US20160156992A1 - Providing Information Associated with a Media Item - Google Patents

Abstract

Examples described herein involve providing for display while a media item is being played by a media playback system, information associated with the media item. The information may be additional to information provided on a control interface for controlling the media playback system. In one example, a computing device may receive data indicating a media item being played by a playback device of a media playback system, and based on the data indicating the media item, transmit to one or more media information sources, a request for information associated with the media item. The computing device may then receive from the one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item, and provide for display on a graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
• The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, to methods, systems, products, features, services, and other elements directed to media playback or some aspect thereof.
BACKGROUND
• Options for accessing and listening to digital audio in an out-loud setting were limited until in 2003, when SONOS, Inc. filed for one of its first patent applications, entitled “Method for Synchronizing Audio Playback between Multiple Networked Devices,” and began offering a media playback system for sale in 2005. The Sonos Wireless HiFi System enables people to experience music from a plethora of sources via one or more networked playback devices. Through a software control application installed on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, one can play what he or she wants in any room that has a networked playback device. Additionally, using the controller, for example, different songs can be streamed to each room with a playback device, rooms can be grouped together for synchronous playback, or the same song can be heard in all rooms synchronously.
• Given the ever growing interest in digital media, there continues to be a need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhance the listening experience.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technology may be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
• FIG. 1 shows an example media playback system configuration in which certain embodiments may be practiced;
• FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of an example playback device;
• FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of an example control device;
• FIG. 4 shows an example controller interface;
• FIG. 5 shows an example media playback system environment;
• FIG. 6 shows an example flow diagram of a method for providing information associated with a media item; and
• FIG. 7 shows an example display of information associated with a media item.
• The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating example embodiments, but it is understood that the inventions are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONI. Overview
• During playback of a media item by a media playback system, some information associated with the media item may be provided on a control device used to manage and control the media playback system. For instance, a track title, a name of an artist, an album title, and/or album artwork associated with the media item being played may be displayed on a control interface provided on a graphical display of the control device. In some cases, however, the information provided on the graphical display of the control device may be limited due to an amount of display space available on the graphical display, and/or an amount of information that is available for display. As such, to enhance an experience of the media item, additional information associated with the media item may be provided on an additional graphical display, while the media playback system is playing the media item.
• Some examples described herein involve providing for display, information associated with the media item that is additional to the information provided on the control interface of the control device while the media item is being played by the media playback system. In one example, a computing device may receive data indicating a media item being played by a playback device of a media playback system, and based on the data indicating the media item, transmit to one or more media information sources, a request for information associated with the media item. Subsequently, the computing device may receive from the one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item, and provide for display on a graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information. In one case, functions of the computing device for providing the information associated with the media item may be performed by a software application installed on the computing device.
• In one case, the computing device may be a network device that is in communication with the media playback system playing the media item, the graphical display, and one or more media information sources. When the media playback system is playing, or is about to play the media item, the computing device may receive from one or more devices in the media playback system, the data indicating the media item. In one case, the computing device may subscribe to data indicating media items being played by the media playback system, and may accordingly receive data from the media playback system when the media playback system is playing, or is about to play a media item. In another case, the computing device may receive the data after transmitting to the media playback system, a request for the data. Other examples are also possible.
• The data indicating the media item may include metadata associated with the media item, such as a track title, an artist name, an album name, a genre, and/or a track identification of the media item for a corresponding streaming media service, among other possibilities. In one case, the metadata associated with the media item may have been provided to the media playback system by the service provider from which the media playback system is streaming the media item.
• The computing device may then transmit to the one or more media information sources, a request for information based on the data indicating the media item, and subsequently, receive from the one or more servers associated with the one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item. For instance, the computing device may transmit to the one or more media information sources, a request for information on the artist associated with the media item, and subsequently receive information on the artist, such as a biography of the artist.
• The one or more media information source may include one or more of a service provider from which the media item is being streamed, a service provider from which the media item is available, a media information aggregation service, a social network interface, and a server associated with the media playback system.
• In one example, the computing device may transmit the request for information to each of the one or more media information sources at substantially the same time. In another example, the computing device may transmit the request for information to each of the one or more media information sources sequentially according to an information source priority corresponding to each respective media information source. For instance, a first media information source of the one or more media information sources may have a higher information source priority than a second media information source of the one or more media information sources. In such a case, the computing device may first send to the first media information source, a first request for information associated with the media item. Then, after receiving data from the first media information source in response to the first request, the computing device may send to the second media information source, a second request for information associated with the media item not already indicated by the data received from the first media information source. Other examples are also possible.
• Upon receiving the data indicating information associated with the media item, the computing device may cause for display on the graphical display in communication with the computing device, representations of at least a portion of the information. In one example, the display of the representations may be provided according to a display template.
• For instance, a first region of the graphical display may display information relating to a zone or zone group within which the media item is playing, a second region of the graphical display may display information relating to one or more social media feeds associated with the media item, a third region of the graphical display may display information relating to trivia associated with the media item, and a fourth region of the graphical display may display information relating to song lyrics of the media item, among other possibilities.
• As such, in one example, the computing device may, as part of causing for display the representations of at least the portion of the information, process the data indicating the information to categorize the information based on the display template. In one case, the computing device may process the data by parsing the information and determining a category of the information. For instance, if a first portion of the information indicates social media feeds relating to the artist of the media item, representations of the first portion of information may be provided for display in the second region of the graphical display.
• In another case, the computing device may process the data based on a source of the data. For instance, if a second portion of the information is received from a media information source that provides song lyrics for media items, representations of the second portion of the information may be provided for display in the fourth region of the graphical display. Other examples are also possible.
• A fifth region of the graphical display may display information relating to the particular media item, such as track title, artist name, album name, and/or album art, among other possibilities. The information displayed in the second region may include information also displayed on the controller interface of the control device while the media item is playing.
• In one example, the computing device may further request from the one or more media information sources, information associated with a next media item that is to be played by the media playback system upon completing playback of the media item being played by the media playback system. In one case, the computing device may also cause the graphical display to display in a sixth region of the graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information associated with the next media item. Other examples are also possible.
• In one example, the computing device may provide for display on the graphical display representations of at least the portions of the information after all data indicating the information has been received, and processed. In another example, the computing device may provide for display on the graphical display, representations of at least the portions of the information as data indicating the information is received, and processed. For instance, if data indicating song lyrics of the media item is received and processed before data indicating trivia associated with the media item, the song lyrics may be displayed in the fourth region before the trivia associated with the media item is displayed in the third region. Other examples are also possible.
• As indicated above, the present discussions involve receiving and providing for display, information associated with the media item. In one aspect, a computing device is provided. The computing device includes a processor and memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functions include receiving data indicating a media item being played by a playback device of a media playback system, based on the data indicating the media item, transmitting to one or more media information sources, a request for information associated with the media item, receiving from the one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item, and while the playback device is playing the media item, providing for display on a graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information.
• In another aspect, a method is provided. The method involves receiving by a computing device, data indicating a media item being played by a playback device of a media playback system, based on the data indicating the media item, transmitting from the computing device to one or more media information sources, a request for information associated with the media item, receiving by the computing device from the one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item, and while the playback device is playing the media item, providing by the computing device for display on a graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information.
