Patent Application
20130067332
Media players provide users with control over time-based media content that includes audio and/or video. Common media player control functions include play, pause, forward seek, reverse seek, skip forward, skip back, etc. These control functions may take the form of a linear progress bar typically located above or below a top or bottom edge of a media presentation window. A slider traveling along the linear progress bar provides a visual indication of the playback position of the media, and enables a user to change the playback position by translating the slider in either direction along the linear progress bar.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
Embodiments relating to a media seek bar are disclosed. As one example, a graphical user interface is provided that includes visual aspects of a time-based media content item having a playback axis, and a seek bar having a position along the playback axis that indicates a current playback position of the time-based media content item. The seek bar extends perpendicular to the playback axis over the visual aspects of the time-based media content item. A drag command representing a user input directed at the seek bar may be received. The drag command is characterized by a drag path. The current playback position of the time-based media content item may be moved based on the drag path.
The seek bar disclosed herein enables a user to change the current playback position of a time-based media content item (e.g., a movie or song). The user advances the playback position by moving the seek bar in a first direction (e.g., right) and rewinds the playback position by moving the seek bar in the opposite direction (e.g., left). Such movement is along a playback axis of the time-based media content item. The user may optionally scale how fast the playback position advances or rewinds with input that is perpendicular to this playback axis. For example, by touching the seek bar and dragging up and to the right, the playback position may advance with finer precision than if the user drags to the right without any upward or downward movement. These and other aspects of the disclosed seek bar are described below.
The time-based media content item may include, for example, video content and/or audio content. The time-based media content item may have a playback axis 120, which may be invisible to the user. First position 112 of seek bar 110 along playback axis 120 indicates a current playback position of the time-based media content item. For example, a position to the far left of GUI 100 may correspond to the beginning of the time-based media content item and a position to the far right of GUI 100 may correspond to the end of the time-based media content item. As the time-based media content item progresses from beginning to end, the position of the seek bar 110, when visible, may proportionally move across the GUI 100 along playback axis 120.
Seek bar 110 extends perpendicular to playback axis 120 over visual aspects 114 of the time-based media content item. As one example, seek bar 110 may have a vertical orientation relative to a display orientation of visual aspects 114. In the illustrated embodiment, seek bar 110 extends from a first edge 122 to an opposing second edge 124 of the presentation window 116. By extending all the way across the presentation window, the seek bar may provide greater visual feedback to the user and/or may provide a larger target toward which a user may direct a user input. Furthermore, if the presentation window is set to occupy the entire graphical user interface, such as, for example, during a full-screen viewing mode, then the entire graphical user interface is made available to the user to provide a drag path for controlling playback of the media content.
Visual aspects 114 may vary with the type of time-based media content item that is presented. As one example, visual aspects of a video content item may include the video component of the video content (e.g., the video images). Such a video content item may further include an audio component to be presented via an audio speaker. As another example, visual aspects of an audio content item may include a static image (e.g., an album cover or other suitable image accompanying the audio content item as meta-data) or a dynamic visualization generated from the audio content.
Seek bar 110 may optionally include a selector 126. In the illustrated embodiment, selector 126 is located at a centerline position of seek bar 110 between first edge 122 and second edge 124. Users may direct input to selector 126 in order to move seek bar 110. In other embodiments, a selector may be positioned above or below a centerline, or the entire seek bar may serve as the selector.
As explained by way of example below, a drag command characterized by a drag path can be directed to selector 126, seek bar 110, and/or related aspects of GUI 100. The drag path may be multidimensional (e.g., two-dimensional), and a distance of the drag path along each dimension may, in combination, define the amount that a current playback position of the time-based content item is moved. A first dimension of the drag path that is parallel to a playback axis of the time-based media content item may define a relative amount that the current playback position is to be moved. A second dimension of the drag path perpendicular to the playback axis may define a scaling factor that is applied to the relative amount measured along the first dimension to obtain an absolute amount that the current playback position is moved.
Seek bar 310 includes selector 316 that corresponds to an initial position of drag paths 312 and 314. A user may direct user input to selector 316 in some implementations. For example, a user may select selector 316 to enable translation of seek bar 310 along a drag path. However, in other implementations, a user may direct user input to any portion of seek bar 310 to select the seek bar.
A current playback position of the time-based media content item may be moved in a forward direction if a drag path (e.g., drag path 312) has a vector component in a first coordinate direction parallel to playback axis 318. A current playback position of the time-based media content item may be moved in a reverse direction if a drag path (e.g., drag path 314) has a vector component in a second coordinate direction opposite the first coordinate direction and parallel to playback axis 318.
As one example, drag path 412 may correspond to a change of the playback position of the time-based media content item from a first playback position denoted by time 12:34 to a second playback position denoted by time 45:18. By contrast, drag path 414 may correspond to a change of the playback position of the time-based media content item from the first playback position denoted by time 12:34 to a third playback position denoted by time 15:16.
A distance measured along playback axis 416 from the initial position to the remote position of drag path 414 is greater in this particular example than a distance measured along playback axis from the initial position to the remote position of drag path 412. A distance measured along an axis perpendicular to playback axis 416 from the initial position to the remote position of drag path 414 is also greater in the particular example than the distance measured along the axis perpendicular to playback axis 416 from the initial position to the remote position of drag path 412.
