KR101028902B1 - Method and apparatus for organizing and playing data - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention presents a general solution for providing media interface 103 and navigation tools for content 109 provided from multiple sources. The present invention keeps the user on a single site regardless of the source of the media content 109. In this way, a constant interface can be provided to the user. Since the user is kept on the same site, the differences of the subscription members can be tracked so that only the content that the user is allowed to view is provided to the user. The present invention uses a metadata language that characterizes content so that viewer type, membership level, and other information can be maintained and used for an enjoyable viewing experience.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ORGANIZING AND PLAYING DATA}

The present invention relates to the field of data generation and reproduction.

The specification section of this patent document contains copyrighted material. The copyright owner does not object to copying or reproducing the patent document or patent statement by anyone if the patent document or patent statement is listed in a Patent and Trademark Office file or record, but in any other case all rights are reserved. Protected.

Personal computers are becoming a resource for entertainment as well as traditional data processing functions. In many cases, personal computers have replaced home stereo systems as a source of acoustic entertainment. Many users have replaced hard copies of books with electronic copies, also known as reading materials for computer-based reviews. Another common use of personal computers is the presentation of media information and entertainment.

Occasionally, the provision of media entertainment, such as sound or video entertainment, occurs over a network such as the Internet. Some websites are known to use video clips or audio program files of movies and television programs that computer users can watch, hear and buy. In some cases, television or radio networks provide websites to cover their own shows or single shows. Many times, websites have been designed to provide an "enhanced" experience while broadcasting television programs. These improvements include comprehensive statistics for sporting events, commercial tie-in and purchase opportunities for entertainment programs, play-along quizzes, or competitions during game shows. .

In some cases, Internet users may use additional media content between program broadcasts to enhance interest, loyalty, and viewing opportunities when the program does not broadcast another. Many current systems for obtaining such content over the Internet have several disadvantages, as described below.

Many websites intend to provide a central location through the network where users can obtain and experience various media on their personal computers. The disadvantage with many of these sites is that they do not provide a consistent interface for content from different sources. Another disadvantage is that the user does not provide the user with the only content that the user can actually play. Users are sometimes prompted to mistakenly purchase player capabilities that they do not want or need.

Some websites intend to provide a portal or central location for accessing media data and content from various sources, including from different network and internet media sources. The problem for users at such sites is that the interfaces presented for different content are inconsistent. In a typical situation, a user can select and view a content clip from a program from one broadcast network. When a clip is selected, the user can be transferred to his or her website on the network to view the clip.

When a user is migrated, the entire interface for viewing clips is sometimes changed to the interface supported by the source site. This requires the user to pay extra attention to where the navigation and motion controls are located in order to reduce the user's viewing experience and effectively use the site for viewing content.

Another problem occurs when a user is part of a hierarchical membership or subscription service on a portal site. Members of the lower tier may be restricted from using the content. When the portal converts a user to a content source site, the user can be provided with all possible content even if the user can only see a portion of the listed content. This reduces the user experience because the user is aware of the limited experience.

Finally, the user can look up data that cannot be played in the user's currently installed content player. The user may be provided with a list of available content that does not indicate which player is used or required to play the content. When a user selects a clip or content that requires a player that the user does not currently have, the user can be directed to a site where a new player can be obtained. These sites are sometimes confusing. While free players may be available from time to time, the user is forced to purchase a "professional" or "full featured" player version that is not really needed for the clip the user wants to play. Sometimes a user mistakenly purchases a "purchase" player instead of simply accepting a free player.

The present invention addresses the above disadvantages and other needs. In a particular embodiment, certain features and navigation capabilities by collecting a plurality of media files for use with a website, associating metadata attributes with respective media files, and mapping metadata attributes with locations on the interface. A method and system for creating an interface at a website on a network is provided.

In another embodiment, a playlist may compile a data file that includes one or more sequentially placed unique identifiers that identify one or more pieces of content and allow the user to access the content in any order. Is generated.

Figure 1 shows the website of one embodiment of the present invention in its initial state.

2 shows a website of one embodiment of the invention after a user menu selection.

3 shows a website of one embodiment of the present invention after the show has been selected.

4 shows a website of one embodiment of the present invention after an episode is selected.

5 shows the player of an embodiment of the present invention in its initial state.

6 illustrates a player of one embodiment of the present invention after selecting a user menu.

7 shows a player of one embodiment of the present invention after the show has been selected.

8 shows a player of one embodiment of the present invention after an episode is selected.

9 is a flowchart illustrating an operating embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of the invention implemented as computer software in the form of computer readable code.

12 is a flowchart illustrating a content call flow in one embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a flow chart illustrating verification of media playback capability.

14 is a flow chart illustrating a sitemap hierarchy of one embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a diagram illustrating a player of one embodiment of the present invention.

16 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of the present invention.

We will describe a method and apparatus for providing and playing content on a network. In the following description, numerous details are provided to provide a more complete description of embodiments of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this embodiment may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

The invention of this embodiment provides a constant interface and user navigation system for media clips from all sources. In the following description, an example of generating and playing visibility content such as video content will be described. It is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable to audio media content. 1 shows an example of the interface of the present invention. This embodiment describes a drill down approach to navigation of a particular aspect with FIG. 1 representing the navigation at the top level or home level. The display includes two display regions 101, 102. Region 101 is called an "editing" region and may include show titles and logos, navigation tools, and other information. Region 102 is an area prepared for promotion and may include those provided in any other form, such as generated by static promotion or advertising, or by flash tools from Macromedia Corp. or the like.

Region 103 includes links to a number of categories or " channels " from which a user can choose to be provided with viewing choices that fall within a particular genre or type. 1 is, for example, multiple by way of example including " featured today " 104, news 105, sports 106, entertainment 107, and coming soon 108. FIG. Represents a channel. By selecting one of these categories, the user can access another interface that provides a selection related to that genre. Today's feature 104 is a channel suitable for a sponsored clip that may interrupt news or be related to a current movie or broadcast event of the same or recent day. The selection may indicate pre-recorded media or live media.

Selected shows, news and sports are displayed in area 117. Show titles, logos or brands are displayed in areas 111 and 112. Underneath each logo bar are information areas 115 and 116 that provide program information to the user, respectively. This information includes the episode title and a brief description of the episode. This information also includes in thumbnails 113 and 114 a thumbnail image of the available show or clip.

Area 109 is also provided to provide the user with a list of available content. Content can be classified in various ways. In the example of FIG. 1, the content may be listed as a top menu, and this list may be constructed based on any of many time periods, including date, week or time. In addition, in the example of FIG. 1, the most popular clips listed may include a small area 110 for providing additional information to a user of available clips. The most popular list may relate to all content by channel, category, or any other suitable or desired group of media clips. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments of the present invention, the pixel size of the display may vary between different images. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the propagation of the region 102 has a pixel size of 300 × 250 dots / inch (dpi), and the small region 110 has a pixel size of 88 × 66 dpi.

