Coordinated control of media playback

    公开(公告)号:US11212808B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-12-28

    申请号:US16819597

    申请日:2020-03-16

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Methods and systems provide for coordinated control between multiple devices of playback of a media track or playlist. The multiple devices may form an ad-hoc network for sharing control of media. A control device may coordinate control of the playlist and facilitate playback of the media at a playback device. Then when the control device leaves the group, a second device in the group will seamlessly become the control device and control playback and playlist coordination. The playback device may also be the control device. The playback advice may be a network-enabled speaker. Where the playback device is separate from the control device, the playback device may maintain sufficient information to operate without a control device until a new control device is selected.

    Reducing startup delays for presenting remote media items

    公开(公告)号:US10979331B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-04-13

    申请号:US15693105

    申请日:2017-08-31

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: In some implementations, a computing system can reduce startup delays for presenting remote media items. For example, when a user requests media content from a media service, the computing system can include information about the first media item to be played in the initial startup messages to reduce the number of roundtrips needed between client and server devices to present the first media item. A media item can include an introductory asset. The introductory asset can be a portion of the full media item that can be decrypted with a local key or not encrypted at all so that a media client can receive and start presenting the introductory media asset quickly while the full media item is being processed by the media client. In some implementations, the system can remove leading silence from the media item so that the amount of delay perceived by the user is reduced.

    Controlling a media device using a mobile device

    公开(公告)号:US10707919B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-07-07

    申请号:US16595319

    申请日:2019-10-07

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Techniques for automatically configuring and controlling a digital media device are described. A digital media device can be configured or controlled by a mobile device, e.g., a smart mobile phone. When the digital media device is being configured, the digital media device can broadcast a signal, indicating that the digital media device is requesting configuration information from a mobile device. A mobile device located in proximity of the digital media device, upon detecting the signal, can perform various security checks to determine that the request is legitimate, and then open a communication channel with the digital media device. The mobile device can provide user preferences of the mobile device, as well as credentials for accessing and downloading remote content, to the digital media device through the communication channel. Upon receiving the configuration information, the digital media device can use parameters in the configuration information as its settings.

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