METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR CONTROLLING PLAY OF MEDIA STREAMS
Methods and systems are described for controlling play of media streams. In one aspect, a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players is presented. The operating media players are configured for accessing a presentation device. A user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality of operating media players is received. And, an indication is provided allowing a media player in the selected portion access to the presentation device.
1 . A method for controlling play of media streams, the method comprising:
presenting a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players configured for accessing a first presentation device;
receiving a user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality; and
indicating a media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the first presentation device is at least one of a visual, audio, and tactile presentation device.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the media control user interface includes at least one of adding a selectable representation identifying an operating media player to and removing a selectable representation identifying a media player from the selectable representations of the plurality.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein presenting includes at least one of opening, resizing, restoring from a minimized state, assigning input focus to, and changing a z-order attribute of a visual component included in the media control user interface.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the media control interface comprising:
detecting an event associated with the media control user interface; and
presenting, in response to detecting the event, the media control user interface.
6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the event includes receiving a specified user input.
7 . The method of claim 5 wherein detecting the event includes detecting a change in an operational state of a media player in the plurality.
8 . The method of claim 7 wherein the operational state includes at least one of a play state, pause state, stop state, rewind state, and a fast forward state.
9 . The method of claim 5 wherein detecting the event includes detecting an access to the first presentation device by a first media player to play a first media stream.
10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the access is detected while a another media player in the plurality plays a media stream via the first presentation device.
11 . The method of claim 9 wherein detecting the access to the first presentation device includes detecting an access to a resource for playing the first media stream via the first presentation device.
12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the resource includes at least one of a semaphore, lock, presentation space, a component of a graphical user interface subsystem, a component of a graphics subsystem, a component of an audio subsystem, a display adapter, a display device, an audio adapter, an audio presentation device, a tactile output subsystem, and a tactile output device, an access control component, a serialization component, a synchronization component.
13 . The method of claim 12 wherein presentation space includes a storage location included in at least one of processor memory, secondary storage, a memory of a presentation adapter device, and storage medium of the first presentation device.
14 . The method of claim 1 wherein the identified selected portion is ordered and indicating includes indicating the media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access according to the order.
15 . The method of claim 1 wherein indicating includes at least one of instructing a media player in the plurality to change its mode of operation, intercepting stream data received from a media player in the plurality, changing a state of a thread of a media player in the plurality, and at least one of sending a message and receiving a message via network.
16 . The method of claim 1 wherein indicating includes providing access information, to an application included in playing a media stream in the plurality permitting playing of the media stream.
17 . The method of claim 1 wherein further comprising indicating a media player, in the plurality and not included in the selected portion, is not allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.
18 . A system for controlling play of media streams, the system comprising:
an execution environment including an instruction processing unit configured to process an instruction included in at least one of a media control user interface element handler component, a media selection component, and an access director component;
the media control user interface element handler component configured for presenting a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players configured for accessing a first presentation device;
the media selection component configured for receiving a user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality; and
the access director component configured for indicating a media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.
19 . A computer readable medium embodying a computer program, executable by a machine, for controlling play of media streams, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:
presenting a media control user interface including selectable representations identifying a plurality of operating media players configured for accessing a first presentation device;
receiving a user selection identifying a selected portion of the plurality; and
indicating a media player, in the selected portion, is allowed access to the first presentation device to play a media stream.