2 illustrates an interface of an embodiment of the invention after a user selects a channel. The user can select a channel by clicking on a special channel in area 103. In the example shown, the user selected the entertainment 107 channel. This selection provides the user with a slightly modified interface, that is, the channel indicator 201 is displayed on top of the editing section 101. Also, area 117 now only provides show selections corresponding to user selections.

3 shows a display of an embodiment of the invention when the user selects a special show. The user can select a show by clicking on the show title in area 117. When a show is selected, the editing area 101 is divided into two areas 301A and 301B. Area 301A displays the title, logo or other indicator of the selected show and a textual description of that show. Region 301B displays a small region 302 of episodes available for the show selected for viewing, along with text with a short recorded description of the selected episode. In addition, the channel indicator 201 also displays the name of the selected show. In one embodiment of the present invention, a number of other clips that are viewable are displayed below area 301B, and similar data is used to display data including small area images and text descriptions. In this particular embodiment, channel selection 104-108 remains visible and available in region 103, and so is the top popularity list in region 109.

4 shows a display of an embodiment when a user selects an episode of a show by clicking on an episode in area 301B. When an episode is selected, the edit section 301B displays a plurality of chapters or clip selections of the selected episode, such as selections 401, 402, and 403. The user can select one for viewing in area 102 of this embodiment of the present invention.

In this particular embodiment only three clip selections are displayed in the area 301B listed at the bottom of the screen. If more clips are available, a bar 412 listing the number of clips available may be displayed to inform the user that additional clip selections are possible. If the user clicks on bar 412, additional clips will be displayed in area 301B.

A preferred feature of one embodiment of the present invention is that only data that is actually visible to the user at the subscription level at which the user is a member is provided to the user. This is a difference between the embodiment of the present invention and the conventional manner in which non-viewable data was provided to the user based on the subscription level or based on the player or based on the user's connection speed. One of the embodiments of the present invention that makes this possible is that the data resides in a database on the website of the present invention. Unlike conventional ways of linking to an external data source, embodiments of the present invention maintain data locally.

This embodiment can customize the content presentation because of the data structure of the database used as local data storage. In one embodiment, the data is stored using a unique XML template. This may include metadata that facilitates the categorization and presentation of data to the user, allowing for a consistent interface and experience. In one embodiment, the XML data is stored locally but some or all of the content is stored remotely and linked to the local site. It should be understood that the actual content or any image displayed on the website (eg small area image) need not be stored locally in the website's local storage. Rather, the content or any other image may come directly from an external provider and displayed on any of the interfaces of the present invention. This provides the additional advantage of displaying a variety of content without overloading local storage capabilities.

The template below is one implementation of the XML data storage template. The template is for "FEEDITEM" associated with the clip for viewing. An XML document can have multiple FEEDITEMs. It should be noted that the items do not require listing all the elements and the values of each element are merely examples. Similarly, additional elements may be used to provide other information.

< CMSFEED >

< CONTACT EMAIL = ""
TELEPHONE = ""></CONTACT>
< FEEDITEM TYPE = "" MEDIA = "" ID = ""
SORTORDER \ "">

< TITLE ><TITLE>
< DESCRIPTION ></DESCRIPTION>
< DURATION ></DURATION>
< VALIDTIME TZ = ""></VALIDTIME>
< EXPIRATIONTIME TZ = ""><EXPIRATIONTIME>
< BLACKOUT REGION = ""></BLACKOUT>
< STREAM BITRATE = "" FORMAT = ""></STREAM>
< AIRTIME TZ = ""></AIRTIME>
< IMAGE USE = ""></IMAGE>
<FEEDITEM>

</ CMSFEED>

XML  Element Description

The XML elements described here are for example only. Additional or fewer elements may be included without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

CMSFEED is a container for XML content provision in the present embodiment of the present invention and includes a number of other XML elements.

CONTACT xml specs

The CONTACT element contains the contact name in the content presenter that can respond to the content feed (for example: "Joe Smith").

○ EMAIL: The email address of the person presenting this show (for example: "joesmith@yahoo-inc.com").

○ TELEPHONE: The telephone number of the person presenting this show (for example: "800-555-1212").

FEEDITEM xml specs

The FEEDITEM element holds data about a category or clip.

TYPE: This is the type of node being described. For allowed values, "category" is a container for clips. Depending on the time the media is played in the present invention, it is equivalent to an episode of a TV show or used to represent another type of clip container.

O MEDIA: The type of media is described. This is only used for clips.

"Video" means an image file. "Audio" means a sound-only file.

○ ID: Show name of the show (for example: "/ episode1" or "/ episode3 / clip1").

The maximum length of this field is 50 characters. Valid values for this field are:

In one embodiment, the ID consists only of letters and numbers [ie A-Z | a-z | 0-9] and no symbols are allowed in the ID (ie no #, @, etc.).

SORT ORDER: Valid values for this field include any number from 100 to 10000. In one embodiment of a list of clips or categories, the item with the highest number is displayed first, and then the item with the second highest number is displayed in the following manner. The difference in the SORTORDER between each item is a multiple of 10 in this embodiment. It is understood that sorting is also possible in reverse order and any suitable difference between items may be used.

TITLE xml specs

The TITLE element is for the title of the media parts. Referring briefly to FIG. 2, title data is displayed at position 201 when it is category information and at position 320 of FIG. 3 when it is a show or clip title. In one embodiment, the maximum length of this field is determined according to the type of FEEDITEM described:

The title length for the "category" portion of the media may be up to 25 characters, for example.

The title length for the "clip" portion of the media can be up to 50 characters, for example.

DESCRIPTION xml specs

The DESCRIPTION element is a description of the clip. This is displayed in the metadata pane or on the website as in position 301A of FIG. 3. The length of this field depends on the type of FEEDITEM described.

The length for the "category" portion of the media can be up to 75 characters, for example.

For the "clip" part of the media this field can be up to 260 characters for example.

DURATION xml specs

The DURATION element is the clip length in the format hh: mm: ss.

VALIDTIME xml specs

The VALIDTIME element is the date and time at which content begins to be displayed at the site of the present invention and will be made available to the subscriber. In some embodiments, this field is not required. The format of this element is mm / dd / yyyy hh: mm AM / PM.

TZ: The time zone of the start and end time of the announcement. Valid values are:

"CST" | "CDT" | "EST" | "EDT" | "MST" | "MDT" | "PST" | "PDT"

to be.

EXPIRATION xml specs

The EXPIRATION element is the date and time when the content is automatically removed from the site of the present invention and will no longer be available to the subscriber. This field is not required in all embodiments. The format is mm / dd / yyyy hh: mm AM / PM.

○ TZ: The time zone of the start and end time of the presentation. Valid values are:

"CST" | "CDT" | "EST" | "EDT" | "MST" | "MDT" | "PST" | "PDT"

to be.

