WO2010040319A1

WO2010040319A1 - Method and system for playing remote media

Info

Publication number: WO2010040319A1
Application number: PCT/CN2009/074343
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李立峰; 周有喜; 林德志
Original assignee: 厦门华侨电子股份有限公司
Priority date: 2008-10-06
Filing date: 2009-09-30
Publication date: 2010-04-15
Also published as: CN101714933A

Abstract

A method and system for playing remote media. The first device plays the media file stored on the second device. The media file on the storage device of the second device is read by the first device by directly mapping or establishing a virtual disk. The first device establishes a virtual local data transmission interface. The virtual local data transmission interface establishes the connection with the storage device or the virtual disk of the second device through a network interface. The media playing unit of the first device reads the media files in the storage device or the virtual disk of the second device through the virtual local data transmission interface and plays them. The invention achieves that the playing device, such as TV, shares the media files with a computer, wherein the media files can be the audio/video file, picture file and text file, and so on.

Description

Instruction manual

Title of Invention: A method and system for playing remote media

[1] The present invention relates to a method and system for playing media, and more particularly to a method and system for playing remote media.

Background technique

[2] With the advancement of technology, the interface of TV sets is becoming more and more abundant. In addition to audio and video interfaces, interfaces such as USB and network are also included. The USB interface can implement software upgrades, media playback and other functions; the network interface further expands the functions of the TV, and can connect to the home network, the Internet, and the like.

[3] There are multiple ways to directly play media on a computer/NAS (Network Attached Storage) over a network, such as streaming RTSP, network sharing SMB/NFS protocol, UPnP discovery and playback protocol. Etc., but they all need to implement complex protocols. Many protocols are also subject to patents. Implementing this protocol on a TV requires computational power and software complexity. For example, the RTSP method requires the browser to obtain the URL address of the service, and then uses the RTSP/RTP protocol for streaming; SMB/NFS needs to implement the complex SMB/NFS protocol; and the UPnP protocol implements the complex UPnP protocol. The function of playing audio and video files stored on other remote devices has not yet been implemented on ordinary television.

[4] The same problem exists in playing audio and video files stored by other devices on a playback device similar to a TV.

[5] Chinese Patent No. 03822616.8 discloses a "method and system for remotely playing DVDs", which provides a technique for playing DVDs remotely, and certain components of a remote playback system belong to at least one client device. Executing a DVD player software, and other components are located on at least one server device, DV D control and browsing commands and presentation materials are transferred between the client and the server, so the user can utilize the client located at any position A DVD drive on the device controls, browses, and plays DVD presentation material from a server device as long as the client is connected to the server via a network. This solution can only be used to play DVDs remotely. The server requires browser software, but it cannot be used to play other media. The scope of application is too small.

Summary of the invention [6] The present invention provides a method and system for playing remote media, and the main purpose thereof is to overcome the problem that existing playback devices share media files stored on other devices, and need to use complicated protocols, resulting in complicated software and low access efficiency. , the ability to calculate hardware requirements and other issues.

[7] A method for playing remote media is implemented based on the principle that: existing network playback, especially streaming playback, is a file-based manner, that is, telling a server to play a file, the implementation of the present invention is not based on The way of the file, but the way of the disk, does not tell the server what file to play, just tells the server what sector to read, the client uses the existing software of the TV to achieve. The specific plan is:

[8] Method 1: A method for playing remote media, in which a first device plays a media file stored on a second device, and the first device and the second device are connected through a network interface, wherein A device has a media playback unit, the second device has a storage device, and the second device searches for and reorganizes the media files on the storage device to establish a virtual hard disk; the first device establishes a virtual local data transmission interface, The virtual local data transmission interface establishes a connection with the virtual hard disk of the second device through the network interface; the media playing unit of the first device reads the media file in the virtual hard disk of the second device and plays the same through the virtual local data transmission interface .

[9] The foregoing method for playing remote media, wherein the media file comprises an audio and video file, a picture file and a text file, and the media playing unit comprises audio and video playing software, picture browsing software and text reading software.

[10] The foregoing method for playing remote media, the first device being a television set having a network interface and a local data transmission interface; the second device being a computer or a network storage device.

[11] The local data transmission interface and the virtual local data transmission interface of the first device both use a USB interface.

[12] The second device establishes a virtual hard disk, and the mapping information of the media files on the storage device is established in the virtual hard disk.

[13] The second device creates a virtual hard disk and copies the media files on the storage device to the virtual hard disk.

[14] A system for playing remote media, a first device playing a media file stored on a second device, the first device comprising a media playing unit, a network interface, and a virtual local data transmission interface, the media playing unit is virtualized The local data transmission interface reads the media file to be played; the second device includes a storage device The virtual hard disk obtains the media file to be played from the storage device; the virtual local data transmission interface unit of the first device establishes a data transmission connection with the virtual hard disk of the second device through the network interface.