• In a further aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer readable medium has stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions. The functions include receiving data indicating a media item being played by a playback device of a media playback system, based on the data indicating the media item, transmitting to one or more media information sources, a request for information associated with the media item, receiving from the one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item, and while the playback device is playing the media item, providing for display on a graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information.
• While some examples described herein may refer to functions performed by given actors such as “users” and/or other entities, it should be understood that this is for purposes of explanation only. The claims should not be interpreted to require action by any such example actor unless explicitly required by the language of the claims themselves. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that this disclosure includes numerous other embodiments.
II. Example Operating Environment
• FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of amedia playback system100 in which one or more embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced or implemented. Themedia playback system100 as shown is associated with an example home environment having several rooms and spaces, such as for example, a master bedroom, an office, a dining room, and a living room. As shown in the example ofFIG. 1, themedia playback system100 includes playback devices102-124,control devices126 and128, and a wired orwireless network router130.
• Further discussions relating to the different components of the examplemedia playback system100 and how the different components may interact to provide a user with a media experience may be found in the following sections. While discussions herein may generally refer to the examplemedia playback system100, technologies described herein are not limited to applications within, among other things, the home environment as shown inFIG. 1. For instance, the technologies described herein may be useful in environments where multi-zone audio may be desired, such as, for example, a commercial setting like a restaurant, mall or airport, a vehicle like a sports utility vehicle (SUV), bus or car, a ship or boat, an airplane, and so on.
• a. Example Playback Devices
• FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of anexample playback device200 that may be configured to be one or more of the playback devices102-124 of themedia playback system100 ofFIG. 1. Theplayback device200 may include aprocessor202,software components204,memory206,audio processing components208, audio amplifier(s)210, speaker(s)212, microphone(s)220, and anetwork interface214 including wireless interface(s)216 and wired interface(s)218. In one case, theplayback device200 may not include the speaker(s)212, but rather a speaker interface for connecting theplayback device200 to external speakers. In another case, theplayback device200 may include neither the speaker(s)212 nor the audio amplifier(s)210, but rather an audio interface for connecting theplayback device200 to an external audio amplifier or audio-visual receiver.
• In one example, theprocessor202 may be a clock-driven computing component configured to process input data according to instructions stored in thememory206. Thememory206 may be a tangible computer-readable medium configured to store instructions executable by theprocessor202. For instance, thememory206 may be data storage that can be loaded with one or more of thesoftware components204 executable by theprocessor202 to achieve certain functions. In one example, the functions may involve theplayback device200 retrieving audio data from an audio source or another playback device. In another example, the functions may involve theplayback device200 sending audio data to another device or playback device on a network. In yet another example, the functions may involve pairing of theplayback device200 with one or more playback devices to create a multi-channel audio environment.
• Certain functions may involve theplayback device200 synchronizing playback of audio content with one or more other playback devices. During synchronous playback, a listener will preferably not be able to perceive time-delay differences between playback of the audio content by theplayback device200 and the one or more other playback devices. U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395 entitled, “System and method for synchronizing operations among a plurality of independently clocked digital data processing devices,” which is hereby incorporated by reference, provides in more detail some examples for audio playback synchronization among playback devices.
• Thememory206 may further be configured to store data associated with theplayback device200, such as one or more zones and/or zone groups theplayback device200 is a part of, audio sources accessible by theplayback device200, or a playback queue that the playback device200 (or some other playback device) may be associated with. The data may be stored as one or more state variables that are periodically updated and used to describe the state of theplayback device200. Thememory206 may also include the data associated with the state of the other devices of the media system, and shared from time to time among the devices so that one or more of the devices have the most recent data associated with the system. Other embodiments are also possible.
• Theaudio processing components208 may include one or more of digital-to-analog converters (DAC), analog-to-digital converters (ADC), audio preprocessing components, audio enhancement components, and a digital signal processor (DSP), among others. In one embodiment, one or more of theaudio processing components208 may be a subcomponent of theprocessor202. In one example, audio content may be processed and/or intentionally altered by theaudio processing components208 to produce audio signals. The produced audio signals may then be provided to the audio amplifier(s)210 for amplification and playback through speaker(s)212. Particularly, the audio amplifier(s)210 may include devices configured to amplify audio signals to a level for driving one or more of thespeakers212. The speaker(s)212 may include an individual transducer (e.g., a “driver”) or a complete speaker system involving an enclosure with one or more drivers. A particular driver of the speaker(s)212 may include, for example, a subwoofer (e.g., for low frequencies), a mid-range driver (e.g., for middle frequencies), and/or a tweeter (e.g., for high frequencies). In some cases, each transducer in the one ormore speakers212 may be driven by an individual corresponding audio amplifier of the audio amplifier(s)210. In addition to producing analog signals for playback by theplayback device200, theaudio processing components208 may be configured to process audio content to be sent to one or more other playback devices for playback.
• Audio content to be processed and/or played back by theplayback device200 may be received from an external source, such as via an audio line-in input connection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-in connection) or thenetwork interface214.
• The microphone(s)220 may include an audio sensor configured to convert detected sounds into electrical signals. The electrical signal may be processed by theaudio processing components208 and/or theprocessor202. The microphone(s)220 may be positioned in one or more orientations at one or more locations on theplayback device200. The microphone(s)220 may be configured to detect sound within one or more frequency ranges. In one case, one or more of the microphone(s)220 may be configured to detect sound within a frequency range of audio that theplayback device200 is capable or rendering. In another case, one or more of the microphone(s)220 may be configured to detect sound within a frequency range audible to humans. Other examples are also possible.
• Thenetwork interface214 may be configured to facilitate a data flow between theplayback device200 and one or more other devices on a data network. As such, theplayback device200 may be configured to receive audio content over the data network from one or more other playback devices in communication with theplayback device200, network devices within a local area network, or audio content sources over a wide area network such as the Internet. In one example, the audio content and other signals transmitted and received by theplayback device200 may be transmitted in the form of digital packet data containing an Internet Protocol (IP)-based source address and IP-based destination addresses. In such a case, thenetwork interface214 may be configured to parse the digital packet data such that the data destined for theplayback device200 is properly received and processed by theplayback device200.
• As shown, thenetwork interface214 may include wireless interface(s)216 and wired interface(s)218. The wireless interface(s)216 may provide network interface functions for theplayback device200 to wirelessly communicate with other devices (e.g., other playback device(s), speaker(s), receiver(s), network device(s), control device(s) within a data network theplayback device200 is associated with) in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., any wireless standard including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobile communication standard, and so on). The wired interface(s)218 may provide network interface functions for theplayback device200 to communicate over a wired connection with other devices in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3). While thenetwork interface214 shown inFIG. 2 includes both wireless interface(s)216 and wired interface(s)218, thenetwork interface214 may in some embodiments include only wireless interface(s) or only wired interface(s).
• In one example, theplayback device200 and one other playback device may be paired to play two separate audio components of audio content. For instance,playback device200 may be configured to play a left channel audio component, while the other playback device may be configured to play a right channel audio component, thereby producing or enhancing a stereo effect of the audio content. The paired playback devices (also referred to as “bonded playback devices”) may further play audio content in synchrony with other playback devices.
• In another example, theplayback device200 may be sonically consolidated with one or more other playback devices to form a single, consolidated playback device. A consolidated playback device may be configured to process and reproduce sound differently than an unconsolidated playback device or playback devices that are paired, because a consolidated playback device may have additional speaker drivers through which audio content may be rendered. For instance, if theplayback device200 is a playback device designed to render low frequency range audio content (i.e. a subwoofer), theplayback device200 may be consolidated with a playback device designed to render full frequency range audio content. In such a case, the full frequency range playback device, when consolidated with the lowfrequency playback device200, may be configured to render only the mid and high frequency components of audio content, while the low frequencyrange playback device200 renders the low frequency component of the audio content. The consolidated playback device may further be paired with a single playback device or yet another consolidated playback device.
• By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. presently offers (or has offered) for sale certain playback devices including a “PLAY:1,” “PLAY:3,” “PLAY:5,” “PLAYBAR,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any other past, present, and/or future playback devices may additionally or alternatively be used to implement the playback devices of example embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, it is understood that a playback device is not limited to the example illustrated inFIG. 2 or to the SONOS product offerings. For example, a playback device may include a wired or wireless headphone. In another example, a playback device may include or interact with a docking station for personal mobile media playback devices. In yet another example, a playback device may be integral to another device or component such as a television, a lighting fixture, or some other device for indoor or outdoor use.