BLACKOUT xml specs

The BLACKOUT element enables a "blackout" of the content portion from the user whose account information indicates that the user is in a specific Designated Market Area (DMA). This is used for example for sporting events that cannot be rebroadcast in certain areas. The valid value of this field is determined by the REGION setting: For DMA, an example of a valid value is "SAN FRANCISCO-OAK-SAN JOSE", and for a ZIP (Zip code), an example of a valid value is "94089". . This element is optional.

O REGION: Sets the system to select a blackout area for blackout. Valid values are "DMA" | "ZIP".

STREAM xml specs

This embodiment of the present invention may have multiple STREAM elements. However, for each FEEDITEM, the stream represented by these elements must have the same content. The only difference is in speed and media type. In one embodiment, the default value is set such that each FEEDITEM clip has six streams (56k Windows Media, 100k Windows Media, 300k Windows Media, 56k Real, 100k Real, 300k Real).

○ FORMAT: Stream type. Valid values are

= "wm" ｜ "asf" ｜ "wmv" ｜ "wma" ｜ "rnv" ｜ "rm" ｜ "rna" ｜ "ra"

"Wm" or "asf" = Windows media files

"Wmv" = Windows Media Video file

"Wma" = Windows Media Audio only file

"Rnv" or "rm" = real network video file

"Rna" or "ra" = files for real network audio only

○ BITRATE: Stream rate. Valid Values = "56" ｜ "100" ｜ "300"

AIRTIME xml specs

The AIRTIME element is the date and time when the clip was first broadcasted (if it was actually on air). The format is mm / dd / yyyy hh: mm AM / PM.

○ TZ: The time zone of the start and end time of the presentation. Valid values are:

"CST" | "CDT" | "EST" | "EDT" | "MST" | "MDT" | "PST" | "PDT"

to be.

IMAGE xml specs

The IMAGE element is an image for FEEDITEM. The size of this image is for example 120 × 90 and may be in a format such as GIF, JPEG, or in any other suitable format in one embodiment. IMAGE may be displayed in regions 206, 207, 302, 401, 402 or 403, for example.

USE: This explains how the content is used. Each part of the media has, for example, a "largethumb" and a "smallthumb" associated with each part. These images should be images from the media part. Valid values are "SMALLTHUMB" | "LARGETHUMB".

SMALLTHUMB: The size of this image is 88x66, for example, and may be of JPEG, GIF, or any other suitable format.

LARGETHUMB: The size of this image is 120 × 90 and may be of JPEG, GIF, or any other suitable format.

Content Provider Account

The content provider who wishes to interact with the site of this embodiment of the present invention has a designated Content Management System (CMS) account along with a provider name and password. The provider may be a file transfer protocol (FIP) media file, an image and an XML supplied document using the template described above. The transferred media file is then supplied to the page generation tool, along with associated metadata according to the XML template, and assembled to the window and the accompanying channel module. This processing can be automated so that content can be published almost immediately (assuming its availability date is current).

The database is accessible by content providers and partners via passwords and can remotely edit and update the content. For example, a clip can be easily removed from the site by changing the end time input portion to a date that has already passed. Data content can also inherit metadata attributes from its category and from its associated shows. For example, an external site link can be inherited by a clip (such as an official site for a show). In addition, copyright information can also be inherited at the show or category level. The clip is associated with the show and the show is associated with the category.

5 illustrates another embodiment of an interface in a media player. The media playback window 501 is provided at the upper left position of the player geometry. The viewing window 501 includes a control bar 509 directly below the viewing window with player controls such as play, pause, stop, progress bar, volume, and the like. XML metadata associated with the content may be mapped to the area of the player geometry. Additionally, in one embodiment, various text images may be placed in the viewing window while the image is buffered, or while any audio content is playing. For example, information about a news provider may be displayed in the viewing window until an image is streamed while the news clip is buffered.

Area 502 is an information area prepared for the logo of the content provider. This can be a network, show, series, or the like. Area 503 is another information area prepared for show logo graphics. Region 504 is prepared for a small region of available or selected clips. Areas 505 and 506 display clip title metadata and airdate metadata, respectively. The metadata description text of the clip is displayed in area 507. Region 508 is prepared for additional available clips and displays small regions in regions 510, 511 and 512, for example, with associated title and / or description metadata. Additional text and hyperlinks may also be displayed in area 508. For example, advertising information allows the user to link to additional material being provided.

6 shows the player's interface after the user enters a signature. The lower portion of the display geometry is now modified to add channel selectors 602-607 to area 601. Also, area 620 now displays a number of small areas of the clip that are available, such as small areas 621-624. This area may be scrolled horizontally in one embodiment to allow display of additional small areas of available clips. In other embodiments, additional metadata and / or hypertext links may be inserted across the entire interface to include additional features and functionality. For example, information and / or hypertext links to external content provider sites may be added to the interface.

7 shows the interface of the player when one of the channels in the area 601 is selected. In this example, entertainment channel 604 has been selected. This causes a pull-down menu 701 to be displayed in the area adjacent to area 601 and displays the available content of the selected channel. This example illustrates one of the advantages of this embodiment of the present invention. One of the selections, for example NCAA Tournament 2003, includes an asterisk 702 that follows. This displays premium content and the user knows that this content is not available unless the user has a premium account. This is possible because of the local storage of content according to embodiments of the invention and because of the use of XML metadata to store the level of access required for specific content. In other embodiments, only allowed content available at the user level is shown and premium content or other unusable content is omitted. This makes the viewing experience more desirable using embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, the mark is not marked. When a user attempts to play content that the user does not have access to, the user may be redirected to a presentation that provides the ability to subscribe to the service.

It should be understood that in certain embodiments the player may be a third party player that is "skinned" or modified to provide the desired constant interface. In another embodiment, the player is a purpose built player.

8 illustrates an interface when a show is selected in the area 701. The title of the show is displayed in area 801 and the small area of available episodes is shown in area 802-803. In one embodiment, area 801 is scrollable so that all available episodes can be accessed through that area. Additional area 804 may be displayed that lists the description of the future episode. In one embodiment, the user is given the option to add a future episode description to the personal calendar so that the user can realize when the episode becomes available.

This embodiment includes additional information in the local database in addition to the metadata provided by the content provider. This information may also be XML metadata, which may relate the attributes of the database in any suitable form. This data includes subscription information such as active / inactive, and subscription levels (eg, regular, premium, package, etc.).

9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of this embodiment. In step 901, the user makes a selection, at which point the system proceeds to a number of decision blocks 902-904 to determine the appropriate display update to provide. In step 902, it is determined whether the user has selected a channel. If a channel has been selected, the display is updated at step 905 to provide the display as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7.

In step 903, it is determined whether the user has selected a show. If a show has been selected, the display is updated at step 906 to provide a display on a site as shown in FIG. 3 or on a player as shown in FIG. 8. In step 904 it is determined whether the user has selected an episode. If an episode is selected, the site display is updated as shown in FIG. 4 and the player is updated as shown in FIG.

