Abstract:
A computer implemented method for storing and delivering to a consumer a first commentary and a second commentary comprises the steps of storing in a first commentary record of a commentary database the first commentary and a first set of time indexing data, and storing in a second commentary record of the commentary database the second commentary and a second set of time indexing data. A content delivery device is used to playback the media content for the consumer. The playback of the media content is paused after the playback of the first scene, and the first commentary is played for the consumer on the content delivery device. The second commentary is next played on the content delivery device after the playback of the first commentary has ended. Playback of the media content is resumed on the content delivery device upon conclusion of the second commentary.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/773,676 filed Jun. 13, 2013, and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/738,972 filed Dec. 18, 2012. The disclosure of each is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates generally to the field of creating and merging data. More specifically, the invention relates to the field of creating data and synchronizing this data with pre-existing media content. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    Systems and methods for obtaining commentaries associated with media content(s) from contributors, storing said commentaries, and delivering these commentaries in sync with the media content(s) to consumers are disclosed herein. According to one embodiment, a system for: (a) storing a first commentary associated with a first media content and a second commentary associated with a second media content; and (b) delivering the first commentary and the second commentary to a consumer in sync with the first media content and the second media content, respectively, comprises a content playback device configured for the playback of the first media content and the second media content. The content playback device has a first processor in data communication with a first non-transitory computer memory, a first input device, a first output device, and a first networking device. The system further includes a content acquisition device configured for the recording of the first and the second commentaries provided by a contributor. The content acquisition device has a second processor in data communication with a second non-transitory computer memory, a second input device, a second output device, a second networking device, and a microphone. A databank is accessible over a network and includes at least a commentary database and a contributor database. The first commentary is housed in the commentary database in a first commentary record and the second commentary is housed in the commentary database in a second commentary record. The first commentary record further comprises a first set of time indexing data and the second commentary record further comprises a second set of time indexing data for allowing synchronization of the first commentary and the second commentary with the first media content and the second media content, respectively. The contributor database houses an attribute of the contributor. Each of the first commentary and the second commentary are delivered to a consumer in sync with the first media content and the second media content, respectively. 
         [0004]    A computer implemented method for storing and delivering to a consumer a first commentary provided by a first contributor and a second commentary provided by a second contributor is disclosed according to another embodiment. Each of the first and the second commentaries are associated with a first scene of a media content. The method comprises the steps of storing in a first commentary record of a commentary database the first commentary and a first set of time indexing data, and storing in a second commentary record of the commentary database the second commentary and a second set of time indexing data. A content delivery device having at least a processor, a non-transitory memory, an input device, an output device, and a networking device is used to playback the media content for the consumer. The playback of the media content is caused to be paused after the playback of the first scene, and the first commentary is then played for the consumer on the content delivery device. The second commentary is next played on the content delivery device after the playback of the first commentary has ended. Playback of the media content is resumed on the content delivery device upon conclusion of the second commentary. 
         [0005]    A computer implemented method for storing and delivering to a consumer a first commentary provided by a first contributor and a second commentary provided by a second contributor is disclosed according to yet another embodiment. The first commentary is associated with a first scene of a media content and the second commentary is associated with a second scene of the media content. The method comprises the step of storing in a first commentary record of a commentary database the first commentary and a first set of time indexing data. The method further comprises the step of storing in a second commentary record of the commentary database the second commentary and a second set of time indexing data. A content delivery device having at least a processor, a non-transitory memory, an input device, an output device, and a networking device is used to playback the media content for the consumer. The playback of the media content is caused to be paused after the playback of the first scene, and the first commentary is played for the consumer on the content delivery device while the playback of the media content is paused. The playback of the media content is resumed when the first commentary concludes. The playback of the media content is caused to be paused again after the playback of the second scene, and the second commentary is played for the consumer on the content delivery device while the playback of the media content is paused. The playback of the media content is resumed on the content delivery device once the second commentary concludes. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic illustrating electronic communication between various components of a media viewing device; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows the media viewing device being used for the viewing of a movie; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic illustrating electronic communication between various components of a content acquisition device; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a flowchart illustrating a method to record a commentary, according to an embodiment; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  shows identifying characteristics of a media content being entered into a database via the media viewing device; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  shows identifying attributes of the commentary being entered into a database via the media viewing device; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  shows the contents of a commentary record in a commentary database; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  shows part of the constituent databases that comprise a databank; 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  shows the contents of a contributor record in a contributor database; 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  shows an application programming interface of a social media database sending updates to social media platforms; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 11 through 13  show exemplary contents of the databank of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 14  shows a schematic illustrating electronic communication between various components of a content delivery device; 
           [0019]      FIG. 15  shows a flowchart illustrating a method to consume a commentary, according to an embodiment; 
           [0020]      FIG. 16  shows a home screen of a media player interface; 
           [0021]      FIGS. 17 and 18  show exemplary results of search queries with filters; 
           [0022]      FIG. 19  shows a contributor being rated according to a contributor ratings criteria; 
           [0023]      FIG. 20  shows exemplary contents of a ratings database; 
           [0024]      FIG. 21  shows the home screen of  FIG. 16  after the updating of contributor and commentary ratings; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 22  shows a flowchart illustrating a method for utilizing a multiple comment notification mode, according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for creating audio and other data and synchronizing this data with pre-existing media content. Creators and distributors of media content (e.g., movies, songs, television shows, news casts, et cetera) are routinely looking for ways to increase the revenues generated by their media content. Consider, for example, the life cycle of a motion picture, which typically grosses the highest revenues when it is first played in theatres. The motion picture may then be released on digital versatile discs (or “digital video discs” i.e., “DVDs”) and/or streamed by media content outlets (e.g., Netflix®, Hulu®, Hulu Plus, Amazon®, Youtube®, Direct TV®, Vudu, et cetera) and gross additional (though typically smaller) revenues. The motion picture may subsequently be re-released on blue-ray discs or DVDs (e.g., with commentary from actor(s), director(s), producer(s) and/or other content such as deleted scenes) so that it could generate even greater revenues. 
