Patent Publication Number: US-2005120380-A1

Title: Portable entertainment apparatus

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. Ser. No. 60/499,948, filed Sep. 3, 2003, entitled “Portable Entertainment Apparatus,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND  
      1. Field  
      The present invention relates generally to entertainment systems, and more specifically, to a portable entertainment apparatus that is used in conjunction with digital entertainment systems, such as digital video recorders or personal video recorders.  
      2. Related Art  
      Digital entertainment systems, such as digital video recorders (DVRs) (otherwise know as personal video recorders (PVRs) and digital video disc (DVD) players, have received increased attention lately and have become popular. These digital entertainment systems are capable of reproducing video and audio content at a high quality as compared to conventional analog entertainment systems because the video and audio content may be digitally formatted. Digitally formatting video content also facilitates implementation of program guides, and manipulation of the video content by users.  
      Conventional DVRs typically receive video content either from a conventional video cable or through broadband connection, and then encode and store the received video content in compressed digital formats, such as motion-pictures-experts-group standard 2 (“MPEG-2”), for future retrieval by a user. In this manner, users are able to view high quality video content at any desired time without deterioration of image quality as compared with analog recording of video content. One example of a conventional DVR is the ReplayTV brand of DVR&#39;s provided by Digital Networks North America headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif.  
      One of the disadvantages of conventional DVRs is that they typically do not have a separate display, and thus, require a separate display system, such as a television set or computer monitor, to view recorded video content. In addition, the typical size of conventional DVR&#39;s is too large to be portable.  
      DVR users, however, may find it very useful and convenient if they could download at least part of the video content stored in the DVR to a portable entertainment apparatus, and enjoy the video content at a location remote from the DVR. For example, a user may desire to download a movie stored in a DVR to a portable entertainment apparatus, and then view the movie while traveling, just as one listens to music using a car audio system in conjunction with a portable MPEG Audio Layer 3 (“MP3”) player or portable CD player.  
      Moreover, a user may desire to update the video content on portable entertainment apparatus with video content and DVR so that the video content does not become stale. In other words, a user may desire to synchronize the video content stored in the portable entertainment apparatus with that in the DVR at any of number of intervals, e.g., (i) once a day, (ii) once a week, (iii) after the video content on the portable entertainment apparatus has been viewed, and (iv) etc.  
      Therefore, there is a need for a personal entertainment apparatus that is portable and is operable to store at least a practical amount of video content, for example, one hour of video content, in digital format. There is also a need for a personal entertainment apparatus that can download video content from a conventional DVR. Furthermore, there is a need for synchronizing the video content stored in a portable entertainment apparatus with that of a DVR.  
     SUMMARY  
      A portable entertainment apparatus that operates in conjunction with a digital entertainment server storing entertainment content, such as video and audio content, in digital format is provided. The portable entertainment apparatus, which may be embodied as a handheld device, may download the entertainment content from the digital entertainment server. According to one embodiment, the portable entertainment apparatus may store at least one hour of video content in digital format in a storage device, such as a disk-based storage medium, which is integrated into, integral to or otherwise incorporated into the portable entertainment apparatus. The entertainment content stored in the digital entertainment server and the portable entertainment apparatus may synchronized after the portable entertainment apparatus establishes a communication link with the digital entertainment server.  
      By way of example, the digital entertainment server may be operable to store video content, and the portable entertainment apparatus may be operable to store at least part of the video content stored in the digital entertainment server. The portable entertainment apparatus may include (i) a communications interface for downloading video content from the digital entertainment server in digital format, (ii) a storage module for storing the downloaded video content; and (iii) a controller coupled to and operable to control the operations of the communications interface and the storage module. The controller is operable to control the communication interface so as to download to the portable entertainment apparatus at least part of the video content stored in the digital entertainment server responsive to the portable entertainment apparatus establishing a communication with the digital entertainment server.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Preferred embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in the various figures, and wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a first block diagram illustrating a digital entertainment system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;  
       FIG. 2  is a second block diagram illustrating a digital entertainment server in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;  
       FIGS. 3A-3D  are third-sixth block diagrams each illustrating a personal entertainment apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;  
       FIG. 4  is a seventh block diagram illustrating couplings between elements of the personal entertainment apparatuses described in  FIGS. 3A-3D .  
       FIGS. 5A-5D  are first-fourth flowcharts each illustrating a flow for synchronizing a digital entertainment server and a personal entertainment apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;  
       FIGS. 6A-6B  are a eighth and ninth block diagrams illustrating portable entertainment apparatuses in accordance with exemplary embodiments; and  
       FIG. 7  is a tenth block diagram illustrating a portable entertainment apparatus for playing video content in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Exemplary Architecture  
       FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a digital entertainment system  100  including a digital entertainment server and alternative embodiments of a personal entertainment apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the digital entertainment system  100  includes a digital entertainment server  102  and one or more personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106 .  