10 illustrates some of the operations of an embodiment of the present invention when a channel is selected. In step 1001, the user selects a channel. In step 1002, the system updates the display by placing the name of the selected channel in area 201 of the site. For the player, the display provides a pull-down menu 701. In step 1003, a "top-most popular menu" display area 208 is provided to the site. For the player, the database is tested so that premium shows in the list can be identified by markers, such as an asterisk 702.

In another embodiment of the invention, playlists related to user preferences may be created. This list may be generated automatically based on the content provider relationship or may be generated by editing. This playlist will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17.

Content call

12 illustrates a content call operation in one embodiment of the invention, i. E. Subsequent steps when a user selects a particular portion of content. In step 1201 of FIG. 12, the user clicks a clip link from a browser, activates a redirected book URL from another website, accesses a link from within a player popup, or by various other methods well known in the art. Call the uniform resource locator (URL). Once the content URL is called, the requested clip I.D. corresponding to the link. It is determined whether there is an existing clip corresponding to the number (step 1202). If it is determined that the clip I.D. does not have a corresponding existing clip, the browser redirects the user to an error message, which indicates that the clip I.D. You can tell the user that there are no existing clips that match the number. The other error message may include additional text to inform the user that there is some error in receiving the content. These messages may additionally include details about the clip and possible reasons why the clip could not be displayed, leading to a possible solution for correcting this error. Otherwise, if the requested clip I.D. is determined to have an available clip, then it is determined whether the user has requested to view sample marketing content (step 1203). Sample marketing content includes content that is viewable by all users, whether or not the user subscribes to viewing non-sampled content, or whether the user has purchased the right to view additional clips. The advantage of making the sample content available to all users is that the user can test the system before actually subscribing or purchasing any special service.

If it is determined that the user has chosen to view the sample marketing content, processing proceeds to step 1204 where it is determined whether the operating system (OS) and browser platform of the user's computer can be accommodated to play the required content. . For example, the acceptable OS platform is Windows and the acceptable browser platform is Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher. If it is determined that the platform is unacceptable, the browser page redirects the user to an error message, which will inform the user that the platform running on the user's computer is incompatible with the platform of the website. Otherwise, if the platform is determined to be acceptable, the system determines in step 1205 whether the user has the proper authority to access the clip, which will be described in more detail later.

However, if it is determined in step 1203 that the user did not choose to view the sample marketing content, but rather wishes to view content available only to the user who entered the signature on the website, then the user enters the signature on the website. If yes, it is determined (step 1205). If it is determined that the user has not entered a signature, the browser page redirects the user to the signature input page and allows the user to enter the signature on the website. If the user enters a signature or if it is determined that the user has already entered the signature, then it is determined whether the webpage identifier (I.D.) is still new (step 1206). It should be understood that checking whether an I.D. is still new allows the system to determine whether the user recently entered a signature on the website or whether the signature entry occurred after a specified time. This prevents users from using old signatures to access the system later. The time period for which the signature input remains new may be determined by the system operator or by the user, and may range from several minutes to several days, for example. If it is determined that the I.D. is not new, the browser page may redirect the user to the signature input page, informing the user that the period has expired and asking the user to enter the signature again.

Once the user enters the signature again, or if it is determined that the I.D. is still new, then it will be determined whether the user's computer is configured to accept cookies (step 1207). If it is determined that the user's computer cannot accept the cookie, the browser can redirect the user to an error message and request that the user configure his computer to accept the cookie. If it is determined that the user's computer can accept the cookie, the system proceeds to step 1204 and determines whether the operating software and browser platform of the user's computer are acceptable as described above. If it is determined that the platform is unacceptable, the browser page may redirect the user to an error message to inform the user that the platform running on the user's computer is incompatible with the website platform (s). Otherwise, if the platform is determined to be acceptable, then the system will determine if the user has permission to access the requested clip (step 1208). It is to be understood that the system may have many different levels of subscription to control different levels of access for different users. These other levels may be determined by various factors (eg, subscription fee). If the user does not have the proper permission to access the clip, the browser can redirect the user to an error message to inform the user that their subscription level does not allow access to this clip. In addition, the error message may provide the user with information on how to upgrade their current rights to allow access to the clip or provide details about other benefits when gaining higher rights.

If it is determined that the user accesses the clip at the above-described logic gate located at step 1208, the player will be called and begin playing the content (step 1209). The called player can be any media player well known in the art (eg, Windows Media Player, Real Player) or the purpose built player described above.

In one embodiment, additional steps are performed before playing the content to ensure that the content request is valid and to prevent the system from being accessed unprivileged.

After a successful content call, the embodiment executes a logical sequence to verify media playback capabilities. One possible logic process is shown in FIG. Once the content is called (step 1301), at the logic gate (step 1302), it is determined whether the user's computer has the required clip media player needed. This determination is made by determining whether the user's computer has calibration software (eg, Real or WinMP) to play the content. If it is determined that the required software is not installed on the user's computer, the browser redirects to a software error message, which may inform the user that certain software must be installed on the user's computer to view the content. Otherwise, if it is determined that the required software is installed in the user's computer, the process proceeds to step 1303 where the audio / video content is played as described above with reference to FIG.

Webpage site map

One embodiment of the invention may be represented by a webpage hierarchy sitemap. 14 illustrates one possible sitemap hierarchy for a content call structure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a web page path through which the user navigates through to invoke audio / video clip content. Page 1401 represents a website home page that allows a user to make a number of various choices. On the home page the user is given various options to make a selection. Pages at level 1402 represent different options that the user can select. Some of the choices presented in this embodiment include "Genre Channel" (page 1403), which contains a list of shows available for a particular genre, and a list of shows that are not currently available in the system but will be available in the future. "Upcoming Channels" (page 1404), "My Show Channels" (page 1405) containing a list of pre-selected shows by the user, the user managing any account details, such as subscription level or personal information, or any There is a "Options page" (page 1406) that allows you to change special viewing preferences, and a "Demo Tour" (page 1407) that provides the user with a demonstration of how the website works. In addition, the user may receive one of a series of error messages if the content cannot be displayed for various reasons. Examples of such error messages include a signature entry error if the user did not properly enter a signature, a content unavailability error if the content was not in the system, or the system could not place the content, or the user requested content. There is a subscription error message if you are not subscribed to the appropriate service. In addition to displaying an error message, the system also redirects the user to another page (eg, signature entry page, subscription page) that allows the user to correct the error.

