KR101521907B1 - Apparatus and method for playing media files - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a media file playback apparatus and method for reducing or blocking power supply to an unnecessary device by setting a media playback only mode. The present invention includes a memory unit 20 for temporarily storing various data including a media file; A file providing unit for providing the media file data when the media file playing command is input; A control unit (10) for receiving a media file from the file providing unit, loading the media file in the memory unit (20), and accessing the memory unit (20) to reproduce the media file; An output unit (40, 50) for reproducing the media file; One or more devices 30a to 30d for performing various functions; And a power supply unit 60 for reducing or cutting off the power supply to the devices 30a to 30b in the media only mode. According to the present invention, in the case where the media file playback apparatus does not perform any operations other than media playback, it cuts off the power supplied to the device irrelevant to media playback, and further moves the media file from the storage medium or the communication module It is possible to save the power supply for driving the storage medium or the communication module, and in particular, it is possible to extend the use time of the battery in a mobile environment such as a notebook computer.

Media, ACPI, ASPM

Description

[0001] Apparatus and method for playing media files [

The present invention relates to a media file playback apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a media file playback apparatus and method that sets a media playback only mode and reduces or blocks power supply to an unnecessary device in a media only mode.

As digital technology develops, the distinction between existing technology, industry, service, and network such as wired and wireless, broadcasting and communication, communication and computer becomes blurred and digital convergence Digital Convergence) trend is becoming clear.

The digital convergence phenomenon is occurring in all areas, especially in the form of convergence of various digital functions into one device. For example, mobile phones are constantly evolving, including functions of mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3s, games, broadcasting, and financial functions. A typical example of convergence of communication and broadcasting is DMB. With the realization of DMB, it is possible to watch multi-channel multimedia broadcasting while moving through mobile phone, PDA or car receiver.

By such a digital convergence phenomenon, various devices for various functions are provided in one device. For example, various built-in or external storage media, various input / output devices, several communication modules, and the like are all provided in one device.

In recent years, portable digital devices have become widespread and the extension of battery power has become a hot topic. Accordingly, various technologies for preventing unnecessary battery consumption have been developed. However, when various devices are fused to realize various functions in one device, the battery power is consumed more quickly.

Especially, according to the tendency of digital convergence, various digital devices recently released, for example, a mobile phone, a PMP, a notebook computer, an electronic dictionary, a game machine, a navigation device, and an MP3 player all provide media playback functions.

In such digital devices, even if the user does not perform the remainder of the operation except for the media playback, the power supply to other devices irrelevant to the media playback function is continued and the battery consumption is accelerated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a media player, Which can prevent unnecessary consumption of power.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a media file playback apparatus and a media file playback apparatus capable of saving power supply to an apparatus for moving a storage medium by moving a media file from a storage medium and playing the same on a RAM, Method.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a media file playback apparatus and a media file playback apparatus capable of saving power supply for driving a communication module during media playback by moving a media file from a communication module and reproducing it from a RAM, Method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a media file playback apparatus and method capable of extending battery use time by controlling power supply to various devices when playing media in a mobile environment such as a notebook computer.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium including: a memory unit for temporarily storing various data including a media file; A file providing unit for providing the media file data when the media file playing command is input; A control unit for receiving a media file from the file providing unit, loading the media file in the memory unit, and accessing the memory unit to reproduce the media file; An output unit for reproducing the media file; One or more devices for performing various functions; And a power supply unit for reducing or cutting off power supply to the device in the media only mode.

In this case, the media-only mode may be a state in which only a media file is reproduced.

The controller may determine the media only mode when there is a user input for playing the media file on the full screen.

Also, the controller may determine the media-only mode when only a media file playback operation is performed for a predetermined time.

Here, the file providing unit may be a storage medium drive for reading data including a media file from a storage medium storing various data including a media file.

At this time, the control unit divides the data of the media file into one or more load units and sequentially loads and plays the media file in the memory unit; Wherein the power supply unit supplies the media file to the storage medium drive unit from the time when loading of the media file into the memory unit to one load unit of the media file is completed to before loading of the next load unit into the memory unit, Can also reduce or block the power supply of the device.

The control unit may determine the load unit according to an available capacity of the memory unit when the media file playback command is sensed.

The file providing unit may be a wired or wireless communication module capable of transmitting and receiving various data including a media file in connection with a network.

Here, the controller detects traffic of the communication module; The power supply unit may reduce or block the power supply to the communication module when it is determined that the transmission of the media file is completed as a result of the traffic detection of the controller.

If the user input for performing another operation is present in the media-only mode, the control unit cancels the media-only mode; When the media-only mode is released, the power supply unit may resume power supply to the device and the file providing unit in which the power supply has been reduced or blocked.

If the media file playback apparatus supports the ACPI power management standard, the control unit sets the power mode of the device or the file providing unit to D3 state And when the media-only mode is released, the power mode of the device or the file providing unit which has reduced or cut off the power supply can enter the D0 state.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a media playback method including: (A) detecting a playback command of a media file in a controller; (B) loading media file data from a file providing unit that provides the corresponding media file into the memory unit; (C) starting playback of a media file loaded on the memory unit through an output unit; (D) checking whether the mode is the media only mode; And (E) if the mode corresponds to the media-only mode, shutting down or reducing the power supplied to the devices other than the control unit, the memory unit, the file providing unit, and the output unit.

In this case, the media-only mode may be a state in which only a media file is reproduced.

Here, the file providing unit may be a storage medium drive for reading data including a media file from a storage medium storing various data including a media file.

The step (B) may be performed by dividing data of a corresponding media file from the storage medium driving device into one or more load units and loading the data into the memory unit.

