KR100791558B1 - Network multi-media reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network multimedia playback apparatus that enables a user to search for and play a desired audio or video through a remote control without requiring a computer for playing audio and video. To this end, the present invention performs wireless communication with the remote control and is connected to the Internet, transmits a search word provided wirelessly from the remote control to a website through the Internet, and receives a list of multimedia files corresponding to the search word from the website to the remote control. And a codec for requesting and receiving a web site from the remote control via the control unit, and requesting and receiving multimedia data according to the list of multimedia files selected from the remote controller through the control unit.

Network, multimedia, remote control, codec

Description

Network multi-media reproducing apparatus

1 is a view conceptually showing a connection relationship between a network multimedia player and a remote controller according to the present invention;

2 is a front perspective view of a network multimedia player according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a perspective view of a surface to which a storage groove and a remote controller are connected;

4 is a perspective view of an example in which a network multimedia player and a remote controller are combined;

5 is a block diagram of an example of a network multimedia player according to the present invention;

6 is a front perspective view of an example of a remote control according to the present invention, and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an interior of the remote controller shown in FIG. 6.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings

100: network multimedia playback device 200: remote control

The present invention relates to a network multimedia player and a remote controller for a network multimedia player. In particular, a network multimedia player for directly connecting to a network without being connected to a computer and reproducing an audio file in real time without a process of storing the audio file, and The present invention relates to a remote control for a network multimedia player that is wirelessly connected to a network multimedia player and that is connected to the Internet through the network multimedia player to search for and select an audio file.

Due to the proliferation of MP3 files, various audio playback devices such as MP3 players, PSPs (Play Station Portable) and PMPs (Portable Media Players) are becoming popular. These playback devices incorporate a storage medium such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive (HDD), and store audio files (such as MP3 files and ogg files) on these storage media. On the other hand, the audio reproduction apparatus requires a computer connected to the network to store the audio file in the storage medium. The conventional audio reproducing apparatus is configured to connect with a computer via a USB cable and to receive an audio file through the connected computer. Accordingly, the conventional audio reproducing apparatus cannot reproduce other than files provided from a computer connected via a USB cable, and when the user carries the audio reproducing apparatus, the audio file cannot be retrieved through the audio reproducing apparatus. Moreover, the conventional audio player reproduces a lossy compressed audio file such as MPEG with a small output amplifier after digital-to-analog conversion for the convenience of portability. There is a significantly lower problem.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a network multimedia player that can easily search and play an audio file desired by a user without depending on a computer. In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a remote control for a network multimedia player for wirelessly connecting to a main body for playing audio files and accessing a network through the main body to search for and select a desired audio file and to play the same in a network multimedia player. In providing. In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a display removable network multimedia playback device that can accommodate a remote control for the network multimedia playback device, and that can play a video file using the display device provided in the remote control when the remote control is stored.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned object is to perform wireless communication with a remote controller and to be connected to the Internet, and transmit a search word provided wirelessly from the remote control to a website through the Internet, and the multimedia file corresponding to the search word from the website. And a codec for receiving a list and wirelessly transmitting the list to the remote controller, and requesting and receiving the multimedia data according to the multimedia file list selected from the remote controller through the control unit, and decoding the multimedia data.

The codec preferably includes an audio codec for decoding audio data, and a video codec for decoding video data.

Preferably, the audio codec further includes a memory having a decompression program required to decode the audio data.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises an analog amplifier for amplifying the analog audio signal decoded by the audio codec.

Preferably, the apparatus further includes a display driver for displaying the LED in response to the magnitude and the frequency component of the audio signal.

According to the present invention, the object of the present invention is to perform a wireless communication with a remote control having a display device, having a storage space for accommodating the remote control, a codec for decoding audio and video data, an amplifier for amplifying audio data, And a controller for querying a predetermined website for a search word transmitted wirelessly from the remote controller to receive a corresponding multimedia file list, providing the corresponding multimedia file list to the remote controller, and providing the multimedia code for the file list selected from the remote controller to the codec. The control unit may provide the multimedia data to the amplifying unit when the multimedia data is audio data, and when the multimedia data is video data, wirelessly transmit the multimedia data to the remote controller. Control by remind It is achieved by a network multimedia reproducing apparatus via a display device attached to the remote control to play back the video data.

