System and methodology for utilizing a portable media player
View Patent ↗A low-cost portable digital video player receives proprietary compressed data from a source such as a personal video recorder (PVR), and displays the data on an integral display. A rewritable non-volatile memory of the player stores the data and a media decoder of the player transforms and decompresses the data. According to one embodiment the decoder transforms the data to a non-proprietary format, prior to storing the data. According to a second embodiment, the memory stores the data in the proprietary format, and decoder transforms and decompresses the data in response to an instruction from a user input device, and transfers the decoded data to a display. A cradle for the player provides communications to the PVR, a power supply and optionally further storage capacity.
1. A portable multimedia device comprising:
an audio/video output component configured to interface with an audio/video port of any of a plurality of display devices;
one or more computer processors configured to execute software instructions;
one or more storage devices storing software instructions executable by the one or more computer processors to cause the portable multimedia device to:
with the audio/video output component interfaced with a particular display device, in response to a request from a user of the portable multimedia device for playback of a particular multimedia content:
transmit a request for the particular multimedia content stored in a proprietary format not intended for playback on the particular display device;
transform the particular multimedia content into a format playable on the particular display device by applying one or more decoding algorithms on the particular multimedia content;
transmit, via the audio/video output component to an audio/video port of the particular display device, the transformed particular multimedia content.
2. The portable multimedia device of claim 1 , wherein the request for the particular multimedia content is to a remote storage device storing the particular multimedia content in the proprietary format.
3. The portable multimedia device of claim 2 , wherein the remote storage device transmits the particular multimedia content in the proprietary format to the portable multimedia device via the Internet.
4. The portable multimedia device of claim 3 , wherein transmission of the particular multimedia content in the proprietary format to the portable multimedia device comprises wireless transmission of the particular multimedia content in the proprietary format.
5. The portable multimedia device of claim 1 , wherein the transformed particular multimedia content is transmitted to the particular display device in realtime as the particular multimedia content is transformed from the proprietary format into the format playable on the particular display device.
6. The portable multimedia device of claim 1 , wherein the proprietary format is a digital format.
7. The portable multimedia device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power input port electronically coupled to a power supply, wherein the power supply provides power to the one or more computer processors enabling execution of the software instructions.
8. The portable multimedia device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a serial input port.
9. The portable multimedia device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more decoding algorithms comprises a decompression algorithm.
10. The portable multimedia device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory cache storing portions of the particular multimedia content in the proprietary format as said transforming the particular multimedia content is performed.
11. A multimedia device comprising:
an audio/video output component configured to interface with an audio/video port of any of a plurality of display devices;
a memory device;
a computer processor configured to execute software instructions to:
in response to a request from a user of the multimedia device for playback of a particular multimedia content on a particular display device:
transmit, to a remote storage device storing the particular multimedia content in a proprietary format, a request for the particular multimedia content stored in the proprietary format;
receive, via an Internet connection with the remote storage device, a stream of data packets each including portions of the particular multimedia content in the proprietary format;
temporarily store, in the memory device, portions of the particular multimedia content received from the remote storage device;
transform portions of the particular multimedia content in the proprietary format that are temporarily stored in the memory device into a format playable on the particular display device, wherein said transforming includes a decompression process; and
transmit, via the audio/video output component coupled to an audio/video port of the particular display device, the transformed portions of the particular multimedia content.
12. The multimedia device of claim 11 , wherein said transmitting is performed in realtime as portions of the particular multimedia content are transformed into the format playable on the particular display device.
13. The multimedia device of claim 11 , wherein portions of the particular multimedia content stored in the memory device that are transmitted to the particular display device are replaced with other portions of the particular multimedia content not yet transformed into the format playable on the particular display device.
14. The multimedia device of claim 11 , wherein the stream of data packets is received wirelessly by the multimedia device.
15. A multimedia streaming method comprising:
by a computer device having one or more computer processors:
in response to a request for playback of multimedia content on a display device:
transmit, to a remote storage device storing the multimedia content in a proprietary format, a request for the multimedia content stored in the proprietary format;
receive, via an Internet connection with the remote storage device, a stream of data packets each including portions of the multimedia content in the proprietary format;
temporarily store, in a memory device, portions of the multimedia content received from the remote storage device; and
transform portions of the multimedia content in the proprietary format that are temporarily stored in the memory device into a format playable on the display device, wherein said transforming includes a decompression process; and
transmit the transformed portions of the multimedia content to the display device.
16. The multimedia streaming method of claim 15 , wherein said transmitting is performed in realtime as portions of the multimedia content are transformed into the format playable on the display device.
17. The multimedia streaming method of claim 15 , wherein portions of the multimedia content stored in the memory device that are transmitted to the display device are replaced with other portions of the multimedia content not yet transformed into the format playable on the display device.
18. A non-transitory computer readable storage device storing instructions that when executed by a computer processor cause the computer processor to:
in response to a request for playback of multimedia content on a display device:
transmit, to a remote storage device storing the multimedia content in a proprietary format, a request for the multimedia content stored in the proprietary format;
receive, via an Internet connection with the remote storage device, a stream of data packets each including portions of the multimedia content in the proprietary format;
temporarily store, in a memory device, portions of the multimedia content received from the remote storage device; and
transform portions of the multimedia content in the proprietary format that are temporarily stored in the memory device into a format playable on the display device, wherein said transforming includes a decompression process; and
transmit the transformed portions of the multimedia content to the display device.