The media playback method further includes the steps of: (F1) in the media-only mode, shutting down or reducing power supplied to the file providing unit from the time when loading of the one load unit into the memory unit is completed to the start of loading of the next- The method further comprising the steps of:

The load unit may be determined in consideration of an available capacity of the memory unit.

Meanwhile, the file provider may be a wired or wireless communication module capable of transmitting / receiving various data including a media file in connection with a network.

The step (B) may be performed by loading the media file data input to the communication module into the memory unit.

Here, the media playback method may include the steps of: (F2) detecting the traffic of the communication module when the media-only mode is satisfied, and blocking or reducing the power supplied to the communication module when the download of the media file data is determined to be completed As shown in FIG.

The step (D) may further include the steps of: (d1) detecting the presence or absence of user input to reproduce the media file on the full screen; (d2) detecting whether or not user input is detected within a predetermined time during media playback; (d3) detecting whether the user inputs a media-only mode setting command; (d4) detecting whether the size of the media playback window is larger than a predetermined size; (d5) detecting whether the activation state of the media playback window is continued for a predetermined time or longer.

The method further comprises: (G) releasing the media-only mode during playback of the media file in the media-only mode; (H) resuming power supply to the device and file providing unit in which the power supply is interrupted or reduced.

In this case, the media playback method may further include: (I) terminating a service provided on an operating system for a device and a file providing unit in which power supply is interrupted or reduced.

Also, the media playback method may further include: (J) re-executing the service provided on the operating system for the device and the file providing unit in which the power supply is resumed in the step (H).

As described above in detail, according to the media file reproducing apparatus and method of the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

That is, when the media file reproducing apparatus does not perform the remaining operations except for the media reproduction, unnecessary power consumption can be prevented by cutting off the power supplied to the device irrelevant to the media reproduction.

Furthermore, when a media file stored in a storage medium is reproduced, it is possible to save the power supply to the apparatus for driving the storage medium by moving the media file from the storage medium and reproducing the media file from the RAM.

In addition, when a media file supplied from the communication module is reproduced, there is an advantage that the power supplied to the communication module can be saved by moving the media file from the communication module and reproducing the media file from the RAM.

In addition, when media is reproduced in a mobile environment such as a notebook computer, the power supply to various devices is controlled to extend the battery usage time.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a media file reproducing apparatus according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

The media file playback apparatus includes an electronic device that performs various functions in addition to storage, playback, and the like of a media file such as a computer system, a portable multimedia player (PMP), an electronic dictionary, a mobile phone, a DMB player,

As shown in FIG. 1, the media playback apparatus according to the present invention includes a control unit 10.

The control unit 10, as the main control means of the media playback apparatus, is responsible for the overall control of the moving image file playback apparatus.

The control unit 10 accesses the memory unit 20 to process the data stored in the memory unit 20 and supplies the processed data to the memory unit 20. The memory unit 20 includes a memory unit 20, (20).

The memory unit 20 corresponds to a main memory device of the media player, and is generally formed of a RAM (Random Access Memory).

The controller 10 loads various data necessary for processing a command of the user from the other storage medium or communication means into the memory unit 20 and then accesses the memory unit 20 to process the data.

Also, the controller 10 writes data according to a result of user's command execution into the memory unit 20.

At this time, the media playback apparatus is provided with various devices for processing a command of a user. 1, the first storage medium drive device 30a, the second storage medium drive device 30b, the first communication module 30c, and the second communication module 30d are shown as the devices.

At this time, the storage medium driving apparatus reads data from various internal or external storage media, or writes data into an internal or external storage medium.

In particular, the first storage medium driving device 30a will be described as a drive device for an internal storage medium, which is a storage medium necessary for the media playback device and serves as an auxiliary storage device of the media playback device.

An internal storage medium (hereinafter, referred to as a first storage medium) included in the first storage medium drive apparatus 30a is a nonvolatile storage medium in which data is permanently stored even when power supply is interrupted, , Audio files and the like are also stored in the first storage medium.

The first storage medium drive 30a may be a hard disk drive, a solid state drive (SSD), or the like.

In addition, the storage medium driving apparatus included in the media playback apparatus may be a device separate from the first storage medium drive apparatus 30a, writing data into an external storage medium storing various data including a media file, And a second storage medium drive 30b for reading data therefrom.

Here, the external storage medium (hereinafter referred to as a second storage medium) is a variety of storage means for storing data, and may be a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile (DVD) disc, a video compact disc (VCD) a floppy disc, a flash memory, and the like.

The second storage medium driving device 30b includes an interface for connecting the external storage medium as described above, means for reading / writing data to / from the storage medium, and means for controlling the same.

For example, when the second storage medium corresponds to an optical disc storage medium such as a CD or a DVD, the second storage medium drive 30b may be an optical disc drive (ODD).

The control unit 10 reads various data including the media file from the first storage medium drive device 30a or the second storage medium drive device 30b and loads the data into the memory unit 20, .

Although the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a and the second storage medium driving apparatus 30b are shown as such in the drawing, the media reproducing apparatus according to the present invention may include only one storage medium driving apparatus, The above-described storage medium driving apparatus may be provided, which may vary depending on the characteristics, applications, and the like of each device.

Further, the media playback apparatus may be provided with communication modules 30c and 30d as devices separate from the storage medium drive devices 30a and 30b. The communication modules 30c and 30d may be connected to various wired and wireless networks such as a wired LAN module supporting a wired or wireless data communication, a Bluetooth module, a wireless LAN module, a ZigBee module, a DMB module, a GPS module, It is a connecting device.

Accordingly, the control unit 10 can receive various data including a media file through the communication modules 30c and 30d, and can load the data into the memory unit 20 and use the data.

