User guide

US 8,271 ,713 B2
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ted to the at least one video port 32 and/or the at least one
audio/video port 33 for transmission to the audio and video
reproduction system 2.
A PDMSP device 80 may communicate, through an inter
face connector (e.g., the connector 190 illustrated in FIG.
2B), various types of signals to an accessory device, such as
the docking assembly 10. Examples of such signal types may
include, for example: (a) signals indicative of menu contents;
(b) signals containing digital media ?le or digital media ?le
key identi?ers; (c) digital media ?le content; (d) control sig
nals; (e) status signals, and so on. Such signals are typically
not communicated through the interface connector by the
PDMSP device 80 in a television-compatible form. As noted
previously, signals communicated Within the PDMSP device
80 for display by the ?rst display element 82 are typically
formatted for a special purpose ?rst display element 82, and
not for a television-compatible display element. Desirable
functions of the microprocessor 45 and/ or video processor 46
Within the docking assembly 10 include processing signals
received from the PDMSP device 80 to yield television com
patible (e.g., NTSC, PAL, various conventional high de?ni
tion television formats, or equivalent signal standards) signals
communicable to a television-compatible display element 5
through the at least one video port 32 and/or at least one
audio/video port 33. This may be accomplished, for example,
by developing television-compatible display menus, storing
the same Within the docking assembly 10 (e. g., in the memory
element 44), populating the display menus With digital signal
data received from the PDMSP device 80, and providing the
populated display menus as a television-compatible signal to
the at least one video port 32 and the at least one audio-video
port 33. With the PDMSP device 80 adapted to display an
aggregate ?rst set of information With ?rst display element 82
When the device 80 is inuse, the docking assembly 10 (includ
ing the video processor 46) is preferably adapted to generate
a substantially complete replicate of the ?rst set of informa
tion on the television-compatible display element 5 When the
PDMSP device 80 is docked With the docking assembly 10.
For example, the docking assembly 10 and video processor
46 are preferably adapted to output a television-compatible
video signal containing any of the following: (1) count of any
of playlists, artists, albums, genre, songs, and composers; (2)
names of any of playlists, artists, albums, genre, songs, and
composers; (3) current play status embodying any of song
length, song position, and play/pause/ stop status; and (4)
current song status embodying any of song name, artist name,
and album name.
Screen shots taken from a television-compatible display
element shoWing populated menus output from a docking
assembly according to the present invention and having a
PDMSP device communicatively docked thereto are pro
vided in FIGS. 9A-9C. The ?rst screen shot depicted in FIG.
9A shoWs a Welcome menu in a central right portion of the
screen, listing the folloWing user-selectable options: Menu,
Shuf?e Songs, Playlists, and HomeDock® Settings. It is
noted that “HomeDock,” “HomeDock Deluxe,” and “DLO,”
as depicted in FIG. 9A, are trademarks of Netalog, Inc.
(Durham, NC). The second screen shot depicted in FIG. 9B
shoWs a digital media ?le artist name, song title, album name,
song play position, and song length information in an upper
portion of the screen, and a settings menu in a central right
port of the screen. The setting menu includes the folloWing
user-selectable options: Color Themes, Screen Savers,
Screen Saver Time, and About HomeDock. The third screen
shot depicted in FIG. 9C shoWs a music menu in a central
right port of the screen, With the music menus including the
folloWing user-selectable options: Playlists, Artists, Albums,
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Songs, Genres, Composers, and Songbooks. In each instance,
the user-selectable options are selectable With a remote con
troller device, such as the devices 50, 150 described herein.
The screen shots depicted in FIGS. 9A-9C are merely illus
trative of certain menus according to one embodiment of the
invention. Various other menus and displays of static or
dynamic information may be provided. In one embodiment,
at least a portion of a television-compatible display element 5
displays visual media such as album art, music videos, visu
aliZation patterns (Whether or not synchronized to music
playback), digital skins, or other user-selected images or vid
eos simultaneous With playback of digital music from a
PDMSP device (e. g., PDMSP device 80 or 180) docked With
the docking assembly (e.g., docking assembly 10 or 210).
Such visual media may be stored on the PDMSP device itself,
stored in a memory 44 associated With the docking assembly
10, or automatically retrieved over a netWork (e.g., netWork
19 or 40) upon initiation of playback of an audio ?le. In one
embodiment, the displayable visual media includes a list of
digital media ?les selectable for retrieval or doWnload, such
as for a fee. In further embodiments, the displayable visual
media may include other subscription-based media, commer
cial programming, or commercial (e.g., product or service)
offerings.
Display menus in television-compatible form generated or
otherWise provided by the docking assembly 10 may be sub
stantially static in character With substantially still images
(e.g., With the exception of audio ?le playback time or time
remaining), or the display menus may include dynamic
images, such as to prevent burn-in of a screen image, or to
display images (such as digital “skins”) selected for visual
ization With playback of a digital audio ?le. Alternatively, one
or more digital photographic images embodying still pic
tures, digital video images embodying moving pictures, com
puter-generated display applications (e.g., screensavers,
skins, other visualiZations, and/or games) stored on the
PDMSP device 80 may be displayed through the second
display element 5 When the PDMSP is communicatively
docked With the docking assembly 10. In still another alter
native embodiment, digital images, digital video images, and/
or computer-generated display applications may be stored in
a docking assembly (e.g., in memory element 44 illustrated in
FIG. 1) according to the present invention for playback on a
television-compatible display element communicatively con
nected to the docking assembly.
At least one video signal output from the docking assembly
10 is preferably digital, although digital-to-analog signal con
version may be performed as part of processing video signals
as appropriate to the desired output format. Audio signals
emanating from the PDMSP device 80, Whether such signals
are in substantially unaltered or processed (e. g., by Way of the
digital signal processor 48 and/or any digital-to-analog con
verters) form, are further communicated to the at least one
audio port 30 and the at least one audio/video port 33.
Each of the at least one audio port 30, the at least one video
port 32, and the at least one audio/video port 33 preferably
includes multiple connectors to provide an appropriate level
of ?delity and compatibility With various external devices in
a given user’s audio and video reproduction system 2.
Examples of suitable connectors include, but are not limited
to, ?ber optic connectors, coaxial connectors, RG-6 coaxial
connectors, RCA plug connectors, S-video connectors, com
posite video connectors, Digital Visual Interface (DVI) con
nectors, High De?nition Multimedia Interface (HDMITM)
connectors, SCART connectors, Uni?ed Display Interface
connectors, and DisplayPort connectors. Audio and video
signals may be conveyed via discrete connectors, or inte