Mediaset generation system

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments of systems and methods for generating composite mediasets from mediasets, each comprising media items, associated with a plurality of users. In some embodiments, individual and/or group recommendations are provided for creating a group playlist by aggregating user taste data for a plurality of users in a group. In other embodiments, systems and methods are provided which allow for sharing and playing of a group playlist by users in a group, each of which has a media playback device. In still other embodiments, systems and methods are provided for dynamically building a composite playlist that may be updated as users enter and/or leave the group.

1 . A method for generating a group playlist from a plurality of individual mediasets of users within a group, each user mediaset comprising a respective plurality of media data items, the method comprising: 
 performing a taste analysis on a first one of the user mediasets to generate a first sub-mediaset from the first user mediaset;    performing a taste analysis on a second one of the user mediasets to generate a second sub-mediaset from the second user mediaset; and    aggregating media data items from the first and second sub-mediasets to generate a group playlist.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the media data items comprise playable media files.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the media data items each comprise metadata that identifies a playable media file.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 generating a recommended mediaset for the first user based on the first user taste analysis; and    generating a recommended mediaset for the second user based on the second user taste analysis.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein each of the recommended mediasets comprises metadata that identifies a playable media file.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of aggregating the media data items comprises ranking individual media data items by the number of sub-mediasets in which they appear.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the group playlist includes media data items comprising songs.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of aggregating the media data items comprises selecting a set of media data items that optimizes a utility function for the group.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the utility function is based on weights associated with individual media data items.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the step of selecting a set of media data items that optimizes a utility function for the group comprises selecting a set of media data items so as to maximize a sum of selected media data item weights.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the step of selecting a set of media data items so as to maximize a sum of selected media data item weights comprises selecting the media data items that maximize a sum of the highest weights for each of a plurality of different media data items in a plurality of user mediasets.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the step of selecting a set of media data items that optimizes a utility function for the group comprises selecting the media data items that maximize a sum of average media data item weights.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the media data items in the group playlist can be found in a user mediaset within the group.  
     
     
         14 . A method for generating a dynamic, composite playlist of media data items for a user group, comprising: 
 retrieving media item taste data for a plurality of users, wherein the user taste data for a given user is retrieved in response to the given user joining the user group;    aggregating the media item taste data in the user group to create a set of optimal playlist characteristics for the user group; and    adding media data items to a group playlist based at least in part on the set of optimal playlist characteristics.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the user taste data for a given user is automatically retrieved as the given user joins the user group.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein media data items associated with a given user are retrieved in response to the given user joining the user group.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the media data items added to the group playlist are selected from a central database of media data items, and wherein the content of the database is independent of the users in the user group.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the user taste data for a given user is removed from the aggregated user taste data in response to the given user exiting the user group.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein media data items in the group playlist that were retrieved from a given user are removed from the group playlist in response to the given user exiting the user group.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising subjecting the media data items in the group playlist to a diversification process.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the diversification process comprises ensuring that no media data item is repeated in the group playlist for a predetermined period of time.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the diversification process comprises shuffling media data items in the group playlist to diversify at least one segment of the group playlist that includes media data items that are overly representative of the tastes of one or more users.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the diversification process comprises determining whether the group playlist is dominated by media data items representative of the taste of at least one user and, in response to determining that the group playlist is dominated by media data items representative of the taste of the at least one user, removing at least one media data item from the group playlist that corresponds with the taste of the at least one user.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the user taste data for a given user is retrieved in response to the given user logging into a network of connected devices to join the user group.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the step of logging into the network is accomplished implicitly as the network-connected device of a given user enters a given proximity.  
     
     
         26 . A system for building a composite playlist from the collective tastes of a plurality of users in a session, each having a separate media device, comprising: 
 a plurality of session managers, each associated with one of a plurality of media devices, wherein each session manager is configured to manage the status of the media device with which it is associated;    a playlist builder for receiving media item data from the plurality of media devices and for building a composite playlist of media data items from the media item data; and    a plurality of playlist managers, each associated with one of a plurality of media devices, wherein each playlist manager is configured to communicate with the playlist builder to send the media item data of the media device with which it is associated to the playlist builder, and wherein each playlist manager is further configured to play the media data items on the composite playlist on the media device with which it is associated.    
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the media item data comprises media item taste data.  
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the media item data comprises metadata that identifies a playlist of playable media files.  
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the playlist builder resides on a central server.  
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the plurality of session managers reside on the server.  
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the session managers are configured to verify the eligibility of media devices to participate in the session.  
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein each playlist manager is configured to stream media files to other media players in the session.  
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the system is configured such that each media data item in the composite playlist is located on at least one of the media devices in the session, and wherein each individual media data item on the composite playlist is played at least substantially simultaneously on each of the media devices in the session by causing each of the media data items in the composite playlist to be streamed from its corresponding media device to each of the other media devices in the session.