      The digital entertainment server  102  may be embodied as a digital video recorder (“DVR”). As such, it may output video and audio to conventional displays and speakers, respectively. The digital entertainment server  102 , however, may also include a communication interface for communicating with the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106 . In addition, the digital entertainment server  102  may employ a control mechanism for synchronizing the entertainment content stored therein with the entertainment content stored in the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106 . Exemplary embodiments as described below with reference to  FIGS. 5A, 5B ,  5 C, and  5 D.  
      The digital entertainment server  102  may receive digital entertainment content, including video content, from various conventional interfaces, including a coaxial Radio Frequency (“RF”) Antenna, and S-Video interface, network interfaces, and the like (not shown). In addition, the digital entertainment server  102  may be capable of connecting to a data communications network, such as the Internet, to download entertainment content and upload information to a remote server (not shown).  
      The personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106  are portable and/or handheld devices that are adapted to process video and audio content. The personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106  are client devices in relation to the digital entertainment server  102 . In other words, responsive to a request, the digital entertainment server  102  may download digital entertainment content, such as video content, to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  via a communications interface. This communications interface may be, for example, a wireless interface, such as an RF interface, a Bluetooth interface, a cellular communication interface, and the like.  
      In another embodiment, the personal entertainment apparatus  106  is placed on a cradle  108  connected to or directly coupled via a cable (not shown) to a wired communication network. In such case, the digital entertainment server  102  may download digital entertainment content, such as video content to the personal entertainment apparatus  106  via the wired communication network and the cradle  108  or cable (not shown).  
      The cradle  108  may have a button (not shown) that, when pressed, initiates a sequence for synchronizing the digital entertainment content stored in the digital entertainment server  102  and the personal entertainment apparatus  106 . Once stored in the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106 , the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106  is then operable to play the downloaded digital entertainment content.  
      The personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106  may be handheld and portable so that they can be (i) carried anywhere with the downloaded video content stored therein and (ii) then capable of playing the downloaded video content anywhere at a location remote from the digital entertainment server  102 . Furthermore, the video content stored in the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106  may be synchronized with the video content stored in the digital entertainment server  102  whenever communicatively coupled to the communications network via the communications interface.  
      As such, when new entertainment content is stored in the digital entertainment server  102 , the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 ,  106  may be operable to detect the presence of the new entertainment content, and responsively download at least part of the new entertainment content. The new entertainment content may be downloaded in accordance with user preferences as described in more detail below.  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the digital entertainment server  102  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The digital entertainment server  102  may include an input module  202 , input switches  203 , an encoder  204 , a memory  206 , a controller  208 , a data storage medium  210 , a back-end communications interface  212 , a transcoder  214 , a front-end communications interface  216 , and an output module  218 .  
      For ease of understanding, the digital entertainment server  102  is shown coupled to a TV  220 , a monitor  222 , a speaker  224 , and the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . The digital entertainment server  102  may also have a power source (not shown) for providing power to its components. The power source can be a conventional battery, a rechargeable battery, or any other type of power source.  
      The input module  202  may receive input video content through various conventional interfaces, including coaxial RF antennas, an S-Video interface, and the like. The received video signals may originate from standard NTSC broadcast, high definition television (HDTV) broadcast, standard cable, satellite, home video (e.g., VHS) and/or other sources. The input module  202  may also receive input from other devices, such as a set top box that receives one signal format and outputs an NTSC signal or other video format. The input module  202  is configured to include appropriate tuning functionality as well.  
      The video content received by the input module  202 , which may be in the form video signals, may be passed to the encoder  204 . The encoder  204  may then convert video signals from a first format (e.g., analog NTSC, VHS, S-Video, or other conventional format) to a digital format (e.g., MPEG-2). The digital video data may be then stored under control of the controller  208  in the storage medium  210  for future retrieval.  
      The storage medium  210  may be any type of rewritable memory capable of storing digital data, and is typically a hard disk, an optical disk such as rewritable DVD (DVD-RW) or rewritable DC (CD-RW), flash memory, or the like. Although various capacities of the storage medium  210  may be provided ranging from a few minutes to hundreds of hours, the storage medium  210  may typically store at least one hour of video content in digital format. Roughly, for each gigabyte of storage, about 1 hour of video content may be stored at standard image quality using MPEG-2.  
      Video content stored in the storage medium  210  may be viewed immediately or at a later time. Additional information such as program guide data, title of the video content, and the like may be stored in association with the stored video content to identify and manage the stored video content in the storage medium  210 .  
      The digital entertainment server  102  may also be connected to a data communication network, such as the Internet, via the back-end communications interface  212 . The back-end communications interface  212  may be a standard or proprietary network interface that allows connection to an Ethernet-based network. This back-end communications interface  212  may also be used to connect to a home network, a broadband network, or any other data network.  
      The digital entertainment server  102  may download various entertainment content such as video, audio, game, and the like in digital format through the back-end communication interface  212  from various content sources on the data communication network. Content received through the back-end communication interface  212  may already in digital format such as MPEG-2, and thus, the controller  208  may cause the content to be stored in the storage medium  210  without processing by the encoder  204 .  