Although the media playback apparatus is shown with two communication modules in the figure, it may also be provided with fewer or more, depending on the type, characteristics, use, etc. of the media playback apparatus.

The media playback apparatus includes an audio output unit 40 and a video output unit 50. The audio output unit 40 and the video output unit 50 are also provided as devices of the media playback apparatus.

In addition to the above-described storage medium driving apparatuses 30a and 30b, the communication modules 30c and 30d, the audio output unit 40, and the video output unit 50, various types of input / .

On the other hand, the media player is provided with a power supply unit 60. The power supply unit supplies power to each component of the media playback apparatus such as the control unit 10, the memory unit 20, and various devices as described above.

The power supply unit 60 also serves to reduce or cut off the power supplied to each component of the media player according to a command of the controller 10. [

Particularly, the power supply unit 60 discriminates whether or not the media file corresponds to the media-only mode when the media file is being reproduced, and cuts or reduces the power supplied to the device.

At this time, the power supply unit 60 may be controlled to independently supply, cut off, or reduce power to one or more devices.

Here, the media-only mode means a state in which the user does not perform the remainder of the operation except for the playback of the media file through the media playback apparatus.

In other words, in the media-only mode, since the user does not perform any operation except for media file playback, the power supply unit 60 for the remaining devices other than the components necessary for media file playback reduces the power supply to the remaining devices Thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption.

At this time, the control unit 10 adds a criterion and setting for determining the media-only mode on the operating system residing in the memory unit 20. [

The media-only mode can be selected by the user on the user interface provided by the media player or through a separate input key or the like. That is, when the user inputs a media file playback command and then selects a media-only mode, the power supply to the remaining devices except the device that should be operated upon playback of the media file is interrupted.

Alternatively, the control unit 10 may determine that the media-only mode is selected when the user inputs a playback command of the media file and then enlarges the window in which the media file is played back to the full screen.

In addition, it is possible to set the controller 10 to determine that the media-only mode is selected even if the command of the user is not input for a predetermined period of time after the playback command of the media file is detected. At this time, the predetermined time may be changed according to the setting.

In addition, after a media file playback command is detected, a condition is set such that a window in which a media file is played is adjusted to a certain size or more, or a media file playback window of a certain size or more is activated, . ≪ / RTI >

The controller 10 notifies the power supply unit 60 of the fact that the media-only mode is set, and the power supply unit 60 supplies power to the remaining devices, Stop the supply.

For example, when the user receives a command to reproduce a moving picture file stored in the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a, the power supply unit 60 stores the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a excluding the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a It is possible to cut off or reduce power supplied to the remaining devices, that is, the second storage medium driving device 30b and the communication modules 30c and 30d. At this time, power supply to the audio output unit 40 and the video output unit 50 is continued for video playback.

In addition, when the user receives a command to reproduce a moving picture file stored in the second storage medium, the power supply unit 60 may be operated in the first storage medium drive apparatus (not shown) 30a, the communication modules 30c, 30d, and the like.

In addition, when receiving a command to reproduce an audio file provided on the network connected by the first communication module 30c from the user, the power supply unit 60 supplies the remaining audio data, excluding the first communication module 30c, It is possible to cut off or reduce the power supplied to the devices, that is, the storage medium drive devices 30a and 30b and the second communication module 30d. In this case, when only the sound file reproduction operation is performed, that is, after the reproduction command for the sound file is input, if the control unit 10 senses the media only mode, the video output unit 50 also reproduces the media file The power supply can be cut off or reduced.

As described above, a device for reducing or blocking power supply in the media-only mode is determined depending on what device reads the data, and the audio output unit 40 or the video output unit 50 can also be controlled. Specific examples of this will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG.

In order to reduce or cut off the power for each device, the controller 10 changes the power mode according to the device power mode defined in the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) power management standard .

That is, when the device is driven, the power mode for the device is maintained in the D0 state (normal operation state), and when the power to be supplied to the device is to be shut off, the power mode for the device is set to the D3 state . In addition, D1 or D2 state can be defined so that only standby power is supplied.

To this end, a signal for changing the power mode can be generated by using a filter driver in the kernel mode of the media player.

That is, an input / output request packet is transmitted to the device driver to relay the communication between the device driver and the operating system, determine whether the device is in the media-only mode through the information received from the operating system, A filter driver for transmitting an input / output request packet to the device driver so as to determine whether the media-only mode is released through the information received from the operating system and to switch the device to the D0 state is designed into an upper class of the device driver .

In addition, when the device is connected with PCI-Express, the power management state defined in ASPM (Active State Power Management) for managing the link power of PCI-Express, that is, L0, L0s, L1, L2, , The power supply to the device may be controlled by controlling the power management state by the L2 or L3 state or the like in order to maintain the L0 state while shutting down or reducing the power supplied to the device, .

In addition to the above power mode change, a switching device may further be provided between the power supply unit 60 and each of the devices so that the power supplied to the device can be completely cut off by hardware. The switching element may be turned on / off according to a signal of the power supply unit 60 to supply or cut off power supplied to the device. The switching device may be a field effect transistor (FET).

For a device whose power supply is reduced or blocked in this manner, the operation of a service (for example, Windows Service) provided on the operating system for the device is also terminated. This prevents an error that may occur due to the non-interruption of the software operation even though the hardware is stopped, and turns off the power of the corresponding device in the media-only mode, but the power is unnecessarily turned on by the execution of the service .

On the other hand, after the power supply to the device is stopped or reduced in the media-only mode, the controller 10 continuously monitors whether or not the media-only mode is released.

