Patent ID: 8463924
Filing Date: 2013-06-11
Classification: G11B,H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: configuring on a first network device a content update policy for a media item library, the content update policy being associated with at least one media item type in a plurality of media item types, the content update policy governing when and how content updates are performed on the first network device and determining the order in which media items are obtained and stored; obtaining and storing, by the first network device from a second network device in communication with the first network device, media item metadata associated with a plurality of media items in the media item library, the plurality of media items having an identical media item type and being associated to each other through the media item metadata, wherein the media item metadata at least includes release date metadata indicating a date that the media item was released; obtaining and storing, by the first network device from the second network device, media item content data associated with a first subset of the plurality of media items having an earlier release date metadata value than a second subset of the plurality of media items from the second network device, wherein at least the release date metadata associated with a second subset of the plurality of media items is stored on the first network device without the associated media item content data, the second subset of the plurality of media items being virtual media items in that the media content associated with the virtual media items is stored on the second network device; playing on the first network device media item content data for a first media item selected from the plurality of media items in the media item library; deleting from the first network device the first media item content data after playing the first media item content data; and obtaining and storing, by the first network device from the second network device, in response to the initiation of playing of the first media item content data, additional media item content data having a later release date metadata value than the media items in the first subset of the plurality of media items for at least one media item in the plurality of media items associated to each other through the media item metadata in the media item library, the additional media item content data being selected based on the content update policy for the media item type of the first media item.