      In addition, the digital entertainment server  102  can transmit data to a remote server (not shown) on the data communication network through the back-end communications interface  212 . For example, pay-per-view content selection information, request of specific entertainment content, credit card payment information, or any other type of information used by the digital entertainment server  102  may be transmitted via the back-end communication interface  212  to the remote server.  
      The controller  208  controls the operation of the various elements in the digital entertainment server, including the input module  202 , the encoder  204 , the memory  206 , the back-end communications interface  212 , the storage medium  210 , the transcoder  214 , the front-end communications interface  216 , and the output module  218 . To facilitate this, the controller may be embodied as, for example, a general purpose computing platform, a specialized computing platform, a Linux or other open source computing platform, a proprietary computing platform, and the like.  
      Accordingly, the processing system  110  includes at least one processor that is operable to execute general and proprietary logic. To this end, the controller  208  executes instructions or programs stored in the memory  206  to provide various functionalities of the digital entertainment server  102 , such as synchronizing the digital entertainment content stored in the digital entertainment server  102  and the personal entertainment apparatus  104 .  
      The memory  106  operates as a working memory for the controller  108  when the controller executes instructions and programs and may store additional instructions, such as boot-up sequences and/or other information. The memory  206  may be just about any type of storage media, including for example, a rewritable memory such as an SRAM and/or read-only memory such as ROMs.  
      The output module  218  includes a video decoder  226  and an audio decoder  228 . The video and the audio decoders  226 ,  228  may be decoders that convert the digital video and digital audio content stored in the storage medium  210  into a format compatible with conventional display devices, such as an NTSC format television set  220  or a computer monitor  222 , and with conventional speakers  224  (e.g., MPEG decoders).  
      The digital entertainment server  102  also communicates with a personal entertainment apparatus  104  as described in  FIG. 1  via the front-end communications interface  216 . Using the front-end communications interface  216 , the digital entertainment server  102  may transmit entertainment content stored in the storage medium  210  to the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . The digital entertainment server  102  may also receive data or other information, such as a wish list of entertainment content, or various control signals from the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . The front-end communications interface  216  may be a wireless communication interface, such as cellular modem, a Bluetooth interface, satellite communication interface or RF communication interface, and the like.  
      Alternatively, the entertainment content can be downloaded to a personal entertainment apparatus  106  with wired communication capabilities as described above. In such case, the front-end communications interface  216  may be a wired communication interface, such as a modem that can be connected to a regular telephone line, an RS-232C interface, a standard USB port, and IEEE 1394 connection (otherwise known as FireWire, I.Link, or Lynx) and the like. In addition, the digital entertainment server  102  may be connected to a personal entertainment apparatus  106  with wired communication capabilities, rather than a personal entertainment apparatus  104  with wireless communication capabilities.  
      The entertainment content stored in the storage medium  210  may be downloaded to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  in digital format without decoding. This may prevent any distortion of the entertainment content.  
      The transcoder  214  is capable of modifying the encoding rate of the digital entertainment content under control of the controller  208 . This may be done prior to downloading to the personal entertainment apparatus  104 , and by sampling the digital entertainment content at a predetermined sampling rate. The predetermined sampling rate may be selected by a user of the digital entertainment server  102  or the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . In one embodiment, the encoding rate is selected by the user of the digital entertainment server  102  by using the input keys  203 .  
      The encoding rate may be selected by the user of the personal entertainment server  104  by using input switches (not shown), and the selected encoding rate may be communicated to the controller  208  via the front-end communications interface  216 . The controller  208  may also control the transcoder  214  according to the selected encoding rate. In this manner, users can choose to compromise the quality of the downloaded entertainment content in exchange for reduced data size, and thus, increase an amount of downloadable entertainment content.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 3A , a block diagram illustrating a personal entertainment apparatus according to one embodiment is shown. The personal entertainment apparatus  104  may operate in conjunction with the digital entertainment server  102  as described above and illustrated in  FIG. 2 .  
      The personal entertainment apparatus  104  includes a communications interface  302 , input switches  304 , a controller  306 , a storage medium  308 , a memory  310 , an output module  312 , a display  314 , and a speaker  316 . The personal entertainment apparatus  104  may also have a power source (not shown) for providing power to its components. The power source can be a conventional battery, a rechargeable battery, or any other type of power source.  
      The personal entertainment apparatus  104  may allow a user to beneficially enjoy the entertainment content stored therein at a location remote from the digital entertainment server  102 , e.g., in a hotel room or in a car, with proper connection to the display device  314  and/or the speaker  316 . Alternatively, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  can operate without the need for connection to any external display device or speaker, when the display  314  and speaker  316  are integrated into, integral to or otherwise incorporated in the personal entertainment apparatus  104 .  
      In this embodiment, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  may be operable to download entertainment content from the digital entertainment server  102  via the communications interface  302  using wireless communications. As such, the communications interface  302  may be a wireless communication interface, such as cellular modem, a Bluetooth interface, satellite communication interface, an RF communication interface, and the like.  
