Method and apparatus for generating media playlists by defining paths through media similarity space

Apparatus for generating a media playlist from a group of media selections, comprising:

• memory having instructions when executed by a processor comprise functionality to receive a set of two or more waypoint media selections in the group and a presentation order of the two or more waypoint media selections;
• a mechanism that determines a distance between each pair of media selections in the group, which distance represents a degree of similarity between that pair of media selections;
• a waypoint segment selection generator that, for a waypoint segment comprising a pair of adjacent waypoint media selections in the presentation order, generates a waypoint set by adding at least one media selection to the presentation order between the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections, wherein the waypoint set comprises the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections and the at least one media selection, wherein adding the at least one media selection is with constraints that no media selection is presented more than once in the presentation order and a maximum distance between adjacent media selections in the presentation order in the waypoint set is minimized;
• and
• a selection accumulator that adds the waypoint set determined by the waypoint segment selection generator to the playlist.

A computer program product for generating a media playlist from a group of media selections, comprising a computer readable medium for storing computer readable program code thereon including:

• program code for receiving a set of two or more waypoint media selections in the group and a presentation order of the two or more waypoint media selections;
• program code for determining a distance between each pair of media selections in the group, which distance represents a degree of similarity between that pair of media selections;
• program code, for a waypoint segment comprising a pair of adjacent waypoint media selections in the presentation order, for generating a waypoint set by adding at least one media selection to the presentation order between the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections, wherein the waypoint set comprises the pair of adjacent waypoint media selections and the at least one media selection, wherein adding the at least one media selection is with constraints that no media selection is presented more than once in the presentation order and a maximum distance between adjacent media selections in the presentation order in the waypoint set is minimized;
• and
• program code for adding the waypoint set to the playlist.