         [0027]    Similarly, a song may first be introduced by a musical band in concerts, and then be released on other media (e.g., compact discs, radio, iTunes®, et cetera) so that it can generate additional revenues. The song may then be re-released (e.g., with the vocals removed for allowing the song to be played on karaoke devices) so that the revenues generated by the song are further enhanced. 
         [0028]    While motion picture DVDs having commentary (from an actor, for example) and karaoke songs are interactive to some extent, they do not harness fully the benefits afforded by interactive entertainment. For example, a motion picture DVD may include commentary from only a select group of individuals, and may not incorporate various comments that a multitude of other media consumers (e.g., avid movie goers, history buffs, professional or amateur critics, comedians, regular individuals, et cetera) may have about the motion picture. Similarly, karaoke songs may generally only be performed and enjoyed by a select group of individuals (e.g., those present at a karaoke bar), and karaoke song performances may not be disseminated as widely as the original songs themselves. The present invention addresses these and related concerns, and in broad terms, discloses systems and methods for: (1) making existing media content fully interactive by allowing users to provide commentaries (in the form of interpretive or explanatory remarks, mimicry, parodies, criticism, voice overs, trivia, et cetera) on existing media content; (2) compiling and organizing the users&#39; commentaries for consumption by the general public; and (3) providing a mechanism to rate the numerous commentators and commentaries based on various criteria so as to enable viewers to choose the one or more commentators and commentaries according to their personal tastes and preferences. 
       Content Acquisition 
       [0029]    Attention is directed now to  FIG. 1 , which shows a media viewing device (or content playback device)  100 . The media viewing device  100  may be any smart device, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a smart phone, a smart television (incorporating, for instance, Apple TV or Roku), a blue-ray disc player, et cetera. The media viewing device  100  may have a processor (or controller)  102 , which may be in data communication with a storage unit  104 , a computer memory  106 , an output device  108 , an input device  110 , and a networking device  112 . 
         [0030]    The storage unit  104  may be, for example, a disk drive that stores programs and data, and the storage unit  104  is illustratively shown storing a program  114  embodying the steps and methods set forth below. It should be understood that the program  114  could be broken into subprograms and stored in storage units of separate devices and that data could be transferred between those storage units using methods known in the art. A dashed outline within the computer memory  106  represents the software program  114  loaded into the computer memory  106  and a dashed line between the storage unit  104  and the computer memory  106  illustrates the transfer of the program  114  between the storage unit  104  and the computer memory  106 . 
         [0031]    The output device  108  may be a display screen (e.g., a CRT, LCD, Plasma, et cetera) and/or speakers, or any other appropriate visual or audio output device whether now known or later invented. The input device  110  may comprise keys, switches, knobs, infrared or other sensors, a remote controller, a microphone, a stylus pen, a touch screen, a DVD or VHS input slot, et cetera. The networking device  112  may be any networking device that allows the media viewing device  100  to connect to network  116 , such as a switch, a router, a modem, a networking card, et cetera. The network  116  may be a local area network, a private network, the World Wide Web, or any other suitable network  116 . 
         [0032]    A user (or contributor)  118  may use the media viewing device  100  to access and enjoy different types of media content  120 , which may include, for example, movies  120 A, music videos  120 B, television shows  120 C, news casts  120 D, or other media content  120 E. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the user  118  may use the media viewing device  100  (a laptop computer in this example) to stream a movie  120 A via a media outlet  122  (such as Netflix®, Hulu, Hulu Plus, Direct TV, Vudu, Amazon, or another static or dynamic media content repository, et cetera). Alternatively, the user  118  may use the media viewing device  100  to view a music video  120 B on a DVD, for example. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  shows a content acquisition device  200 , which may also be one or more of a plurality of smart devices. Much like the media viewing device  100 , the content acquisition device  200  may comprise a processor  202  in data communication with a storage unit  204 , a computer memory  206 , an output device  208 , an input device  210 , and a networking device  212 . The storage unit  204  may be, for example, a disk drive that stores programs and data, and the storage unit  204  is illustratively shown storing a program  214  embodying the steps and methods set forth below. It should be understood that the program  214  could be broken into subprograms and stored in storage units of separate devices (e.g., as program  114  in storage unit  104  of the media viewing device  100 ) and that data could be transferred between those storage units using methods known in the art. A dashed outline within the computer memory  206  represents the software program  214  loaded into the computer memory  206  and a dashed line between the storage unit  204  and the computer memory  206  illustrates the transfer of the program  214  between the storage unit  204  and the computer memory  206 . 
         [0034]    Akin to the output device  108  of the content playback device  100 , the output device  208  of the content acquisition device  200  may be a display screen and/or speakers, or any other appropriate visual or audio output device whether now known or later invented. The input device  210  may comprise keys, switches, knobs, infrared or other sensors, a remote controller, a stylus pen, a touch screen, a DVD input, et cetera. The networking device  212  may be any networking device that allows the content acquisition device  200  to connect to the world wide web  116 , such as a switch, a router, a modem, a networking card, et cetera. 
         [0035]    One of the main differences between the content playback device  100  and the content acquisition device  200  may be that the content acquisition device  200  may further include a microphone  216  in data communication with the processor  202 . In some embodiments, a camera  218  (e.g., a web or other video camera, a still camera, et cetera) may also be integrally or separately provided with the content acquisition device  200 . Of course, while not required, the content playback device  100  may also include a camera and/or a microphone, particularly in embodiments where the content playback device  100  and the content acquisition device  200  are the same device, as discussed in more detail below. 
         [0036]    People of skill in the art will appreciate that every media content  120  may have one or more identifying characteristics  130  (e.g., a cast  132 , a language  134 , a duration  136 , a director(s)  138 , a writer(s)  140 , a genre  142 , a release date  144 , et cetera). Further, a commentary  150  provided by the user  118  about the media content  120  may similarly have one or more identifying attributes  152  (e.g., the commentary  150  may be a mimicry  154 , a parody  156 , a criticism  158 , a voice over  160 , trivia  162 , or other commentary  163 , and may have a language  164 , a duration  166 , a recording date  168 , et cetera). 