That is, when the user selects and sets the media-only mode, the media-only mode is canceled when the user again selects the media-only mode release on the user interface provided by the media playback apparatus or through a separate input key .

In addition, in the media-only mode, the controller 10 may be configured to determine that the media-only mode is released when a user input for reducing the media-playback window is enlarged to the entire screen.

In addition, the controller 10 may be configured to determine that the media-only mode is released when a command input by the user is detected while the media-only mode is set because the user's command is not input for a certain period of time during media playback have.

In addition, after a media file playback command is detected, if a condition such that a window in which a media file is played is adjusted to a certain size or less, a disable command is input when the media file playback window is activated, .

The conditions or methods for setting or releasing the media-only mode are not limited to those described above, and modifications to the above-described conditions will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

On the other hand, when the media-only mode is not set, power is continuously supplied to each of the devices, that is, the storage medium drive devices 30a and 30b and the communication modules 30c and 30d, It is possible to freely read and write data on a medium or a second storage medium, or access the network using the communication modules 30c and 30d.

Meanwhile, if the external storage medium is not connected to the second storage medium drive device 30b regardless of whether the mode is the media-only mode as described above, the power supplied to the second storage medium drive device 30b And if the communication module 30c or 30d does not detect any traffic in the communication module 30c or 30d for a predetermined time or more, the communication module 30c or 30d supplies only the standby power to the communication module 30c or 30d, Separate power management for each device may also be performed in parallel.

The function of interrupting or reducing the power supply to the device irrelevant to the media playback in the media-only mode and resuming the power supply when the media-only mode is canceled is performed only in the state where only the battery power is supplied to the media playback device These functions can be turned off when external power is being used, or they can be provided only when the battery power is reduced below the set value.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a media file playback method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a step of a method of reproducing media according to a specific embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a step of a method of reproducing media according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 4, 4A and 4B are flow charts showing a step of a method of reproducing a media different in data loading method according to the available capacity of the memory unit and the capacity of the media file in the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a flowchart specifically illustrating a method for determining a media-only mode according to a specific embodiment of the present invention and first and second embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, a specific embodiment of the present invention starts from a step S100 in which a playback command for a media file is detected. Hereinafter, a case where the media file corresponds to a moving image file will be described.

In operation 100, a moving picture file supplied from one of the storage medium drive devices 30a and 30b or the communication modules 30c and 30d of the media player, that is, the first storage medium or the second storage medium And a user's playback command for a video file or the like provided on a network connected by the communication module 30c or 30d is detected.

Hereinafter, a device for providing a moving picture file to which a playback command is input among the storage medium driving apparatuses 30a and 30b or the communication modules 30c and 30d is referred to as a file providing unit.

If the user inputs a video file playback command in step 100, the control unit 10 receives the video file from the file server and loads the video file into the memory unit 20 do.

Then, the control unit 10 accesses the moving picture file data loaded in the memory unit 20 and performs playback thereof (S200).

During playback of the moving image, the control unit 10 continuously monitors whether or not the mode corresponds to the moving image only mode (S300), and a specific method thereof will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. Here, the video-only mode refers to a state in which only the moving image is played back in the media playback apparatus.

If the control unit 10 determines that the mode corresponds to the video only mode in operation 300, the power supply unit 60 may reduce or shut off the power supplied to the remaining devices except the file providing unit in operation S400.

At this time, the file providing unit may be the storage medium drive devices 30a and 30b, the communication modules 30c and 30d, and the like.

In addition, the device for which the power supply is cut off in step 400 is a device excluding components necessary for moving picture reproduction such as the file providing unit, the control unit 10, and the memory unit 20. Particularly, power supply to the audio output unit 40 and the video output unit 50 should be continued during video reproduction, and power supply to other input and output devices may be cut off or reduced.

However, unlike the example shown in the drawing, when a sound file other than a moving picture file is reproduced and corresponds to the sound reproduction only mode, the power supply to the video output unit 50 may be cut off or reduced. Also, when a playback command of a slide show format of an image file is inputted, power supply to the audio output unit 40 may be cut off or reduced if other operations are not performed.

In step 400, if the moving picture file data is completely read from the file providing unit and the loading of the moving picture file into the memory unit 20 is completed, the power supplied to the file providing unit may be cut off or reduced.

In step S500, the control unit 10 continuously monitors whether the video-only mode is released in a state in which the power supply to each device is reduced or blocked in the video-only mode.

In operation S600, if it is detected that the video only mode is released, the power supply to the device which has cut off or decreased power is resumed in operation 400. So that the user can smoothly perform a separate operation other than the video playback.

In step S700, the controller continuously monitors whether or not the device is in the video only mode or the video only mode until the video reproduction is completed, thereby controlling the power supply cutoff or reduction, power supply resumption, etc. to the devices .

If it is determined in operation 300 that the mode is not the video only mode, even if the video only mode is determined not to be released in operation 500, the process is repeated until the video is completely reproduced.

If it is determined in step 700 that the video playback is completed, the video only mode is canceled and the power supply to each device whose power supply is interrupted is resumed.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, a moving picture file to which a playback command is input in the operation 100 of the specific embodiment of the present invention as described above is a file stored in the first storage medium. 4a and 4b.

That is, in the embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 2, the case where the file providing unit is the storage medium driving apparatus 30a or 30b is the first embodiment of the present invention.

The moving picture file reproducing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention starts from step S110 in which a reproducing command for a moving picture file stored in the first storage medium is detected as shown in FIG. 3, a playback command for a moving image file stored in the first storage medium is detected. However, the storage medium in which the moving image file detected as the playback command is stored may be one of the one or more storage media included in the media playback apparatus .