• b. Example Playback Zone Configurations
• Referring back to themedia playback system100 ofFIG. 1, the environment may have one or more playback zones, each with one or more playback devices. Themedia playback system100 may be established with one or more playback zones, after which one or more zones may be added, or removed to arrive at the example configuration shown inFIG. 1. Each zone may be given a name according to a different room or space such as an office, bathroom, master bedroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room, living room, and/or balcony. In one case, a single playback zone may include multiple rooms or spaces. In another case, a single room or space may include multiple playback zones.
• As shown inFIG. 1, the balcony, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, office, and bedroom zones each have one playback device, while the living room and master bedroom zones each have multiple playback devices. In the living room zone,playback devices104,106,108, and110 may be configured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playback devices, as one or more bonded playback devices, as one or more consolidated playback devices, or any combination thereof. Similarly, in the case of the master bedroom,playback devices122 and124 may be configured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playback devices, as a bonded playback device, or as a consolidated playback device.
• In one example, one or more playback zones in the environment ofFIG. 1 may each be playing different audio content. For instance, the user may be grilling in the balcony zone and listening to hip hop music being played by theplayback device102 while another user may be preparing food in the kitchen zone and listening to classical music being played by theplayback device114. In another example, a playback zone may play the same audio content in synchrony with another playback zone. For instance, the user may be in the office zone where theplayback device118 is playing the same rock music that is being playing byplayback device102 in the balcony zone. In such a case,playback devices102 and118 may be playing the rock music in synchrony such that the user may seamlessly (or at least substantially seamlessly) enjoy the audio content that is being played out-loud while moving between different playback zones.
• Synchronization among playback zones may be achieved in a manner similar to that of synchronization among playback devices, as described in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395.
• As suggested above, the zone configurations of themedia playback system100 may be dynamically modified, and in some embodiments, themedia playback system100 supports numerous configurations. For instance, if a user physically moves one or more playback devices to or from a zone, themedia playback system100 may be reconfigured to accommodate the change(s). For instance, if the user physically moves theplayback device102 from the balcony zone to the office zone, the office zone may now include both theplayback device118 and theplayback device102. Theplayback device102 may be paired or grouped with the office zone and/or renamed if so desired via a control device such as thecontrol devices126 and128. On the other hand, if the one or more playback devices are moved to a particular area in the home environment that is not already a playback zone, a new playback zone may be created for the particular area.
• Further, different playback zones of themedia playback system100 may be dynamically combined into zone groups or split up into individual playback zones. For instance, the dining room zone and thekitchen zone114 may be combined into a zone group for a dinner party such thatplayback devices112 and114 may render audio content in synchrony. On the other hand, the living room zone may be split into a television zone includingplayback device104, and a listening zone includingplayback devices106,108, and110, if the user wishes to listen to music in the living room space while another user wishes to watch television.
• c. Example Control Devices
• FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of anexample control device300 that may be configured to be one or both of thecontrol devices126 and128 of themedia playback system100. As shown, thecontrol device300 may include aprocessor302,memory304, anetwork interface306, a user interface308, and microphone(s)310. In one example, thecontrol device300 may be a dedicated controller for themedia playback system100. In another example, thecontrol device300 may be a network device on which media playback system controller application software may be installed, such as for example, an iPhone™, iPad™ or any other smart phone, tablet or network device (e.g., a networked computer such as a PC or Mac™).
• Theprocessor302 may be configured to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of themedia playback system100. Thememory304 may be configured to store instructions executable by theprocessor302 to perform those functions. Thememory304 may also be configured to store the media playback system controller application software and other data associated with themedia playback system100 and the user.
• The microphone(s)310 may include an audio sensor configured to convert detected sounds into electrical signals. The electrical signal may be processed by theprocessor302. In one case, if thecontrol device300 is a device that may also be used as a means for voice communication or voice recording, one or more of the microphone(s)310 may be a microphone for facilitating those functions. For instance, the one or more of the microphone(s)310 may be configured to detect sound within a frequency range that a human is capable of producing and/or a frequency range audible to humans. Other examples are also possible.
• In one example, thenetwork interface306 may be based on an industry standard (e.g., infrared, radio, wired standards including IEEE 802.3, wireless standards including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobile communication standard, and so on). Thenetwork interface306 may provide a means for thecontrol device300 to communicate with other devices in themedia playback system100. In one example, data and information (e.g., such as a state variable) may be communicated betweencontrol device300 and other devices via thenetwork interface306. For instance, playback zone and zone group configurations in themedia playback system100 may be received by thecontrol device300 from a playback device or another network device, or transmitted by thecontrol device300 to another playback device or network device via thenetwork interface306. In some cases, the other network device may be another control device.
• Playback device control commands such as volume control and audio playback control may also be communicated from thecontrol device300 to a playback device via thenetwork interface306. As suggested above, changes to configurations of themedia playback system100 may also be performed by a user using thecontrol device300. The configuration changes may include adding/removing one or more playback devices to/from a zone, adding/removing one or more zones to/from a zone group, forming a bonded or consolidated player, separating one or more playback devices from a bonded or consolidated player, among others. Accordingly, thecontrol device300 may sometimes be referred to as a controller, whether thecontrol device300 is a dedicated controller or a network device on which media playback system controller application software is installed.
• The user interface308 of thecontrol device300 may be configured to facilitate user access and control of themedia playback system100, by providing a controller interface such as thecontroller interface400 shown inFIG. 4. Thecontroller interface400 includes aplayback control region410, aplayback zone region420, aplayback status region430, aplayback queue region440, and an audiocontent sources region450. Theuser interface400 as shown is just one example of a user interface that may be provided on a network device such as thecontrol device300 ofFIG. 3 (and/or thecontrol devices126 and128 ofFIG. 1) and accessed by users to control a media playback system such as themedia playback system100. Other user interfaces of varying formats, styles, and interactive sequences may alternatively be implemented on one or more network devices to provide comparable control access to a media playback system.
• Theplayback control region410 may include selectable (e.g., by way of touch or by using a cursor) icons to cause playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to play or pause, fast forward, rewind, skip to next, skip to previous, enter/exit shuffle mode, enter/exit repeat mode, enter/exit cross fade mode. Theplayback control region410 may also include selectable icons to modify equalization settings, and playback volume, among other possibilities.
• Theplayback zone region420 may include representations of playback zones within themedia playback system100. In some embodiments, the graphical representations of playback zones may be selectable to bring up additional selectable icons to manage or configure the playback zones in the media playback system, such as a creation of bonded zones, creation of zone groups, separation of zone groups, and renaming of zone groups, among other possibilities.
• For example, as shown, a “group” icon may be provided within each of the graphical representations of playback zones. The “group” icon provided within a graphical representation of a particular zone may be selectable to bring up options to select one or more other zones in the media playback system to be grouped with the particular zone. Once grouped, playback devices in the zones that have been grouped with the particular zone will be configured to play audio content in synchrony with the playback device(s) in the particular zone. Analogously, a “group” icon may be provided within a graphical representation of a zone group. In this case, the “group” icon may be selectable to bring up options to deselect one or more zones in the zone group to be removed from the zone group. Other interactions and implementations for grouping and ungrouping zones via a user interface such as theuser interface400 are also possible. The representations of playback zones in theplayback zone region420 may be dynamically updated as playback zone or zone group configurations are modified.
• Theplayback status region430 may include graphical representations of audio content that is presently being played, previously played, or scheduled to play next in the selected playback zone or zone group. The selected playback zone or zone group may be visually distinguished on the user interface, such as within theplayback zone region420 and/or theplayback status region430. The graphical representations may include track title, artist name, album name, album year, track length, and other relevant information that may be useful for the user to know when controlling the media playback system via theuser interface400.
• Theplayback queue region440 may include graphical representations of audio content in a playback queue associated with the selected playback zone or zone group. In some embodiments, each playback zone or zone group may be associated with a playback queue containing information corresponding to zero or more audio items for playback by the playback zone or zone group. For instance, each audio item in the playback queue may comprise a uniform resource identifier (URI), a uniform resource locator (URL) or some other identifier that may be used by a playback device in the playback zone or zone group to find and/or retrieve the audio item from a local audio content source or a networked audio content source, possibly for playback by the playback device.
• In one example, a playlist may be added to a playback queue, in which case information corresponding to each audio item in the playlist may be added to the playback queue. In another example, audio items in a playback queue may be saved as a playlist. In a further example, a playback queue may be empty, or populated but “not in use” when the playback zone or zone group is playing continuously streaming audio content, such as Internet radio that may continue to play until otherwise stopped, rather than discrete audio items that have playback durations. In an alternative embodiment, a playback queue can include Internet radio and/or other streaming audio content items and be “in use” when the playback zone or zone group is playing those items. Other examples are also possible.