         [0037]    For the purposes of illustration, assume now that a user (or contributor)  118 A named Jon Jones utilizing the content playback device  100  to view media content  120  (e.g., a movie  120 A such as the Godfather, Caddyshack, Ocean&#39;s 11, Shrek, et cetera) wishes to provide a commentary  150 A about the media content  120  on the content acquisition device  200 . Attention is directed now to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates a method  300  for allowing the contributor  118 A to record the commentary  150 A. 
         [0038]    The method  300  may begin at step  302 , and at step  304 , the contributor  118 A may power the content playback device  100  and the content acquisition device  200 . People of skill in the art will appreciate from the disclosure herein that the content acquisition device  200  may also be powered at a subsequent step, and that the powering of the devices  100 ,  200  may not be required to effectuate the method  300  where the devices  100 ,  200  are already powered up at step  302 . Once the devices  100 ,  200  are powered, at step  306 , the contributor  118 A may use the input device  110  and the networking device  112  of the content playback device  100  to connect with the media outlet  122  via the world wide web  116 . At step  308 , the contributor  118 A may select the movie  120 A for viewing (from, for example, a listing of media content  120  made available by the media outlet  122 ). Alternatively, the contributor  118 A may have selected a song  120 B, a television show  120 C, a news cast  120 D or other media content  120 E for viewing on the content playback device  100 . 
         [0039]    At step  310 , the contributor  118 A may execute the program  114  to indicate that the contributor  118 A wishes to record the commentary  150 A. At step  312 , the program  114  may instruct the contributor  118 A (e.g., via the processor  102  and the output device  108 ) to log into a contributor account  170  to record the commentary  150 A, and the contributor  118 A may do so at step  314  (using, for example, the input device  110 ). The account  170  may be specific to the contributor  118 A and be password protected and/or encrypted. In some embodiments, the account  170  may be tied to (and have the same log-in information as) an e-mail account of the contributor  118 A and/or an account of the contributor  118 A on a social media platform  238  (e.g., Facebook®, Myspace®, Twitter®, LinkedIn°, et cetera), as discussed in more detail below. 
         [0040]    Once the contributor  118 A logs into the account  170 , at step  316 , the program  114  may inquire about the device which the contributor  118 A wishes to use to record the commentary  150 A. For example, the program  114  may cause the output device  108  to display a list of all the devices on which all or part of the program  114  (and/or the program  214 ) is stored and instruct the contributor  118 A to select one of these devices to record the commentary  150 A. Alternatively, or in addition, the program  114  may allow the contributor  118 A to manually enter (using, for example, the input device  110 ) the device on which the commentary  150 A is to be recorded. At step  318 , the contributor  118 A may select the content acquisition device  200  for recording the commentary  150 A. Alternatively, as discussed further below, the contributor  118 A may have chosen at step  318  to view the movie  120 A and record the commentary  150 A on the same device (e.g., the content playback device  100 ). 
         [0041]    At step  320 , after indicating that the contributor  118 A wishes to record the commentary  150 A on the content acquisition device  200 , the contributor  118 A may execute the program  214  on the content acquisition device  200 . In some embodiments, the program  214  may be executed automatically on the device chosen by the contributor  118 A to record the commentary  150 A. Further, as outlined above, the program  214  and the program  114  may in some embodiments be the same program (i.e., the functionality of the program  214  may be encompassed by the program  114 ). 
         [0042]    At step  322 , the program  214  may cause a recording application  220  to be launched on the content acquisition device  200 . The recording application  220  may be configured to allow the contributor  118 A to use the microphone  216  and/or the video camera  218  of the content acquisition device  200  to record the commentary  150 A. At step  324 , the program  114  may launch a time synchronizing application  171 T on the content playback device  100 . 
         [0043]    The movie  120 A may begin to play on the content playback device  100  at step  326 . As the contributor  118 A views the movie on the content playback device  100 , the contributor  118 A may at step  328  use the microphone  216  (and/or the video camera  218 ) of the content acquisition device  200  to simultaneously record the commentary  150 A. For example, the contributor  118 A may view a scene of the movie  120 A and record a parody  156  of the scene in the commentary  150 A. Or, for example, as the contributor  118 A views a scene of the movie  120 A, the contributor may record trivia  162  (e.g., background facts, information regarding the set, the actors, the storyline, et cetera) in the commentary  150 A. 
         [0044]    As discussed in more detail herein, a user (or consumer)  418 A may subsequently be allowed to view the movie  120 A and listen to (or watch) the commentary  150 A recorded by the contributor  118 A in conjunction therewith. However, in the absence of a time synchronizing mechanism, the commentary  150 A may appear out of sync with the movie  120 A to the consumer  418 A. For instance, as people of skill in the art will appreciate, a particular scene may commence five minutes after the movie  120 A is launched for viewing using one media outlet  122  (e.g., Netflix), and commence six minutes after the movie  120 A is launched for viewing using a different media outlet  122  (e.g., Hulu), because of, for example, disparate buffering/streaming speeds of the different media outlets  122 , differing length of previews, advertisements, starting credits, et cetera. Thus, a commentary  150 A recorded with the movie  120 A viewed using one media outlet  122  (e.g., Netflix) may similarly appear to be out of sync with the same movie  120 A when that movie  120 A is viewed using another media outlet  122  (e.g., Hulu). To address this problem, the time synchronizing application  171 T may, at step  330 , continuously (e.g., every microsecond, every millisecond, every second, every minute, et cetera) poll (over the web or local network  116 ) the timeline data of the movie  120 A playing on the content playback device  100  and index it with the timeline data of the commentary  150 A to ensure that the commentary  150 A and the movie  120 A remain synchronized. This polling, indexing and synchronization of the movie  120 A and the commentary  150 A at step  330  may initiate at the commencement of the movie  120 A (and/or the commencement of the commentary  150 A) and continue until the movie  120 A ends (i.e., the step  330  may be continually performed for the duration of the steps  326 ,  328 ). As discussed below, time indexing data  151 A which includes information about the indexed timelines of the movie  120 A and the commentary  151 A may be saved in a database. 