The control unit 10 reads a moving image file inputted with a playback command from the first storage medium, loads the moving image file into the memory unit 20, and accesses the loaded moving image file to start playback of the moving image file (S200).

In this case, when the first storage medium corresponds to the auxiliary storage means (hard disk, etc.) of the media playback apparatus, the control unit 10 divides the video file stored in the first storage medium into several load units In this case, the moving picture file is accessed by accessing the RAM (the memory unit 20) serving as a physical memory at this time, but the moving picture data already reproduced, The moving picture file is reproduced while repeating the operation of paging the specific area of the first storage medium as the storage means.

The power supply to the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a must be continued. Therefore, even if the controller 10 detects the entry into the moving picture only mode (S300) Power supply continues.

However, the power supplied to the devices other than the first storage medium driving device 30a, which are not related to moving picture file playback, i.e., the second storage medium driving device 30b, the communication modules 30c and 30d, (S410).

In step S610, the control unit 10 continuously monitors whether the video only mode is released in step S500. In step S610, the control unit 10 resumes the power supply to the devices whose power supply is interrupted or decreased.

Until the video reproduction is completed, it is continuously detected whether the video only mode or the video only mode is released to control power supply to each device (S700).

The first storage medium storing the moving picture file in which the reproduction command is input in step 110 corresponds to an external storage medium connected to the media reproduction apparatus.

In the first embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 3, the media file in which the playback command is detected is not a video file but an audio file or an image file.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, in the first embodiment of the present invention, a playback command for a moving picture file stored in the first storage medium is detected (S110) as described with reference to FIG.

The first storage medium may be a storage medium provided in the media playback apparatus or an external storage medium connected to an external storage medium drive provided in the media playback apparatus.

In addition, although FIG. 4 exemplifies a case of playing a moving picture file, the present invention can be similarly applied to a case of playing another media file.

In operation S113, the control unit 10 checks the current available capacity of the memory unit 20 when a playback command for a specific moving picture file is input in operation 110. [

In this case, the memory unit 20 is illustrated as an example of a RAM. In the case where the media playback apparatus corresponds to a computer system, the RAM serving as a main memory device of the computer system is the memory unit 20.

Here, the storage area of the RAM is divided into an operating system area and a user area, and the size thereof is variable. In the operating system area, essential data necessary for driving and controlling the media player are stored, and application data is stored in the user area. Therefore, when playing the media file, the corresponding media file is stored in the user area.

Therefore, when checking the available capacity of the RAM, the controller 10 checks only the available capacity of the user area.

In step S115, the controller 10 accesses the first storage medium storing the moving image file, checks the capacity of the moving image file, and compares the current capacity with the current available capacity of the RAM.

If it is determined in operation 115 that the capacity of the moving image file to be reproduced is smaller than the available capacity of the RAM, the entire moving image file is read from the first storage medium and loaded into the RAM at step S125. That is, the moving picture file into which the reproduction command is inputted is read in one file unit and loaded into the RAM.

The specific media playback method after step 125 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4A.

On the other hand, if it is determined in operation 115 that the capacity of the video file to be reproduced is larger than the available capacity of the RAM, the controller 10 determines the difference between the capacity of the video file to be reproduced and the available capacity of the RAM. This can be done by comparing the difference in capacity with the default value.

If the capacity of the moving image file to be reproduced is equal to or larger than the preset capacity of the RAM, the controller 10 determines a data capacity value to be the load unit in order to divide the moving image file into a plurality of load units and load them into the RAM (S121 ).

Here, the load unit refers to the data capacity read out at one time when the moving picture file is divided and read in accordance with the data capacity considering the available capacity, the total capacity and the average load of the RAM, and the data read accordingly.

In step S127, the controller 10 reads the first load unit of the moving image file from the first storage medium according to the capacity value determined in operation 121, and loads the same into the RAM.

Hereinafter, specific media playback method steps will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4B.

On the other hand, if it is determined in operation 117 that the amount of the moving picture file to be reproduced exceeds the amount of the RAM, the controller 10 loads the moving picture file from the user area of the RAM into the RAM (Step S123). In step S123, the data is paged to a storage medium serving as an auxiliary storage unit of the media playback apparatus.

If the user area for loading the motion picture file into the RAM is secured, the controller 10 reads the motion picture file from the first storage medium at once and loads the motion picture file into the RAM at step S125. .

Alternatively, before the determination of step 117, the control unit 10 pages the data loaded in the user area of the RAM to the secondary storage unit of the media playback apparatus to secure the maximum user area, If the capacity of the moving picture file is larger than the available capacity of the user area of the RAM, the moving picture file is divided into a plurality of load units (S127), and the capacity of the moving picture file is divided into a user area (S125), the moving image file may be loaded into the RAM at a time in units of files.

Here, the above case is also the case where the media file in which the playback command is detected in step 110 is an audio file or an image file other than a moving picture file.

If a playback command for a plurality of media files is input in step 110, that is, if a plurality of video files are selected and sequential playback thereof is to be performed, or a plurality of audio files and image files are selected The step 115 or 117 may be performed by comparing the total capacity of the plurality of media files with the available capacity of the RAM.

(S125). If the total capacity of the plurality of media files exceeds the available capacity of the RAM and the data stored in the RAM is paged to another storage medium, If the available capacity is exceeded, a plurality of media files are divided into several times and loaded into the RAM (S127).

In operation 125, if the moving picture file is read from the first storage medium in units of files and the entire moving picture file is loaded with RAM at one time, as shown in FIG. 4A, (S110), the corresponding moving picture file is read from the first storage medium in units of files via the steps as described in FIG. 4, and the memory unit 20 (explained as a RAM in the drawing) (S125).

