(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0132405 A1
`AbiEzzi et al.
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Jun. 16, 2005
`
`US 20050132405A1
`
`(54) HOME NETWORK MEDIA SERVER WITH A
`JUKEBOX FOR ENHANCED USER
`EXPERIENCE
`
`(52) U.s. Cl.
`
`............. .. 725/61; 725/60; 725/87; 725/109;
`725/110; 725/115
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Salim S. AbiEzzi, Sammamish, WA
`(US); Ralph Allen Lipe; Yarrow Point;
`WA (US)
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Correspondence Address:
`LEYDIG, VOIT & MAYER, LTD.
`TWO PRUDENTIAL PLAZA, SUITE 4900
`180 NORTH STETSON
`CHICAGO, IL 60601-6780 (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`10/736,055
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Dec. 15, 2003
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.7 ........................ .. H04N 7/173; G06F 13/00;
`H04N 5/445; G06F 3/00
`
`A DVD jukebox or the like is integrated with a home
`network and serves as a centralized storage of multiple
`video/audio titles that can be selected and played on display
`devices, such as televisions, at different locations in the
`home. The jukebox is connected to a media server on the
`home network. The media server controls the jukebox and
`functions as its proxy to allow discovery and control of the
`jukebox by other devices on the home network. The media
`server generates a directory of the titles stored in the
`jukebox, which is sent via the home network to a media
`client connected to the display device. The media client
`presents an interactive user interface to allow the user to
`navigate the titles in the jukebox and select a title for
`viewing on the display device.
`
`Home Network
`70
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`80
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`K Jukebox (DVD)
`
`DVD's
`
`82
`
`APPLE 1005
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`1
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`

`
`Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2005 Sheet 1 of 4
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`US 2005/0132405 A1
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`Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2005 Sheet 2 of 4
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`US 2005/0132405 A1
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`Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2005 Sheet 3 of 4
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`US 2005/0132405 A1
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`Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2005 Sheet 4 of 4
`
`US 2005/0132405 A1
`
`
`Display interactive UI
`for title navigation and
`selection
`
`172
`
`180
`
`182
`
`
`
`
`Receive user selection
`
`for title
`
`
`
`Retrieve DVD
`contents
`
`Adapt/transcode?
`
`No
`
`Apply adaptationl
`transcoding
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Load DVD jukebox
`
`Check title in jukebox
`
`Access Internet for
`
`title info.
`
`Compile title directory
`
`Receive request for
`jukebox
`
`
`
`166
`
`168
`
`170
`
`160
`
`162
`
`190
`
`FIG. 4
`
`Display contents of
`DVD
`
`Transmit contents to
`
`media client
`
`
`
`
`5
`
`

`
`US 2005/0132405 A1
`
`Jun. 16, 2005
`
`HOME NETWORK MEDIA SERVER WITH A
`JUKEBOX FOR ENHANCED USER EXPERIENCE
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`[0001] This invention relates generally to computer net-
`working and home entertainment, and more particularly to a
`system and method of integrating home entertainment and
`home networking to provide enhanced user experience.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0002] Watching movies on televisions has become a
`major form of home entertainment. The high quality video
`images and multi-channel audio provided by digital storage
`media such as Digital Video Discs (DVD’s) allow users to
`enjoy theater-quality viewing experience from the conve-
`nience and comfort of the home, and have created a signifi-
`cant market for home theater implementations.
`
`[0003] People who have a large collection of DVD’s are
`faced with the needs to allocate the space to store the DVD’s
`and to organize and sort the various titles in a manner that
`allows desired titles to be easily found. A user with many
`DVD’s and multiple televisions often finds that the discs are
`scattered around the house, and a particular DVD she wants
`to watch often cannot be readily located. Some users also
`consider it inconvenient to have to load a DVD into a player
`and unload it after playback every time she desired to view
`that DVD. A DVD jukebox provides a solution to these
`problems. A “jukebox” typically refers to a playback device
`that has a plurality of storage medium units (e.g., LP’s,
`CD’s, or DVD’s) containing commercially available titles
`loaded therein that can be selectively played on-demand.
`Some DVD jukeboxes can store hundreds of discs, allowing
`a user to store her entire collection of video titles in one
`
`machine. Since the discs are physically stored in the juke-
`box, the hassle of repeatedly loading and unloading DVD’s
`for watching is avoided.