         [0045]    The contributor  118 A may continue to view the movie  120 A on the content playback device  100  and simultaneously record the commentary  150 A on the content acquisition device  200 . The movie  120 A may eventually end at step  332 , and the contributor  118 A may conclude the commentary  150 A at step  334 . 
         [0046]    At step  336 , the program  114  may instruct (e.g., via the processor  102  and the output device  108 ) the contributor  118 A to outline the identifying characteristics  130  of the movie  120 A. For example, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the program  114  may ask the contributor to enter the cast  132 , language  134 , duration  136 , director(s)  138 , writer(s)  140 , genre  142 , release date  144 , et cetera, of the movie  120 A, and the contributor  118 A may enter the same at step  338  using the input device  110  of the content playback device  100 . 
         [0047]    At step  340 , the program  114  may ask the contributor  118 A to enter the identifying attributes  152  of the commentary  150 A. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the program  114  may instruct the contributor  118 A to identify whether the commentary  150 A he recorded is a mimicry  154 , a parody  156 , a criticism  158 , a voice over  160 , trivia  162 , or other commentary  163 , et cetera. The program  114  may further instruct the contributor  118 A to enter the language  164  of the commentary  150  along with its duration  166  and recording date  168 . The contributor  118 A may enter the identifying attributes  152  of the commentary  150 A at step  342 . In some embodiments, the language  164 , the duration  166  and/or the recording date  168  of the commentary  150 A may be automatically determined and saved by the program  114 . People of skill in the art will appreciate the steps  336 - 342  of the method  300  are optional and may be omitted in some embodiments. People of skill in the art will further appreciate that while the disclosure herein outlines that the identifying characteristics  130  and the identifying attributes  152  are entered by the contributor  118 A using the content playback device  100 , that the identifying characteristics and attributes  130 ,  152 , may similarly be entered by the contributor  118 A using the content acquisition device  200  at the instruction of the program  214 . 
         [0048]    Assume for the purposes of this example that the contributor  118 A enters (via the input device  110  or the input device  210 ) that the commentary  150 A is a mimicry  154  in the English language (see  FIG. 6 ). Assume further that the program  214  determines that the duration of the commentary  150 A is two hours, and that its recording date is 2 Jun. 2012. At step  344 , this information, along with the commentary  150 A and the time indexing data  151 A, may be uploaded via the world wide web  116  to a commentary database  232  and saved therein as a first commentary record  270 A. More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the first commentary record  270 A saved in the commentary database  232  may include the commentary  150 A of the movie  120 A as recorded by the contributor  118 A, along with the name of the contributor  118 A (i.e., Jon Jones), the commentary type (i.e., mimicry  154 ), the commentary language  164  (i.e., English), the commentary duration  166  (i.e., two hours), the commentary recording date  168  (i.e., 2 Jun. 2012), and the time indexing data  151 A. 
         [0049]    In some embodiments, the commentary  150 A may be continuously uploaded to the commentary database  232  in fragments (e.g., portions of the commentary  150 A may be continuously time indexed, parsed, and saved to the commentary database  232  as they are provided by the contributor  118 A). In some embodiments, alternatively or in addition to being uploaded to the commentary database  232 , the commentary  150 A may also be uploaded to a third party server  240  via voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) for cloud based encoding, indexing and subsequent retrieval. Further, in some embodiments, the identifying characteristics  130  of the movie  120 A for which the commentary  150 A is recorded may also be saved in the commentary database  232 . 
         [0050]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , the commentary database  232  may be part of a larger databank  230 , which may also include a contributor database  234  and a social media database  236 . Each of the commentary database  232 , the contributor database  234 , and the social media database  236  may be in data communication with each other. At step  346 , the program  214  may update (or create) a first contributor record (or “profile”)  272 A in the contributor database  234 , which, as shown in  FIG. 9 , may include information about the contributor  118 A. Specifically, the first contributor record  272 A may comprise the name of the contributor  118 A (i.e., Jon Jones) along with a listing of his commentaries. 
         [0051]    The social media database  236  may include an application programming interface  236 A, which may be configured to interact with social media platforms  238  (e.g., Facebook®, Twitter®, Myspace®, LinkedIn®, et cetera) and send updates to these social media platforms  238  regarding the commentary  150 A. For example, once the commentary  150 A is uploaded to the commentary database  232 , the application programming interface  236 A of the social media database  236  may update the profile of the contributor of Facebook® and Myspace® at step  348  to indicate that the commentary  150 A about the movie  120 A has been uploaded by the contributor  118 A (see  FIG. 10 ). Alternatively, or in addition, the application program interface  236 A may at step  348  send a “tweet” on Twitter® apprising the public that the commentary  150 A has been uploaded by the contributor  118 A. New social media platforms  238  may also of course be incorporated and updated in the same manner. The method  300  may end at step  350 . 
         [0052]    Assume now that the contributor  118 A views a different media content  120  (e.g., a music video  120 B) and creates a commentary  150 B about the music video  120 B using the method  300  (as outlined above). Assume also that the commentary  150 B is a parody  156 , has a duration  166  of five minutes, is recorded on 3 Jun. 2012, is in the French language, and has time indexing data  151 B. As shown in  FIG. 11 , the commentary  150 B and these identifying attributes  152  of the commentary  150 B may be saved in the commentary database  232  in a second commentary record  270 B. Further, as the commentary  150 B is uploaded, the first contributor record  272  in the contributor database  234  may also be updated to indicate that the contributor  118 A (i.e., Jon Jones) has created the commentary  150 B of the music video  120 B in addition to the commentary  150 A of the movie  120 A. The application programming interface  236 A of the social media database  236  may further send updates to the social media platforms  238  regarding the commentary  150 B, as discussed above with respect to the commentary  150 A. 