This is because unlike the general case, when the capacity of the RAM is increasing, the video data stored in the storage medium is loaded into the physical memory (RAM) instead of the virtual memory at the same time so as to prevent the paging between the storage medium and the RAM It depends on the method.

In operation 125, when the moving picture file is loaded from the first storage medium into the RAM and a predetermined amount of data is loaded into the RAM, the controller 10 starts reproducing the moving picture file in operation S200. Of course, in operation 200, playback of the moving picture file may be started after the entire moving picture file is loaded.

In operation 200, the moving picture file loaded in the RAM for reproducing the moving picture file is reproduced through a source filter, a transform filter, a render filter, etc. The source filter receives the moving picture file, It serves as a filter. At this time, when the source filter receives a file, it sets in advance to receive a file from the RAM (memory unit 20) rather than the first storage medium.

For this, a filter driver is configured in the file system in the kernel mode of the operating system, and when the media file is selected, the file type of the selected media file is changed to a custom file type. When the custom file type is registered and the source filter of the registered file type is registered in the Windows registry, the media filter loaded in the RAM can be received and reproduced by the source filter.

On the other hand, the source filter determines whether the file is in the media-only mode by identifying the file type by identifying the extension of the file when playing the file, and when the media file is loaded in the RAM, power is supplied to the file providing unit provided with the media file Interruption or reduction of the media file.

If it is determined in step S300 that the moving picture file playback is started and the controller 10 is in the moving picture only mode, the second storage medium drive 30b and the communication modules 30c and 30d The power supplied to various devices irrelevant to moving picture playback including the video playback is reduced or cut off (S420).

Also, when the loading of the moving picture file from the first storage medium to the RAM is completed in a state corresponding to the moving picture only mode, the power supplied to the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a is also reduced or blocked, Prevent power consumption.

If it is detected that the video only mode is released (S500), the power supply to the device whose power supply is decreased or blocked is resumed in steps 420 and 425 so that the user can perform another task S620).

This operation is repeated until the moving image reproduction is completed (S700). When the moving image reproduction is completed, the video only mode is also released, and power supply to the device whose power supply has been reduced or blocked in steps 420 and 425 is resumed.

At this time, if the first storage medium corresponds to the auxiliary storage means included in the media playback apparatus such as the hard disk of the computer system, the moving picture file is loaded from the first storage medium into the RAM at once , It is not necessary to perform continuous access or paging to the first storage medium, so that power supply to the first storage medium drive apparatus 30a can also be stopped in the video only mode.

When the first storage medium is an external storage medium connected to the media playback apparatus, if the moving picture file is loaded into the RAM from the first storage medium at once, power supply to the first storage medium drive apparatus is unnecessary The power supply to the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a can also be stopped.

Therefore, when the control unit 10 detects that the apparatus enters the video only mode, the power supply unit 60 also cuts off or reduces the power supplied to the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a (S425). At this time, the control unit 10 determines whether the loading of the moving image file from the first storage medium is completed, and cuts off the power supplied to the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a only when the loading of the moving image file is completed do.

As described with reference to FIG. 4, in the case where the moving picture file is divided into a plurality of load units from the first storage medium and read out in the first embodiment of the present invention, the controller 10, as shown in FIG. 4B, From the initial load unit of the moving picture file and loads it into the RAM (memory unit 20) (S127).

When the media file including the moving image file is divided into a plurality of load units and loaded over a plurality of times, for example, the moving image file may be a file having a large capacity such as a DVD file or a playback command for a plurality of media files The capacity of the RAM exceeds the available capacity, or the like.

At this time, the load unit is determined in consideration of the current usable capacity or total capacity of the RAM, as described above with reference to FIG.

In operation 200, the moving picture file loaded in the RAM for playing the moving picture file is played through a source filter, a transform filter, a render filter, and the like The source filter receives the moving picture file and provides the moving picture file to the conversion filter. At this time, when the source filter receives the file, it is set in advance to receive the file from the RAM (memory unit 20) rather than the hard disk.

For this, a filter driver is configured in the file system in the kernel mode of the operating system, and when the video file is selected, the file type of the selected video file is changed to a custom file type. In addition, if the custom file type is registered and the source filter of the registered file type is registered in the Windows registry, the source filter can receive and play back the video file loaded in the RAM.

If it is determined in step 200 that the moving picture file is played back, the controller 10 monitors whether the moving picture file is entered into the moving picture only mode (S300) 30b and cut off power supplied to the communication modules 30c, 30d (S423).

Also, when reading of the first load unit or the priority load unit and loading into the ram are completed, power supply to the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a is also cut off in step 423.

When a command to read the next load unit of the moving picture file from the first storage medium is sensed (S427), the power supply to the first storage medium driving apparatus 30a is resumed and the next load from the first storage medium Read the unit and load it into the RAM.

At this time, in step 427, the remaining playback time of the senior load unit is calculated, and the supply of power to the first storage medium drive 30a is resumed and the time required for the first storage medium drive 30a to normally operate again And the controller 10 resumes the supply of power to the first storage medium drive 30a to the power supply unit 60 when the remaining playback time is longer than the time required to read the next- Lt; / RTI >

In step S500, the control unit 10 continuously monitors the release of the video-only mode from the time when the video-only mode is entered. If the video-only mode is canceled, (S620). ≪ / RTI >

If it is determined in operation S320 that the control unit 10 does not correspond to the video only mode, a read command of the down load unit for the video file is sensed (S320) The apparatus 30a reads the next load unit from the first storage medium and loads it into the RAM (S321). The controller 10 accesses the RAM to sequentially load the next load unit Playback.