The main body of the network multimedia playback apparatus is provided with an accommodating groove for accommodating the remote controller, the accommodating groove having a power supply terminal for providing charging power to the remote controller, and a data communication terminal for data communication with the remote controller. One of them is prepared.

Preferably, the apparatus further includes a graphic equalizer provided on one surface of the main body to emit light corresponding to the frequency of the audio signal output from the amplifier, and a volume level meter to emit light corresponding to the size of the audio signal.

Any one of the volume level meter and the graphic equalizer may be installed on one surface of the main body so that the remote controller may be stored when one of the volume level meter and the graphic equalizer is opened.

The codec preferably includes an audio codec for decoding audio data, and a video codec for decoding video data.

Preferably, the apparatus further includes a network interface unit for connecting to the Internet, wherein the network interface unit is connected to a predetermined website.

The website transmits a multimedia file for which the user requests a search, and manages information about the multimedia file for which the user requests a search or the user requests audio and video data.

The above object is to perform wireless communication with a network multimedia player for receiving multimedia data corresponding to a multimedia file through a predetermined website through the Internet according to the present invention, a display device, a keypad for inputting a search word, and the And a controller which wirelessly transmits a search word to the network multimedia player, receives a list of multimedia files corresponding to the search word from the network multimedia player, and displays the search word on the display device. It is achieved by a remote control for a network multimedia player equipped with a touch screen for selecting any one of the touch pens.

The display apparatus, when the main body of the remote control is combined with the network multimedia player, and the network multimedia player provides video data, it receives and plays it.

The keypad is preferably installed to be inserted into and protrude from the main body of the remote control.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 conceptually illustrates a connection relationship between a network multimedia player and a remote controller according to the present invention.

The illustrated network multimedia player 100 has a built-in network interface unit and is connected to the Internet through a built-in network interface card. The illustrated remote control 200 is wirelessly connected to the network multimedia player 100 and inputs a search word for a desired audio file through a keypad 202 provided in the main body of the remote control 200 and reproduces the input search word in the network multimedia play. To the device 100. The network multimedia player 100 performs an internet search with reference to a search word received from the remote controller 200 and returns the result to the remote controller 200. At this time, the network multimedia player 100 accesses a website according to a predetermined IP address and requests a search for an audio file. Websites requesting audio file retrieval from the network multimedia player 100 block access to other computers in order to facilitate retrieval requests and transmission of audio files (or video files) by the network multimedia player 100. It is preferable to. The search result obtained by the network multimedia player 100 through the website is provided to the remote controller 200 and displayed. The remote controller 200 displays the search result on the display apparatus 201 and wirelessly transmits information about the audio file selected by the user among the searched and displayed audio files to the network multimedia playback apparatus 100. The network multimedia player 100 requests an audio file corresponding to the file information provided from the remote controller 200 to a website, and the website requests the network file played by the network multimedia player 100 over the Internet. Send to 100. Accordingly, the network multimedia player 100 decodes the audio file transmitted from the website to play in real time. Accordingly, the network multimedia player 100 does not need a separate storage space for storing audio files such as MP3 and ogg. In addition, the user may request a search for an audio file to be played in the network multimedia player 100 while carrying the remote controller 200 and may immediately play the retrieved audio file in the network multimedia player 100. have. In the drawing, the remote controller 200 has an interface for searching, and the user can easily search by displaying this on the display apparatus 201. As shown, the display apparatus 201 includes "latest music" and "rock". A search menu for each category such as "dance" is provided, and although not shown in the drawing, a keyword input menu for searching for an audio file is displayed when the user selects the corresponding category. In addition, after the user searches, the list of files requested for playback is registered in a management menu such as "My Box", and the user may request playback of audio files registered in the management menu ("My Box") at any time. . In addition, the remote controller 200 is detachable from the network multimedia player 100, and when the remote controller 200 is combined with the network multimedia player 100, the network multimedia player 100 may display the display device 201. To play the video.