• When playback zones or zone groups are “grouped” or “ungrouped,” playback queues associated with the affected playback zones or zone groups may be cleared or re-associated. For example, if a first playback zone including a first playback queue is grouped with a second playback zone including a second playback queue, the established zone group may have an associated playback queue that is initially empty, that contains audio items from the first playback queue (such as if the second playback zone was added to the first playback zone), that contains audio items from the second playback queue (such as if the first playback zone was added to the second playback zone), or a combination of audio items from both the first and second playback queues. Subsequently, if the established zone group is ungrouped, the resulting first playback zone may be re-associated with the previous first playback queue, or be associated with a new playback queue that is empty or contains audio items from the playback queue associated with the established zone group before the established zone group was ungrouped. Similarly, the resulting second playback zone may be re-associated with the previous second playback queue, or be associated with a new playback queue that is empty, or contains audio items from the playback queue associated with the established zone group before the established zone group was ungrouped. Other examples are also possible.
• Referring back to theuser interface400 ofFIG. 4, the graphical representations of audio content in theplayback queue region440 may include track titles, artist names, track lengths, and other relevant information associated with the audio content in the playback queue. In one example, graphical representations of audio content may be selectable to bring up additional selectable icons to manage and/or manipulate the playback queue and/or audio content represented in the playback queue. For instance, a represented audio content may be removed from the playback queue, moved to a different position within the playback queue, or selected to be played immediately, or after any currently playing audio content, among other possibilities. A playback queue associated with a playback zone or zone group may be stored in a memory on one or more playback devices in the playback zone or zone group, on a playback device that is not in the playback zone or zone group, and/or some other designated device.
• The audiocontent sources region450 may include graphical representations of selectable audio content sources from which audio content may be retrieved and played by the selected playback zone or zone group. Discussions pertaining to audio content sources may be found in the following section.
• d. Example Audio Content Sources
• As indicated previously, one or more playback devices in a zone or zone group may be configured to retrieve for playback audio content (e.g. according to a corresponding URI or URL for the audio content) from a variety of available audio content sources. In one example, audio content may be retrieved by a playback device directly from a corresponding audio content source (e.g., a line-in connection). In another example, audio content may be provided to a playback device over a network via one or more other playback devices or network devices.
• Example audio content sources may include a memory of one or more playback devices in a media playback system such as themedia playback system100 ofFIG. 1, local music libraries on one or more network devices (such as a control device, a network-enabled personal computer, or a networked-attached storage (NAS), for example), streaming audio services providing audio content via the Internet (e.g., the cloud), or audio sources connected to the media playback system via a line-in input connection on a playback device or network devise, among other possibilities.
• In some embodiments, audio content sources may be regularly added or removed from a media playback system such as themedia playback system100 ofFIG. 1. In one example, an indexing of audio items may be performed whenever one or more audio content sources are added, removed or updated. Indexing of audio items may involve scanning for identifiable audio items in all folders/directory shared over a network accessible by playback devices in the media playback system, and generating or updating an audio content database containing metadata (e.g., title, artist, album, track length, among others) and other associated information, such as a URI or URL for each identifiable audio item found. Other examples for managing and maintaining audio content sources may also be possible.
• The above discussions relating to playback devices, control devices, playback zone configurations, and media item sources provide only some examples of operating environments within which functions and methods described below may be implemented. Other operating environments and configurations of media playback systems, playback devices, and network devices not explicitly described herein may also be applicable and suitable for implementation of the functions and methods.
III. Example Methods for Providing Information Associated with a Media Item
• As indicated above, discussions herein involve providing for display, information associated with a media item being played by a media playback system.FIG. 5 shows an example mediaplayback system environment500 within whichmethod600, as will be discussed below in connection toFIG. 6, may be performed. As shown, the mediaplayback system environment500 includes acomputing device510, amedia playback system508, agraphical display512, andservers522.
• Thecomputing device510 may be a network device that can be communicatively coupled to one or more other network devices via any suitable wired or wireless interface and protocol. For instance, thecomputing device510 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more other network devices via one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), near field communication (NFC), and Bluetooth, among other possibilities. In one example, thecomputing device510 may be communicatively coupled to themedia playback system508 via a LAN. In another example, thecomputing device510 may be communicatively coupled to theservers522 via both the LAN and a WAN. In a further example, thecomputing device510 may be coupled to thegraphical display512 via a wired. Other example configurations between thecomputing device510 and the one or more other devices are also possible.
• In one example, thecomputing device510 may be a component of a “smart TV” having thegraphical display512. In another example, thecomputing device510 may be a device that can be coupled to a television having the graphical display412. In one case, thecomputing device510 may be a dongle type device that can be coupled (i.e. plugged in) to the television via a universal serial bus (USB) interface and/or a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI). In another case, thecomputing device510 may be a set-top box type device that can be coupled to the television having thegraphical display512 via a USB interface, HDMI, or A/V cables, among other possibilities. In a further case, thecomputing device510 may be a personal computer, and the graphical display412 may be a display monitor for the personal computer. Whichever the case, thecomputing device510 may be configured to execute one or more applications for receiving and processing content to be displayed on thegraphical display512. Other examples are also possible.
• Themedia playback system508 includes aplayback device502, aplayback device504, and acontrol device506. In discussions herein, communication with themedia playback system508 may involve communication with one or more of theplayback device502, theplayback device504, and theplayback device506.
• Themedia playback system508 may be a variation or representative of themedia playback system100 shown in and described in connection toFIG. 1. Theplayback device502 and theplayback device504 may be similar to theplayback device200 shown in and described in connection toFIG. 2. Thecontrol device506 may be similar to thecontrol device300 shown in and described in connection toFIG. 3. As discussed previously, thefirst playback device506 and thesecond playback device508 may play a media item individually or play a media item in synchrony, as part of a playback zone, or as part of a zone group. Thecontrol device506 may be used to manage and control thefirst playback device506 and thesecond playback device508. Other examples are also possible.
• Theservers522 includeserver514,server516,server518, andserver520. Theservers522 may each be associated with a media information source from which data indicating information associated with media items may be received. For instance, theservers522 may include a server associated with a media service provider, a server associated with a social network, a server associated with an internet search engine, and/or a server associated with a media information aggregation service, among other possibilities. In one example, theserver514 may be a server associated with a streaming media service provider from which themedia playback system508 may be configured to receive the media item for playback. The streaming media service provider may also provide information associated with the media item, in addition to providing audio data streams of the media item. Themedia playback system508 may be communicatively coupled to theserver514 via a LAN and/or a WAN. Other examples are also possible.
• FIG. 6 shows an example flow diagram of amethod600 for providing information associated with a media item.Method600 presents an example of a method that can be implemented within an operating environment involving, for example, themedia playback system100 ofFIG. 1, one or more of theplayback device200 ofFIG. 2, one or more of thecontrol device300 ofFIG. 3, and/or the mediaplayback system environment500 ofFIG. 5. In one example, themethod600 may be performed in whole or in part by a computing device in communication with a media playback system. For instance, themethod600 may be performed by thecomputing device510 ofFIG. 5. In such a case, thecomputing device510 may have installed thereon a software application that includes instructions executable by a processor of thecomputing device510 to cause thecomputing device510 to perform the functions ofmethod600.
• Method600 may include one or more operations, functions, or actions as illustrated by one or more of blocks602-608. Although the blocks are illustrated in sequential order, these blocks may also be performed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those described herein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks, divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desired implementation. In addition, for themethod600 and other processes and methods disclosed herein, the flowchart shows functionality and operation of one possible implementation of present embodiments. In this regard, each block may represent a module, a segment, or a portion of program code, which includes one or more instructions executable by a processor for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. The program code may be stored on any type of computer readable medium, for example, such as a storage device including a disk or hard drive.
• The computer readable medium may include non-transitory computer readable medium, for example, such as computer-readable media that stores data for short periods of time like register memory, processor cache and Random Access Memory (RAM). The computer readable medium may also include non-transitory media, such as secondary or persistent long term storage, like read only memory (ROM), optical or magnetic disks, compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computer readable media may also be any other volatile or non-volatile storage systems. The computer readable medium may be considered a computer readable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device. In addition, for themethod600 and other processes and methods disclosed herein, each block may represent circuitry that is wired to perform the specific logical functions in the process.
• As shown inFIG. 6, themethod600 involves receiving data indicating a media item being played by a playback device of a media playback system atblock602, based on the data indicating the media item, transmitting to one or more media information sources, a request for information associated with the media item atblock604, receiving from the one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item atblock606, and while the playback device is playing the media item, providing for display on a graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information.
• a. Receiving Data Indicating a Media Item
• Atblock602, themethod600 involves receiving data indicating a media item being played by a playback device of a media playback system. Referring toFIG. 5, thecomputing device510 may receive data indicating a media item being played by one or both of theplayback devices502 and504 of themedia playback system508.