Until the video reproduction is completed (S700), the above-described series of processes is repeated.

On the other hand, in the case where the media file to which the playback command is input in the operation 100 of the specific embodiment of the present invention as described with reference to FIG. 2 is a moving picture file provided on the first network connected by the first communication module 30c This is a second embodiment of the present invention.

In other words, referring to Figs. 5A and 5B, a case where the communication modules 30c and 30d correspond to the file provider in Fig. 2 will be described as a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5A, the media playback method starts from step S130 in which a playback command for a moving picture file provided on the first network is detected.

The control unit 10 receives the video file to which the playback command is input from the network, inputs the video file to the communication module 50, loads the video file into the memory unit 20, accesses the memory unit 20, and starts playback of the video file (S200).

Here, a moving picture file to be input and reproduced by the controller 10 to the first communication module 30c may be reproduced in a streaming format or may be downloaded and reproduced at the same time.

Since the power supply to the first communication module 30c must be continued, the video file can be received. Therefore, if the controller 10 detects the entry into the video only mode (S300), the first communication module 30c The power supply to the inverter continues.

However, the power supplied to the devices other than the first communication module 30c, which are not related to moving picture file playback, i.e., the storage medium driving devices 30a and 30b, the second communication module 30d, (S430).

In step S630, the controller 10 continuously monitors whether the video-only mode is released in step S630. In step S630, the controller 10 resumes the power supply to the devices whose power supply is interrupted or decreased.

Until the video reproduction is completed, it is continuously detected whether the video only mode or the video only mode is released to control power supply to each device (S700).

If the media file to be reproduced is not a video file, for example, the audio file is reproduced by the above steps. In the case of reproducing the audio file, the video output unit 50, May also be cut off.

Also, if a slide show type play command of a plurality of image files is inputted, the power supply to the audio output unit 40 may be cut off in operation 430 as well.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the second embodiment of the present invention, when it is sensed that a command to reproduce a moving picture file provided in the first network is input (S130), the first communication module 30c The input moving picture file data can be loaded into the memory unit 20 (explained as a RAM in the drawing) (S135).

When a moving picture file is provided in a download format rather than in a streaming format, particularly when the download speed is higher than the playback speed and playback is possible while the power supply to the first communication module 30c is blocked after the download is completed, In the case of reproducing, the power supplied to the first communication module 30c may be cut off while the moving picture file is loaded into the RAM and reproduced.

In operation 135, when the moving picture file is loaded into the RAM from the first network and a predetermined amount of data is loaded in the RAM, the controller 10 starts playing the moving picture file in operation S200. Of course, in operation 200, playback of the moving picture file may be started after the entire moving picture file is loaded.

If it is determined in step 200 that the moving picture file playback is started and the controller 10 detects the moving picture mode, the storage medium driving apparatuses 30a and 30b and the second communication module 30d, (Step S430). In step S430, the power is supplied to the various devices. In addition, when downloading of the moving picture file from the first communication module 30c is completed (S433), power supply to the first communication module 30c is also interrupted (S435) to prevent unnecessary power consumption.

In operation 433, the controller 10 may detect the traffic of the first communication module 30c.

If it is detected by the controller 10 that the video-only mode is released (S500), the power supply to the device whose power supply has been decreased or blocked in steps 430 and 435 is resumed, (Step S635).

This operation is repeated until the moving image reproduction is completed (S700).

In order to reduce or cut off the power for each device in the specific embodiment of the present invention described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5B and the first and second embodiments thereof, the control unit 10 controls the power supply unit 60 may change the power mode according to the device power mode defined in the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) power management specification.

That is, when the device is driven, the power mode for the device is maintained in the D0 state (normal operation state), and when the power to be supplied to the device is to be shut off, the power mode for the device is set to the D3 state . In addition, D1 or D2 state can be defined so that only standby power is supplied.

To this end, a signal for changing the power mode can be generated by using a filter driver in the kernel mode of the moving picture file reproducing apparatus.

In addition, when the device is connected with PCI-Express, the power management state defined in ASPM (Active State Power Management) for managing the link power of PCI-Express, that is, L0, L0s, L1, L2, , The power supply to the device may be controlled by controlling the power management state by the L2 or L3 state or the like in order to maintain the L0 state while shutting down or reducing the power supplied to the device, .

Meanwhile, in the embodiment of the media playback method according to the present invention as described above, the step 300 for determining whether the media only mode is applicable may be performed by various methods.

In particular, when the media file to be played back in the media playback method is a video file, as shown in FIG. 6, a command of a user to output the video playback window as a full screen is input (S310) If the user input is not detected for more than the predetermined time (S330), or if the user directly inputs the video only mode setting command (S350), or if the size of the moving picture playback window is adjusted to a predetermined size or more, (S370), it is determined that the video-only mode is set.

In this case, only a part of the steps 310 to 370 may be set as a condition for the video only mode, or a combination of two or more conditions may be set to correspond to the video only mode. It can include a degree of change.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 500 that there is a command to reduce the size of the moving image playback window that was output in the full screen or if the user input is not detected for a predetermined time or longer, A case where a user input is detected, a user inputs a cancel command for setting a video only mode, a size of a moving picture playback window is reduced to a predetermined size or a window is inactivated, a command for performing another operation is input shall.

As in the case of playing back a video file, even when an audio file is played back, a full screen playback command is input in an application program (e.g., Windows Media Player) for playing back the audio file, When the user's input is not detected for a predetermined time or more after the input or when the user directly inputs the setting command of the media only mode or when the user turns off the power of the video output unit 50 after the audio file reproduction command, The control unit 10 can determine the media-only mode.