If the user selects the type of genre on page 1403, the website will move the user to a lower level of the site map. On page 1409 a user is provided with a list of shows available for selection from including a list of episodes or a collection of their particular shows. When the user selects a show to watch, the website moves the user to a lower level of the site map that lists the available episodes of the special show, including a list of clips available for that particular episode (page 1410). After the user selects an episode from the list on page 1410, processing proceeds to step 1411 where the player is called for action. It should also be understood that the content may be called directly from another web page, unlike having to access multiple web pages before actually calling the content. In this particular embodiment, web pages that can directly invoke content are marked with an asterisk. It should also be appreciated that in various embodiments there may be other webpages listing potent information. For example, a web page may list legal information such as help or privacy information that a user can access. This informative web page can be preferably accessed from any of the web pages listed above.

Computer running environment Example

Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as computer software in the form of computer readable code executing in a desktop general purpose computing environment, such as the environment 1100 shown in FIG. 11, or in the form of a bytecode class file operating in such an environment. have. The keyboard 1110 and mouse 1111 are coupled to a bidirectional system bus 1118. The keyboard and mouse are for introducing user input to the computer 1101 and passing the user input to the processor 1113.

Computer 1101 may also include a communication interface 1120 coupled to bus 1118. Communication interface 1120 provides a bidirectional data communication coupling over network link 1121 to local network 1122. For example, if communication interface 1120 is a modem, communication interface 1120 provides a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line that forms part of network link 1121. If communication interface 1120 is a local area network (LAN) card, communication interface 1120 provides a data communication connection over network link 1121 to a compatible LAN. Wireless links are also possible. In any such implementation, communication interface 1120 transmits and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 1121 typically provides data communication to other data devices over one or more networks. For example, network link 1121 provides a connection to a local server computer 1123 via a local network 1122 or to a data facility operated by an ISP 1124. At this time, ISP 1124 provides data communication services through a worldwide packet data communication network, now commonly referred to as " Internet " The local network 1122 and the Internet 1125 both use electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or optical signals that carry digital data streams. Signals over various networks carrying digital data to and from the computer, signals over network links 1121 and signals over communication interface 1120 are in the form of, for example, carriers that carry information.

The processor 1113 may exist entirely in the client computer 1101 or entirely in the server 1026, or the processor 1113 may have its computational power distributed between the computer 1001 and the server 1126. power). When the processor 1113 is wholly present in the server 1126, the results of the calculations performed by the processor 1113 may include the Internet 1125, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) 1124, the local network 1122, and the communication interface ( Via 1120 to the computer. In this way, computer 1101 may display the results of the operation to the user in output form. Other suitable input devices may be used in addition to or instead of the mouse 1111 and keyboard 1110. The I / O (input / output) unit 1119 coupled to the bidirectional system bus 1118 is representative of I / O elements such as printers, A / V (audio / video) I / O, and the like.

The computer 1101, together with the keyboard 1110, mouse 1111 and processor 1113, has a video memory 1114, main memory 1115 and mass storage 1112 coupled to a bidirectional system bus 1118. Include.

In various computing environments, like the processor 1113, the main memory 1115 and the mass storage 1112 may be entirely present in the server 1126 or in the computer 1101, or they may be distributed between the server and the computer. Can be. An example of a system in which the processor 1113, main memory 1115, and mass storage 1112 are distributed between computer 1101 and server 1126 is a thin client computing architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. client computing architecture), palm pilot computing devices, cellular phones with Internet access, and other Internet computing devices.

Mass storage 1112 may include both fixed and removable media, such as magnetic storage systems, optical storage systems, magneto-optical storage systems or any other available mass storage technology. Bus 1118 may have, for example, 32 address lines for addressing video memory 1114 or main memory 1115. The system bus 1118 also uses a 32-bit data bus, for example, to transfer data between components such as the processor 1113, main memory 1115, video memory 1114, and mass storage 1112. Include. Alternatively, complex data / address lines may be used instead of separate data lines and address lines.

In one embodiment of the invention, processor 1113 is a microprocessor such as a 680x0 processor manufactured by Motorola, or a microprocessor such as an 80x86 or Pentium processor manufactured by Intel, or a SPARC microprocessor manufactured by Sun Microsystems, Inc. to be. However, any suitable other processor or microcomputer may be used. Main memory 1115 is comprised of dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Video memory 1114 is dual port video random access memory. One port of the video memory 1114 is coupled to the image amplifier 1116. Image amplifier 1116 is used to drive cathode ray tube (CRT) raster monitor 1117. Image amplifier 1116 is well known in the art and may be implemented by any suitable device. This circuit converts the pixel data stored in the video memory 1114 into a raster signal suitable for use in the monitor 1117. Monitor 1117 is a type of monitor for displaying graphical images.

The computer 1101 may transmit a message including program code and receive data via the network, the network link 1121, and the communication interface 1120. In the Internet example, the remote server computer 1126 transmits the request code for the application program via the Internet 1125, ISP 1124, local network 1122, and communication interface 1120. The received code is executed by the processor 1113 when received and / or stored in mass storage 1112 or other non-volatile storage for later execution. In this way, the computer 1100 can obtain the application code in the carrier format. In the alternative, the remote server computer 1126 may execute an application using the processor 1113 and use the mass storage 1112 and / or the video memory 1115. The results of execution at server 1126 are then transmitted over the Internet 1125, ISP 1124, local network 1122, and communication interface 1120. In this example, computer 1101 performs only input and output functions.

The application code may be embodied in any computer program product form. The computer program product includes a medium configured to store or transmit computer readable code, or computer readable code may be embedded. Some examples of computer program products are CD-ROM disks, ROM cards, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, computer hard drives, servers on the network, and carriers.

The computer system described above is for example only. Embodiments of the invention may be implemented in any type of computer system or programming or processing environment.

Thus, the content display environment has been described.

Play list

As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, a play list may be generated based on various criteria. This playlist may be generated automatically or manually. For example, a playlist may be automatically generated based on recently viewed most popular clips or clips uploaded to the system on a particular date or clips grouped based on any other information or metadata associated with each other. In another example, playlists can be created based on a particular relationship (eg, Iraq war) and manually put together. In addition, the user himself can select the parts of the content to place in the playlist. Similar to the individual content portions, the content in the playlist and / or the playlist itself may be accessed by the user from the various webpage interfaces described above. Alternatively, content from a particular category can be automatically grouped in a playlist, and when the category is selected the playlist will begin playing. Although the use of a playlist has been described in connection with this embodiment, it is to be understood that the playlist feature described herein may be implemented in other systems as this embodiment is illustrative.

The playlist is preferably a data file containing a plurality of unique identifiers (eg, URLs) for a plurality of portions or items of content. The data file is created by selecting the content that should be included in the playlist, and then placing the URLs for each portion of the content in the file. Thus, when the data file is played back, the contents will be shown in the order arranged in the play list. Another advantage of utilizing playlists to organize content is using playlists to create additional pointers to each piece of content, thereby allowing users to access each piece of content from different locations and To make it easier to access.