A scaling factor has been applied to the distance measured along playback axis 416 from the initial position to the remote position of each drag path that is based on the distance measured along the axis perpendicular to playback axis 416 between the initial position and the remote position. For the example depicted in
Accordingly, the scaling factor may vary (e.g., decrease or increase) by a step-wise function as the distance measured along the axis perpendicular to the playback axis increases in either direction from centerline 510 or from an initial position of the drag path. In other implementations, the scaling factor may decrease or increase by a continuous function. In some implementations, the scaling factor may vary on only one side of centerline 510 or an initial position of the drag path. In other implementations, the scaling factor may decrease on one side of centerline 510 as a distance increases from centerline 510, and may increase on another side of centerline 510 as a distance increases from centerline 510.
As one example, the graphical indicators may include text and/or numerical information 614 indicating the current playback position of the media content item. As another example, the graphical indicators may include arrows 616 or other suitable icons to indicate commands that are available to the user via manipulation of seek bar 610. As yet another example, graphical indicators may include scaling factor indicators 618 representing the scaling factor associated with different regions of GUI 600.
The graphical indicators may be displayed at one or multiple locations of GUI 600. As one example, information 614 may be displayed at or near an edge or corner of the GUI. As another example, information 614 may be displayed on one or multiple sides of seek bar 610 and/or above or below selector 612 to accommodate both right and left handed users. The size of the information 614 and the position of the information 614 relative to the seek bar may change when the seek bar is near an edge of the GUI so that the information will not go outside the boundary of the GUI.
An end position of the time-based media content item may correspond to position 628 of seek bar 610. Alternatively, the end position of the time-based media content item may correspond to position 630 of seek bar 610 offset by a distance 632 from edge 634 to enable a user to more easily view and/or direct user input at seek bar 610. Distances 624 and 632 may correspond to a number of pixels of the graphical display, such as 25 or 30 pixels, for example. In other implementations, a size of the presentation window for displaying visual aspects of the time-based media content item may be reduced responsive to a user input directed at the presentation window, GUI 600, or at seek bar 610 so that the start position and/or end position of the time-based media content item may be offset from edges 626 and/or 634.
At 1010, the method may include moving the current playback position of the time-based media content item responsive to a swipe command directed at the presentation window or visual aspects of the time-based media content item of the GUI. The direction that the current playback position of the time-based media content item is moved may be based on a swipe direction. For example, if a swipe direction is from left to right, then the current playback position may be moved in a forward direction. Alternatively, if the swipe direction is from right to left, then the current playback position may be moved in a reverse direction. In some implementations, the current playback position of the time-based media content item may be moved by a discrete amount (e.g., 10, 20, or 30 seconds) for each swipe command that is directed at the presentation window or visual aspects of the time-based media content item.
At 1012, the method may include outputting a GUI for presentation via a graphical display device responsive to a user input. The graphical user interface may include the visual aspects of a time-based media content item, a seek bar, and transport control buttons. The seek bar and the transport control buttons may be presented in addition to the visual aspects previously presented at 1008 responsive to a user input characterized by a tap or other command directed at the GUI, presentation window, or visual aspects of the time-based media content item. The tap or other command may be used to initiate presentation of the seek bar and/or transport control buttons in contrast to the swipe command used to move the current playback position of the time-based media content item without initiating presentation of the seek bar or transport control buttons.
As previously discussed, the seek bar may have a position along a playback axis of the time-based media content item that indicates a current playback position of the time-based media content item. The seek bar may extend perpendicular to the playback axis over the visual aspects of the time-based media content item. For example, the visual aspects of the time-based media content item may be bound by a presentation window defined by a first edge parallel to the playback axis and a second edge parallel to the playback axis. The seek bar may extend from the first edge to the second edge over the visual aspects of the time-based media content item.
If at 1014, the transport control buttons have been selected, then presentation of the seek bar may be discontinued at 1016. If at 1014, the transport control buttons have not been selected, then presentation of the seek bar may continue. If at 1018, the seek bar has been selected, then presentation of the transport control buttons may be discontinued at 1020.
At 1022, the method may include receiving a drag command representing a user input directed at the seek bar of the GUI. The drag command may be characterized by a drag path. At 1024, the method may include moving the current playback position of the time based media content item responsive to the drag command based on the drag path in two-dimensions. For example, the current playback position of the time-based media content item may be moved in a forward direction if the drag path has a vector component in a first coordinate direction parallel to the playback axis. As another example, the current playback position of the time-based media content item may be moved in a reverse direction if the drag path has a vector component in a second coordinate direction opposite the first coordinate direction and parallel to the playback axis.