Also, when a slide show type play command for an image file is inputted, the total play time of the slide show calculated through the number of image files inputted with the play command and the display time of one image file exceeds the set time When the user inputs a playback command by a full screen, if the user's input is not detected for a predetermined time or longer after the playback command, when the user directly sets the media-only mode, It can be judged as the dedicated mode.

In this way, the control unit 10 can determine the media-only mode in consideration of the type of the media file and the reproduction mode, and the media-only mode can be determined through the condition changed to the extent obvious to those skilled in the art It can be judged.

 It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment, but is capable of many modifications and variations within the scope of the appended claims. It is self-evident.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a media player according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a media playback method in accordance with a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a step of a media playback method according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIGS. 4, 4A and 4B are flowcharts illustrating a method of reproducing media according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the method of loading data according to the capacity of a memory unit and the capacity of a media file.

5A and 5B are flowcharts showing a step of a media playback method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart specifically illustrating a step of determining a media-only mode in a specific embodiment of the present invention and first and second embodiments. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

10: control unit 20: memory unit

30a: first storage medium drive device 30b: second storage medium drive device

30c: first communication module 30d: second communication module

40: audio output unit 60: video output unit

Claims (24)

A memory unit for temporarily storing various data including a media file; A file providing unit for providing the media file data when the media file playing command is input; A control unit which receives a media file from the file providing unit, sequentially loads data of the input media file into one or more load units, sequentially loads the data into the memory unit, and accesses the memory unit to reproduce the media file; An output unit for displaying the reproduced media file; One or more devices for performing various functions; And A power supply for reducing or blocking power supply to the file providing unit from the time when loading of the media file into the memory unit to the memory unit is completed to the loading of the next load unit into the memory unit in the media only mode, And a control unit for controlling the media player. The method according to claim 1, In the media-only mode, Wherein only the media file playback operation is performed. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein, Wherein the media file playback apparatus determines that the media file is in the media only mode when there is a user input for playing the media file on the full screen. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein, Wherein the mode determining unit determines that the mode is the media only mode if only the media file is reproduced for a preset time period. 3. The method of claim 2, The file providing unit, Wherein the storage medium is a storage medium drive for reading data including a media file from a storage medium storing various data including a media file. delete 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein, Wherein the determination unit determines the load unit according to an available capacity of the memory unit when a media file playback command is detected. 3. The method of claim 2, The file providing unit, And a wired or wireless communication module capable of transmitting and receiving various data including a media file by being connected to a network. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein, Detecting traffic of the communication module; The power supply unit, Wherein the control unit reduces or blocks power supply to the communication module when it is determined that the transmission of the media file is completed as a result of the traffic detection of the controller. 10. The method according to any one of claims 5 and 7 to 9, Wherein, Releasing the media-only mode when there is a user input for performing another operation in the media-only mode; The power supply unit, Wherein when the media-only mode is released, the power supply is resumed to the device and the file providing unit whose power supply has been reduced or blocked. 11. The method of claim 10, If the media file playback apparatus supports the ACPI (Power Management Interface) power management standard, Wherein, In the media only mode, the power mode of the device or file providing unit to reduce or block the power supply is maintained in the D3 state. When the media only mode is released, the power mode of the device or file providing unit, The media file playback apparatus further comprising: (A) detecting a playback command of a media file in a control unit; (B) dividing the media file data from the file providing unit providing the corresponding media file into one or more load units, and loading the media file data into the memory unit; (C) reproducing the media file loaded in the memory unit; (D) checking whether the mode is the media only mode; And (E) shutting down or reducing the power supplied to the file providing unit from the time when the loading of the media file data into the memory unit is completed to the loading of the next load unit, The method comprising the steps of: 13. The method of claim 12, In the media-only mode, Wherein only the media file is reproduced. 14. The method of claim 13, The file providing unit, And a storage medium drive for reading data including a media file from a storage medium storing various data including a media file. delete 15. The method of claim 14, The method of playing a media file, (F1) In the case of the media-only mode, blocking or reducing power supplied to the file providing unit from the time when loading of the one load unit into the memory unit is completed to the start of loading of the next load unit is performed And reproducing the media file. 17. The method of claim 16, Wherein the load unit comprises: Wherein the memory capacity of the memory unit is determined in consideration of an available capacity of the memory unit. 14. The method of claim 13, The file providing unit, Wherein the communication module is a wired or wireless communication module capable of transmitting and receiving various data including a media file in connection with a network. 19. The method of claim 18, The step (B) And loading the media file data input to the communication module into the memory unit. 20. The method of claim 19, The method of playing a media file, (F2) detecting the traffic of the communication module when it is in the media-only mode and blocking or reducing the power supplied to the communication module if it is determined that the download of the media file data is completed / RTI > 14. The method of claim 13, The step (D) (d1) detecting the presence or absence of user input for reproducing the media file in the full screen; (d2) detecting whether or not user input is detected within a predetermined time during media playback; (d3) detecting whether the user inputs a media-only mode setting command; (d4) detecting whether the size of the media playback window is larger than a predetermined size; (d5) detecting whether the activation state of the media playback window is maintained for a predetermined time or longer. 21. The method according to claim 16 or 20, The method of playing a media file, (G) releasing the media-only mode during playback of the media file in the media-only mode; (H) resuming power supply to a device and a file providing unit in which the power supply is interrupted or reduced. 23. The method of claim 22, The method of playing a media file, (I) terminating a service provided on an operating system for a device and a file providing unit in which power supply is cut off or reduced. 24. The method of claim 23, The method of playing a media file, (J) replaying the service provided on the operating system with respect to the device and the file providing unit in which the power supply is resumed in the step (H).

Images