      The downloaded video and audio content is in digital form, and may be stored in the storage medium  308  for immediate or future retrieval. The storage medium  308  by be any type of rewritable memory capable of storing digital data, such as a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disk such as rewritable DVD (DVD-RW) or rewritable DC (DC-RW), or any other rewritable data storage means. Although various capacities of the storage medium  308  may be provided ranging from a few minutes to hundreds of hours, the storage medium  308  may typically store at least one hour of video content in digital format. Additional information such as program guide data, title of the video content, and the like may be stored in the storage medium  308  in association with the stored video content to manage and identify the stored video content.  
      In addition, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  can also transmit data to the digital entertainment server  102  via the communication interface  302 . For example, it is possible to transmit a wish list of entertainment content, a user-selected encoding rate, a user-selected interval for synchronization of content between the digital entertainment server  102  and the personal entertainment apparatus  104 , or any other type of data, from the personal entertainment apparatus  104  to the digital entertainment server  102 .  
      The input switches  304  provide a way for a user to control the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . The input switches  304  include, but are not limited to, a play button, a stop button, a menu button, and enter (select) button, a forward button, a rewind button, a power on/off button, a standby mode button, and the like. The input switches  304  may also include a button to input the encoding rate selected by the user for the transcoder  214  in the digital entertainment server  102 . The input commands generated by the input switches  304  are provided to the controller  306  so that the controller  306  controls the operation of the personal entertainment apparatus  104  in response to the input commands. Some of the input commands may also be transmitted to the digital entertainment server  102  via the communications interface  302 .  
      The controller  306  receives the various input commands from the input switches  304  and also executes instructions or programs stored in the memory  310  to control the various elements in the personal entertainment apparatus  104 , including the communications interface  302 , the input switches  204 , the storage medium  308 , the memory  310 , the output module  32 , the display  314 , and the speaker  316 . The memory  310  operates as a working memory for the controller  306  when the controller executes instructions and programs and may also store additional instructions, such as boot-up sequences and/or other information. The memory  310  may be embodied as a rewritable memory, such as an SRAM, but can also include read-only memory.  
      The output module  312  includes a video decoder  318  and an audio decoder  320 . The video decoder  318  and the audio decoder  320  are decoders that convert the digital video and digital audio content stored in the storage medium  308 , and encode, in a digital format, into a format compatible with a conventional display device  314  and with a conventional speaker  316  (e.g., an MPEG decoder). The display device  314  can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a computer monitor, a conventional television set and/or any other display device.  
      The entertainment content stored in the digital entertainment server  102  may be synchronized in various ways with the entertainment content stored in the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . As such, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  is operable to download at least part of the entertainment content from the digital entertainment server  102  after it is within synchronization range for communicating with the digital entertainment server  102 . The method of synchronizing the stored entertainment content is describe in more detail below with reference to  FIGS. 4, 5A ,  5 B,  5 C, and  5 D.  
      The entertainment content stored in the storage medium  308  may be deleted when the user has previously viewed and/or listened to the entertainment content, although other embodiments may still store the entertainment content even after the user has used the entertainment content. For example, the entertainment content may be deleted from the storage medium  308  after a predetermined time, e.g., 10 minutes, 1 hour, or 10 hours, after the entertainment content has been used. Alternatively, the entertainment content may be deleted from the storage medium when the entertainment content is used a predetermined number of instances, e.g., once, twice, or the like.  
       FIG. 3B  is a block diagram illustrating a personal entertainment apparatus  106  according to another exemplary embodiment. The personal entertainment apparatus  106  is similar to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  shown in  FIG. 3A  in most aspects, except that the personal entertainment apparatus  106  in  FIG. 3B  has wired communication capabilities. Accordingly, the communications interface  302  may be embodied as a wired communication interface such as a standard modem that can be connected to a telephone line, a RS-232C interface, a standard USB port, an IEEE 1394 connection (otherwise known as FireWire, i.Link, or Lynx) and the like.  
       FIG. 3C  is another block diagram illustrating a personal entertainment apparatus  105  in accordance with another exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, the personal entertainment apparatus  105  is similar to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  shown in  FIG. 3A  in most aspects, except that the personal entertainment apparatus  104  in  FIG. 3C  does not include an integrated display device and/or speaker, but rather, the display device  314  and speaker  316  are external to the personal entertainment apparatus  105 .  
      In this case, the video and audio decoders  318 ,  320  output video and audio content, respectively, in a format compatible with display  314  and speakers  316 , respectively. As such, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  may be compatible with any type of conventional display or speaker, including, for example, a car video display or car audio speaker.  
      When embodied as a portable device, the users of the personal entertainment apparatus  105  can enjoy video or audio content at any location remote from the digital entertainment server  102 . For example, a user can (i) download movies from the digital entertainment server  102  to the personal entertainment apparatus  105 , (ii) take it to any location, and (iii) then enjoy the movies stored in the personal entertainment apparatus  105  by connecting it to an external device having a display and speaker.  
       FIG. 3D  is a block diagram illustrating a personal entertainment apparatus  107  in accordance with another exemplary embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 3D , the personal entertainment apparatus  107  is similar to the personal entertainment apparatus  106  shown in  FIG. 3B , except that the personal entertainment apparatus  107  in  FIG. 3D  does not include does not include an integrated display device and/or speaker, but rather, the display device  314  and speaker  316  are external to the personal entertainment apparatus  105 .  