`
`[0004] Although DVD jukeboxes provide some significant
`conveniences, they also have some disadvantages. First, the
`user has to kccp track of all the titles loaded in the DVD
`jukebox and their respective locations in the machine. The
`front-panel display of a DVD jukebox machine typically
`shows very limited information about what is stored in the
`machine and does not provide a convenient way for the user
`to view and navigate through the titles stored in the machine.
`Moreover, a DVD jukebox is typically connected to only one
`television and can only play the DVD’s on that television. If
`the user wants to watch a DVD on another television at a
`different location, she has to take that DVD out of the
`jukebox, walk over to the other television, and play the disc
`on another DVD player connected to that television. The
`operation of loading discs into and unloading discs from a
`jukebox is, however, typically very cumbersome and incon-
`venient. Moreover, moving discs in and out of the jukebox
`too frequently can cause the user to lose track of which titles
`are in the jukebox. Physical handling of DVDs can also
`cause scratches to the discs, especially when kids are
`present.
`
`In the meantime, the number of home networks has
`[0005]
`being growing rapidly. The prices of personal computers and
`networking devices have come down tremendously, and it is
`very easy for a household with multiple computers to set up
`a home network. As a result, computer networking is no
`
`longer limited to work places and has entered many homes.
`The availability of home networking has opened many
`possibilities for home entertainment. Such possibilities,
`however, are mostly unrealized at this time. Many users
`implement home networks mainly for the purpose of being
`able to access the Internet from different computers in the
`home and to share data and programs among the home
`computers, and the aspect of information/data access is
`largely independent of and unrelated to other aspects of
`home activities and functions.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`the present invention
`In view of the foregoing,
`[0006]
`provides system and method for integrating home entertain-
`ment with home networking functionality that enables a
`jukebox (e.g., a DVD jukebox or the like) to serve as a
`centralized storage of multiple video/audio titles that can be
`selected from and played on televisions or other display
`devices at different locations in the home. The home enter-
`
`tainment system in accordance with the invention includes a
`media server residing on the home network, and the jukebox
`is connected to the media server via a two-way digital link.
`The media server controls the jukebox and functions as its
`proxy to allow discovery and control of the jukebox by other
`devices, such as media clients for televisions, on the home
`network. The media server keeps track of the titles loaded in
`the jukebox and generates and caches a directory of the titles
`stored in the jukebox that can be presented to a user for the
`user to navigate the titles and select a title for viewing on a
`display device, such as a television, that has a media client
`connected to the home network. The media client discovers
`
`the jukebox device on the home network and presents a
`jukebox option in a menu. Upon selection of the “jukebox”
`option by a user, the media client loads the jukebox title
`directory compiled and cached by the media server and
`displays the directory in an interactive user interface on the
`display device to enable navigation of titles in the jukebox
`for obtaining information of the titles and selecting a title for
`viewing on the display device. The title information that the
`media server obtains directly by accessing the jukebox may
`be augmented by additional information obtained from the
`internet.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram generally illustrating an
`exemplary computer system on which a media server may
`be implemented in an embodiment of the invention for
`integrating a home entertainment system with a home net-
`work;
`
`[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an embodi-
`ment of a home entertainment system that is integrated with
`a home network and has a video jukebox to provide
`enhanced media service user experience in accordance with
`the invention;
`
`[0009] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating exem-
`plary user interface pages for a user to interactively navigate
`and select titles stored in a jukebox connected to the home
`network; and
`
`[0010] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram summarizing the opera-
`tion of the home entertainment system for a user to view
`titles stored in the video jukebox through the home network.
`
`6
`
`

`
`US 2005/0132405 A1
`
`Jun. 16, 2005
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`[0011] Turning to the drawings, wherein like reference
`numerals refer to like elements, the invention is illustrated as
`being implemented in a suitable computing environment.
`Although not required, the invention will be described in the
`general context of computer-executable instructions, such as
`program modules, being executed by a personal computer.
`Generally, program modules include routines, programs,
`objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform par-
`ticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
`Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
`invention may be practiced with other computer system
`configurations, including hand-held devices, multi-proces-
`sor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable con-
`sumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe
`computers, and the like. The invention may be practiced in
`distributed computing environments where tasks are per-
`formed by remote processing devices that are linked through
`a communications network.
`In a distributed computing
`environment, program modules may be located in both local
`and remote memory storage devices.
