preset size and/or preset position, then play back the video data based upon the playback window.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary playing module 20 passively prevents the browsing module 22 from sending a request for video/audio data to the web server 16 and prevents the player embedded on the webpage from playing back the video/audio data. In this embodiment, however, the provider of the browser 22 provides the video/audio website with the API that contains the playback mode flag, so that the video/audio webpage can modify the parameters of the player embedded in the webpage to play the video in a pop-up window and at the front level of the window using the player embedded in the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 9, an auxiliary playing module 20 according to the teaching of the present disclosure is shown. The auxiliary playing module 20 may be a plug-in to the browser 22 or, alternatively, may be integrated with a browser 22 to form one integrated web browsing and media playing system, which is installed in a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop, or other client devices. The auxiliary playing module 20 includes an intercepting unit 121, a determining unit 122, a data requesting unit 123, and, optionally, a playing unit 124. The intercepting unit 121 is configured to intercept a data request generated by the browser 22 when a user selects a video/audio file/icon on a video/audio webpage. The data request generated by the browser 22 would otherwise be sent to the web server 16 of the webpage if the auxiliary playing module 14 is not installed in the client device 12.

The determining unit 122 is configured to obtain a link to the requested data from the data request. The determining unit 122 also analyzes the data request to determine whether the data request includes a request for video/audio data/file. The determining unit 12 may perform the

steps

104 and 105 previously described in FIG. 2. When the determining unit 12 determines that the data request includes a request for video/audio data/file, the data requesting unit 123 sends the data request to the media server 18 based upon the link obtained by the determining unit 122. Alternately, the data requesting unit 123 may generate a new data request for the video/audio data based on the data request generated by the browser 22 and sends the new data request to the media server 18.

The playing unit 124 is a local player for playing the requested video/audio data in a pop-up window. The playing unit 124 may be a part of the auxiliary playing module 20, a player built-in the browser 22, or a player directly installed in the client device 20. The playing unit 124 is configured to play the video/audio data received directly from the media server 18.

Referring to FIG. 10, a data playing apparatus 150 is embedded in a webpage to perform the method of FIG. 8. The data playing apparatus 150 includes an interface-obtaining unit 171, a parameter-obtaining unit 172, a data-requesting unit 173 and a playing unit 174. The interface-obtaining unit 171 is configured to obtain an API for playing audio and video data. The parameter-obtaining unit 172 is configured to trigger the API obtained by the information-obtaining unit 171, and to obtain API parameters. The data-requesting unit 173 is configured to send a request for a requested data based upon an absolute URL in the API parameters obtained by the parameter-obtaining unit 172. The playing unit 174 is configured to play the data requested by the data-requesting unit 173in a small window with a player embedded in a page according to a playback mode flag in the API parameters obtained by the parameter-obtaining unit 172. The playing unit 174 is configured to display on the page a playback window corresponding to the playback mode flag, and play back the data in the playback window.

The apparatus for playing back data provided by the present embodiments can also provide the API for playing back audio and video data to the web server 16. After web server 16 obtains the API, the web server 16 triggers the API and obtains the API parameters, then based on the URL in the API parameters, sends the request for data to the media server 18, and finally, according to the playback mode flag in the API parameters, plays back the data in a small window with a player embedded in the webpage.

Through the foregoing description of the embodiments, it is clear to persons skilled in the art that the present invention may be implemented by software plus necessary universal hardware, and of course, may also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases, the software implementation is preferred. For example, the auxiliary playing module, the apparatus for playing back data, and the various units contained therein may include a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Such programs may be stored in a computer readable storage medium of a computer 20, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory (ROM) , or random access memory (RAM) etc.. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present invention essentially, or the part contributing to the prior art may be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, or optical disk of the computer, and includes several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like) to perform the methods described in the embodiments of the present invention.

The foregoing description is merely about specific embodiments of the present invention, but is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any variation or replacement readily figured out by persons skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A method for playing back data, comprising:

displaying, by a browser installed on a client device, a webpage on which a file is embedded；

generating, by the browser, a data request upon selection of the file on the webpage；

intercepting, by an auxiliary playing module installed on the client device, the data request；

determining, by the auxiliary playing module, whether the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data； and

sending the data request to the media server without sending the data request to the web server when the auxiliary playing module determines that the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the client device, the requested data directly from the media server.
The method according to claim 2, further comprising activating a local player to play the requested data in a pop-up window.
The method according to claim 3, further comprising presetting the local player to play the requested data in the pop-up window at a front level of windows.
The method according to claim 4, wherein the pop-up window remains displayed at the front level when other tasks are performed on the client device.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending the data request to the web server when the auxiliary playing module determines that the data request includes no request for at least one of video and audio data.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by the auxiliary playing module, a uniform resource locator (URL) of requested data from the data request.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of determining whether the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data is performed based on the URL.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of determining whether the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data is performed based on a file name extension of the URL.
The method according to claim 9, wherein the auxiliary playing module determines that the requested data includes at least one of video and audio data when the filename extension is one selected from a group consisting of . mov, . mp4, . mpeg, . avi, . mp3, . wma, and . midi.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising searching, by the auxiliary playing module, at least one of a video tag and an audio tag in a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file.
The method according to claim 11, wherein the auxiliary playing module determines that the requested data includes at least one of video and audio data when the HTML file includes at least one of a video tag and an audio tag.
A method for playing back data, comprising:

obtaining, by a video website, an API for playing back audio and video data from a client device；

triggering the API and obtaining API parameters by the video website；

based upon an absolute URL in the API parameters, sending a request for data；

according to a playback mode flag in the API parameters, playing back the data in a small window with a player embedded in the webpage.
The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the playback mode is default-size mode, half-screen mode, or full-screen mode；

the step of according to a playback mode flag in the API parameters, playing back the data in a small window with a player embedded in the page comprises:

displaying on the page a playback window corresponding to the playback mode flag；

playing back the data based upon the playback window.
An auxiliary playing module, comprising:

an intercepting unit configured to intercept a data request generated by a browser；

a determining module configured to determine whether the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data；

a data requesting unit configured to send the data request to a media server when the determining units determines that the data request includes a request for at least one of video and audio data without sending the data request to a web server of the webpage；

wherein the auxiliary playing module activates a local player to play back the at least one of video and audio data received from the media server.
The module according to claim 15, wherein the local player is a part of the auxiliary playing unit.
The module according to claim 15, wherein the local player is a player built in the browser.
The module according to claim 15, wherein the determining module is configured to obtain a URL of the requested data.
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data requesting unit is configured to send the data request based on the URL.