         [0053]    Assume now that a second contributor  118 B named Jane Jonas views the media content  120  (e.g., a movie  121 A) and uses the method  300  to record a commentary  150 C of the movie  121 A. Assume further that the commentary  150 C is a criticism  158 , has a duration  166  of one hour, is recorded on 3 Jun. 2012, is in the English language, and has time indexing data  151 C. As shown in  FIG. 12 , the commentary  150 C and these identifying attributes  152  of the commentary  150 C may also be saved in the commentary database  232  in a third commentary record  270 C. Further, as the commentary  150 C is uploaded, a second contributor record  274  may be created to indicate that the contributor  118 B (i.e., Jane Jonas) has created the commentary  150 C of the movie  121 A. The application programming interface  236 A of the social media database  236  may similarly send updates to the social media platforms  238  regarding the new commentary  150 C. 
         [0054]    Assume now that the second contributor  118 B (i.e., Jane Jonas) views the media content  120  (e.g., the movie  120 A, which was previously viewed and commented on by contributor  118 A) and utilizes the method  300  to record a commentary  150 D. Assume further that the commentary  150 D is a mimicry  154 , has a duration  166  of two hours, is recorded on 3 Aug. 2013, is in the English language, and has time indexing data  151 D. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the commentary  150 D and these identifying attributes  152  of the commentary  150 D may, consistent with the prior examples, be saved in the commentary database  232  in a fourth commentary record  270 D. Further, as the commentary  150 D is uploaded, the second contributor record  274  may be updated to indicate that the contributor  118 B (i.e., Jane Jonas) has created the commentary  150 D of the movie  120 A. The application programming interface  236 A of the social media database  236  may similarly send updates to the social media platforms  238  regarding the new commentary  150 D. 
         [0055]    In this manner, thus, multiple (e.g., hundreds of thousands) contributors  118  may conveniently view existing media content  120  on one device (e.g., the content playback device  100 ) and record commentaries  150  regarding the media content  120  on another device (e.g., the content acquisition device  200  such as a laptop, desktop, smart phone, tablet, smart TV, blue-ray player, et cetera). Information regarding each of these commentaries and commentators may be saved in the databank  230 , as discussed above with respect to the commentary  150 A of the contributor  118 A. 
         [0056]    In some embodiments, the content playback device  100  and the content acquisition device  200  may be the same device (e.g., a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet, a smart phone, et cetera) and the contributor  118  may view the media content  120  on the output  108  (or  208 , such as a display) and simultaneously record the commentary  150  using the input  110  (or  210 , which may comprise a microphone and/or a camera) of the same device. People of skill in the art will appreciate that in these embodiments, the various functions outlined above (such as the recording by the recording application  220 , the time synchronization by the time synchronizing application  171 T, the uploading of the commentaries  150  to the databank  230 , et cetera) may all be performed on the same device in tandem with the playback of the media content  120 . 
       Content Delivery 
       [0057]    Attention is directed now to  FIG. 13 , which shows a content delivery device  400 . Much like the content playback device  100  and the content acquisition device  200 , the content delivery device  400  may be any smart device and have a processor (or controller)  402  in data communication with a storage unit  404 , a computer memory  406 , an output device  408 , an input device  410 , and a networking device  412 . The storage unit  404  may be, for example, a disk drive that stores programs and data, and the storage unit  404  is illustratively shown storing a program  414  embodying the steps and methods set forth below. It should be understood that the program  414  could be broken into subprograms and stored in storage units of separate devices and that data could be transferred between those storage units using methods known in the art. A dashed outline within the computer memory  406  represents the software program  414  loaded into the computer memory  406  and a dashed line between the storage unit  404  and the computer memory  406  illustrates the transfer of the program  414  between the storage unit  404  and the computer memory  406 . The output device  408  may be a display screen (e.g., a CRT, LCD, Plasma, et cetera) and/or speakers, or any other appropriate visual or audio output device whether now known or later invented. The input device  410  may comprise keys, switches, knobs, infrared or other sensors, a remote controller, a microphone, a stylus pen, a touch screen, a DVD or VHS input slot, et cetera. The networking device  412  may be any networking device that allows the media viewing device  100  to connect to a world wide web (i.e., the internet, or to or a private or local network)  116 , such as a switch, a router, a modem, a networking card, et cetera. 
         [0058]    When viewing the media content  120 , users (or consumers)  418  may wish to listen to (or view) in conjunction therewith the commentary  150  submitted by a contributor  118  regarding that media content  120 . This may be particularly true for the media content  120  that is in its residual phase (i.e., media content  120  whose novelty has worn off, e.g., movies such as Caddyshack, Reservoir Dogs, et cetera). The commentaries  150  may allow the consumers  418  to view the media content  120 , so to speak, in a new light through the eyes of the commentators  118 . 
         [0059]    Attention is directed now to  FIG. 15 , which illustrates a method  500  for a consumer  418 A named Jay Johnson to enjoy the commentary  150 A along with the movie  120 A. The method  500  may begin at step  502 , and at step  504 , the consumer  418 A may power the content playback device  100  and the content delivery device  400 . People of skill in the art will appreciate from the disclosure herein that the content delivery device  400  may also be powered at a subsequent step, and that the powering of the devices  100 ,  400  may not be required to effectuate the method  500  where the devices  100 ,  400  are already powered up at step  502 . 
         [0060]    Once the devices  100 ,  400  are powered, at step  506 , the consumer  418 A may use the input device  110  and the networking device  112  of the content playback device  100  to connect with the media outlet  122  via the world wide web  116 . The consumer  418 A may similarly use the input device  410  of the content delivery device  400  to connect to the web  116  using the networking device  412 . 
         [0061]    At step  508 , the consumer  418 A may select the movie  120 A for viewing (from, for example, a listing of media content  120  made available by the media outlet  122 ). At step  510 , the consumer  418 A may execute the program  414  to indicate that the consumer  418 A wishes to listen to (or view) the commentary  150 . In some embodiments, the media outlet  122  may automatically execute the program  414  or display advertising to entice the consumer  418 A to consume the commentary  150  along with the movie  120 A. 
         [0062]    At step  512 , the program  414  may instruct the consumer  418 A (e.g., via the processor  402  and the output device  408 ) to log into a consumer account  470 , and the consumer  418 A may do so at step  514  (using, for example, the input device  410 ). Much like the contributor account  170 , the consumer account  470  may be specific to the consumer  418 A and be password protected and/or encrypted. In some embodiments, the consumer account  470  may be tied to (and have the same log-in information as) an e-mail account of the consumer  418 A and/or an account of consumer  418 A on one or more of the social media platform  238 . The consumer  418 A may log into his consumer account  470  at step  514 . 
