Interactive multicast media service

摘要

A multicast media service is provided. The multicast media service may be implemented using a media server that multicasts media files to users at user computing equipment. The multicast media service maintains playlists of media files. Users that receive the same multicasted media files at the same time form a viewer group. The multicast media service displays media player screens for each user in the viewer group. The media player screens include a media player region in which a media file that is currently being multicasted is played. Each media player screen also includes a current playlist of media files. The users in the viewer group can communicate about a currently playing media file using real time chat. Users can also upload associated content such as tags, persistent comments, and ratings. The multicast media management service may automatically suggest playlist modifications and can support navigation options.

主权项

1. A method for supporting an online multicast media service that is implemented using a media server that multicasts media files to users at user computing equipment over a communications network, comprising:
maintaining at least one playlist of media files at the media server; multicasting each media file in the playlist to multiple users in a viewer group simultaneously over the communications network, wherein each user has a respective media player that is implemented on the user computing equipment of that user and wherein each respective media player plays the media file that is being multicasted in synchronization; displaying the playlist on the user computing equipment of each of the users in the viewer group while the media file is being multicasted to the users in the viewer group; and at the media server, receiving user-uploaded content from the user computing equipment of at least some of the users in the viewer group, wherein the user-uploaded content is associated with the playlist and with the media file that is being multicasted and is received at the media server in real time as the media file is being multicasted.