[15] The foregoing system for playing remote media, the first device of which is a television set having a network interface and a local data transmission interface; the second device being a computer or network storage device.

[16] In the foregoing system for playing remote media, the local data transmission interface and the virtual local data transmission interface of the first device are both USB interfaces.

[17] Option 2

[18] A method of playing remote media, in which a first device plays a media file stored on a second device, the first device and the second device being connected by a network interface, wherein the first device has a media playback unit, the second device has a storage device, the first device establishes a virtual local data transmission interface, and the virtual local data transmission interface establishes a connection with the storage device of the second device through a network interface; the media of the first device The playback unit reads the media file in the storage device of the second device through the virtual local data transmission interface and plays the same.

[19] A system for playing remote media, a first device playing a media file stored on a second device, the first device comprising a media playing unit, a network interface, and a virtual local data transmission interface, the media playing unit is virtualized The local data transmission interface reads the media file to be played; the second device includes a storage device and a network interface; and the virtual local data transmission interface unit of the first device establishes a data transmission connection with the storage device of the second device through the network interface.

[20] From the above description of the structure of the present invention, the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art: The present invention realizes a broadcasting device such as a television set by mapping and virtualizing a remote storage device into a local storage device. Sharing media files such as audio and video files, picture files, and text files on devices such as computers does not require complex protocols compared to traditional such sharing methods, thereby greatly improving the performance and convenience of access.

DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

detailed description DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[24] Specific embodiment 1

[25] A system for playing remote media, referring to FIG. 1, mainly comprising a television 1 and a computer 2, and playing a media file stored in the computer 2 through the television 1.

[26] The television set 1 has a single chip microcomputer 11, a nonvolatile memory unit 12, a network interface 13, a playback device 14, and a local data transmission interface 15. The television set 1 also includes common parts that are present in existing television sets, which are prior art and are not directly related to the focus of the present invention and will not be described in detail herein.

[27] The non-volatile storage unit 12 is written with the media playing software 121 and the virtual local data transmission interface 122. The media playing software 121 may be an audio and video playing software, a picture browsing software, and a text reading software, and the virtual local data transmission is performed. The interface 122 is a virtual USB interface through software. For the media playback software 121, the virtual local data transmission interface 122 acts like a local data transmission interface. The playback device 14 is mainly a display screen that is controlled by the media playback software 121 to play various media such as audio and video, pictures and text. The network interface 13 is for data transmission with the network, and the virtual local data transmission interface 122 receives data from the network from the network interface 13. The local data transfer interface 15 is typically a USB interface that enables the television 1 to play media files in the local external storage device 3. The single chip microcomputer 11 executes the software in the nonvolatile memory unit 12 to uniformly control the operation of each part.

The computer 2 includes a central processing unit 21, a storage device 22, and a network interface 23. The computer 2 also includes general purpose parts that are present in existing computers, which are prior art and are not directly related to the focus of the present invention and will not be described in detail herein. The computer 2 can also be any other device having a central processing unit, a storage device, and a network interface, such as a network storage device NAS.

[29] The storage device 22 is typically a G/T-class mass storage device in which a large number of various media files such as audio and video, pictures, and texts that can be shared are stored. The storage device 22 is also equipped with a virtual hard disk control software 221 and a virtual hard disk 222 formed by the virtual hard disk control software 221. The virtual hard disk related technology is a mature technology, and mainly uses a software method to simulate a hard disk. The virtual hard disk 222 is a file stored in the storage device 22, and is formed by the virtual hard disk control software 221, and mainly includes hard disk format information and media file related data. The hard disk format may be NTFS, FAT32 or other known hard disk formats, and media files. The related data may be mapping information of the media file stored in the storage device 22 or the media file itself. As seen in other parts of the computer 2, the virtual hard disk 222 is the same as a real hard disk, and its reading The write operation is the same as that of a normal hard disk. The network interface 23 enables the computer 2 to perform data transmission with other devices over the network. In the present embodiment, the computer 2 and the television set 1 are connected via the network interface 23 and the network interface 13.

[30] The workflow of the above system will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The solid line in Fig. 1 indicates the media file transfer direction, and the broken line indicates the control command transfer direction. The single-chip microcomputer 11 of the television 1 reads and executes the software program from its nonvolatile storage unit, and controls the playback device 14 to operate. The media playing software 121 sends a read data command to the virtual local data transfer interface 122. The virtual local data transfer interface 122 transmits the read data command to the virtual hard disk control software 221 through the network interface 13 and 23, and the virtual hard disk control software 221 reads the virtual The media files in the hard disk 222 are transmitted to the virtual local data transmission interface 122 through the network interfaces 23, 13, and the virtual local data transmission interface 122 sends the received media files to the media playback software 121 for playback. The media playing software 121 of the television 1 is like a local storage device, thereby enabling the television 1 to play the media files on the computer 2.