         [0063]    At step  516 , the program  414  may cause a media player  472  to be launched. The media player  472  may be configured to play audio and video data files, and have an interface  474  for allowing the consumer  418 A to select a commentary  150  that may be played with the movie  120 A. In some embodiments, the media player  472  may communicate with the content playback device  100  (and/or the media outlet  122 ) and automatically ascertain the media content  120  (here the movie  120 A) that the consumer  418 A has selected for viewing via the media outlet  122 . In other embodiments, the interface  474  may direct (e.g., via the output device  408 ) the consumer  418 A to input the title of the media content  120  which the consumer  418 A has selected for viewing. 
         [0064]      FIG. 16  shows a home screen  476  of the interface  474 . People of skill in the art will appreciate that the interface  474  is exemplary only and that a different media player with a different interface may also be used for the selection and playing of the commentary  150 . The home screen  476  of the interface  474  may have a first segment (or section)  476 A, a second segment  476 B, a third segment  476 C, a fourth segment  476 D, a fifth segment  476 E, a sixth segment  476 F, a seventh segment  476 G, and an eight segment  476 H. 
         [0065]    The first segment  476 A of the home screen  476  may, for example, include a greeting for the consumer  418 A, and the second segment  476 B may list the title of the movie  120 A that the consumer  418 A has selected for viewing via the media outlet  122  (see  FIG. 16 ). The third segment  476  C may, for example, include a listing of one or more commentaries  150  that have been published by the contributors  118  regarding the media content  120  that the consumer  418  has selected for viewing. For example, as shown in  FIG. 16 , with respect to the movie  120 A, the third segment  476 C may list the commentary  150 A and the commentary  150 D (which, as discussed above, were submitted by contributor  118 A (i.e., Jon Jones) and contributor  118 B (i.e., Jane Jonas), respectively). Some or all of the identifying attributes  152  of the respective commentaries  150  may also be provided to assist the consumer  418 A in making his or her selection. 
         [0066]    The fourth segment  476 D of the home screen  476 D may include a tab that the consumer  418 A may select to view a listing of commentaries  150  in the databank  230  on other media content  120 . For example, the consumer  418 A may be allowed to search through the various commentaries  150  in the databank  230  using one or more of a plurality of filters  478 . The filters  478  may allow the consumer  418 A to search through the various commentaries  150  using any of the identifying attributes  152  of the commentaries  150  and/or the identifying characteristics  130  of the media content  120 ; for example, the consumer  418 A may search the commentaries  150  using the contributor name  118 , the media content title  120 , the commentary type (e.g., mimicry  154 , parody  156 ), the commentary duration  166 , commentary recording date  168 , the media content&#39;s cast  132 , the media content&#39;s duration  136 , media content&#39;s director(s)  138 , the media content&#39;s writer(s)  140 , the media content&#39;s genre  142 , the media content&#39;s release date  144 , et cetera. For example, if the consumer  418 A uses the contributor name  118  (e.g., contributor  118 A, i.e., Jon Jones) as the filter  478 , the media player interface  474  may list all the commentaries  150  that the contributor  118 A (Jon Jones) has published (see  FIG. 17 ). Or, for example, if the consumer  418 A uses the commentary language  164  (e.g., English) as the filter  478 , the media player interface  474  may list all the commentaries  150  in the English language (see  FIG. 18 ). One or more other filters  478  (e.g., commentary duration  166 , media content&#39;s genre  142 , et cetera) may similarly be employed the by consumer  418 A to conveniently sift through and select from the multitude of commentaries  150  in the databank  230 . 
         [0067]    As shown in  FIG. 16 , the home screen  474  may also include a commentary rating  180  at the fifth segment  476 E and a contributor rating  190  at the sixth segment  476 F. The home screen  474  may further allow the user to select a multiple comment notification mode  600  at the seventh segment  476 G or an ad hoc delivery mode  610  at the eight segment  476 H. The commentary and contributor ratings  180 ,  190 , and the multiple comment notification and ad hoc delivery modes  600 ,  610 , respectively, are discussed further below. Attention is directed back to the method  500  at  FIG. 15 . 
         [0068]    After the media player  472  is launched at step  516 , the consumer  418 A at step  518  use the media player interface  474  and the input, output devices  410 ,  408  of the content delivery device  400  to select a commentary for consumption with the movie  120 A. Assume, for example, that the consumer  418 A chooses to listen to the commentary  150 A (published by contributor  118 A) at step  518 . Alternatively, the consumer  418 A may have chosen to listen to the commentary  150 D (published by contributor  118 B). 
         [0069]    At step  520 , the program  414  may cause the time synchronizing application  171 T to be launched in the background. The movie  120 A may begin to play on the content playback device  110  (e.g., at the direction of the program  114  and/or the program  414 ) at step  522 . At step  524 , the program  414  may cause the commentary  150 A to play on the content delivery device  400 . 
         [0070]    The consumer  418 A may enjoy the movie  120 A on the content playback device  100 , and simultaneously enjoy the commentary  150 A on the content delivery device  400 . While the movie  120 A and the commentary  150 A are playing, the time synchronization application  171 T may continue to run in the background at step  526  and use the time indexing data  151 A to ensure that the commentary  150 A and the movie  120 A are adequately synchronized. Thus, the consumer  418 A may view the media content  120  (i.e., the movie  120 A in this example) via any media outlet  122  and enjoy the synchronized commentary  150  therewith. Notably, as the consumer  418 A consumes the commentary  150 A with the media content  120 A (using Netflix as the media outlet  122 , for example), the commentary  150 A may be presented to the consumer  418 A in sync with the media content  120 A even though the contributor  118  may have recorded the commentary  150 A when viewing the media content  120 A using a different media outlet  122  (Hulu, for example). As noted above, because of differing length of previews, advertisements, starting credits, disparate buffering speeds, et cetera, of the different media outlets  122 , the timelines of the same media content  120 A when viewed using two different media outlets  122  may not align. The time synchronization application  171 T may use the time indexing data  150 A to account for such differences in the timelines. For example, if a particular scene of the media content  120 A is played for the contributor  118  three minutes after he begins viewing the media content  120 A but is played for the consumer  418 A four minutes after he begins viewing the media content  120 A (using for example a different media outlet  122 ), the polling by the time synchronization application  171 T may ensure that the commentary  150 A associated with that particular scene is played for the consumer  418 A when that particular scene is being viewed by the consumer  418 A (i.e., four minutes after playback begins in this example), irrespective of the fact that the commentary  150 A associated with this particular scene was recorded by the contributor  118 A three minutes after playback of the media content  120 A began. 