One interface used in connection with the play list will now be described with reference to FIG. Similar to the previous embodiment, the display includes a media playback window 1501 in the upper left position of the player geometry. The viewing window 1501 includes a control bar 1509 directly below the viewing window with player controls such as play, pause, stop, progress bar, volume, and the like. XML metadata associated with the content may be mapped to the area of the player geometry. Area 1502 is an information area prepared for the logo of the content provider. This may be a network, show, series, or any other metadata that the content provider wishes to supply. Area 1503 is another information area prepared for show logo graphics. Region 1504 is reserved for a small region of available or selected clips. Regions 1505 and 1506 display clip title metadata and broadcast date metadata, respectively. The metadata description text of the clip is displayed in area 1507. Region 1508 displays the clips available in the playlist that include a small region image 1510 of the available clips that are hypertext links for accessing the clips. Region 1508 also contains a drop down list 1511 of all play lists available for viewing. This drop down list may include a plurality of playlists that may be dynamically generated playlists or manually generated playlists. If the user clicks on the drop down list, a list similar to the list 701 described with reference to FIG. 7 is displayed.

In this particular embodiment, only up to five clips in the playlist are listed at the bottom of the screen. If more clips are available, a bar 1512 listing the number of available clips may be displayed to inform the user that the playlist contains additional clips. If the user clicks the bar 1512, additional clips will be displayed in area 1508.

In one embodiment, the user can select whether clips should be played in a particular order stored in a playlist. If the user has selected clips to be played sequentially, the " autoplay " function is activated (e.g., " on "). If the user wants to change the order in which the clips are played, the "auto play" function can be deactivated. For example, if Playlist 1 contains pointers to clips A, B, and C, you can activate the "AutoPlay" function to play the clips sequentially (i.e., clip A is played first and then Clip B may then be selected such that clip C is played. Alternatively, the user can deactivate the " autoplay " function to play the clips in the selected order, eg, in any order desired by the user, such as clip B is played first and then another clip. You can.

Now, the process of operating the "autoplay" function will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. First, when the user selects a playlist to display or listen to, the system checks whether the "autoplay" function is in operation (step 1601). If the "autoplay" function is in operation, the system starts playing the clip selected from the play list (step 1602). When the clip is finished playing, the system automatically checks the next clip in sequence (step 1603). If there are other clips in the playlist in order, the system starts playing those clips (step 1604). If all clips have been played and there are no clips left in the playlist, the system sends a message that the playlist is complete (step 1605). This process continues until all the clips in the playlist are played.

If the "autoplay" function is not active (e.g., "off"), the system waits until the user selects a clip (step 1606). Alternatively, the system can begin playing the predetermined clip (step 1607). Once a clip is selected, the system begins playing the clip (step 1608). When playback of the selected clip is finished, the system, which has confirmed that the "autoplay" function is inactive, does not play the contents of the playlist sequentially, but instead waits until the user selects another clip to play (step 1606). The user can select a clip by clicking on a hypertext link associated with the clip. Once another clip is selected, the system plays the selected clip (step 1608). This process continues until the user no longer wants to see the clip. It should be understood that the additional advantage of this embodiment is that it provides the user with additional control over the content the user wants to see and the order in which they want to view the content. As such, the user is given the ability to manage the content the user is currently viewing from a more editorial standpoint, while at the same time taking advantage of a playlist that includes easier accessibility and improved functionality.

In one embodiment, when the " autoplay " function is in operation (e.g., " on "), display button 1513, which is also an active hypertext link, is displayed on a web page indicating whether the function is in operation. . In the embodiment of Fig. 16, the "autoplay" function is already in operation. If the user wants to activate or deactivate the " autoplay " function, the user only needs to click on the display button, and each click will activate or deactivate the function respectively. An additional indication may also be used to indicate that the "autoplay" function is active. For example, in FIG. 15, arrow 1514 indicates that the "autoplay" function is active. On the other hand, if there is no arrow, this indicates to the user that the " autoplay " function is non-operational and clips can be played in random order.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods and systems of the present invention have many applications and can be implemented in many ways and are therefore not limited by the foregoing exemplary embodiments and various examples. In this regard, it is natural that any features of the other embodiments described herein can be combined into one single embodiment, and other embodiments with fewer features than all of the features are also possible.

Claims (84)

