Abstract:
A home entertainment network has a computer with a multi-DVD changer which holds plural DVDs onto which content from an hard disk drive (HDD) can be transferred for storage. Also, DVD content can be ripped to the HDD, and multiple copies of home videos and photographs on the HDD can be made onto several disks simultaneously.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/527,737, filed Dec. 8, 2003. 
     
    
     I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to home entertainment networks.  
       II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Home entertainment systems enable viewers to access entertainment content from several sources, including TV content from cable or satellite, music from CDs, and movies on DVDs and videotape. Also, many systems include personal video recorders (PVR), which enable users to record televised content onto hard disk drives (HDD) for later viewing.  
         [0004]     The present invention recognizes that home entertainment systems which provide the above capabilities open avenues to increased functionality, enabling users to do more things than simply view whatever content happens to be broadcast. For instance, PVRs enable viewers to record television programs for later viewing at convenient times, without having to sit through commercials. Advanced digital systems such as DVDs can enable viewers to view non-public content such as home videos and digital pictures. In short, viewers can now select a variety of content from many sources for viewing and copying.  
         [0005]     But the variety in content and media type, while opening avenues for more entertainment options, also poses content management challenges. Currently, content in a home entertainment system must be managed media type-by-media type, but this is inconvenient because it forces the user to manage DVD content separately from PVR content, etc. Also, it may be desirable for access speed and convenience reasons to play or store content that is stored on one type of media using a component that is associated with another type of media. For example, as recognized herein it might be desirable to offload content that has been recorded in a PVR to DVD, to free up space on the HDD of the PVR. Or, it might be desirable to transfer music to a PVR HDD from a CD for quick access and vice-versa for storage capacity reasons. Still further, it might be desired to make several copies of home movies or photographs for friends and family without repeating the copying process for each and every copy sought to be made.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A home entertainment system can include a video monitor and a computer communicating with the video monitor. The system also has a disk changer which holds multiple optical disks. A hard disk drive (HDD) is associated with the computer. Content from the HDD is automatically transferred to at least one optical disk in the disk changer if a predetermined data storage condition in the HDD has been met.  
         [0007]     The video monitor can be a TV monitor such as a HDTV monitor, and the computer can include a computer monitor. The optical disks can include CDs and/or DVDs. The computer may be controlled to cause content from plural optical disks to be substantially simultaneously copied onto the HDD, and also to copy content on the HDD onto plural optical disks substantially simultaneously.  
         [0008]     In some embodiments the monitor displays a browse disks screen that can be used by a person manipulating a remote control device to scroll through titles of content stored on optical disks in the disk changer. The computer may be connected to the Internet to facilitate (using, e.g., disk IDs) accessing the Internet to download metadata pertaining titles in the disk changer. Also, the monitor can display an index disks screen usable by a person manipulating a remote control device to automatically index content contained in the optical disks in the disk changer.  
         [0009]     In another aspect, a home entertainment system includes a TV and a portable computer communicating with the TV and with a disk changer. The system includes means for automatically downloading, from the Internet to the system, metadata pertaining to at least one video content stored on at least one optical disk in the disk changer.  
         [0010]     In still another aspect, an entertainment system includes a portable computer and a HDTV wirelessly communicating with the computer. A disk changer also communicates with the computer. The disk changer is configured to hold plural optical disks, at least some of which can be DVDs. A hard disk drive (HDD) also communicates with the computer.  
         [0011]     The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of the present system;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a screen shot of the start screen;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a screen shot of the browse disk screen;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a screen shot of the play DVD screen;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a screen shot of the changer utility screen;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a screen shot of the index disks screen;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart of overall management logic;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart of the logic for copying optical disk content to HDD; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart of the logic for copying HDD content to optical disk.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a system is shown, generally designated  10 , that includes a television (TV)  12  such as but not limited to a high definition television (HDTV) and a computer  14 . The computer  14  accesses one or more hard disk drives (HDD)  16 . The computer  14  also accesses a disk changer  18  that can include a DVD player and a disk burner  19  and that can hold multiple (e.g., four hundred) optical disks  20  including compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other types of disks such as Blue Ray disks and super-audio CDs. Input can be provided to the computer  14  by a keyboard  22  and/or a mouse  24  and/or other input device such as a voice recognition device. Also, a remote control device  26  can input commands to the computer  14  and preferably to the TV  12 . The computer  14  can output the display screens shown below to a computer monitor  28  and to the TV  12  if desired.  
         [0022]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the computer  14  can communicate with the Internet  32 , for purposes to be shortly disclosed. The computer  14  can also communicate with a TV content receiver  34 , such as a set-top box or a satellite receiver or a terrestrial TV signal antenna.  