         [0071]    The movie  120 A may end at step  528  and the commentary  150 A may end at step  530 . At step  532 , the program  414  may direct the consumer  418 A to provide a contributor rating  180  and/or a commentary rating  190 , and the consumer  418 A may do so at step  534 . 
         [0072]    The contributor rating  180  may range from zero to five stars (or zero to ten stars in some embodiments), and may be based on contributor rating criteria  182 . The contributor rating criteria  182  may, for example, include factual accuracy  182 A, humor  182 B, clarity  182 C, command over subject matter  182 D, et cetera. The consumer  418 A may be directed at step  532  to rate the contributor  118 A from one to five stars under each of these categories, and the program  414  may then average these various ratings to determine the contributor rating  180 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 19 , the consumer  418 A may give the contributor  118 A four stars on factual accuracy  182 , two stars on each of humor  182 B and clarity  182 C, and four stars on command over subject matter  182 D. The program  414  may thus determine that the contributor rating  180  for the contributor  118 A is three stars (i.e., (4+2+4+2)/4=3)) (see  FIG. 21 ). 
         [0073]    The commentary rating  190  may similarly range from zero to five stars (or zero to ten stars in some embodiments), and may be based on commentary rating criteria  192 , which in some embodiments may include some or all of the contributor rating criteria  182  (i.e., include criteria such as factual accuracy  182 A, humor  182 B, clarity  182 C, et cetera.) The consumer  418 A may be directed at step  532  to rate the commentary  118 A from one to five stars under each of these categories, and the program  414  may then average these various ratings to determine the commentary rating  190 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 20 , the consumer  418 A may give the commentary three stars on factual accuracy  182 , two stars on humor  182 B and four stars on clarity  182 C. The program  414  may thus determine that the commentary rating for the commentary  150 A is three stars (i.e., (3+2+4)/3=3)) (see  FIG. 21 ). 
         [0074]    After the consumer  418 A has entered the contributor rating  180  and/or the commentary rating  190  at step  534 , the ratings  180 ,  190  (along with, in some embodiments, the ratings given by the consumer  418 A on the individual criteria  182 ,  192 ) may be uploaded to a ratings database  480  at step  536 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 20 , the contributor rating  180  may be saved in the ratings database  480  in a first contributor rating record  486  and the commentary rating  190  may be saved in the ratings database  480  as a first commentary rating record  496 . When a consumer  418  (e.g., Jay Johnson  418 A) subsequently uses the method  500  to consume the commentary  150 A, the program  414  may cause these contributor ratings  180  and/or the commentary ratings  190  to be displayed on the home screen  476  to assist the consumer  418  in making his selection (see  FIG. 21 ). 
         [0075]    People of skill in the art will appreciate that while the contributor ratings  180  and the commentary ratings  190  have been illustrated herein with regard to a single consumer  418  (i.e., consumer  418 A), that the ratings database  480  may similarly house the contributor ratings  180  and/or the commentary ratings  190  submitted by multiple (e.g., hundreds of thousands) of consumers  418  regarding different types of media content  120 . The program  414  may be configured to average the ratings submitted by the multiple consumers  418  before displaying them on the home screen  474  at the fifth and sixth segments  476 E,  476 F, respectively. In some embodiments, the filter  478  may include the contributor ratings  180  and/or the commentary ratings  190  (i.e., consumers  418  may be allowed to search through contributors  118  and/or commentaries  150  that are rated at three stars or above, rated at four and a half stars, rated at between four stars and five stars, et cetera). In some embodiments, the contributor ratings  180  and/or the commentary ratings  190  may be devoid of the criteria  182 ,  192 , and the consumers  418  may simply rate the contributors  118  and/or the commentaries  150  from one to five stars. In some embodiments, the ratings database  480  may be part of the databank  230 . 
         [0076]    Returning back to the method  500  at  FIG. 15 , once the contributor ratings  180  and/or the commentary ratings  190  have been uploaded to the ratings database  480  at step  536 , the application programming interface  236 A of the social media database  236  may send updates to social media platforms  238 . For example, the application programming interface  236 A may update the contributor  118 A&#39;s and/or the consumer  418 A&#39;s Facebook® page indicating that the consumer  418 A has viewed the commentary  150 A and given the contributor  118 A and/or the commentary  150 A a three star rating. 
         [0077]    As discussed above, the contributor  118  may use a single device (e.g., the media viewing device  100 ) to view the media content  120  and record the commentary  150 , or use two separate devices for the viewing of the media content  120  and the recording of the commentary  150  (e.g., the media viewing device  100 , and the content acquisition device  200 , respectively). Similarly, the consumer  418  may use two separate devices for consuming the media content  120  and the commentary  150  (e.g., the media viewing device  100  and the content delivery device  400 , respectively), or use a single device (e.g., the media viewing device  100 ) to enjoy the commentary  150  and the media content  120  simultaneously. 
         [0078]    Thus, as has been described, the present invention may make existing media content  120  fully interactive by allowing contributors  118  to provide commentaries  150  on the same. The invention may in this way breathe new life into the existing media content  120  by allowing commentaries  150  to be consumed in conjunction therewith, and by virtue of, for example, the social media database  236 , advertise these commentaries  150  which may in turn peak the public&#39;s interest in the underlying media content  120 . 
