Multimedia system for a scalable infotainment system of a motor vehicle

A scalable infotainment system for a motor vehicle, the scalable infotainment system comprising:

• at least one camera releasably attachable to the motor vehicle, the at least one camera capturing at least one of an image and a video, and the at least one camera supporting a plurality of camera software components for generating a media signal associated with a media stream in response to the at least one camera capturing at least one of an image and a video;
• and
• a multimedia system integrated within the motor vehicle, the multimedia system comprising:
• a media player attached to the motor vehicle;
• and
• a computer attached to the motor vehicle and including at least one processor electrically communicating with the media player, the computer further including a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality of player software components that comprises a plurality of streaming protocols, and the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further storing instructions such that the at least one processor is programmed to:
• wirelessly connect with the at least one camera;
• generate a player setup signal including data associated with the player software components;
• transmit the player setup signal to the at least one camera, with the at least one camera determining a common one of the streaming protocols supported by the media player and the at least one camera, and the at least one camera generating the media signal by using the common one of the streaming protocols;
• receive the media signal from the at least one camera by using the common one of the streaming protocols;
• and
• transmit the media signal to the media player, with the media player playing the media stream by using the common one of the streaming protocols;
• and
• wherein the at least one camera is not native to the multimedia system.

A method of operating a multimedia system for a scalable infotainment system of a motor vehicle, the scalable infotainment system including at least one camera and a multimedia system, with the multimedia system including a media player and a computer having at least one processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality of player software components that comprises a plurality of streaming protocols, the method comprising:

• releasably attaching the at least one camera to at least one of the motor vehicle, a trailer, a building, and a remote controlled vehicle;
• wirelessly connecting the at least one processor to an associated one of the cameras;
• generating, using at least one of a remote server and the at least one processor, a player setup signal including data associated with the player software components;
• transmitting, using at least one of a remote server and the at least one processor, the player setup signal to the associated camera;
• determining, using the at least one camera, a common one of the streaming protocols supported by the media player and the at least one camera in response to the at least one camera receiving the player setup signal;
• wirelessly connecting, using a second network via the common one of the streaming protocols, the at least one processor to the associated camera;
• capturing, using an image sensor of the at least one camera, at least one of an image and a video;
• generating, using the at least one camera, a media signal associated with a media stream by using the common one of the streaming protocols in response to the image sensor capturing at least one of the image and the video;
• receiving, using the at least one processor via the second network, the media signal from the at least one camera;
• transmitting, using the at least one processor, the media signal to the media player;
• and
• playing, using the media player, the media stream by using the common one of the streaming protocols.