Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Shafiq Rahman

Sohail Baig Mohammed

Alexandre Vicktorovich Grigorovitch

Rebecca Claire Weiss

Patrick Nelson

Kirt A Debique

Mei Ling Wilson

Brian D Crites

Adil Ahmed Sherwani

Xiqiang Zhi

Michael A Wall

Anders Edgar Klemets

Sumedh N Barde

Bret P O'Rourke

Kevin P Larkin

Khurshed Mazhar

Gabriel Frost

Michael John Novak

Eric H Rudolph

Kipley J Olson

Geoffrey T Dunbar

Steven Wilssens

Matthew Bruce Andrews

Ivan Mladenov

Jose Contreras

Stephen T Leroux

Matthieu Maitre

Zane Salim

Catalin C Cazangiu

Ramees Khan Rahumathulla

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for facilitating the streaming of digital media content to a remote device. In one exemplary embodiment, a translation layer translates markup language code and/or scripting language code (e.g., code that complies with the HTML5/W3C standard) to comply with a streaming protocol (e.g., a streaming protocol specified by the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)) to facilitate streaming of digital content (e.g., digital video, digital audio, or digital images) to remote devices (e.g., a digital television, digital audio player, game console, etc.). In some embodiments, a translation layer translates streaming protocol events at a remote device into other events (e.g., events specified in the HTML5 standard) at a local computing device. Local/remote playback switching logic can also facilitate switching between local playback and remote playback.

Streaming digital content with flexible remote playback

A remote media server provides a resource identifier to a digital media controller. A digital media controller passes this resource identifier to a digital media renderer. The digital media renderer launches an application that processes the resource identifier to access the remote media server and play back the media. Playback is responsive to controls from the digital media controller. The digital media renderer can play back media identified by the digital media controller, but that is encoded and protected in a manner specific to the digital media renderer. The digital media controller can shut down or become dormant to save battery power without affecting playback by the digital media renderer. By providing the information about available applications from the digital media renderer to the digital media controller, the digital media controller can reliably send resource identifiers for which applications are available the digital media renderer.

Directing a playback device to play a media item selected by a controller from a media server

An exemplary system includes a media control operable to begin playing a media segment automatically after buffering the media segment, and a host application operable to receive a reference to the media segment, initialize the media control with the media segment, and cause the media control to postpone playing of the media segment after the media segment is buffered. An exemplary method includes receiving a playlist referencing a first media segment and a second media segment, the second media segment operable to play automatically without a prompt after being loaded, presenting the first media segment, and prerolling the second media segment.

Incorporating interactive media into a playlist

A timeline source is described. In an implementation, a method includes examining a plurality of nodes within a media timeline, where at least two of the nodes reference respective media. The media timeline is for exposure over an API. The media timeline is divided into one or more presentations. Each presentation describes rendering of the media for a particular interval of time.

Timeline source

A media timeline is described. In an implementation, a method includes receiving a request from an application at an application programming interface (API) to interact with a plurality of media. Based on the request, a media timeline is generated. The media timeline is for exposure via the API to the application and includes a plurality of nodes. The media timeline defines a presentation of a first media referenced by a first node with respect to a second media referenced by a second node.

Media timeline

Incorporating interactive media into a playlist allows for media, operable to play automatically without a prompt after being loaded, to be loaded into a playlist and played from the playlist without overlapping playback with other media in the playlist. Incorporating interactive media into a playlist involves employing a playlist, a media wrapper, a media control, and a media player to preroll media, immediately stop playing the prerolled media while other media is playing, signal that media has finished playing in order to seamlessly begin playing the next media in the playlist.

Audio data having M channels includes a header with metadata specifying a conversion function for converting the M channels of digital audio data into N channels of data. The metadata is a string of coefficients, which may be specified by the content author, to define to conversion of the M channels of digital audio data into N channels.

Converting M channels of digital audio data packets into N channels of digital audio data

A method of crossfading a plurality of audio files comprising opening a first process, opening a second process hosting an audio renderer in which a first audio file of the plurality of audio files is cross faded with a second audio file of the plurality of audio files.

Crossfade of media playback between different media processes

Converting M channels of digital audio data into N channels of digital audio data

Media timeline sorting is described. In an implementation, a method includes receiving a media timeline at an application programming interface, in which, the media timeline includes a plurality of timeline objects. One or more of the timeline objects reference a respective one of a plurality of media. A plurality of segments is generated from the media timeline for sequential rendering such that each segment references a particular set of the timeline objects that are rendering during a duration of the segment.

Media timeline sorting

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Shafiq Rahman