• The data indicating the media item may indicate one or more of a track title of the media item, an artist name associated with the media item, an album name associated with the media item, a genre associated with the media item, a track identification associated with the media item, and a service provider from which the media item is streamed. For instance, the data indicating the media item may include metadata associated with the media item. In one case, the track identification associated with the media item may be unique to the service provider from which the media item is being streamed. As such, a different track identification associated with the media item may exist for another service provider. Other examples are also possible.
• In one example, prior to receiving the data indicating the media item being played by the playback device, thecomputing device510 may have transmitted to one or more of the devices in themedia playback system510, a request for the data indicating the media item being played. In other words, the data indicating the media item may have been received by thecomputing device510 in response to a request for the data by the computing device.
• In another example, prior to receiving the data indicating the media item being played by the playback device, thecomputing device510 may have subscribed to receive data indicating media items being played by theplayback devices502 and/or504 in themedia playback system508. In one case, thecomputing device510 may have subscribed to receive data indicating media items being played by any of theplayback devices502 and504 in themedia playback system508. As such, one or more devices of themedia playback system508 may be configured to transmit to thecomputing device510, when one or both of theplayback devices502 and504 is playing a media item, data indicating the media item. As such, the data indicating the media item may be transmitted to and received by thecomputing device510 each time one or more of theplayback devices502 and504 begins playing a media item, or is about to play a media item.
• In another case, thecomputing device510 may have subscribed to receive only data indicating media items played by one of theplayback devices502 and504. For instance, thecomputing device510 may have subscribed to only receive data indicating media items played by theplayback device504. In such a case, thecomputing device510 may receive, when theplayback device504 is playing a media item, or is about to play the media item, data indicating the media item. On the other hand, thecomputing device510 may not receive data indicating media items being played by theplayback device502.
• In a further case, thecomputing device510 may have subscribed to a particular configuration of theplayback device502 and504. For instance, thecomputing device510 may have subscribed to only receive data indicating media items played by a zone group including both theplayback device502 and504. As such, thecomputing device510 may receive, when theplayback device502 and504 are synchronously playing a media item as a zone group, data indicating the media item being played by zone group of bothplayback devices502 and504. Other examples are also possible.
• In one example, thecomputing device510 may receive the data indicating the media item via a communication interface provided by a software application associated with the media playback system that is installed on thecomputing device510. As indicated previously, the software application may include instructions executable by a processor of thecomputing device510 to cause thecomputing device510 to perform the functions ofmethod600. In one case, thecomputing device510 may not receive any data indicating any media item being played by themedia playback system508 unless the software application is running. Accordingly, prior to receiving the data indicating the media item being played by the playback device, thecomputing device510 may receive a command to launch the software application.
• In one case, the command to launch the software application may be based on an input from a user of thecomputing device510. For instance, the software application may be launched when thecomputing device510 is powered on. In another case, the command to launch the software application may be based on an input from themedia playback system508. For instance, thecomputing device510 and devices of themedia playback system508 may both have implemented thereon a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol such that thecomputing device510 and the devices of themedia playback system508 are capable of discovering one another over a network (i.e. a LAN or WAN as described in connection toFIG. 5). In such a case, upon discovery of thecomputing device510 by one or more devices of themedia playback system508, themedia playback system508 may transmit to thecomputing device510, a command to launch the software application, and thecomputing device510 may responsively launch the software application. Alternatively, upon discovery of themedia playback system508 by thecomputing device510, thecomputing device510 may automatically launch the software application. Upon launching the software application, thecomputing device510 may transmit to one or more devices in the media playback system, such as theplayback device502, theplayback device504, or thecontrol device506, data indicating that the software application is running.
• In one example, thecomputing device510 may not already have the software application associated with themedia playback system508 installed thereon. In such a case, themedia playback system508, upon discovering thecomputing device510 may transmit to thecomputing device510, a command to launch the software application that further indicates a uniform resource identifier (URI) of where the software application can be downloaded. As such, thecomputing device510 may download the software application using the URI and install the software application before launching the software application.
• In one case, the URI may be included with all commands from themedia playback system508 to launch the software application. In another case, the command from themedia playback system508 to launch the software application may include the URI becausemedia playback system508 determined that the discoveredcomputing device510 does not have the software application installed. For instance, themedia playback system508 may maintain data identifying computing devices that have the software application installed. As such, if thecomputing device510 is not identified in the maintained data, the command to cause thecomputing device510 to launch the software application may accordingly indicate the URI. Other examples are also possible.
• In one example, if only theplayback device502 is playing the media item, thecomputing device510 may receive the data indicating the media item from theplayback device502 that is playing the media item. In another example, thecomputing device510 may receive the data indicating the media item from theplayback device504, even if theplayback device504 is not playing the media item. Thecomputing device510 may receive the data indicating the media item from theplayback device504 instead of theplayback device502 because (i) theplayback device504 has a more reliable communicative connection with the computing device510 (i.e. closer physical proximity, more robust wireless communication interface, etc.) than theplayback device502, (ii) theplayback device504 has more data processing bandwidth thanplayback device502, and/or (iii) theplayback device504 was the device of themedia playback system508 that received from thecomputing device510, a request for the data indicating the media item played by theplayback device502, among other possibilities.
• In one case, theplayback device502 and theplayback device504 may be playing the media item in synchrony, and thecomputing device510 may receive the data from one of theplayback device502 andplayback device504 playing the media item. For instance, thecomputing device510 may receive the data from theplayback device502 instead of theplayback device504. Thecomputing device510 may receive the data from theplayback device502 instead of theplayback device504 because (i) theplayback device502 is a group coordinator for the synchronous playback of the media item by bothplayback device502 andplayback device504, (ii) theplayback device502 has a more reliable communicative connection with the computing device510 (i.e. closer physical proximity, more robust wireless communication interface, etc.) thanplayback device504, (iii) theplayback device502 has more data processing bandwidth thanplayback device504, and/or (iv) theplayback device502 was the device of themedia playback system508 that received from thecomputing device510, a request for the data indicating the media item, among other possibilities.
• In one example, thecomputing device510 may receive the data indicating the media item from thecontrol device506 which can be used to control themedia playback system508. Thecomputing device510 may receive the data from thecontrol device506 instead of either of theplayback devices502 and504 because (i) thecontrol device506 has a more reliable communicative connection with the computing device510 (i.e. closer physical proximity, more robust wireless communication interface, etc.) thanplayback devices502 or504, (ii) thecontrol device506 has more data processing bandwidth thanplayback devices502 or504, and/or (iii) thecontrol device506 was the device of themedia playback system508 that received from thecomputing device510, a request for the data indicating the media item, among other possibilities. Other examples are also possible.
• b. Transmitting a Request for Information Associated with the Media Item
• Atblock604, themethod600 involves based on the data indicating the media item, transmitting to one or more media information sources, a request for information associated with the media item. The one or more media information sources may include one or more of a service provider from which the media item is streamed, a service provider from which the media item is available, a media information aggregation service, a social network interface, and a server associated with the media playback system. Some of the one or more media information sources may be capable of providing similar media information, while some of the one or more media information sources may be capable of providing media information unavailable from some others of the one or more media information sources.
• For illustrative purposes, referring toFIG. 5, theserver514 may be a server associated with a streaming media service provider from which themedia playback system508 is receiving the media item being played, theserver516 may be a server associated with a social network, theserver518 may be associated with a media information aggregation service, and theserver520 may be associated with an internet search engine. In discussions herein, communications between thecomputing device510 and one or more media information services may also be represented as communications between thecomputing device510 and one or more of theservers522. Other examples are also possible.
• In one case, thecomputing device510 may transmit the request for information to each of a plurality of media information sources in communication with thecomputing device510. For instance, thecomputing device510 may transmit the request for information to each of theservers522.
• In another case, thecomputing device510 may transmit the request for information to only a subset of the plurality of media information sources in communication with thecomputing device510 has access to. In one example, thecomputing device510 may identify from the plurality of media information sources in communication with thecomputing device510, the one or more media information sources from which information associated with the media item is available. For instance, if the data indicating the media item indicates that the genre of the media item is “classic rock” and a first of the plurality of media information sources is a media information aggregation source for “rock'n roll” media items, thecomputing device510 may identify the first of the plurality of media information sources as one from which information associated with the media item is available, and transmit a request to the first of the plurality of media information sources. On the other hand, if a second of the plurality of the media information sources is a media aggregation source for “hip hop” media items, thecomputing device510 may identify the second of the plurality of media information sources as one from which information associated with the media item is not available, and accordingly not transmit a request to the second one of the plurality of media information sources. Other examples are also possible.