      In this case, the video and audio decoders  318 ,  320  output video and audio content, respectively, in a format compatible with display  314  and speakers  316 , respectively. As such, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  may be compatible with any type of conventional display or speaker, including, for example, a car video display or car audio speaker.  
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a coupling between elements of the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 - 107  described in  FIGS. 3A-3D . The elements of the personal entertainment apparatuses shown in  FIG. 4  include the communications interface  302 , the controller  306 , the memory  310 , the display  314 , and the input switches  304 . For simplicity, the personal entertainment apparatuses  104 - 107  are referred to collectively as personal entertainment apparatus  104  in reference to  FIG. 4 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the memory  310  may store a wish list  402  and a played list  406  of entertainment content. The wish list  402  is typically a list of entertainment content that the user of the personal entertainment apparatus  104  wishes to download from the digital entertainment server  102  after the entertainment content becomes available at the digital entertainment server  102 . For example, the wish list  402  can store title a list of movies that the user is interested in. Alternatively, the wish list  402  can store a list of music, game content or any other type of entertainment content that the user wishes to download from the digital entertainment server  102 .  
      The played list  406  typically stores a list of entertainment content that has already been used by the user of the portable entertainment apparatus  104 . In addition, the played list  406  and the wish list  402  are typically mutually exclusive, i.e., the entertainment content on the played list  406  is not listed on the wish list  402 . This may be accomplished by the controller  306  executing software preventing entertainment content listed on the played list  406  from being added to the wish list  402 .  
      According to another embodiment, the played list  406  and the wish list  402  can overlap. That is, entertainment content on the played list  406  can also be on the wish list  402 .  
      The memory  206  of the digital entertainment server  102  may also maintain an available-content list  404 . This available-content list  404  may be a list of entertainment content that is stored in the storage medium  210  of the digital entertainment server  102 . This content may be indexed by its title, type or any other identifying information. The available entertainment content may include video (movies), audio (music), game content, and the like.  
      The digital entertainment server  102  and the personal entertainment apparatus  104  may synchronize their stored entertainment content using the available-content list  404 , the wish list  402 , and the played list  406 . The available-content list  404  may be transmitted from the digital entertainment server  102  to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  via the communication interface  302  at the request of the controller  306 , for instance. Alternatively, the available-content list  404  may be transmitted automatically at a predetermined interval to the personal entertainment apparatus  102 . The received available-content list  404  may also be stored in the memory  310  temporarily for use by the personal entertainment apparatus  104  for synchronization of entertainment content.  
      As an alternative, the entertainment content on both the available-content list  404  and the wish list  402  may be given a priority for downloading to the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . In addition, the entertainment content on both the available-content list  404  and the wish list  402  may be downloaded. The controller  306 , however, may be configured to prevent entertainment content on the played list  406  from being downloaded to the personal entertainment apparatus  104 .  
      In addition, the user of the personal entertainment apparatus  102  can choose entertainment content that he or she would like to download from the digital entertainment server  102  after looking at the available-content list  404 . To facilitate this, the controller  306  may display the available-content list  404  received from the digital entertainment server  102  on the display  314  by executing graphical user interface (not shown) stored in the memory  310 . Using the display  314  as a reference, the user can select entertainment content that he or she wants to download from the available-content list  404  by using the input switches  304 .  
      Exemplary Operation  
       FIG. 5A  is a flowchart illustrating a flow  500  for synchronizing a digital entertainment server and a personal entertainment apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Flow  500  includes a number of functions for determining whether or not a synchronization of entertainment content between the digital entertainment server  102  and a personal entertainment apparatus, such personal entertainment apparatus  104 , should be performed. The functions of the flow  500  may be performed by the digital entertainment server  102  or the personal entertainment apparatus  104 .  
      Referring now to the Flow  500  at decision block  522 , a first test is performed to determine if new entertainment content is available in the available-content list  404 . If no new entertainment content is available, a second test is performed to determine whether the passage of time since the most recent synchronization exceeded a synchronization interval, as shown in decision block  554 . The synchronization interval can be predetermined or be set by a user. If the passage of time did not exceed the synchronization interval, then a test is performed to determine, as shown in decision block  556 , whether a synchronization was initiated manually by a user. If not, the process returns to step  552  to determine whether synchronization is necessary.  
      On the other hand, a “yes” result from any of the decision blocks  552 ,  554 , and  556 , cause the Flow  500  to transition to decision block  558 . At decision block  558 , a test is performed to determine whether the personal entertainment apparatus is within synchronization range for communicating with the digital entertainment server  102 . If not, then the process returns to step  552 . If storage is available, then entertainment content may synchronized between the digital entertainment server  102  and the personal entertainment apparatus  104  in according to a synchronization method as described below, or any other synchronization method.  
