Playing of media content among multiple devices using a temporal progress

1. A method for playing media content among a plurality of devices by a group of users, the group of users comprising at least a first user and a second user, comprising:

(a) receiving, by a second device, an instruction from the second user to play a second copy of the media content on the second device;

(b) in response to receiving the instruction, obtaining, by the second device, a first progress information associated with a first device of the first user, the first progress information comprising a current progress in a playing of a first copy of the media content by the first device;

(c) creating, by the second device, a second progress information associated with the second copy of the media content and the second device based on the first progress information;

(d) fetching, by the second device, the second copy of the media content based on the second progress information;

(e) simultaneously playing the first copy of the media content by the first device using the first progress information and playing the second copy of the media content by the second device using the second progress information; and

(f) simultaneously and separately updating the first progress information by the first device based on the playing of the first copy of the media content by the first device and updating the second progress information by the second device based on the playing of the second copy of the media content by the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

(g) receiving the updated first progress information by the second device and receiving the updated second progress information by the first device;

(h) further updating the updated first progress information by the first device based on the updated second progress information and further updating the second progress information by the second device based on the updated first progress information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the updating (f) comprises:

(f1) receiving a first user comment from the first user by the second device; and

(f2) updating the second progress information by the second device by inserting the first user comment into the second progress information.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the updating (f) further comprises:

(f3) receiving a second user comment from the second user by the first device; and

(f4) updating the first progress information by the first device by inserting the second user comment into the first progress information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the updating (f) comprises:

(f1) sending, by the first device, the updated first progress information to a network computer;

(f2) receiving, by the second device, the updated first progress information from the network computer; and

(f3) simultaneously and separately from the updating of the first progress information, updating the second progress information by the second device based on the updated first progress information received from the network computer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining (b) comprises:

(b1) discovering the first device by the second device through a computer device over a data network; and

(b2) after discovering the first device, obtaining the first progress information from the first device through the computer device by the second device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the discovering (b1) comprises:

(b1i) sending a discovery message to the computer device by the second device; and

(b1ii) receiving a response to the discovery message by the second device.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the obtaining (b) further comprises:

(b3) obtaining, by the second device from the computer device, the first program information, the first progress information further comprising content information associated with the media content.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code embodied therein for playing media content among a plurality of devices by a group of users, the group of users comprising at least a first user and a second user, wherein when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

(a) receive, by a second device, an instruction from the second user to play a second copy of the media content on the second device;

(b) in response to receiving the instruction, obtain, by the second device, a first progress information associated with a first device of the first user, the first progress information comprising a current progress in a playing of a first copy of the media content by the first device;

(c) create, by the second device, a second progress information associated with the second copy of the media content and the second device based on the first progress information;

(d) fetch, by the second device, the second copy of the media content based on the second progress information;

(e) simultaneously play the first copy of the media content by the first device using the first progress information and play the second copy of the media content by the second device using the second progress information; and

(f) simultaneously and separately update the first progress information by the first device based on the playing of the first copy of the media content by the first device and update the second progress information by the second device based on the playing of the second copy of the media content by the second device.

10. The medium of claim 9 , wherein when executed by the processor causes the processor to further:

(g) receive the updated first progress information by the second device and receiving the updated second progress information by the first device;

(h) further update the updated first progress information by the first device based on the updated second progress information and further update the second progress information by the second device based on the updated first progress information.

11. The medium of claim 9 , wherein the computer readable program code to update (f), when executed by the processor, causes the processor to further:

(f1) receive a first user comment from the first user by the second device; and

(f2) update the second progress information by the second device by inserting the first user comment into the second progress information.

12. The medium of claim 11 , wherein the computer readable program code to update (f), when executed by the processor, causes the processor to further:

(f3) receive a second user comment from the second user by the first device; and

(f4) update the first progress information by the first device by inserting the second user comment into the first progress information.

13. The medium of claim 9 , wherein the computer readable program code to update (f), when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:

(f1) send, by the first device, the updated first progress information to a network computer;

(f2) receive, by the second device, the updated first progress information from the network computer; and

(f3) simultaneously and separately from the update of the first progress information, update the second progress information by the second device based on the updated first progress information received from the network computer.

14. The medium of claim 9 , wherein the computer readable program code to obtain (b), when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:

(b1) discover the first device by the second device through a computer device over a data network; and

(b2) after discovering the first device, obtain the first progress information from the first device through the computer device by the second device.

15. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the computer readable program code to discover (b1), when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:

(b1i) send a discovery message to the computer device by the second device; and

(b1ii) receive a response to the discovery message by the second device.

16. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the computer readable program code to obtain (b), when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:

(b3) obtain, by the second device from the computer device, the first program information, the first progress information further comprising content information associated with the media content.

17. A system for playing media content among a plurality of devices by a group of users, the group of users comprising at least a first user and a second user, comprising:

a first device for creating a first progress information associated with a media content and the first device, the first progress information comprising a current progress in a playing of the media content by the first device; and

a second device for:

(a) receiving an instruction from the second user to play a second copy of the media content on the second device;

(b) in response to receiving the instruction, obtaining the first progress information associated with the first device of the first user;

(c) creating a second progress information associated with the second copy of the media content and the second device based on the first progress information;

(d) fetching the second copy of the media content based on the second progress information;

(e) simultaneously playing the first copy of the media content by the first device using the first progress information and playing the second copy of the media content by the second device using the second progress information; and

(f) simultaneously and separately updating the first progress information by the first device based on the playing of the first copy of the media content by the first device and updating the second progress information by the second device based on the playing of the second copy of the media content by the second device.

18. The system of claim 17 , further comprising:

(g) receiving the updated first progress information by the second device and receiving the updated second progress information by the first device;

(h) further updating the updated first progress information by the first device based on the updated second progress information and further updating the second progress information by the second device based on the updated first progress information.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the updating (f) comprises:

(f1) receiving a first user comment from the first user by the second device; and

(f2) updating the second progress information by the second device by inserting the first user comment into the second progress information.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the updating (f) further comprises:

(f3) receiving a second user comment from the second user by the first device; and

(f4) updating the first progress information by the first device by inserting the second user comment into the first progress information.

21. The system of claim 17 , wherein the updating (f) comprises:

(f1) sending, by the first device, the updated first progress information to a network computer;

(f2) receiving, by the second device, the updated first progress information from the network computer; and

(f3) simultaneously and separately from the updating of the first progress information, updating the second progress information by the second device based on the updated first progress information received from the network computer.

22. The system of claim 17 , wherein the obtaining (b) comprises:

(b1) discovering the first device by the second device through a computer device over a data network; and

(b2) after discovering the first device, obtaining the first progress information from the first device through the computer device by the second device.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the discovering (b1) comprises:

(b1i) sending a discovery message to the computer device by the second device; and

(b1ii) receiving a response to the discovery message by the second device.

24. The system of claim 22 , wherein the obtaining (b) further comprises:

(b3) obtaining, by the second device from the computer device, the first program information, the first progress information further comprising content information associated with the media content.