WO2011055293A1

WO2011055293A1 - Method and apparatus for controlling settings of a device for playback of a content item

Info

Publication number: WO2011055293A1
Application number: PCT/IB2010/054949
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Kamiel Irena Mels
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2009-11-06
Filing date: 2010-11-02
Publication date: 2011-05-12

Abstract

A method for controlling settings of a rendering device (100) for playback of a content item, said rendering device (100) being connectable to at least one source device (110), the method comprising the steps of: receiving a content item from a source device (110) at said rendering device (100); receiving an indication of mode of operation of the source device (110) at said rendering device (100); and controlling settings of said rendering device (100) for playback of said received content item according to said received indication of mode of operation of the source device (110).

Description

Method and apparatus for controlling settings of a device for playback of a content item

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to method and apparatus for controlling settings of a device for playback of a content item. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Home entertainment systems now enable an ever increasing number of devices to be connected and rendered via a rendering device such as a television. For example, the television may be connected to a plurality of source sevices such as a DVD and/or Blu-Ray player for playback of movies or music, a hard disk recorder for playback of scheduled programming or enabling pausing of live television programs, games consoles, computer systems etc.

Each of these devices is connected to the television via an input terminal and content items are transmitted to the television for rendering according to a general television setting profile or according to the television setting profile for that input terminal. A user may be able to select a profile by associating a source device type with the input terminal. When the source device is activated, the television will render it using the associated profile which optimizes video and audio settings for the required use. Each profile may comprise multiple settings.

Some of these source devices, however, may support multiple capabilities (activities), i.e. a game console that plays games and plays DVDs. The profile settings of the television for playing games, PC applications and playing movies are very different.

Invariably, use of such systems, for example Home Theatre PC (HTPC) systems which are both used for viewing movies and playing games require different settings for example, in watching a movie, a high picture quality is preferable (this means increased video processing and as a result an increased video latency of up to 200ms). This would not be appropriate for playing a game which requires high speed action that would be compromised by this video latency. Further using this gaming profile having decreased video processing latency for watching movies gives rise to a poorer video quality. Further audio settings can be varied for appropriateness for a movie mode or a music mode or any other type of mode. In music mode it may be desirable to add background screens or animations.

In conventional systems, this requires the user to enter the set up mode for the television and reenter profile settings to change between different activities that are carried out on the same source device. This is extremely cumbersome and time consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide appropriate settings for playback of different types of content items.

This is achieved according to a first aspect of the present invention by a method for transmitting a content item, the method comprising the steps of: transmitting a content item from a source device to a rendering device for playback of said content item, said rendering device being connectable to at least one source device; transmitting an indication of mode of operation of said source device to said rendering device to control settings of said rendering device for playback of said transmitted content item according to said transmitted indication of mode of operation of said source device.

This is also achieved according to another aspect of the present invention by a method for controlling settings of a rendering device for playback of a content item, said rendering device being connectable to at least one source device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a content item from a source device at said rendering device; receiving an indication of mode of operation of the source device at said rendering device; controlling settings of said rendering device for playback of said received content item according to said received indication of mode of operation of the source device.

This is also achieved according to yet another aspect of the present invention by an apparatus for playback of a content item, the apparatus comprising: a receiver for receiving a content item from a source device at said apparatus; said receiver receiving an indication of mode of operation of the source device at said apparatus; a controller for controlling settings of said apparatus for playback of said received content item according to said transmitted indication of mode of operation of the source device.

This is also achieved according to yet another aspect of the present invention by a a source device for providing at least one content item for playback on a rendering device, said source device comprising: a transmitter for transmitting a content item from said source device to the rendering device; said transmitter transmitting an indication of mode of operation of said source device to said rendering device, said indication of mode enabling said rendering device to control settings of said rendering device for playback of said transmitted content item.

This is achieved, therefore, by enabling multiple profiles on the same input automatically through communication between the source device and the rendering device so that the rendering device is informed of which profile to use and hence which settings.

For example, if the Blu-Ray player supports a reporting/command link like HDMI-CEC then the rendering device may start playing the Blu-Ray movie with the appropriate settings by a command from the Blu-Ray player that includes the mode of operation of the Blu-Ray player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a simplified schematic of apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a typical display screen of an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to

Figures 1 and 2.

The system comprises a rendering device 100 connected to at least one source device 110 via a first terminal 101 of the rendering device 100 and an output terminal 111 of the source device 110. The communication link between the devices may be a HDMI-CEC spec communication. The first terminal 101 of the rendering device 100 is connected to a receiver 103. The outputs of the receiver 103 are connected to a display or loud speaker 105, combination or the like and a controller 107. The controller 107 and the display/loud speaker 105 are connected to a user interface 109. The user interface 109 is connected to a second terminal 102. The second terminal 102 is connected to a remote control device, keyboard, key pad, touch sensitive screen or the like for receiving input commands from a user.