• In one example, prior to transmitting the request for information to the one or more media information sources, thecomputing device510 may receive data identifying the one or more media information sources. In one example, thecomputing device510 may transmit to themedia playback system508, a request for data identifying the one or more media information sources, and responsively, receive data identifying the one or more media information sources. In one example, themedia playback system508 may be associated with a first media information source and not a second media information source. For instance, a user account (i.e. email address, username, etc.) used by themedia playback system508 to access media content from the streamingmedia service server514 may also be used to access the first media information source (i.e. via a paid subscription), but not the second media information source. In such a case, thecomputing device510 may receive data identifying the first media information source as a media information source from which thecomputing device510 is to request information. The data may further indicate the user account via which thecomputing device510 can request the information. Other examples are also possible.
• As indicated, the request for information may be based on the received data indicating the media item. For instance, the request for information may identify a track title, an artist name, album title, a genre, and/or a track identification, among other possibilities. In other words, in some cases, the request for information may include metadata associated with the media item.
• In one example, thecomputing device510 may send similar requests for information to each of theservers522. In another example, thecomputing device510 may send different requests for information to theservers522 based on the media information source each server is associated with.
• For instance, if the media information source is a media service provider from which the media item is being streamed, or is available to be streamed, the request for information may include the track identification for the media item corresponding to the media service provider. On the other hand, if the media information source is not a media service provider, the request for information may omit any track identification of the media item. Instead, in such a case, the request may indicate just the track title, artist name, album title, and/or genre associated with the media item, among other examples. In another instance, if the media information is an internet search engine, the request for information may include various search terms and/or combinations of search terms for retrieving information associated with the media item. Other examples are also possible.
• c. Receiving Data Indicating Information Associated with the Media Item
• Atblock606, themethod600 involves receiving from one or more media information sources, data indicating information associated with the media item. Continuing with the examples above, thecomputing device510 may receive from theservers522, data indicating information associated with the media item.
• The information associated with the media item may include one or more of biographical information associated with an artist of the media item, one or more facts about the media item, one or more images associated with the media item, information associated with a genre of the media item, one or more artists similar to the artist of the media item, one or more media items similar to the media item being played, social media content associated with the media item, social media content associated with the artist of the media item, and song lyrics associated with the media item, among other possibilities.
• In one example, the data indicating the information associated with the media item may be data containing the information. For instance, if the information includes one or more images associated with the media item, the data may contain image data of the one or more images. In another example, the data indicating the information associated with the media item may include one or more uniform resource identifiers (URIs) of the information associated with the media item. For instance, if the information includes a video associated with the media item, the data may indicate a URI from which thecomputing device510 can access the video. Other examples are also possible.
• As indicated above, thecomputing device510 may receive the data indicating the information atblock606, in response to the request for information transmitted atblock604. In one example, thecomputing device510 may transmit requests for information to each of the one or more media information sources at substantially the same time. Subsequently, thecomputing device510 may receive from the one or more media information sources, respective data indicating information associated with the media item. In such a case, a particular request for information that was sent to a media information source may be independent of any other requests for information sent to other media information sources or any information received from any of the media information sources.
• In some examples, as shown inFIG. 6, blocks604 and606 ofmethod600 may be iteratively executed. In one case, thecomputing device510 may iteratively transmit requests to each of the one or more media information sources according to respective information priorities corresponding to each media information source, and iteratively receive information associated with the media item in response to the transmitted requests.
• In one case, a media information source that is a media service provider or a media information aggregation service may offer information that is more consistent and/or reliable than a media information source that is an internet search engine or a social network. In such a case, the media service provider or media information aggregation service may have higher respective information priorities than the internet search engine or social network. In some instances, primary media information sources may be capable of providing media information unavailable from secondary media information sources. Analogously, in some instance, secondary media information sources may be capable of providing media information unavailable from primary media information sources.
• In discussions herein, a media information source having a higher information priority may be referred to as a primary media information source, while a media information source having a lower information priority may be referred to as a secondary media information source.
• In one instance, an information priority of a media information source may be determined by thecomputing device510 based on characteristics of the media information source, as indicated above. In another instance, the information priority of the media information source may be provided by themedia playback system508 and/or a user of thecomputing device510 during setup of thecomputing device510. For instance, the user may indicate a preference for a particular media information source over another media information source.
• In one case, thecomputing device510 may receive, prior to transmitting the request for information associated with the media item, data indicating that a first of the one or more media information sources is a primary media information source, and a second of the one or more media information sources is a secondary media information source. The data indicating the primary and secondary media information sources may further indicate that the secondary media information source is a media information source from which to request information otherwise not available from the primary media information source.
• Thecomputing device510 may then, according the data indicating the primary and secondary media information sources, transmit to the primary media information source, a first request for first information associated with the media item; receive from the primary media information source, first data indicating first information associated with the media item; and subsequently transmit to the secondary media information source, a second request for second information based on the information from the primary media information source. In one case, the second request for second information may be a request for information not available and/or not provided by the primary media information source. In such a case, thecomputing device510 may then responsively receive from the secondary media information source, second data indicating second information associated with the media item that includes information not included in the first information.
• d. Providing for Display, Representations of the Information
• Atblock608, themethod600 involves while the playback device is playing the media item, providing for display on a graphical display, representations of at least a portion of the information. In one example, providing the representations for display on the graphical display may involve thecomputing device510 categorizing at least the portion of the information associated with the media item, and providing for display on thegraphical display512, the representations of at least the portion of the information according to an information-display template for the graphical display, and one or more categories of at least the portion of the information. In one case, the information-display template may define the one or more categories.
• For instance, the information-display template may include an artist biography section and a social media section. As such, thecomputing device510 may parse the received data to determine the information indicated by the data, and categorize the information as either relating to artist biography or social media. Thecomputing device510 may then cause representations of the information to be displayed in either the artist biography section or the social media section based on the categorization of the information.
• In one example, some information from different media information sources may be categorized into the same category. In another example, the information may be categorized at least partially based on the media information source from which the information was received.
• In one example, the information-display template may be modified based on the information available. For instance, if the information-display template includes a section for displaying a music video associated with the media item, but no music video associated with the media item is available, the information-display template may be dynamically modified such that the section for displaying the music video becomes a section for displaying photos associated with the artist of the media item. Other examples are also possible.
• FIG. 7 shows an example display of information associated with a media item, as provided on agraphical interface700. The graphical interface may be provided on thegraphical display512 by thecomputing device510. One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the representations shown as displayed on thegraphical interface700 is for illustrative purposes only, and that other examples within the scope of discussions herein are also possible.
• As shown inFIG. 7, arepresentation704 of information associated with the “Now Playing” media item being played by themedia playback system508 may be displayed on thegraphical interface700. In one example, thebasic information704 may be similar in content and scope to information provided on the control interface of thecontrol device506 while the media item is being played by themedia playback system508. In one instance, thebasic information704 may have been received from theserver514 that is associated with the service provider from which the media item is streamed. As shown in this illustrative example, the media item being played has track title “Track1,” is by artist “Artist1,” and can be found in album “Album1” having album art “AlbumArt1.”
• As indicated above, themedia playback system508 may be a multi-zone media playback system. As such, thecomputing device510 may further provide for display on thegraphical display512, a representation of a zone group associated with theplayback devices502 and/or504 that is playing the media item. As shown inFIG. 7, arepresentation702 of a zone group within which the media item is being played is provided. In this illustrative example, theplayback device502 may be in a “Living Room” zone group of the media playback system, while theplayback device504 may be in a “Dining Room” zone group of the media playback system. In this case, Track1 by Artist1 may be played by theplayback devices502 and504 in a zone group “Living Room+Dining Room.” In one example, data indicating the zone group within which the media item is being played may be received from themedia playback system508.
