Patent ID: 8190680

Claim:
A method for synchronizing digital media playback among multiple digital media playback devices on a network, each digital media playback device on the network being capable of initiating a synchronized playback, the method comprising, at a first digital media playback device: receiving a user request to synchronously playback digital media content with a second digital media playback device; initiating a time synchronization with the second digital media playback device, said initiating including: obtaining a time difference between an estimated internal time of the second digital media playback device and an actual internal time of the second digital media playback device; determining if the time difference is within a predetermined range; and if the time difference is not within the predetermined range, repeating the obtaining step and the determining step; if the time difference is within a predetermined range, determining a particular time, accounting for one or more network inherent delays, to commence synchronized playback; providing to the second digital media playback device a particular position point in the digital media content and the particular time; and enabling synchronized playback of the digital media content by the second digital media playback device at the particular position point and the particular time, said playback of the digital media content being synchronized with playback of the digital media content at the first digital media playback device.