2 is a front perspective view of the network multimedia player 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The illustrated network multimedia player 100 includes a storage groove 101 for accommodating the remote controller 200, volume level meters 102 and 105 for displaying the volume of an audio file to be reproduced, and frequency characteristics for left and right channels. The spectral equalizers 103 and 104, the power button 106, and the open / close button 107 for the opening and closing operation of the spectrum equalizers 103 and 104 are included.

The storage groove 101 is provided to detach the remote controller 200, and as shown in FIG. 3, a power supply terminal 109 for charging a battery of the remote controller 200 is provided inside the storage groove 101, and A data connection terminal 108 is provided for transmitting a video (or audio) signal to the display device 201 of the remote controller 200.

The volume level meters 102 and 105 are composed of LEDs or LCDs and increase or decrease the size of the bar graph according to the volume of the audio file played in the network multimedia player 100. The spectrum equalizers 103 and 104 visually display the frequency components of the section in which the audio file is played. The spectrum equalizers 103 and 104 divide the frequency between 10 kHz and 5 kHz into several frequency bands, and display the magnitude of the component for each section. Here, the spectrum equalizers 103 and 104 are formed to be foldable and are rotatably installed in the "A" direction. When the spectrum equalizers 103 and 104 are rotated in the " A " direction, the front surface of the network multimedia player 100 is switched to the shape as shown in FIG.

4 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which a network multimedia player and a remote controller are combined.

As shown, when the spectral equalizers 103 and 104 are rotated in the direction of "A", the front part of the network multimedia player 100 is switched to a shape in which the remote controller 200 can be stored. The remote controller 200 is mounted so that the display apparatus 201 faces the front side, and when the network multimedia player 100 plays a video file, the remote controller 200 displays the played image toward the user. In addition, the remote controller 200 may be provided with keys for playing video and audio. Although the power key 202, the play key 203, and the two direction keys 204 and 205 are shown in the drawing, various keys for setting the play option may be further provided.

5 is a block diagram of an example of a network multimedia player according to the present invention.

The illustrated network multimedia player 100 includes a memory 110, a network interface unit 120, a controller 130, a codec 140, an amplifier 150, an RF unit 160, and a display driver 170. , And an external interface unit 180.

The memory 110 includes a RAM 111 that is a volatile memory and a flash ROM 112 that is a nonvolatile memory. The flash ROM 112 is provided with an operating system for driving network audio, a control program, and website information corresponding to an IP address to which the network multimedia player 100 is connected. In this case, the flash ROM 112 may download and store a decompression codec for playing audio and video files. Accordingly, the codec 140 may refer to the decompression codec downloaded to the flash ROM 112 to play audio and video files.

The RAM 111 is a space for storing temporary data generated by the controller 130 to control the network multimedia player 100, and a temporary required for decoding when the audio file or video file is decoded by the codec 140. Provide storage space. The network interface unit 120 is connected to the Internet through an RJ-45 jack or a coaxial cable, and relays data transmitted between the website and the control unit 130. The RF unit 160 wirelessly interfaces with the remote controller 200 and operates according to a wireless LAN standard such as Bluetooth (blue-tooth) or 802.11X (802.11a to 802.11d).

The controller 130 generally controls the network multimedia player 100, and transmits an audio file and a video file received through the network interface unit 120 or the RF unit 160 to the codec 140. In addition, the controller 130 stores the decompression codec provided from the website in the flash ROM 112, and the codec 140 requests the decompression codec to play the audio file or the video file. Provided at 140. The controller 130 provides video data (or audio data) to the remote controller 200 through the external interface unit 180. Video data may be wirelessly provided to the remote controller 200 through the RF unit 160, but as shown in FIG. 4, when the remote controller 200 and the network multimedia player 100 are combined, the data connection terminal ( 108 is preferably wired. Accordingly, the controller 130 transmits the output signal of the video codec 142 to either the RF unit 160 or the external interface unit 180 depending on whether the remote controller 200 and the network multimedia player 100 are combined. Optionally provide. In this case, the data connection terminal 108 is preferably a serial interface such as USB or IEEE_1394. If the data connection terminal 108 is a USB system, the external interface unit 180 may be implemented as a USB host controller. The controller 130 may receive a search word requesting a search from the remote controller 200 and provide the search word to the website through the network interface unit 120. Through this, the controller 130 receives a search list corresponding to a search word from a website and provides the search list to the display apparatus 201 provided in the remote controller 200 by providing the search list corresponding to the search word to the remote controller 200 through the RF unit 160. I can display it.