• Also shown inFIG. 7, arepresentation706 of information associated with a “Playing Next” media item that is to be played next in a playback queue is displayed on thegraphical interface700. Discussions herein have thus far generally related to the media item that is being played, or about to be played by themedia playback system508. Nevertheless, information associated with the media item that is next in the playback queue may also be requested, received, and displayed by executing functions similar to that described in connection tomethod600 ofFIG. 6.
• For instance, thecomputing device510 may receive data indicating the next media item that is to be played by themedia playback system508 subsequent to playback of the current media item. Then, based on the data indicating the next media item, thecomputing device510 may transmit to at least one of the one or more media information sources, a request for next media item information associated with the next media item. Subsequently, thecomputing device510 may receive from the one or more media information sources, data indicating the next media item information associated with the second media item, and responsively, while themedia playback system508 is playing the current media item, provide for display on thegraphical display512, representations of at least a portion of the next media item information. One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various embodiments discussed in connection tomethod600 ofFIG. 6 may also be applicable to the display of information associated with the next media item.
• Also as shown inFIG. 7, arepresentation708 of “Song Lyrics” information associated with the media item being played, arepresentation710 of “Fun Facts” information associated with the media item being played, arepresentation712 of images associated with Artist1 of the media item, and arepresentation714 of social media information associated with the media item are provided.
• As indicated above, the information represented by each of the representations704-714 may be from a single media information source, or multiple media information sources. For instance, the Fun Facts information represented byrepresentation710 may be from multiple media information sources, while the Song Lyrics information represented byrepresentation708 may be from a single information source.
• In one example, the images associated with Artist1 that is represented byrepresentation712 may be provided by a media information source that is an internet search engine, via an image search for Artist1. In this case, therepresentation710 may be a web-interface configured to return and display results of the image search forArtist 1. In other words, therepresentation710 may be displaying information provided from a URI associated with the image search.
• In one example, the representations of information may be displayed dynamically. In one case, therepresentation708 of Song Lyrics information may be configured to scroll dynamically according to a playback progress of the media item by themedia playback system508. In another case, therepresentation714 of social media information may be dynamically updated whenever new social media associated with the media item becomes available. Analogous to the example of therepresentation710 above, therepresentation714 may be a social media interface configured to return and display results of a search for social media associated with the media item. Accordingly, therepresentation714 may be displaying information provided from a URI associated with the social media search. As such, therepresentation714 may be dynamically updated whenever the social media search returns new social media. Other examples are also possible.
• In one example, thecomputing device510 may provide for display on thegraphical display512, representations of at least the portions of the information after all data indicating the information has been received, and processed. In another example, the computing device may provide for display on the graphical display, representations of at least the portions of the information as data indicating the information is received, and processed. For instance, if data indicating the Song Lyrics information of the media item is received and processed before data indicating the Fun Facts information associated with the media item, therepresentation708 may be displayed before therepresentation710.
• In one case, as indicated previously, data indicating first information may be received (and processed) before data indicating second information because a first media information source providing the first information may have received a request for the first information before a second media information source providing the second information received a request for the second information. In another case, data indicating first information may be received (and processed) before data indicating second information because the first media information source providing the first information may have a greater processing capability or bandwidth than the second media information source providing the second information. Other examples are also possible.
• While discussions herein generally refer to media items being played by themedia playback system508, or information associated with media items being played by themedia playback system508, one having ordinary skill in the art will understand that the examples herein may also apply to media items that are about to be played. Further, the examples herein may further be applied to a media item that has been selected, but is not necessarily being played, about to be played, or scheduled to be played next in a playback queue.
• For instance, the information requested for and subsequently displayed may be associated with a media item in a playback queue or media item catalog that has been selected via the control device (but not necessarily for playback). In other words, the functions as described in connection to themethod600 ofFIG. 6 may alternatively be performed in response to a selection of a representation of a media item on a control interface, rather than a playback of the media item. Other examples are also possible.
• Further, while discussions herein generally refer to displaying information associated with a media item being played in one zone group, one having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that thecomputing device510 may further be configured to receive information associated with media items being played in multiple, different zone groups, and responsively cause for display, information associated with the media items being played in the multiple zone groups. In one case, the different zone groups may be zone groups within a single household, or zone groups associated with a single media playback system. In another case, the different zone groups may be zone groups within a plurality of households, or zone groups associated with multiple media playback systems.
• In one example, thecomputing device510 may receive data indicating media items being played in the different zone groups, request and receive information associated with the media items, and cause for display, at least portions of the received information associated with the media items being played in the different zone groups. In one case, thecomputing device510 may cause for display at the same time, the information associated with the media items played in the different zone groups. For instance, information-display template may include sub-regions corresponding to the different zone groups playing media items.
• In another case, thecomputing device510 may cause for display, one zone group at a time, information associated with a media item being played in a particular zone group out of the different zone groups. In such a case, thecomputing device510 may cause for display the information associated with the media item being played in the particular zone group based on an input to display the information associated with media items played in the particular zone group. In one instance, the input may indicate a selection of the particular zone group (i.e from a user input via a drop down menu of zone groups). In such an instance, a subsequent input indicating a selection of another zone group may cause information associated with media items being played in the other zone group to be displayed. In another instance, the input may indicate that the graphical display412 is physically located within the particular zone group. Other examples are also possible.
• In another example, thecomputing device510 may be in communication with multiple graphical displays. For instance, while thecomputing device510 is causing for display on thegraphical display512, information associated with a media item being played in a first zone group, thecomputing device510 may also receive data indicating a media item being played in a second zone group, request and receive information associated with the media item being played in the second zone group, and cause for display on a second graphical display, at least a portion of the information associated with the media item being played in the second zone group. In one case, the first graphical display may be physically located in an area corresponding to the first zone group, and the second graphical display may be physically located in an area corresponding to the second zone group. Other examples are also possible.
• In yet another example, thecomputing device510 may correspond to a specific zone group, and may be configured to receive data indicating a media item being played in the specific zone group, request and receive information associated with the media item played in the specific zone group, and provide for display on thegraphical display512, at least a portion of the information associated with the media items played in the specific zone group. In one case, thegraphical display512 may be configured to display information associated with media items played in another zone group, only if and when the specific zone group is not playing any media item. In another case, thegraphical display512 may be configured to not display information associated with any media item, if the specific zone group is not playing any media item, even if media items are being played in other zone groups. Other examples are also possible.
• In one case, the mediaplayback system environment500 may include a second computing device in addition to thecomputing device510 corresponding to the specific zone group, as described in the above example. The second computing device may correspond to a second specific zone group and may be configured to receive data indicating a media item being played in the second specific zone group, request and receive information associated with the media item played in the second specific zone group, and provide for display on a second graphical display, at least a portion of the information associated with the media items played in the second specific zone group.
• In this example, if the specific zone group and the second specific zone group are combined into a single zone group to play a media item in synchrony, thegraphical display512 and the second graphical display may display substantially similar information associated with the media item played in synchrony in the single combined zone group. Other examples are also possible.
IV. Conclusion
• The description above discloses, among other things, various example systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture including, among other components, firmware and/or software executed on hardware. It is understood that such examples are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of the firmware, hardware, and/or software aspects or components can be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Accordingly, the examples provided are not the only way(s) to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles of manufacture.
• Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of an invention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined with other embodiments.
• The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrative environments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble the operations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These process descriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it is understood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the forgoing description of embodiments.
• When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at least one example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible, non-transitory medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on, storing the software and/or firmware.