[31] In the above workflow, the network interface 13, 23 transfers the read data command and the media file to the storage device, and appears on the TV 1 side as if it is played on an external storage device stored locally. Like a media file, on the computer 2 side, it is like responding to a read data command to a local storage device. Therefore, the embodiment realizes that the media files such as audio and video files, picture files and text files on the computer are shared with the television set, and compared with the traditional such sharing mode, complicated protocols such as UPnP/iSCSI are not required, thereby greatly improving The performance and convenience of access.

[32] Concrete Embodiment 2

Referring to FIG. 2, the structure and the principle of the first embodiment are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. The main difference is that the computer 2 of the embodiment does not include a virtual hard disk, and the virtual local data transmission interface 122 of the television 1 passes through the network interface. 13, 23 directly reads the media file in the storage device 22 for playback by the playback device 14. In the view of the media playback software 121 of the television 1, the storage device 22 of the computer 2 is like a local storage device.

The above is only the specific embodiment of the present invention, but the design concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any insubstantial modification of the present invention by this concept should be an infringement of the scope of protection of the present invention. Industrial applicability

[35] The present invention relates to a method and system for playing remote media, which realizes a television set based on a disk access method The playback device shares media files such as audio and video files, picture files, and text files on devices such as computers. Compared with the traditional such sharing methods, complex protocols are not required, thereby greatly improving the performance and convenience of access.

Claims

Claim

[Claim 1] A method of playing remote media, in which a first device plays a media file stored on a second device, and the first device and the second device are connected through a network interface, wherein the first device Having a media playing unit, the second device has a storage device, and is characterized by:

1) The second device searches for the media files on its storage device and reorganizes to create a virtual hard disk;

2) the first device establishes a virtual local data transmission interface, and the virtual local data transmission interface establishes a connection with the virtual hard disk of the second device through the network interface;

3) The media playing unit of the first device reads and plays the media file in the virtual hard disk of the second device through the virtual local data transmission interface.

[Claim 2] The method for playing a remote media according to claim 1, wherein: the media file includes an audio and video file, a picture file, and a text file, and the media playing unit includes audio and video playing software, Picture browsing software and text reading software.

[Claim 3] The method for playing remote media according to claim 1, wherein: the first device is a television set, and the television has a network interface and a local data transmission interface; A computer or network storage device.

[Claim 4] The method for playing remote media according to claim 3, wherein: the local data transmission interface and the virtual local data transmission interface of the first device are both US

B interface.

[Claim 5] A method for playing remote media according to claim 3, wherein: the second device establishes a virtual hard disk, and the mapping information of the media files on the storage device is established in the virtual hard disk.

[Claim 6] A method for playing remote media according to claim 3, wherein: the second device creates a virtual hard disk and copies the media file on the storage device to the virtual hard disk.

[Claim 7] A system for playing remote media, a first device playing a media file stored on a second device, wherein: The first device includes a media playing unit, a network interface, and a virtual local data transmission interface, and the media playing unit reads the media file to be played from the virtual local data transmission interface;

The second device includes a storage device, a network interface, and a virtual hard disk, and the virtual hard disk acquires a media file to be played from the storage device;

The virtual local data transmission interface unit of the first device establishes a data transmission connection with the virtual hard disk of the second device through the network interface.

[Claim S] The system for playing remote media according to claim 7, wherein: the first device is a television set, and the television has a network interface and a local data transmission interface; A computer/network storage device.

[Claim 9] A system for playing remote media according to claim 7, wherein: the local data transmission interface and the virtual local data transmission interface of the first device are both USB interfaces.

[Claim 10] A method of playing remote media, in which a first device plays a media file stored on a second device, and the first device and the second device are connected through a network interface, wherein the first device Having a media playing unit, the second device has a storage device, and is characterized by:

1) the first device establishes a virtual local data transmission interface, and the virtual local data transmission interface establishes a connection with the storage device of the second device through a network interface;

2) The media playing unit of the first device reads and plays the media file in the storage device of the second device through the virtual local data transmission interface.

[Claim 11] A system for playing remote media, a first device playing a media file stored on a second device, characterized by:

The first device comprises a media playing unit, a network interface and a virtual local data transmission interface, and the media playing unit reads the media file to be played from the virtual local data transmission interface;

The second device includes a storage device and a network interface;

The virtual local data transmission interface unit of the first device passes through a network interface and a second The storage device of the device establishes a data transmission connection.