         [0023]     In accordance with the present invention, the communication paths can be wired, but more preferably are wireless and more preferably still are radiofrequency (rf) such as Bluetooth paths, so that line-of-sight is not required, although infrared (IR) communication can be used if desired. Accordingly, the computer  14  can include a wireless rf communication module  36 , and both the mouse  24  and keyboard  22  can be wireless. The remote control device  26  also can be wireless, preferably rf wireless. Moreover, the link between the computer  14  and TV  12  can be wireless and can use conventional red-green-blue (RGB) protocols, or the link can use S-video protocols or component connections, or the link can use High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)/Digital Visual Interface (DVI) protocols. While  FIG. 1  shows that the computer  14  communicates directly with the TV  12 , it is to be understood that the communication path between the computer  14  and TV  12  alternatively can go through the content receiver  34 , particularly if the content receiver  34  is a set-top box.  
         [0024]     While the non-limiting illustration in  FIG. 1  shows that the computer  14  can be housed with the disk changer  18  and various other components, it is to be understood that the computer  14  may be housed separately from the disk changer  18  and some of the other components shown in  FIG. 1  and still communicate with the disk changer  18  and the other components. In one embodiment, for instance, the computer  14  can be a portable computer such as a PC or laptop computer, and can incorporate the HDD  16 . Or, the HDD  16  may be implemented in a personal video recorder (PVR) that is separate from the computer  14 . As a non-limiting example, the computer  14  can be a Vaio® laptop computer made by Sony Corp. and programmed to undertake the inventive aspects disclosed herein.  
         [0025]     Now referring to  FIG. 2 , a non-limiting exemplary start-up screen  38  which may be presented upon power-on of the system  10  can be seen. The screen  38  shown in  FIG. 2 , like the other screens described further below, can be presented on the TV  12 , or on the monitor  28 , or both. As shown, the start up screen  38  may include a menu of choices from which the user can select by, e.g., manipulating up and down arrows on the remote control device  26  and, when the desired selection is highlighted, depressing an “enter” button on the remote control device  26 . Or, the keyboard  22  and/or mouse  24  of the computer  14  can be used. In either case, the actions discussed below can be controlled by the computer  14  in response to user selections on the screens.  
         [0026]     The non-limiting start up screen menu can include a “my TV” selection, which, if selected, causes a TV channel list such as an electronic program guide (EPG) to be displayed from which a user can select a channel for display on the TV  12 . Also, using the “my TV” selection a user can select a particular program for automatic recording on the HDD  14  for later viewing, i.e., the system  10  can be used to time-shift televised content.  
         [0027]     The start up screen  38  shown in  FIG. 2  can also include a “my music” selection, which, if selected, causes a list of CDs that might be present in the disk changer  18  to be displayed. Also, music titles that might be stored on the HDD as well as TV channels that play only music can be displayed on the list, so that a user can scroll through both recorded music titles and TV music channels to select a desired title to be played on, e.g., the audio speakers of the TV  12 . If a CD is selected, the DVD player associated with the disk changer  18  can play the selected CD.  
         [0028]     Additionally, the start up screen  38  can include a selection to enable the user to select a blank CD or DVD in the changer  18  and create an audio CD or a CD-ROM (or a video DVD or DVD-ROM) and, if desired, define a ROM-defined disk as a drive of the computer  14 . Further, the start up menu can include a “browse disks” selection, described further below in reference to  FIG. 3 , a “play disk” selection, described further below in reference to  FIG. 4 , a “changer utilities” selection, described further below in reference to  FIG. 5 , and an “index disks” selection, described further below in reference to  FIG. 6 . System settings can be reviewed by selecting the “settings” selection on the start up screen  38 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 3  shows the “browse disks” screen  40  that is displayed when the “browse disks” selection on the start up screen  38  shown in  FIG. 2  is selected. As shown, a list of movie titles that are recorded on the DVDs in the disk changer  18  is displayed. For example, the movie “Spiderman” is indicated as being on a DVD in slot #232 of the DVD changer. Slot #233 is indicated as being empty, and a DVD bearing the movie “Men in Black” is in slot #234. A blank DVD is indicated as being in slot #235.  FIG. 3  indicates that the user has currently placed the cursor on the line indicating “Men in Black”, slot #234. In any case, using the browse disks screen a user can review the contents of each slot in the disk changer  18 .  
         [0030]     A play window  42  may also be superimposed on the browse screen  40 . As shown, the play window  42  can include an option to “play”, which if selected causes the highlighted selection in the browse screen  40  to be played by the DVD player of the disk changer  18  for presentation on the TV  12 . Also, an “update” selection can be selected to cause the computer  14  to automatically access metadata from the Internet pertaining to the highlighted title and to store the metadata on the associated DVD using, e.g., the DVD burner  19 . This metadata can include the year and director of the movie, background content/videos, etc. To update the DVD the computer  14  uses the ID of the selected disk and connects to a content provider Web site using, as entering argument, the disk ID. In the case of a selected disk that is a CD, the user can also be presented with a menu choice to copy the content to the HDD  14 .  