       FIG. 5B  is a flowchart illustrating a Flow  560  for synchronizing a digital entertainment server and a personal entertainment apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Flow  560  includes a number of functions for determining whether or not a synchronization of entertainment content between the digital entertainment server  102  and a personal entertainment apparatus, such personal entertainment apparatus  104 , should be performed. The functions of the flow  560  may be performed by the digital entertainment server  102  or the personal entertainment apparatus  104 .  
      In this embodiment, the entertainment content may be automatically synchronized according to the wish list  402  and the available-content list  404  when the personal entertainment apparatus  104  is within synchronization range for communicating with digital entertainment server  102 . Entertainment content that has already been played is not to be downloaded to the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . Flow  560  is described in reference to the architecture illustrated in  FIG. 4 .  
      At decision block  502 , the personal entertainment apparatus  104  performs a test to determine whether or not it is within synchronization range for communicating with the digital entertainment server  102 . If the personal entertainment apparatus  104  is within synchronization range of the digital entertainment server  102 , then a wireless or wired communication link can be established between the digital entertainment server  102  and the personal entertainment apparatus  104  via the communication interface  302 . The process of determining whether or not a wired or wireless communication link has been established is well-known in the art.  
      The personal entertainment apparatus  104  may continually or periodically monitor the communication link to determine if it is not within synchronization range. For example, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  may check the communication link at a predetermined interval, e.g., ever 10 minutes, every hour, or every 24 hours.  
      When the personal entertainment apparatus  104  is within synchronization range, then the digital entertainment server  102  receives the wish list  402  and the played list  406  from the personal entertainment apparatus  104 , as shown in block  504 . The received wish list  404  and the played list  406  may be temporarily stored in the memory  206  of the digital entertainment server  102 . Then, the wish list  402  may be compared  506  with the available-content list  404  to identify entertainment content available on both lists.  
      As shown in decision block  508 , the digital entertainment server  102  may also check whether or not the identified entertainment content on both the wish list  402  and the available-content list  404  is on the played list  406  as well. This function may be optional and may be removed from the process, if desired. If the identified entertainment content on both the wish list  402  and the available-content list  404  is also on the played list  406 , then the Flow  560  ends, as shown in block  514 .  
      If, on the other hand, the identified entertainment content on both the wish list  402  and the available-content list  404  is not on the played-list, then all the identified entertainment content may be downloaded  510  to the personal entertainment apparatus  104 , as shown in block  510 . At block  512 , the downloaded entertainment content may be deleted from the wish list  402 . The flow then ends as shown in block  514 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5C , a flowchart illustrating a Flow  562  for synchronizing a digital entertainment server and a personal entertainment apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is shown. Flow  562  includes a number of functions for determining whether or not a synchronization of entertainment content between the digital entertainment server  102  and a personal entertainment apparatus, such personal entertainment apparatus  104 , should be performed. The functions of the flow  562  may be performed by the digital entertainment server  102  or may be performed by the personal entertainment apparatus  104 .  
      In this embodiment, the entertainment content is synchronized automatically when the personal entertainment apparatus is within synchronization range from the digital entertainment server  102  according to a user selection at the personal entertainment apparatus  104  of the entertainment content on the available-content list  404 . Flow  562  is described in reference to the architecture illustrated in  FIG. 4 .  
      Referring to decision block  520 , the personal entertainment apparatus  104  performs a test to determine whether or not it is within synchronization range of the digital entertainment server  102 , as described above in reference to  FIG. 5B . When the personal entertainment apparatus  104  is within synchronization range for communicating with the digital entertainment server  102 , it then receives the available-content list  404 . The available-content list  404  may be temporarily stored in the memory  310  and displayed on the display  314 , as shown in block  522 . Then, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  may receive a user-selection of entertainment content from available-content list  404  using the input switches  304 , as shown in block  524 . The entertainment content may be downloaded to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  from digital entertainment server  102  according to the user selection, as shown in block  526 . At block  527 , the Flow  562  ends.  
       FIG. 5D  is a flowchart illustrating a Flow  564  for synchronizing a digital entertainment server and a personal entertainment apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is shown. Flow  564  includes a number of functions for determining whether or not a synchronization of entertainment content between the digital entertainment server  102  and a personal entertainment apparatus, such personal entertainment apparatus  104 , should be performed. The functions of the flow  564  may be performed by the digital entertainment server  102  or the personal entertainment apparatus  104 .  
      In this embodiment, the entertainment content is synchronized automatically when the personal entertainment apparatus is within synchronization range for communicating with the digital entertainment server  102  in according with a user selection at the digital entertainment server  102 . Referring now to block  530 , the digital entertainment server  102  may receive a user selection of entertainment content to be downloaded to the personal entertainment apparatus  104 . The user selection may be stored in the memory  206  of the digital entertainment server  102 , as shown in block  532 . Sometime thereafter, the personal entertainment apparatus  104  performs a test to determine whether or not it is within synchronization range for communicating with the digital entertainment server  102 , as described above with reference to  FIG. 5A  and shown in decision block  534 .  
      When the personal entertainment apparatus  104  is within synchronization range, then entertainment content is downloaded from the digital entertainment server  102  to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  according to the user selection stored in the digital entertainment server  102 , as shown in block  536 . At block  537 , the Flow  564  ends.  