`
`[0012] The following description begins with a descrip-
`tion of a general-purpose computing device that may imple-
`ment components of a home network of the invention for
`integrating data access and home entertainment. The home
`entertainment architecture of the invention that enables the
`
`viewing of titles stored in a jukebox on display devices such
`as televisions at different locations in the home will be
`
`described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2-4.
`Turning now to FIG. 1, a general purpose computing device
`is shown in the form of a conventional personal computer
`20, including a processing unit 21, a system memory 22, and
`a system bus 23 that couples various system components
`including the system memory to the processing unit 21. The
`system bus 23 may be any of several types of bus structures
`including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral
`bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architec-
`tures. The system memory includes read only memory
`(ROM) 24 and random access memory (RAM) 25. Abasic
`input/output system (BIOS) 26, containing the basic routines
`that help to transfer information between elements within
`the personal computer 20, such as during start-up, is stored
`in ROM 24. The personal computer 20 further includes a
`hard disk drive 27 for reading from and writing to a hard disk
`60, a magnetic disk drive 28 for reading from or writing to
`a removable magnetic disk 29, and an optical disk drive 30
`for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk 31
`such as a CD ROM or other optical media.
`
`[0013] The hard disk drive 27, magnetic disk drive 28, and
`optical disk drive 30 are connected to the system bus 23 by
`a hard disk drive interface 32, a magnetic disk drive inter-
`face 33, and an optical disk drive interface 34, respectively.
`The drives and their associated computer-readable media
`provide nonvolatile storage of computer readable instruc-
`tions, data structures, program modules and other data for
`the personal computer 20. Although the exemplary environ-
`ment described herein employs a hard disk 60, a removable
`magnetic disk 29, and a removable optical disk 31, it will be
`appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of
`computer readable media which can store data that
`is
`accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash
`memory cards, digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges,
`
`random access memories, read only memories, storage area
`networks, and the like may also be used in the exemplary
`operating environment.
`
`[0014] A number of program modules may be stored on
`the hard disk 60, magnetic disk 29, optical disk 31, ROM 24
`or RAM 25, including an operating system 35, one or more
`applications programs 36, other program modules 37, and
`program data 38. Auser may enter commands and informa-
`tion into the personal computer 20 through input devices
`such as a keyboard 40 and a pointing device 42. Other input
`devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick,
`game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other
`input devices are often connected to the processing unit 21
`through a serial port interface 46 that is coupled to the
`system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such
`as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB)
`or a network interface card. A monitor 47 or other type of
`display device is also connected to the system bus 23 via an
`interface, such as a video adapter 48. In addition to the
`monitor, personal computers typically include other periph-
`eral output devices, not shown, such as speakers and print-
`ers.
`
`[0015] The personal computer 20 may operate in a net-
`worked environment 11sing logical connections to one or
`more remote computers, such as a remote computer 49. The
`remote computer 49 may be another personal computer, a
`server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other
`common network node, and typically includes many or all of
`the elements described above relative to the personal com-
`puter 20, although only a memory storage device 50 has
`been illustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted
`in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 51 and a wide
`area network 52. Such networking environments are
`commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer net-
`works, intranets and the Internet.
`
`[0016] When used in a LAN networking environment, the
`personal computer 20 is connected to the local network 51
`through a network interface or adapter 53. When used in a
`WAN networking environment, the personal computer 20
`typically includes a modem 54 or other means for establish-
`ing communications over the WAN 52. The modem 54,
`which may be internal or external, is connected to the system
`bus 23 via the serial port
`interface 46.
`In a networked
`environment, program modules depicted relative to the
`personal computer 20, or portions thereof, may be stored in
`the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated
`that the network connections shown are exemplary and other
`means of establishing a communications link between the
`computers may be used.
`
`In the description that follows, the invention will
`[0017]
`be described with reference to acts and symbolic represen-
`tations of operations that are performed by one or more
`computers, unless indicated otherwise. As such, it will be
`understood that such acts and operations, which are at times
`referred to as being computer-executed, include the manipu-
`lation by the processing unit of the computer of electrical
`signals representing data in a structured form. This manipu-
`lation transforms the data or maintains it at locations in the
`
`memory system of the computer, which reconfigures or
`otherwise alters the operation of the computer in a manner
`well understood by those skilled in the art. The data struc-
`tures where data is maintained are physical locations of the
`
`7
`
`

`
`US 2005/0132405 A1
`
`Jun. 16, 2005
`
`memory that have particular properties defined by the format
`of the data. However, while the invention is being described
`in the foregoing context, it is not meant to be limiting as
`those of skill in the art will appreciate that various ones of
`the acts and operations described hereinafter may also be
`implemented in hardware.