Claims (20)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from a media playback system that comprises one or more playback devices and at least one control device configured to control playback of media items by the one or more playback devices, data identifying a media item that is queued for playback by one or more playback devices of the media playback system, wherein the one or more playback devices are different from the computing device and the control device;

sending, to one or more computing systems that are different from the one or more playback devices, a request for information associated with the media item;

receiving, from the one or more computing systems, the information associated with the media item; and

causing a display device to display a graphical representations of the information associated with the media item.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the data identifying the media item indicates one or more of the following: (a) a track title, (b) an artist name, (c) an album name, (d) a genre, (e) a track identifier, or (f) a service provider from which the media item is streamed by the media playback system.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

identifying the one or more computing systems based on the data identifying the media item, and wherein sending the request for information associated with the media item comprises sending the request to the identified one or more computing systems.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1,

wherein the received data identifying the media item indicates the one or more computing systems.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the information associated with the media item comprises one or more of the following: (a) biographical information associated with an artist of the media item, (b) one or more facts about the media item, (c) one or more images associated with the media item, (d) information associated with a genre of the media item, (e) one or more artists similar to the artist of the media item, (f) one or more media items similar to the media item being played, (g) social media content associated with the media item, (h) social media content associated with the artist of the media item, or (i) song lyrics associated with the media item.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the data identifying the media item comprises one or more uniform resource identifiers (URIs) of the information associated with the media item.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein receiving the data identifying the media item comprises receiving the data identifying the media item while the media item is being played by the one or more playback devices of the media playback system.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein receiving the data identifying the media item comprises receiving the data from a given control device of the media playback system, and wherein the given control device is configured to control playback of media items by one or more playback devices of the media playback system.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, the functions further comprising:

prior to receiving the data identifying the media item, sending, to the media playback system, a request for the data identifying the media item.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 9, wherein the one or more computing systems comprise a given control device of the media playback system, and wherein sending the request for information associated with the media item comprises sending, to the given control device, the request to receive the information, wherein the given control device is configured to control playback of media items by one or more playback devices of the media playback system.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

prior to receiving the data identifying the media item, receiving a command to launch a software application associated with the media playback system;

launching the software application in response to receiving the command; and

sending, to the media playback system, data indicating that the software application is running.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein the command to launch the software application comprises a command to download the software application from a computing system corresponding to a uniform resource identifier (URI), and wherein the functions further comprise:

prior to launching the software application, downloading the software application from the computing system corresponding to the URI.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the media item is a first media item being played by the one or more playback devices while the display device is displaying the graphical representation of the information associated with the first media item, and wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving data identifying a second media item that is to be played by the one or more playback devices subsequent to playback of the first media item by the one or more playback devices;

based on the data identifying the second media item, sending to one or more computing systems, a request for information associated with the second media item;

receiving, from the one or computing systems, the information associated with the second media item; and

while the one or more playback devices are playing the first media item, causing the display device to display a graphical representations of the information associated with the second media item.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein sending the request for information associated with the media item comprises:

sending, to a first computing system of the one or more computing systems, a first request for first information associated with the media item; and

sending, to a second computing system of the one or more computing systems, a second request for second information associated with the media item.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 14, wherein the functions further comprise:

prior to sending the first request, receiving data indicating that the second computing system is a computing system from which to request information that is not available from the first computing system.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 14, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving, from the second computing system, the second information associated with the media item.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the information associated with the media item comprises two or more items of metadata, and wherein causing the display device to display the graphical representation of the information comprises:

causing the display device to display the two or more items of metadata at respective locations defined by a display template that maps the items of metadata to the respective locations.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein causing the display device to display the graphical representation further comprises:

while two or more playback devices of the media playback system are playing the media item in synchrony as a group of playback devices, causing the display device to display an indication of the group of playback devices that includes the two or more playback devices.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, via a computing device from a media playback system that comprises one or more playback devices and at least one control device configured to control playback of media items by the one or more playback devices, data identifying a media item that is queued for playback by one or more playback devices of the media playback system, wherein the one or more playback devices are different from the computing device and the control device;

sending, via the computing device to one or more computing systems that are different from the one or more playback devices, a request for information associated with the media item;

receiving, via the computing device from the one or more computing systems, the information associated with the media item; and

causing, via the computing device, a display device to display a graphical representation of the information associated with the media item.

20. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from a media playback system that comprises one or more playback devices and at least one control device configured to control playback of media items by the one or more playback devices, data identifying a media item that is queued for playback by one or more playback devices of the media playback system, wherein the one or more playback devices are different from the computing device and the control device;

sending, to one or more computing systems, a request for information associated with the media item;

receiving, from the one or more computing systems that are different from the one or more playback devices, the information associated with the media item; and

causing a display device to display a graphical representation of the information associated with the media item.

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