         [0079]    As outlined above, a contributor  118  may use the present invention (e.g., the method  300 ) to, inter alia, view a media content  120  and record a commentary  150  therewith, and a consumer  418  may use the present invention (e.g., the method  500 ) to, among other things, watch the media content  120  and consume therewith the recorded commentary  150  in sync with the media content. The disclosure above generally illustrates the contributor  118  recording one commentary  150  for the entire duration of the media content  120 , and the consumer  418  consuming only that one commentary  150  along with the media content  120 . People of skill in the art will appreciate from the disclosure herein, however, that the invention is not so limited. 
       Content Delivery—Special Modes of Operation 
       [0080]    The present invention may also allow consumers  418  to consume multiple commentaries  150  from multiple contributors  118  while viewing the media content  120  (e.g., a movie). Specifically, a consumer  418 C may utilize the multiple comment notification mode  600  (see  FIG. 16 ), functionality for which may be, for example, provided via the program  414 , to select a plurality of commentaries  150  for consumption with the media content  120 . Assume, for example, that five contributors  118 E,  118 F,  118 G,  118 H, and  118 I have respectively recorded commentaries  150 E,  150 F,  150 G,  150 H and  150 I associated with a movie  121 B, and that these commentaries and the information regarding these contributors and commentaries is saved in the databank  230  in line with the discussion above. Attention is directed now to  FIG. 22 , which shows a method  700  for utilizing the multiple comment notification mode  600 . 
         [0081]    The method  700  may begin at step  702 , and at step  704 , the consumer  418 C may power the content playback device  100  and the content delivery device  400 . At step  706 , the consumer  418 C may use the input device  110  and the networking device  112  of the content playback device  100  to connect with the media outlet  122  via the world wide web  116 . The consumer  418 C may similarly use the input device  410  of the content delivery device  400  to connect to the web  116  using the networking device  412 . 
         [0082]    At step  708 , the consumer  418 C may select the movie  121 B for viewing (from, for example, a listing of media content  120  made available by the media outlet  122 ). At step  710 , the consumer  418 C may execute the program  414  to indicate that the consumer  418 C wishes to listen to (or view) at least one commentary  150   
         [0083]    At step  712 , the program  414  may instruct the consumer  418 C (e.g., via the processor  402  and the output device  408 ) to log into his consumer account  470 , and the consumer  418 C may do so at step  714  (using, for example, the input device  410 ). 
         [0084]    At step  716 , the program  414  may cause the media player  472  to be launched and display the media player interface  474  ( FIG. 16 ). At step  718 , the consumer  418 C may select the multiple comment notification mode  600 . The program  414  may, at step  719 , direct the consumer  418 C to select two or more commentaries  150  for consumption with the movie  121 B. The consumer  418 C may select the commentaries  150 E,  150 F,  150 G,  150 H, and  150 I at step  720 . 
         [0085]    At step  722 , a scene  121 S from the movie  121 B may begin to play on the content playback device  100 . At step  724 , once the scene  121 S ends, the program  114  (or  414 ) may cause the playback of the movie  121 B to be paused (i.e., stopped). The program  414  may then cause at step  726  the portion of the commentary  150 E that is associated with the scene  121 S to play on the content delivery device  400 . Thereafter, the program  414  may cause the portion of the commentary  150 F that is associated with the scene  121 S to play on the content delivery device  400 . Similarly, the program  414  may sequentially play those portions of the commentaries  150 G,  150 H and  150 I that are associated with the scene  121 S. 
         [0086]    Steps  722  through  726  may be repeated until the movie  121 B ends. Specifically, after each scene, the playback of the movie  121 B may be paused (i.e. stopped) and the portions of the commentaries  150 E,  150 F,  150 G,  150 H, and  150 I that are associated with that scene may be sequentially played on the content delivery device  400 . The consumer  418 C may thus enjoy multiple points of view of multiple contributors  118  while viewing the movie  121 B. 
         [0087]    The movie  121 B may end at step  728 , and the commentaries  150 E,  150 F,  150 G,  150 H, and  150 I may end at step  730 . At step  732 , the program  414  may instruct the consumer  418 C to provide a contributor rating  180  for each contributor  118 E,  118 F,  118 G,  118 H, and  118 I, and a commentary rating  190  for each commentary  150 E,  150 F,  150 G,  150 H, and  150 I, and the consumer  418 C may do so at step  734 . The ratings  180 ,  190  may be saved in the ratings database  480  at step  736  as discussed above. The program  414  may then cause the application programming interface  236 A to send updates to social media platforms  238  at step  738 . The method  700  may end at step  740 . 
         [0088]    In some embodiments, the multiple comment notification mode  600  may allow the consumer  418  to select, scene by scene (or every five, ten, fifteen, minutes, for example), the commentaries  150  that the consumer  418  wishes to enjoy with the media content  121 B. The consumer  418  may thus, for example, enjoy certain commentaries  150  with certain scenes of the movie  121 B and other commentaries  150  with other scenes of the movie  121 B (or other media content  120 ). 
         [0089]    It will be appreciated that some consumers  418  may be more interested in consuming a commentary  150  than in viewing the media content  120  with which the commentary  150  is associated. The ad hoc delivery mode  610  ( FIG. 16 ) may allow consumers  418  to consume multiple commentaries  150  in a continuous fashion without viewing the media content  120 . For example, a consumer  418  may use the ad hoc delivery mode  610  to sequentially consume the ten most recent commentaries  150  that have been uploaded to the databank  230  (or the server  240 ). Additionally, the ad hoc delivery mode  610  may allow consumers to view only a portion of the media content  120  (e.g., one scene) and consume therewith a plurality of commentaries  150  from multiple contributors  118  that are associated with that portion of the media content  120 . 
         [0090]    Thus, as has been described, the present invention may: (1) make existing media content  120  fully interactive by allowing contributors  118  to provide commentaries  150  on all or part of the media content  120 ; (2) compile and organize the media content  120  and the commentaries  150  of the contributors  118  for consumption by the consumers  418 ; and (3) provide a mechanism to rate the numerous contributors  118  and commentaries  150  based on various criteria so as to enable the consumers  418  to choose the one or more contributors  118  and commentaries  150  according to their personal tastes and preferences. 
         [0091]    Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0092]    It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.