`
`[0018] Referring now to FIG. 2, the present invention is
`directed to an integration of a home network 70 with home
`entertainment components to provide enhanced home enter-
`tainment[SA2] experience. In particular, the present invention
`provides a home entertainment system based on a home
`network that enables a user to select and view titles stored
`
`in a jukebox 80 on televisions 82, 84 or other display devices
`or audio playback systems located[SA3] at different places in
`the house without the need for direct analog signal connec-
`tions to the jukebox. As used herein, the term “jukebox”
`means a video/audio playback device that provides physical
`storage space for multiple storage medium units and has the
`mechanism for picking out each storage medium unit and
`retrieving the digital data on that storage medium unit. The
`storage medium units may be, for instance, Digital Video
`Discs (DVD’s), Compact Discs (CD’s), etc., and storage
`units of other formats that may be developed in the future,
`such as optical discs for high-definition video signals. In the
`following description,
`the invention will be described in
`connection with an embodiment in which the jukebox is a
`DVD jukebox 80 and has a plurality of DVD’s 68 stored
`therein. It will be appreciated, however, that a DVD jukebox
`is only one example, and jukeboxes for other types of
`storage media for video/audio signals may also be used in
`the home entertainment system in accordance with the
`invention.
`
`the home
`In the example illustrated in FIG. 2,
`[0019]
`network 70 connects devices for work and entertainment
`
`functions. For instance, a productivity station 72, which may
`be located in the study room of the house, includes a desktop
`personal computer 74 that may be connected to the home
`network via wired or wireless connections. An entertainment
`
`center 76, which may be located in the family room, contains
`video/audio equipment
`including a
`television 82. As
`described in greater detail below, the television 82 has a
`television client component 86 that is connected to the home
`network 70. Another television 84, which may be located in
`the bedroom, is also connected to the home network 70 by
`its media client component 88. In a preferred embodiment,
`the home network is built on an IP-based Ethernet network
`
`104. The home network 70 may also have wireless devices
`connected thereto. To that end,
`the home network 70
`includes one (or more) wireless access point
`96 that
`functions as the base station for a wireless local area network
`
`(LAN) and is typically plugged into an Ethernet hub or
`server. The wireless communications allows a user to move
`
`around the house with her mobile device without losing
`connection to the home network. The wireless devices
`
`include, for example, a notebook computer 90, a tablet PC
`92, a PDA 94, etc.
`
`In accordance with a feature of the invention, the
`[0020]
`home network further includes a media server 100 and a
`
`jukebox 80. The media server and the jukebox may be
`located, for instance, in an equipment room. In a preferred
`embodiment,
`the media server 100 is implemented in a
`personal computer. Alternatively, the media server may be a
`dedicated microprocessor-based device, similar to a set-top
`
`box, with adequate hardware and software implementing
`media service related functions. The media server 100 may
`be connected to various video/audio signal sources, such as
`a tuner 102, which may receive signals from different carries
`such as satellite, terrestrial, or cable (broadband) connec-
`tions. The media server 100 is preferably provided with
`capabilities to access the Internet 110. In the illustrated
`embodiment, the media server is connected to an Internet
`gateway device (IGD) 106, which may be connected to the
`Internet via cable or a phone line (i.e., publicly switched
`telephone network (PSTN)). In the illustrated example, the
`Internet gateway device 106 is also used by the personal
`computer 74 in the productivity station 72 to access the
`Internet 110.
`
`[0021] The media server 100 enables integration of the
`home entertainment components/devices with the home
`network 70 to provide enhanced home automation experi-
`ence. In particular, in accordance with the invention, the
`media server 100 enables the contents of the jukebox 80 to
`be selected and viewed on display devices at different
`locations in the house. The display devices include the
`televisions 82 and 84, and may include other devices that
`present a suitable image for viewing, such as the personal
`computer 74, the notebook 90, the tablet PC 92, and the PDA
`96. To that end, the jukebox 80 is connected to the media
`server 100 via a two-way digital link 112 to allow the media
`server to communicate with and control the jukebox. The
`two-way digital link 112 may be, for example, a “firewire”
`connection based on the IEEE 1394 standard, or a Universal
`
`Serial Bus (USB) connection[SA4].