      Alternative Architecture  
       FIG. 6A  is a block diagram illustrating a portable entertainment apparatus  600  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The portable entertainment apparatus  600  may operate in conjunction with an external device  620  to (i) receive input commands from a user, (ii) display video content, and (iii) play audio content. The external device  620  can be any type of device that provides input switches  624 , a display  622 , a speaker  628 , and a communication interface  626 . For example, a conventional car video system that has input switches, a liquid crystal display, and a speaker will suffice as the external device  620  when it is configured to operate in conjunction with the portable entertainment apparatus  600 .  
      The portable entertainment apparatus  600  may include a communication interface  602 , a controller  604 , a memory  606 , a decoder module  608 , and a storage module  610 . The portable entertainment apparatus  600  may also have a power source (not shown) for providing power to its components. The power source can be a conventional battery, a rechargeable battery, or any other type of power source. The portable entertainment apparatus  600  shown in  FIG. 6A  is similar to the personal entertainment apparatus  104  of  FIGS. 3A and 3B .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 6A , the storage module  610  is operable to store video content and associated audio content. The storage module  610  may be any type of rewritable memory capable of storing digital data. For example, the storage module  610  may be a flash memory, a hard disk, or an optical disk such as rewritable DVD (DVD-RW) or rewritable CD (CD-RW), or any other rewritable data storage means. Although various capacities of the storage medium  610  may be provided ranging from a few minutes to hundreds of hours, the storage medium  610  typically stores at least one hour of video content in digital format. Additional information such as program guide data, title of the video content, and the like may be stored in the storage medium  610  in association with the stored video content to manage and identify the stored video content. The video content stored in the storage module  610  may be downloaded from a digital entertainment server (not shown).  
      The decoder module  608  decodes the video and associated audio data stored in the storage module  610  from a digital format, such as MPEG-2, to an analog format that is compatible with the conventional display  622  and the conventional speaker  628  of the external device  620 . The decoded video and audio content is provided to the external device via the communication interfaces  602 ,  626 . The communication interfaces  602 ,  626  may be deployed as any type of conventional video and audio communication interfaces, such as component video, composite video, S-video, conventional audio cables, and the like.  
      The input switches  624  on the external device  628  provide an interface to the user to control the portable entertainment apparatus  600 . The input switches  304  include, but are not limited to, a play button, a stop button, a menu button, an enter (select) button, a forward button, a rewind button, a power on/off button, a standby mode button, and the like. The input control signals generated by the input switches are provided to the controller  604  via the communication interfaces  602 ,  626  to control the operation of the portable entertainment apparatus  600 .  
      The controller  604  may receive various input control signals from the input switches  624  of the external device  620 . Responsively, the controller  604  may execute instructions or programs stored in the memory  606  so as to control the various elements in the portable entertainment apparatus  600 , including the communications interface  602 , the storage module  610 , the memory  606 , and the decoder module  608 .  
      The memory  606  may operate as a working memory for the controller  604  when the controller executes instructions and programs, and may also store additional instructions, such as boot-up sequences or other information. The memory  606  is typically a rewritable memory such as an SRAM, but can also include read-only memory such as ROMs.  
      Since the portable entertainment apparatus  600  receives input commands from the external device  620  and provides decoded video and audio content stored therein to the external device  620 , the portable entertainment apparatus  600  can be readily integrated to an external conventional video/audio device such as a car video/audio system typically having input switches, a liquid crystal display, and a speaker.  
       FIG. 6B  is a block diagram illustrating a portable entertainment apparatus  650  and an external device  670  in accordance with another exemplary embodiment. The portable entertainment apparatus  650  includes a communications interface  652 , a controller  654 , a memory  656 , a decoder module  658 , a storage module  660 , a display  662 , and a speaker  664 . The external device  670  includes input switches  672  and a communications interface  674 .  
      The portable entertainment apparatus  650  also has a power source (not shown) for providing power to its components. The power source can be a convention battery, a rechargeable battery, or any other type of power source. The portable entertainment apparatus  650  may operate in conjunction with the external device  670  to receive input commands from a user by using the input switches. Each of the elements of the portable entertainment apparatus  650  and an external device  670  are similar to the previously described embodiments, and therefore, are not included here for the sake of simplicity.  
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating a portable entertainment apparatus  700  for playing video content in accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment. The portable entertainment apparatus  700  includes a dedicated video communications interface  702  used only for video communication, an encoder module  704 , input switches  706 , a storage module  708 , a processor module  710 , a decoder module  712 , a memory module  714 , a speaker  718 , and a display module  716 . The portable entertainment apparatus  700  also has a housing (not shown) enclosing these elements, except that the input switches  706 , the display module  716 , and the speaker  718  are located on the exterior surface of the housing. The elements of the portable entertainment apparatus  700  may be integrated into, integral to or otherwise incorporated within the single housing of the portable entertainment apparatus  700  (not shown).  