         [0031]     When the “play DVD” selection is made from the start up screen  38  shown in  FIG. 2 , the screen  44  shown in  FIG. 4  can be presented. As shown, the screen  44  can include a menu of movie titles on DVDs in the disk changer  18 . No unused changer slots or blank DVDs are shown. A user can scroll through the list (or input the first letter or two of a title to cause the list to jump to that title) and select a title for play.  
         [0032]      FIG. 5  shows a non-limiting “changer utility” screen  46 . Using the screen  46 , a user can select “auto rip CD”, which in turn causes a window  48  to be presented from which the user can select a particular audio file format, e.g., ATRAC or MP3. Upon selection of the format and the auto rip function, music files from CDs or DVDs in the disk changer  18  are encoded in the selected format and automatically copied onto the HDD  16  shown in  FIG. 1 . If desired, all music files stored on disks in the disk changer  18  can be ripped to the HDD  16 , or only selected files as desired by the user. The “detail settings” selection can be used to define bit rates, folder locations, and other settings. Selecting the “blank disk” selection enables a user to view the format and other settings of blank disks in the disk changer  18 .  
         [0033]     An exemplary index disks screen  50  is shown in  FIG. 6 . As shown, an auto detect function can be selected, in which the system  10  scans all disks for type (e.g., audio CD, CD-ROM, ATRAC3 CD, MP3 CD, DVD video, DVD-ROM, writable CD, writable DVD) and disk ID. The system  10  correlates the titles and/or disk IDs to the appropriate changer slot numbers. This is recommended for the first time use after the disk changer has been loaded with disks. Also, the system  10  can scan each disk for additional metadata to determine, based on the disk ID, whether any metadata is different from what is indicated by the latest index database as might be accessible on a content provider site on the Internet. If it is, the computer  14  can automatically obtain new metadata, if any, from the Internet in accordance with principles discussed above. Alternatively, the user can select the “manual detect” function, which requires the user to manually enter the slot number and disk ID for each disk that has been loaded into the disk changer  18 . The user can be prompted to make this selection if, for instance, metadata cannot be detected by the system  10 . The detection process may be canceled at any time by the user if the user wants to immediately play content, and periodically the user can be prompted to resume the detection process.  
         [0034]      FIG. 7  shows further operational logic of the system  10  in non-limiting flow chart format. Commencing at block  52  the disks  20  are loaded into the disk changer  18 . At block  54  the Internet can be accessed automatically by the computer  14  to obtain disk metadata using, e.g., disk IDs in accordance with principles set forth above. The computer  14  can not only respond to an “auto detect” command from the screen  50  shown in  FIG. 6  to do this, but can also periodically obtain metadata from the Internet without any user command.  
         [0035]     Block  56  indicates that content, such as televised content, digital photographs, digital home videos, etc. can be received on the HDD  16 . Periodically the computer  14  determines, at decision diamond  58 , whether a predetermined data storage condition in the HDD  14  has been met, and if so the logic moves to block  60  to automatically offload content from the HDD  14  to one or more disks in the disk changer  18 . The data storage condition can be, without limitation, reaching a predetermined fraction of the total capacity of the HDD  14 .  
         [0036]      FIGS. 8 and 9  represent some of the functions discussed above. Specifically, block  62  of  FIG. 8  indicates that the user can input a command to copy disk content such as audio files to the HDD  14 , with the command being carried out at block  64  for all relevant disks  20  substantially simultaneously. By “substantially simultaneously” is meant that in a single seamless process, all music on all CDs or just those selected by the user can be copied to the HDD  14  by, e.g., multiplexing among the disks  20 .  
         [0037]     Block  66  of  FIG. 9  indicates that a user can enter a command to offload or to copy content from the HDD  14  to one or more disks  20 . At block  68  the selected HDD files can be copied to any number of disks  20  in the changer  18  substantially simultaneously. For instance, the system  10  permits a user to select a home video file on the HDD  14 , then select a number of disks the user wishes to copy the video to. The video would then be copied to the selected number of disks in the changer  18 .  
         [0038]     While the particular MULTIMEDIA HOME NETWORK COMPUTER as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described objects of the invention, it is to be understood that it is the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention and is thus representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention, that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more”. It is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. Absent express definitions herein, claim terms are to be given all ordinary and accustomed meanings that are not irreconcilable with the present specification and file history.