Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Matushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Nobuyasu Takeguchi

Ian Cameron Mercer

Harutoshi Miyamoto

Chiyoko Matsumi

Kevin Leigh LaChapelle

Yoshifumi Yanagawa

Yasuyuki Torii

Keisuke Matsuo

Toshihiko Mizukami

Kenichi Takahashi

Tomotaka Yagi

Brian James Walker

Hiroshi Kase

Atsushi Nagata

Toshihide Akiyama

Takanori Senoo

Kevin Leigh La Chapelle

Kazuo Nomura

Optimizing operation of a media player during rendering of media files. The invention includes authoring software to create a data structure and to populate the created data structure with obtained metadata. The invention also includes rendering software to retrieve the metadata from the data structure and to identify media files to render. In one embodiment, the invention is operable as part of a compressed media format having a set of small files containing metadata, menus, and playlists in a compiled binary format designed for playback on feature-rich personal computer media players as well as low cost media players.

Optimizing media player memory during rendering

Grouping media files via playlists on a computer-readable medium. One or more media files are selected according to a grouping criterion to define one or more playlists from the media files. A container group is associated with the playlists and stores values identifying each of the playlists associated with the container group along with references to each of the playlists.

Navigating media content by groups

Grouping media files via playlists on a computer-readable medium. One or more media files are selected according to a grouping criterion to define one or more playlists from the media files. A folder is associated with the playlists and stores values identifying each of the playlists associated with the folder along with references to each of the playlists.

Enabling efficient navigation of a playlist of media files stored on a computer-readable medium. Aspects of the invention define a playlist structure to have one or more playlist units. Each playlist unit identifies one or more media files in the playlist and includes metadata for the media files. A consumer electronic device retrieves the playlist units and displays the metadata contained therein to a user to enable navigation of the playlist. Aspects of the invention reduce the memory requirements of the consumer electronic devices and reduce the quantity of disk seek operations needed for playlist navigation.

Playlist structure for large playlists

Creating and displaying an adaptive menu structure for media files. The invention includes authoring software to create the menu structure to enable a user to navigate the media files using a media player. The invention also includes filtering software to adapt the created menu structure to display menu information on a display associated with the media player as a function of a media type associated with the media player. In one embodiment, the invention is operable as part of a compressed media format having a set of small files containing metadata, menus, and playlists in a compiled binary format designed for playback on feature-rich personal computer media players as well as low cost media players.

Adaptive menu system for media players

There has been a problem that play list reproduction cannot be performed at a data processing level of a CD player and so on which cannot interpret a play list file in an HTML format. A recording and reproducing system has a CD-RW mediumof holding a plurality of data files of storing predetermined data, a file recording meansof recording in a play list fileheld on the CD-RW mediuma play list describing reproduction order of reproducing predetermined data stored by all or a part of a plurality of data files respectively by using a unique contents ID given to each data file, and a file reproducing meansof reproducing the predetermined data stored by all or a part of the plurality of data files respectively based on the recorded play list.

Method and apparatus for reproducing play lists in record media

Grouping and navigating media files within a playlist on a computer-readable medium. Invention software selects media files according to a grouping criterion to define a group from the media files. The invention software generates a group header associated with the group. The group header includes a value identifying the defined group and a reference to another group to enable navigation. The invention software stores the selected media files, the playlist, the defined groups, and the associated group headers on a computer-readable medium. The invention software also includes playback software for navigating and selecting media files via groups within a playlist. In one embodiment, the invention is operable as part of a compressed media format having a set of small files containing metadata, menus, and playlists in a compiled binary formal designed for playback on feature-rich personal computer media players as well as low cost media players.

Navigating media content via groups within a playlist

A moving image signal encoding apparatus includes: a frame decimating circuit for extracting encoded frames from an input moving image signal at specified intervals; a frame interpolating circuit for obtaining an interpolated frame between the encoded frames, and a circuit for obtaining an error formed by frame interpolation. A moving image signal decoding apparatus includes: a receiving circuit for extracting a frame code from an inputted signal; a frame decoding circuit for decoding the frame code to obtain a reproduced frame, and a frame interpolating circuit for obtaining an interpolated frame between the reproduced frames. By transmitting an error of the interpolated frame from the encoding apparatus to the decoding apparatus and correcting the error of the interpolated frame with the decoding apparatus, the error of the interpolated frame is eliminated. Alternatively, depending on the value of the error of the interpolated frame obtained with the encoding apparatus, a circuit determines the operation mode as to whether the frame interpolating circuit of the decoder carries out frame interpolation or preceding value holding and sends a flag to show the operation mode to the decoder, so that improvement occurs when the error of the interpolated frame is large.

Moving image signal encoding apparatus and decoding apparatus

A method of encoding and decoding image and/or audio signals includes an encoding step comprising previously preparing a quantization table which has pairs of a sampling interval and a quantized difference value, calculating a difference value between a given initial value and a sampling point succeeding to the initial value, comparing the calculated difference value with the quantization table, and searching the most matching quantization level. The search is started from the sampling point immediately succeeding to the initial value and then stopped upon finding of the matching quantization level. The index of that matching quantization level is transmitted. The decoding step comprises preparing the same quanitization table as used in the encoding step, determining the sampling interval and the quantized difference value based on the index received, and adding the quantized difference value to the initial value to obtain a decoded value. In case there are present two or more sampling intervals, the corresponding samples are interporated. As a result, the sampling interval is prolonged in the flat parts of signal and shortened in the steeply changing parts, thereby providing compression fit for human visual and auditory characteristics.

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Kawachinagano, Japan

Nobuyasu Takeguchi