      The dedicated video communications interface  702  is a communications interface dedicated to receiving video content  718  and other data associated with the video content (such as title, caption data, etc.) from any source (not shown) of video content. The video communication interface  702  can be any type of wired or wireless communication interface as long as it is dedicated to reception of video content, and data associated with the video content. For example, the video communication interface  702  can be an RF coaxial cable, S-video interface, component video interface, composite video interface, a standard modem connection to a regular telephone line, RS-232C interface, a standard USB connection, a IEEE 1394 connection (otherwise known as FireWire, i.Link, or Lynx), a cellular communication interface, Bluetooth interface, satellite communication interface, RF communication interface, or the like.  
      The encoder module  704  encodes the received video content  718  to a digital format such as MPEG. If the received video content  704  is already in digital format, then the encoder module  704  might not encode the video content again.  
      The encoded video content is stored in the storage module  708  in digital format. The storage module  708  may be any type of rewritable memory capable of storing digital data such as flash memory, hard disk, rewritable DVD (DVD-RW), rewritable CD (CD-RW), or any other rewritable data storage means.  
      The decoder module  712  includes both a video decoder and an audio decoder, and may carry out decoding of the encoded video content and associated audio content to a format compatible with conventional display devices, such as a liquid crystal display and/or conventional speakers.  
      The display module  716  is operable to display the decoded video content and may be any type of conventional display device, which may be, for example, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display panel, and the like. The speaker  718  may be a conventional speaker that is operable to reproduce the decoded audio content.  
      The input switches  710 , which may be located on the exterior surface of the housing (not shown), may be used for inputting commands to the portable entertainment apparatus  700 . The input switches  706  may include basic buttons for playing the video content, like a play button for playing video content, a stop button for stopping playing video content, and a menu button for displaying a list of video content stored in the storage module  708 . The input switches  706  may also include other switches corresponding to various functions for controlling the portable entertainment apparatus  700 . For example, the input switches  706  may include a navigation button for moving through the list of video content, and a select button for selecting one of the video content from the list. The function of the navigation button and the select button can also be provided by the basic buttons such as the menu button and the play button by providing an alternative operational state to the those basic buttons.  
      The processor module  710  may receive input commands from the input switches  706 , and also control the video communications interface  702 , the encoder module  704 , the storage module  708 , the decoder module  712 , the display module  716 , the speaker  718 , and the memory module  714  according to the received input commands. The memory module  714  typically operates as a working memory for the processor module  710  when the processor module  710  executes instructions and programs. The memory module  714  may also store additional instructions, such as boot-up sequences and/or other information. The memory module  714  is typically a rewritable memory such as an SRAM, but can also include read-only memory such as ROMs. In addition, the memory module  714  may maintain graphical user interface software for controlling the operation of the potable entertainment apparatus  700 . When executed by the processor module  710 , the graphical user interface software is operable to display on the display module  716  in response to activation of the menu button of the input switches  706  a list of video content stored in the storage module  708 .  
      The processor module  710  may cause the decoder module  712  to decode at least part of the video content stored in the storage module  708  and cause the display module  716  to display the decoded video content in response to activation of the play button. The processor module  710  may also cause the display module to stop displaying the decoded video content in response to activation of the stop button.  
      The portable entertainment apparatus  700  preferably operates with a rechargeable battery power source (not shown), but can also be used with other conventional power sources. The rechargeable battery is a conventional Lithium Ion or NiMH rechargeable battery.  
     Conclusion  
      In the foregoing detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood that these embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and structural entities have not been described in detail, so as not to obscure the foregoing description.  
      In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles of the present invention can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention. In the embodiments described above, the nodes, terminal, devices, and systems may include computing systems, controllers, and other devices containing processors. These devices may contain at least one Central Processing Unit (“CPU”) and a memory. In accordance with the practices of persons skilled in the art of computer programming, reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations or instructions may be performed by the various CPUs and memories. Such acts and operations or instructions may be referred to as being “executed,” “computer executed” or “CPU executed.” 
      One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the acts and symbolically represented operations or instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals by the CPU. An electrical system represents data bits that can cause a resulting transformation or reduction of the electrical signals and the maintenance of data bits at memory locations in a memory system to thereby reconfigured or otherwise alter the CPU&#39;s operation, as well as other processing of signals. The memory locations where data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to or representative of the data bits. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned platforms or CPUs and that other platforms and CPUs may support the described methods.  
      The data bits may also be maintained on a computer readable medium including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., Random Access Memory (“RAM”)) or non-volatile (e.g., Read-Only Memory (“ROM”)) mass storage system readable by the CPU. The computer readable medium may include cooperating or interconnected computer readable medium, which exist exclusively on the processing system or are distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems that may be local or remote to the processing system.  
      Furthermore, the method steps described herein may be taken in sequences other than those described, and more or fewer elements may be used in the block diagrams. The embodiments disclosed are for exemplary purposes only and other embodiments may be employed in lieu of or in combination with of the embodiments disclosed. Further, the claims should not be read as limited to the described order or elements unless stated to that effect. Therefore, all embodiments that come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto are claimed as the invention.