The current playback position of the time-based media content item may be moved in the forward direction or in the reverse direction by an amount that is based on a distance measured along the playback axis from an initial position to a remote position of the drag path. In some implementations, the amount that the current playback position is moved in the forward or in the reverse direction may be further based on a combination of (1) a scaling factor, and (2) the distance measured along the playback axis from the initial position to the remote position of the drag path. As one example, the scaling factor may be varied based on a distance measured along an axis perpendicular to the playback axis from the initial position to the remote position of the drag path. As previously described with reference to
If at 1026, user input has not been directed at the GUI or presentation window within a threshold period of time, then presentation of the transport control buttons and seek bar may be discontinued at 1030. From 1030, the process flow may return, for example, to 1008. If at 1026, user input has been directed at the GUI or presentation window within a threshold period of time, then the process flow may return, for example, to 1012.
In some embodiments, the above described methods and processes may be tied to a computing system. In particular, the methods and processes described herein may be implemented as a computer application, computer service, computer API, computer library, and/or other computer program. For example, these methods and processes may be implemented as a media player application for a computing device.
Computing system 1200 includes a computing device 1202 that includes a logic subsystem 1210 and a data-holding subsystem 1212. Computing system 1200 may optionally include a user input device 1220, graphical display device 1222, audio speaker 1224, and/or other components not shown in
Logic subsystem 1210 may include one or more physical devices configured to execute one or more instructions. For example, the logic subsystem may be configured to execute one or more instructions that are part of one or more applications, services, programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or other logical constructs. Such instructions may be implemented to perform a task, implement a data type, transform the state of one or more devices, or otherwise arrive at a desired result.
The logic subsystem may include one or more processors that are configured to execute software instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the logic subsystem may include one or more hardware or firmware logic machines configured to execute hardware or firmware instructions. Processors of the logic subsystem may be single core or multicore, and the programs executed thereon may be configured for parallel or distributed processing. The logic subsystem may optionally include individual components that are distributed throughout two or more devices, which may be remotely located and/or configured for coordinated processing. One or more aspects of the logic subsystem may be virtualized and executed by remotely accessible networked computing devices configured in a cloud computing configuration.
Data-holding subsystem 1212 may include one or more physical, non-transitory, devices configured to hold data 1216 and/or instructions 1214 executable by the logic subsystem to implement the herein described methods and processes. When such methods and processes are implemented, the state of data-holding subsystem 1212 may be transformed (e.g., to hold different data).
Data-holding subsystem 1212 may include removable media and/or built-in devices. Data-holding subsystem 1212 may include optical memory devices (e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, etc.), semiconductor memory devices (e.g., RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.) and/or magnetic memory devices (e.g., hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), among others. Data-holding subsystem 1212 may include devices with one or more of the following characteristics: volatile, nonvolatile, dynamic, static, read/write, read-only, random access, sequential access, location addressable, file addressable, and content addressable. In some embodiments, logic subsystem 1210 and data-holding subsystem 1212 may be integrated into one or more common devices, such as an application specific integrated circuit or a system on a chip.
It is to be appreciated that data-holding subsystem 1212 includes one or more physical, non-transitory devices. In contrast, in some embodiments, aspects of the instructions described herein may be propagated in a transitory fashion by a pure signal (e.g., an electromagnetic signal, an optical signal, etc.) that is not held by a physical device for at least a finite duration. Furthermore, data and/or other forms of information pertaining to the present disclosure may be propagated by a pure signal.
Data 1216 of data-holding subsystem 1212 may include one or more media content items. Media content items may include time-based media content items, such as video content items and/or audio content items, for example. Data 1216 may further include other types of media content items (e.g., non-time based). For example, data 1216 may include one or more linear media content items. As one example, a linear media content item may refer to a collection of one or more media content items having a defined order. It will be appreciated that the methods and processes described herein with respect to time-based media content items may be applied to linear media content items to enable a user to move or navigate within a collection of one or more media content items having a defined order.
When included, graphical display device 1222 may be used to present a visual representation of data held by data-holding subsystem 1212. As the herein described methods and processes change the data held by the data-holding subsystem, and thus transform the state of the data-holding subsystem, the state of graphical display device 1222 may likewise be transformed to visually represent changes in the underlying data. Graphical display device 1222 may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. Such display devices may be combined with logic subsystem 1210 and/or data-holding subsystem 1212 of computing device 1202 in a shared enclosure, or such display devices may be peripheral display devices.
User input device 1220 may include one or more keyboards, mice, game controllers, optical sensor systems, microphones, and/or touch screens, for example. An optical sensor system may include one or more optical sensors such as a visible light sensor, RGB sensor, infrared sensor, depth camera, and/or other suitable optical sensor or combination thereof. Graphical display device 1222 may include or take the form of a television, display monitor, projector, or touch-sensitive graphical display configured to receive user input.
One or more of these input devices and/or output devices may be combined into one or more common devices. As one example, graphical display device 1222 and audio speaker 1224 may be combined into a common audio-visual system 1225.
Computing device 1202 includes an input/output (I/O) device interface 1218 to communicate with one or more input devices and/or output devices such as user input device 1220, graphical display device 1222, and audio speaker 1224. I/O device interface 1218 may support or otherwise facilitate wired and/or wireless communications between computing device 1202, and one or more of these input devices and/or output devices of computing system 1200.
It is to be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. As such, various acts illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in other sequences, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of the above-described processes may be changed.
The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.