The codec 140 decompresses the audio data and the video data provided through the controller 130 and digitally-analog converts the decompressed audio data and the video data. To this end, the codec includes an audio codec 141 for decompressing audio data and a video codec 142 for decompressing video data.

The audio codec 141 decompresses MP3 files, ogg files, lossless compression APE, FLAC, and Apple compressed audio data compressed by lossy compression of the MPEG method. To this end, the audio codec 141 obtains a decompression program for each compression scheme from the flash ROM 112 and decompresses the audio data with reference thereto. The audio codec 141 includes digital-to-analog conversion logic. The audio codec 141 converts the decompressed audio data into an analog voice signal and provides it to the amplifier 150. In this case, the audio codec 141 may be implemented as hardware decompression logic in which a program for decompression is implemented as hardware logic.

The video codec 142 decompresses video data such as avi, mov, mpeg, and DivX, and converts the video data into video signals according to NTSC, PAL, and DVI formats. The converted video signal is provided to the remote controller 200 through the controller 130 and the RF unit 160 to be reproduced, or when the remote controller 200 is combined with the network multimedia player 100, the data connection terminal. It may be provided directly to the remote control 200 via 108.

The amplifier 150 amplifies the analog audio signal provided from the audio codec 141. Preferably, the amplifier 150 includes a preamplifier 150, an equalizer 152, and a power amplifier 150. The preamplifier 150 removes noise from the analog audio signal provided by the audio codec 141 and provides the equalizer 152. The equalizer 152 varies the timbre of the audio signal provided from the preamplifier 150. The audio signal whose tone is varied in the equalizer 152 is provided to the power amplifier 150 and amplified to a predetermined output (for example, several tens to several tens of W). The display driver 170 drives the LEDs provided in the graphic equalizer 152 and the volume level meters 102 and 105 according to the magnitude of the audio signal output from the amplifier 150 and the magnitude of the frequency component. Is displayed.

6 is a front perspective view of an example of a remote controller according to the present invention.

As illustrated, the remote controller includes a large LCD as a display device, and includes a keypad 202 and a menu key 203 for providing a search word to the network multimedia player 100. The main body of the remote controller 200 is provided with a power key 202, a menu key 203, and two direction keys 204 and 205 for turning the power of the remote controller 200 on and off. When calling the search menu through, the display device 201 displays a search menu as shown in FIG. 1. The remote controller 200 may include a keypad 202 for inputting a search word, and the keypad 202 may be installed to protrude from the remote controller 200. The drawing shows an example in which the keypad 202 is provided to be slidable in the C and D directions with respect to the main body of the remote controller 200.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an interior of the remote controller shown in FIG. 6.

The illustrated remote controller 200 includes a display device 201, a control unit 230, an RF unit 210, a keypad 202, a memory 220, and a battery that combine the touch screen 201a and the LCD 201b. 260.

The LCD 201a provided in the display device 201 displays a web page provided by the website when the website is accessed through the network multimedia player 100. The user can enter a search word through the displayed web page or manage playlists and perform additional operations through an administrative menu such as "My Box". The touch screen 201a allows a user to use an interface displayed on a web page using a touch pen. The touch screen 201a provides the content input by the touch pen to the controller 230. The RF unit 210 performs data communication with the network multimedia player 100 in accordance with Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11X protocols. The memory 220 may include a RAM, which is a volatile memory, and a flash memory, which is a nonvolatile memory. When the video data is transmitted from the network multimedia player 100, the memory 220 may store a decoding program for decoding the video data. Through this, the remote controller 200 may drive the decoding program stored in the memory 220 to interpret the video data and output the result to the LCD 201b to express the video. The controller 230 provides a temporary storage space required when processing the information input through the touch screen 201a or processing the search word input through the keypad 202. The battery 260 provides power for driving the remote controller 200, and when the remote controller 200 is combined with the network multimedia player 100, the battery 260 may be charged by a power provided from the network multimedia player 100. Preferably, the battery is a lithium-ion series battery.