`
`[0022] The media server 100 functions as a proxy for the
`jukebox 80 to allow the jukebox to be discovered and
`controlled by other devices connected to the home network
`70, such as the media clients 86, 88 of the televisions 82, 84,
`as described in greater detail below. Upon loading of the
`DVD jukebox 80, the media server 100 queries the DVD
`jukebox 80 to check every loaded DVD title in the jukebox,
`and generates a rich set of user interface data that includes
`metadata to provide information about the loaded titles that
`can be used to assist a user to easily and simply navigate and
`select the titles. To that end, the media server 100 preferably
`has access to the Internet 110. For each title stored in the
`
`the media server 100 may go to a
`DVD jukebox 80,
`predefined title information server 120 on the Internet 110
`and retrieve information (i.e., meta data) regarding that
`particular title, if the information is available. In one imple-
`mentation, the media server retrieves a predefined number of
`the initial bits on each DVD, and uses a hash of those bits
`as an identification of the title when it goes to the informa-
`tion server 120 for information about that title. In a preferred
`embodiment,
`the media server 100 then uses the down-
`loaded information to build a user-friendly directory 116 of
`the titles loaded in the DVD jukebox 80. The title directory
`116 is stored in a cache 118 of the media server. Upon
`demand by a user situated in front of a television 82, the
`media server sends the title directory 116 and other user
`interface data to the media client 86 of the television for
`
`display on the television to allow the user to interactively
`navigate the titles and select a title for playback. The use of
`information downloaded from the Internet 110 for the titles
`
`in the jukebox 80 allows the media server 100 to present a
`user interface with rich information. Moreover,
`the title
`directory compiled by the media server may include “hot-
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`links” to the Internet for augmenting the DVD titles with
`related information on websites.
`
`[0023] When the user selects a title for viewing, the media
`server 100 controls the DVD jukebox 80 to read the contents
`on the DVD for that title, and transmits the contents to the
`media client of the display device (e.g., a television) being
`viewed by the user via the home network. In a preferred
`embodiment, the media server 100 performs any necessary
`changes and conversions, such as transcoding, transcripting,
`and/or adaptations, on the contents data to put the data in an
`optimal format for either transmission over home network or
`for viewing on the given display device. “Transcoding”
`generally refers to changing the encoding of the data. For
`instance, the media server 100 may transcode the MPEG2
`data read from the DVD into another format, such as
`WMV9,
`that uses a more efficient encoding method to
`reduce the amount of data to be transmitted over the home
`
`network by a factor of 3. “Transcripting” refers generally to
`changing the data encryption from one security scheme
`(e.g., over a digital link) to another (e.g., over the home IP
`network). The media server 100 may transcript the contents
`of the digital signal from one content protection scheme as
`it arrives from the jukebox to an appropriate protection
`scheme for transmission over the IP home network, so that
`the content continues with the protection level intended by
`the publisher of the content. In contrast to transcoding and
`transcripting, “adaptations” may generally be applied to the
`contents data to suit the characteristics of the target device.
`For example, the adaptation may include mapping from one
`aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9) to another (e.g., 4:3) using some user
`specified policies, or converting the resolution from high-
`definition (e.g., 1920><1080i)
`to standard-definition (e.g.,
`640><480i). In addition to adapting contents of the DVD’s,
`the media server may also adapt the user interface pages it
`has compiled to better fit the display of the device invoking
`the “jukebox” functionality and then transmit the adapted
`pages to the display device. The various types of conver-
`sions applied to the contents data may be performed auto-
`matically or according to predefined policies set by the user.