The source device 110 comprises a storage device 115 connected to a transmitter 113. The output of the transmitter is connected to the output terminal 111 of the source device 110. Operation of the system will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

The user interface 109 may provide lists or an array 210 of pictograms 220 1 to 220 9 on the screen 200 of the display 105 as shown in Figure 2. The pictograms 220 1 to 220 4 and 220 6 are in the form of the activities set up by the user and have a profile associated therewith. The profile may include settings for video and possibly also for audio to have the correct ambiance for the given activity. The user interface 109 may further provide an option 220 8 to add a new device or to allow set up of the profiles 220 9. Each activity or profile has at least one source device associated therewith. As a result any one source device may have more than one profile associated therewith.

Any one of the pictograms 220 1 to 220 9 is selected by moving the highlight 230 across the array 210 in a conventional manner. As shown in Figure 2, the user interface 109 has grouped the profiles by activities. In alternative embodiment, the profiles may be grouped by the source device in which case each pictogram would depict the name of the source device.

In using the system to playback a content item, the user may select "play video", pictogram 220 2 for example. A content item is loaded into the storage device 115 of a source device 110. This may in the form of a broadcast program, a Blu-Ray disc, DVD, an item retrieved from a hard disk storage medium. The content item is than transferred to the rendering device via the transmitter 113 and the communication link between the output terminal 111 of the source device 110 and the first terminal 101 of the rendering device 100. The content item is received by the receiver 103. The controller 107 takes the profile for the activity "play video" selected by the user and uses the settings for that profile to render the content item irrespective of the source device used to communicate the content item.

For one or more source devices, the content item when loaded by the source device 110 and transmitted to the receiver 103 of the rendering device includes an indication of the mode of operation of the source device 110 and the controller 107 controls the settings of the rendering device 100 by selecting the profile according to the indication of the mode of operation of the source device 110. For example, when the user selects pictogram 220 7, the user does not indicate to the rendering device 100 which activity the user is going to use the Hard Disk recorder, corresponding to pictogram 220 7, for. In order for the rendering device 100 to still use the best settings, the Hard Disk recorder transmits an indication of the mode of operation, e.g. play back movie or play back music, to the rendering device. When the Hard Disk recorder is used to play back music, the rendering device 100 may switch off its back light, for example.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous modifications without departing from the scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.

'Means', as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, are meant to include any hardware (such as separate or integrated circuits or electronic elements) or software (such as programs or parts of programs) which reproduce in operation or are designed to reproduce a specified function, be it solely or in conjunction with other functions, be it in isolation or in co-operation with other elements. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the apparatus claim enumerating several means, several of these means can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. 'Computer program product' is to be understood to mean any software product stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a floppy disk, downloadable via a network, such as the Internet, or marketable in any other manner.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for transmitting a content item, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a content item from a source device (110) to a rendering device

(100) for playback of said content item;

transmitting an indication of mode of operation of said source device (110) to said rendering device (100) to control settings of said rendering device (100) for playback of said transmitted content item according to said transmitted indication of mode of operation of said source device (110).

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

determining mode of operation of said source device (110) from the type of content item to be transmitted to said rendering device (100).

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said indication of mode of operation of said source device (110) represents at least one of playing back a movie, playing back music and playing a game.

4. A method for controlling settings of a rendering device (100) for playback of a content item, said rendering device (100) being connectable to at least one source device (110), the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a content item from a source device (110) at said rendering device

(100);

receiving an indication of mode of operation of the source device (110) at said rendering device (100); and

controlling settings of said rendering device (100) for playback of said received content item according to said received indication of mode of operation of the source device (110).

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said indication of mode of operation of said source device (110) represents at least one of playing back a movie, playing back music and playing a game.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said controlled settings comprises at least one of video latency settings and audio latency settings.

7. A computer program product comprising a plurality of program code portions for carrying out the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

8. Apparatus (100) for playback of a content item, the apparatus (100) comprising:

a receiver (103) for receiving a content item from a source device (110) at said apparatus (100);

said receiver (103) receiving an indication of mode of operation of the source device (110) at said apparatus (100);

a controller (107) for controlling settings of said apparatus (100) for playback of said received content item according to said transmitted indication of mode of operation of the source device (110).

9. An apparatus (100) according to claim 8, wherein said indication of mode of operation of said source device (110) represents at least one of playing back a movie, playing back music and playing a game.

10. An apparatus (100) according to claim 8, wherein said controlled settings comprises at least one of video latency settings and audio latency settings.

11. A source device (110) for providing at least one content item for playback on a rendering device (100), said source device (110) comprising:

a transmitter (113) for transmitting a content item from said source device

(110) to the rendering device (100);

said transmitter (113) transmitting an indication of mode of operation of said source device (110) to said rendering device (100), said indication of mode enabling said rendering device (100) to control settings of said rendering device (100) for playback of said transmitted content item.

12. A source device according to claim 11, wherein the source device further comprises means for determining mode of operation of said source device (110) from the type of content item to be transmitted to said rendering device (100).

13. A source device (110) according to claim 11, wherein said indication of mode of operation of said source device (110) represents at least one of playing back a movie, playing back music and playing a game.