In the method for providing media content in a network, Creating an interface at a site on a network for display on a user computer, wherein a plurality of media files from a plurality of media file providers are made available to the user computer through a site on the network using the interface. That, the production step; Defining a set of metadata attributes for the plurality of media files, each of the set of metadata attributes having a respective predetermined location in the interface, wherein each of the set of metadata attributes for a given metadata attribute The defining step is a predetermined location is the same location within the interface regardless of the media file or media file provider; Compiling the plurality of media files that are compiled from the plurality of media file providers for use in the interface; Associating metadata attributes from the set of metadata attributes with each of the plurality of media files; And Map each of the associated metadata attributes to a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface for a user is assigned to both the media files and media file providers. Said mapping step of making it visible at a predetermined same location of each of said metadata attributes in said interface, The interface is, A channel display unit for displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, the episode display unit displaying only episode selection objects corresponding to the show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising mapping specific metadata properties to a media player having a media player interface. delete The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a title of a media file. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a description of a media file. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a duration of a media file. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the metadata attributes comprise an expiration date of the media file. delete A system for providing media content in a network comprising one or more servers, the system comprising: The one or more servers are configured to create an interface at a site on the network for display on a user computer, and wherein the plurality of media files provided by a plurality of media file providers via the site on the network using the interface. Become available on the user's computer, The one or more servers are configured to define a set of metadata attributes relating to media files, each of the set of metadata attributes having a respective location in the interface regardless of the media file or media file provider. Will be The one or more servers receive the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers over the network for use in the interface, Associate metadata attributes from the set of metadata attributes with each of the plurality of media files, Map each of the associated metadata attributes to a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface for a user is assigned to both the media files and media file providers. To view at a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes in the interface with respect to The interface is, A channel display unit for displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, the episode display unit displaying only episode selection objects corresponding to the show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more servers are further configured to create a media player interface for experiencing media content. The system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the plurality of media files are compiled from more than one source. The system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a title of a media file. The system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a description of a media file. The system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a duration of a media file. The system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the metadata attributes comprise an expiration date of the media file. In the method for providing media content in a network, Defining a set of metadata properties for a plurality of media files, each of the set of metadata properties having a respective predetermined location in an interface, wherein the respective predetermined location for a given metadata property The defining step, wherein the location is the same location within the interface regardless of the media file or media file provider; Associating metadata attributes from the defined set of metadata attributes with a plurality of media files provided by a plurality of media file providers; Using the metadata attributes to map the plurality of media files to an interface; And Map each of the associated metadata attributes to a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface is associated with both the media files and media file providers. A mapping step of making it visible at a predetermined same location of each of the metadata attributes in The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by a user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, the episode display unit displaying only episode selection objects corresponding to the show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the metadata attributes are stored in a local database. 17. The method of claim 16 wherein one of the plurality of media files is stored remotely. delete delete delete delete delete A system for providing media content in a network comprising one or more servers, the system comprising: The one or more servers, Configured to define a set of metadata properties for a plurality of media files, each of the set of metadata properties having a respective predetermined location in an interface, wherein the respective predetermined for a given metadata property The location is the same location within the interface regardless of the media file or media file provider, Is configured to associate metadata attributes from the defined set of metadata attributes with the plurality of media files provided by a plurality of media file providers, And use the metadata attributes to map the plurality of media files to an interface, the interface being created at a site on a network, wherein the media files are used at a user computer via a site on the network using the interface. Become available, Map each of the associated metadata attributes to a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface is associated with the metadata for both media files and media file providers. Configured to be visible at a predetermined same location of each of the attributes, The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by a user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 25. The system of claim 24 further comprising a local database for storing the metadata attributes. 26. The system of claim 24 or 25 wherein the plurality of media files are provided by more than one source. In the method for providing media content in a network, Creating an interface at a site on a network for display on a user computer, wherein a plurality of media files provided by more than one content provider are made available to the user computer through a site on the network using the interface. That is, the production step; Authenticating a user's permission to access specific media content; Defining a set of metadata attributes with respect to the media files, wherein each of the set of metadata attributes has a respective predetermined location in the interface regardless of the media file or media file provider. , The defining step; Receiving a plurality of media files provided by the more than one content provider over the network for use in the interface, wherein the plurality of media files includes only media content for which the user permission is authorized. The receiving step; Associating metadata attributes from the set of metadata attributes with each of the received media files, wherein the metadata attributes include a title of each media file; And Map each of the associated metadata attributes to a respective predetermined location in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface is the metadata attribute in the interface for both the media files and media file providers. A mapping step, which makes it visible at each predetermined location, The interface is, A channel display unit for displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the selected channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. In a method of providing media content over a network, Creating an interface at a site on the network for display on a user computer, the interface comprising predetermined graphical features and navigation capabilities at predetermined locations within the interface, the interface from a plurality of media file providers Creating a plurality of media files of the at the user computer; Defining a set of metadata attribute types for the plurality of media files, wherein each of the set of metadata attribute types has a respective predetermined location in the interface and is assigned to a given metadata attribute type. The defining step, wherein each predetermined location for is the same location within the interface regardless of a media file or network source; Compiling the plurality of media files from a plurality of network sources, the plurality of media files having associated metadata attribute types from the set of metadata attribute types for use in the interface; Wherein each media file of the plurality of media files has one or more metadata attribute types in common with another media file of the plurality of media files; And By mapping the common one or more metadata attribute types to respective predetermined locations in the interface, when any respective media file of the plurality of media files is experienced through the interface, regardless of the network source of the media file A mapping step such that the common one or more metadata attribute types are displayed at each predetermined same location in the interface, The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by a user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, the episode display unit displaying only episode selection objects corresponding to the show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 29. The method of claim 28, further comprising mapping the particular metadata attribute type to a media player having a media player interface. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the metadata attribute type comprises a title of a media file. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the metadata attribute type comprises a description of a media file. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the metadata attribute type comprises a duration of a media file. 29. The method of claim 28 wherein the metadata attribute type comprises an expiration date of a media file. In a method for providing media content to a plurality of users over a network, Compiling a data file comprising one or more unique identifiers identifying one or more media files; Determining whether a user selectable autoplay function is associated with one of the plurality of users; If it is determined that the autoplay function is associated, determining, based on the order of the unique identifiers in the data file, a sequence in which the user will experience media content corresponding to one or more media files; And If it is determined that the autoplay function is not associated, the user experiences media content corresponding to the one or more media files based on input from the user regardless of the order of the unique identifiers in the data file. Determining the sequence to be performed, The media content is experienced using an interface, The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to a plurality of media files provided by a plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the selected channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the data file is automatically compiled. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the data file is automatically compiled according to criteria selected by one of the plurality of users. 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the data file is manually compiled. 38. The method of any of claims 34-37, wherein the one or more media files are provided by more than one source. A system comprising one or more servers and providing media content to a plurality of users, the system comprising: The one or more servers, Compile a data file that includes one or more unique identifiers that identify one or more media content portions, Determine whether a user selectable autoplay function is associated with one of the plurality of users, If it is determined that the autoplay function is linked, based on the order of the unique identifiers in the data file, determine a sequence by which the user experiences media content corresponding to the one or more content portions, If it is determined that the autoplay function is not associated, causing the user to experience media content corresponding to the one or more content portions based on input from the user regardless of the order of the unique identifiers in the data file. Configured to determine the sequence of The media content is experienced using an interface, The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to a plurality of media files provided by a plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the selected channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 40. The system of claim 39 wherein the data file is automatically compiled. 41. The system of claim 40 wherein the data file is automatically compiled according to criteria selected by one of a plurality of users. 40. The system of claim 39 wherein the data file is manually compiled. 