As described above, the present invention enables a user to search for and play a desired audio or video through a remote control operation without requiring a computer for playing audio and video. When the user searches for and plays back audio or video, the network multimedia player according to the present invention does not store audio or video to be played in a separate storage medium and can immediately play audio or video data provided through the Internet. In addition, the present invention, unlike a typical mobile playback device equipped with a display device on the main body, the display device is mounted on the remote control, and the remote control is stored in the network multimedia playback device to perform video and audio playback. This allows the user to carry the remote control while searching for the desired audio and video, and to use the remote control in combination with a network audio playback device only when video playback is required.

Claims (15)

Performs wireless communication with the remote control and is connected to the Internet, A control unit which transmits a search word provided wirelessly from the remote control to a website through the Internet, receives a list of multimedia files corresponding to the search word from the website, and wirelessly transmits the search word to the remote control; And And a codec for requesting and receiving the multimedia data according to the list of multimedia files selected from the remote controller through the control unit, and decoding the multimedia data. The method of claim 1, The codec is, An audio codec for decoding audio data; And And a video codec for decoding the video data. The method of claim 2, And a memory having a decompression program required for the audio codec to decode the audio data. The method of claim 2, And an analog amplifier for amplifying the analog audio signal decoded by the audio codec. The method of claim 4, wherein And a display driver for displaying the size of the audio signal on the LED in response to the magnitude and frequency component of the audio signal. Wireless communication with a remote control having a display device, and a storage space for storing the remote control, Codecs for decoding audio and video data; An amplifier for amplifying audio data; And A control unit for inquiring a search word transmitted from the remote controller to a predetermined website, receiving a corresponding multimedia file list, providing the same to the remote controller, and providing the multimedia code for the file list selected from the remote controller to the codec; , The control unit, When the multimedia data is audio data, it is provided to the amplifying unit. When the multimedia data is video data, the multimedia data is wirelessly transmitted to the remote controller, and when the multimedia data is combined with the remote controller, the codec is controlled and mounted on the remote controller. And replay video data through the display device. The method of claim 6, In the main body of the network multimedia player, A storage groove for storing the remote control is provided, In the storage groove, A power supply terminal for providing charging power to the remote controller; And A data communication terminal for data communication with the remote controller; Network audio playback apparatus, characterized in that any one of the provided. The method of claim 7, wherein It is provided on one side of the main body, A graphic equalizer which emits light corresponding to a frequency of an audio signal output from the amplifier; And And a volume level meter which emits light corresponding to the magnitude of the audio signal. The method of claim 8, Any one of the volume level meter and the graphic equalizer, It is installed to be openable on one side of the body, And when the one of the volume level meter and the graphic equalizer is opened, the remote controller is accommodated. The method of claim 6, The codec is, An audio codec for decoding audio data; And And a video codec for decoding video data. The method of claim 6, It further includes a network interface unit for connecting to the Internet, The network interface unit, Network multimedia playback apparatus, characterized in that connected to a predetermined website. The method of claim 11, The website, Send the multimedia file the user requested to search. And managing information on a multimedia file that a user requests a search or a user requests audio and video data. Performs wireless communication with a network multimedia player for receiving multimedia data corresponding to a multimedia file through a predetermined website through the Internet, Display device; A keypad for inputting a search word; And And a controller for wirelessly transmitting the search word to the network multimedia player, receiving a list of multimedia files corresponding to the search word from the network multimedia player, and displaying the search word on the display device. The display device, And a touch screen for selecting one of the displayed multimedia file list with a touch pen. The method of claim 13, The display device, The main body of the remote control unit is coupled to the network multimedia player, and when the network multimedia player provides video data, the remote controller for the network multimedia player, characterized in that for receiving and playing. The method of claim 13, The keypad, Remote control for a network multimedia player, characterized in that the insertion and protruding from the main body of the remote control.

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