`[0024] Still referring to FIG. 2, each of the televisions 82,
`84 has a media client 86, 88 that is connected to the home
`network 70 to enable the user to invoke the functionality of
`the media server[SA8]. It is expected that the media client
`components will be integrated natively with future digital
`televisions. The media client 86, 88 is programmed to
`present interactive user interface screens in the form or
`menu screens on different levels according to the selections
`made by the user in each menu page. On any television in
`the house that has a media client device connected to the
`home network 70 and a remote control 122, a user can
`invoke the viewing the jukebox directory and select a
`specific title for obtaining more information or for viewing
`on the television. It will be appreciated that a similar media
`client component may be provided for any other device with
`a display, such as a PDA (would be a software component
`in this case) or a computer,
`to utilize the functionality
`provided by the media server 100. The media client of a
`television is preferably built into the television set, as in the
`case of the television 82. Alternatively, the media client for
`a television may be an outboard device, similar to a set-top
`box, that drives conventional televisions with analog video/
`audio signals, as in the case of the television 84. Each media
`client 86 or 88 is programmed to automatically discover the
`jukebox 80 that is proxied by the media server 100 on the
`
`home network 70. When it discovers the existence of the
`jukebox 80, it populates a local menu with the “jukebox”
`option that can be selected by the user by pressing buttons
`on the remote control 122.
`
`[0025] Turning now to FIG. 3, in one exemplary imple-
`mentation, the local menu of the media client has a starting
`page 126 that presents a menu option 128 of “media server.”
`When the user viewing the television 82 uses the remote
`control to select that option, the media client receives the
`command and displays the next menu page 130 that includes
`the option 132 of “DVD jukebox.” When the user selects the
`“jukebox” option, the media client 86 connects to the media
`server 100 and retrieves the user interface data, including an
`up-to-date title directory 116,
`that was compiled by the
`media server and saved in its cache 118 for instant avail-
`
`ability. The media client 86 then displays the interface pages
`for the jukebox for viewing by the user to enable the user to
`navigate through the titles of the discs loaded in the jukebox.
`For example, the starting menu page 136 for the jukebox
`may contain options such as navigating the title library,
`viewing meta information for the titles, adapting presenta-
`tion, etc. When the user selects one option, the media client
`86 then displays the menu page on the next
`level. For
`instance, if the user selects “adapting presentation,” the next
`menu page 140 presents options of adapting the presentation
`according to network characteristics or television (or dis-
`play) characteristics. When the user selects the option of
`adapting based on display characteristics, the next page 144
`allows the user to select adaptation policies, such as specifics
`of conversion from 4:3 to 16:9, etc. When the user selects the
`“Navigate Library” option in the page 136, the next menu
`page 146 may present a list of categories based on the
`contents of the titles, such as “kids,”“drama,”“action,” etc.
`Moreover, for a given title, the user interface page 150 may
`present a “hotlink”152 that links to additional information
`for that title on the Internet 110. In a preferred embodiment,
`the media client has built-in web browser functionality. If
`the user selects the hotlink 152, the media client 86 down-
`loads the information at that link from the Internet and
`
`displays the additional information on the television 82 for
`viewing by the user[SA9].
`[0026] The operations of the media server 100, DVD
`jukebox 80, and media client 86 for allowing the viewing of
`titles stored in the DVD jukebox on televisions connected to
`the home work are summarized in FIG. 4. Upon loading of
`the DVD jukebox (step 160), the media server queries the
`jukebox to check the titles loaded in the jukebox (step 162),
`and generates a directory of the loaded titles (step 168). This
`may involve going to certain websites on the Internet to
`retrieve meta information for each of the titles (step 166).
`When the user invokes the jukebox functionality through the
`local menu presented on the television by the media client
`(step 170),
`the media client retrieves the title directory
`compiled by the media server and displays the directory as
`a sequence of interactive user interface menus for navigation
`and selection by the user (step 172).lSA10J When the user
`selects to view a title (step 180), the media client sends the
`request to the media server, and the media server controls the
`DVD jukebox to retrieve the contents for that title (step
`182). If any content adaptation or transcoding is required
`(step 186),
`the media server performs the adaptation or
`transcoding (step 186), and sends the resultant data over the
`home network to the media client (step 188), which then
`displays the contents on the television (step 190).
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`In view of the many possible embodiments to
`[0027]
`which the principles of this invention may be applied,
`it
`should be recognized that the embodiments described herein
`with respect to the drawing figures are meant to be illustra-
`tive only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the
`invention. Therefore, the invention as described herein con-
`templates all such embodiments as may come within the
`scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.
`What is claimed is:
`
`1. Acomputer-readable medium having computer-execut-
`able instructions for a media server residing on a home
`network to perform steps comprising:
`
`11. A computer-readable medium having computer-ex-
`ecutable instructions for a media client residing on a home
`network and connected