Navigating media content via groups within a playlist

In a media authoring tool, one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components for grouping a plurality of media files within a playlist, said components comprising:

• a playlist module for selecting one or more media files according to a grouping criterion to define a first group from the media files, said first group referencing each of said selected media files;
• a population module for generating a group header associated with the first group, said group header comprising a value identifying the first group and a reference to a second group to enable navigation between the first group and the second group during rendering of one of the media files selected by the playlist module;
• and
• a writer module for storing the generated group header and references to the selected media files in a first data structure representing the first group on a computer-readable medium, said first data structure being independent of a second data structure representing the second group.

A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure representing a group within a playlist, said data structure comprising:

• a group header comprising a group number field storing a value identifying the playlist group, said group header further comprising offset fields storing references to other playlist groups to enable navigation between the playlist group and the other playlist groups;
• group data referencing a group of media files;
• and
• a playlist header comprising a playlist summary type field storing a value identifying a type for the media files in the groups within the playlist, wherein the data structure is independent of other data structures representing the other playlist groups.

A media player enabling navigation among groups of media flies within playlist groups, said media player comprising:

• an input module for reading a playlist group referencing one or more media files, said playlist group comprising a group header and group data stored in a data structure on a computer-readable medium, said group header comprising a value identifying the playlist group and a reference to at least one other playlist group, said value corresponding to a group description associated with the playlist group, said group data identifying the one or more media files;
• an interface module for displaying the group description to a user;
• and
• a selection module for navigating, responsive to input from the user, to the other playlist group via the reference stored in the data structure, said data structure being independent of another data structure representing the other playlist group.