43. The system of any one of claims 39 to 42 wherein the one or more media files are provided by more than one source. A computer readable recording medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising: one or more processors; Compile a data file that includes one or more unique identifiers that identify one or more content portions, Determine whether a user-selectable autoplay function is associated with one of the plurality of users, If it is determined that the autoplay function is linked, based on the order of the unique identifiers in the data file, determine a sequence by which the user experiences media content corresponding to the one or more content portions, If it is determined that the autoplay function is not associated, causing the user to experience media content corresponding to the one or more content portions based on input from the user regardless of the order of the unique identifiers in the data file. To determine the sequence The media content is experienced using an interface, The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to a plurality of media files provided by a plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the selected channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing media file content on the user computer corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. In the method for providing media content over a network, Defining a set of metadata attribute types for a plurality of media files, wherein each of the set of metadata attribute types has a respective predetermined location in an interface, and for the given metadata attribute types The defining step, wherein each predetermined location is the same location within the interface regardless of the media file or network source; Compiling the plurality of media files from a plurality of media file providers, the plurality of media files having associated metadata attribute types from the set of metadata attribute types for use in the interface. Wherein each media file of the plurality of media files has one or more metadata attribute types in common with another media file of the plurality of media files; And By mapping the common one or more metadata attribute types to respective predetermined locations of the metadata attribute types in the interface, video or audio or both video and audio from any respective media file of the plurality of media files A mapping step, when experienced through the interface, causing the common one or more metadata attribute types to be displayed at each predetermined location in the interface, regardless of the media file or media file provider; The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by a user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, the episode display unit displaying only episode selection objects corresponding to the show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to the channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 46. The system of claim 45, wherein the interface is provided by an internet provider and is independent of the plurality of network sources identified so that the interface provides a consistent user experience for media content provided by the plurality of media files. And the interface comprises one or more web pages for displaying media content corresponding to any of the plurality of media files. 47. The method of claim 46 wherein the web page is built using a mark-up language. 47. The method of claim 46 wherein the media content comprises streaming media. 49. The method of claim 48 wherein the streaming media comprises a live broadcast. 49. The method of claim 48 wherein the streaming media comprises a recorded broadcast. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein the metadata attribute type comprises a title of a media file. 46. The method of claim 45 wherein the metadata attribute type comprises a duration of a media file. 46. The method of claim 45 wherein the metadata attribute type comprises a description of a media file. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein the metadata attribute type comprises a thumbnail image of a media file. The media content of claim 1, wherein the interface is provided by an Internet provider and is independent of media content provided by the plurality of media files, regardless of a plurality of network sources corresponding to the plurality of media files. And the interface includes one or more web pages for displaying media content corresponding to any of the plurality of media files to provide a consistent user experience. 56. The method of claim 55 wherein the web page is built using a markup language. 56. The method of claim 55 wherein the media content comprises streaming media. The media content of claim 16, wherein the interface is provided by an Internet provider and is independent of media content provided by the plurality of media files, regardless of a plurality of network sources corresponding to the plurality of media files. And the interface includes one or more web pages for displaying media content corresponding to any of the plurality of media files to provide a consistent user experience. 59. The method of claim 58 wherein the web page is built using a markup language. 59. The method of claim 58 wherein the media content comprises streaming media. delete delete delete 29. The system of claim 28, wherein the interface is provided by an Internet provider and is independent of the plurality of network sources identified to enable the interface to provide a consistent user experience for media content provided by the plurality of media files. And the interface includes one or more web pages for displaying media content corresponding to any of the plurality of media files. 65. The method of claim 64 wherein the web page is built using a markup language. 65. The method of claim 64, wherein said media content comprises streaming media. In a system comprising one or more servers, the one or more servers, Create an interface at a site on a network for display on a user computer, the interface being provided by a plurality of media file providers and made available to the user computer via a site on the network. An area for displaying media content, an area for displaying a selectable indicia corresponding to one or more playlists, and an indie for each of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists Selectable indices of an autoplay function configured to control an area for displaying a seer and an order in which each of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists is experienced using the interface; Includes an area for display, Are configured to define a set of metadata attributes relating to the media files, each of the set of metadata attributes having a respective predetermined location in the interface regardless of the media file or media file provider; And receive the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers over the network for use in the interface, Associate metadata attributes from the set of metadata attributes with each of the received media files, Each of the associated metadata attributes is mapped to a respective predetermined location in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface for a user is associated with both the media files and media file providers at the interface. Configured to be visible at a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes, The interface is, A channel display unit for displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the selected channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to a channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 68. The user of claim 67, wherein the autoplay function determines whether the order in which each of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists is experienced is determined based on the content of the selection of the playlists. And control whether or not it is determined based on the input. 69. The system of claim 68 wherein the user input comprises a selection of one or more of the indices of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists. In a system comprising one or more servers, the one or more servers, Configured to define a set of metadata properties for a plurality of media files, each of the set of metadata properties having a respective predetermined location in an interface, wherein the respective predetermined for a given metadata property The location is the same location within the interface regardless of the media file or media file provider, Is configured to associate metadata attributes from a defined set of metadata attributes with the plurality of media files provided by a plurality of media file providers, And use the metadata attributes to map the plurality of media files to an interface for display on a user computer, the interface being generated at a site on a network and displaying the media content of the plurality of media files. An area for displaying a selectable indicia corresponding to one or more playlists, an area for displaying an indic of each media file identified by the selection of the playlists, and An area for displaying a selectable indic of an autoplay function configured to control the order in which each of the media files identified by the selection of the playlists is experienced using the interface, Map each of the associated metadata attributes to a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface is configured for both the plurality of media files and media file providers. Configured to be visible at a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes, The interface is, A channel display unit displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by a user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the selected channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to a channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 71. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the autoplay function determines whether the order in which each of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists is experienced is determined based on the selection of the playlists or based on user input. And control whether or not it is determined. 76. The system of claim 71, wherein the user input comprises a selection of one or more of the indices of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the play lists. In the method for providing media content in a network, Creating an interface at a site on the network for display on a user computer, the interface being provided by a plurality of media file providers and made available to the user computer through a site on the network. An area for displaying media content of the user, an area for displaying a selectable indicia corresponding to one or more playlists, and each of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists. Selectable indices of an autoplay function configured to control an area for displaying an indie and an order in which each of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the play lists is experienced using the interface. A generating area for displaying the; Authenticating a user's permission to access certain media content; Defining a set of metadata attributes with respect to the media files, each of the set of metadata attributes having a respective position in the interface regardless of a media file or media file provider step; Receiving the plurality of media files for use in the interface; Associating metadata attributes from the set of metadata attributes with each of the plurality of media files, wherein the metadata attributes include a title of each media file; Map each of the associated metadata attributes to a predetermined location of each of the metadata attributes in the interface such that each of the associated metadata attributes in the interface is configured for both the media files and media file providers. A mapping step of making it visible at a predetermined position of each of the metadata attributes in an interface; And Filtering the plurality of media files based on the user's authentication to access the particular media content such that the interface includes a selectable indicia only for media files corresponding to the particular media content. Including, The interface is, A channel display unit for displaying a plurality of channel selection objects corresponding to the plurality of media files provided by the plurality of media file providers for selection by the user; A show display unit for displaying one or more show selection objects, wherein the show display unit displays only show selection objects corresponding to the selected channel selection object in response to a user selecting one of the channel selection objects; An episode display unit for displaying one or more episode selection objects, wherein the episode display unit displays only episode selection objects corresponding to the selected show selection object in response to a user selecting one of the show selection objects; And And a viewer for viewing, on the user computer, media file content corresponding to a channel selection object, show selection object, and episode selection object made by the user using the interface. 75. The user input according to claim 73, wherein the autoplay function determines whether the order in which each of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists is experienced is determined based on content of the selection in the playlist. And control whether or not it is determined based on the control. 75. The method of claim 74 wherein the user input comprises a selection of one or more of the indices of the plurality of media files identified by the selection of the playlists. 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising determining media content other than the media content corresponding to the one or more media files the user experiences while waiting for the user input. The method of claim 39, wherein the one or more servers, And determine media content other than the media content corresponding to the one or more media files the user experiences while waiting for the user input. 45. The computer program of claim 44, wherein the computer program comprises one or more processors: And determine media content other than the media content corresponding to one or more media files the user experiences while waiting for the user input. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of media files is stored remotely. 80. The method of any of claims 16-18 or 79, wherein the plurality of media files are provided by a plurality of sources. 80. The method of any of claims 16-18 or 79, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a title of a media file. 80. The method of any of claims 16-18 or 79, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a description of a media file. 80. The method of any of claims 16-18 or 79, wherein the metadata attributes comprise a duration of the media file. 80. The method of any of claims 16-18 or 79, wherein the metadata attributes comprise an expiration date of the media file.

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