Patent ID: 7698297

Claim:
A method of retrieving digital media comprising: querying a server for database enumeration; receiving a response to the database enumeration query that includes at least information about at least one digital media database coupled to the server, wherein the information about the at least one digital media database includes at least metadata about one or more remote records within the at least one digital media database, and wherein the one or more remote records pertain to one or more of digital media, digital media metadata or media collection data; using the metadata to effectively provide a first representation of the one or more remote records; querying the server for information required to populate one or more local records associated with the metadata after receiving the metadata; receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records associated with the metadata in response to the querying of the server; populating the one or more local records after receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records, thereby effectively providing one or more populated records based on the metadata associated with the one or more remote records; using the one or more populated records to effectively provide a second representation of the one or more remote records; and subsequently retrieving digital media associated with at least one of the populated records, wherein the one or more local records are part of a local database, and wherein said populating of the one or more local records operates to replicate at least a portion of the digital media database to the local database, and wherein the first representation provides a first level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, wherein the second representation provides a second level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, and wherein the second level of detail represents the one or more records in greater detail than the first level of detail.