Synchronous media rendering of demuxed media components across multiple devices
Some media applications use media containers, media files or media streams that contain multiple media components in it and require that each component of media be sent to different destinations tailored for rendering a particular type of media component. Furthermore there may be multiple destinations for a particular media component type. For example an application might use a media file with one video and one stereo audio stream and want to send this to two video rendering devices and four stereo audio devices. This invention describes a system for rendering these media components synchronously on multiple devices by demultiplexing the media into media sub components at one destination, sending the components to all destinations and synchronizing the rendering at each device.
1. A system for media playback of media to media rendering devices, comprising:
a media service configured to communicate with a communication network and to receive media to be rendered, the media comprising a plurality of media components drawn from a set consisting of video, audio, and image media components;
wherein the media service computing device separates the media into a first media component and a second media component, the first media component being of a different type than the second media component;
a primary media rendering device having a means to render the first media component and adapted to communicate with the communication network; and
a plurality of one or more secondary media rendering devices having a means to render the second media component and adapted to communicate with the communication network;
wherein the media service sends the first media components to the primary media rendering device and sends the second media component to the secondary media rendering devices over the communication network; and
wherein the primary media rendering device and the secondary media rendering devices each receive a start rendering event clock time, whereupon each starts rendering the respective received media component when a clock time value reaches the value in the start rendering event clock time.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a mobile device adapted to communicate with the communication network;
wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile media application that displays media available for playback from an Internet media service and sends information about the selected media to the media service.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media service places the first media component into a first media data type buffer and the second media component into a second media data type buffer; and
wherein the primary media rendering device is associated with the first media data type buffer and the secondary media rendering devices is associated the second media type buffer.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the data in the second media data type buffer is sent to zero or more secondary media rendering devices; and
wherein the data is sent in the form of packets and each packet is multicast to each secondary media rendering destination.
5. A system for media playback of media containing multiple media components to media rendering devices, comprising:
a media service adapted to communicate with a communication network and capable of storing media and delivering media over the communication network, the media comprising a plurality of media components drawn from a set consisting of video, audio, and image media components;
a primary media rendering device capable of rendering a media component, and adapted to communicate with the communication network; and
a secondary media rendering device capable of rendering a media component, and adapted to communicate with the communication network;
wherein the primary and secondary media rendering devices receive notification of a set of media to be rendered and request the set of media from the media service;
wherein the primary and secondary media rendering devices have access to global clock values that are synchronized to each other;
wherein the primary media rendering device associates the start of the media with a clock value and notifies the secondary media rendering device of the clock value; and
wherein the primary and secondary rendering devices initiate rendering the media component when the global clock value reaches the clock value associated with the start of the media.