Method and apparatus for presenting media content

• US 10,123,076 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dey, Spondon
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bantamoi, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US15/410,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20170134800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4518 involving characteristics of one or more peripherals, e.g. peripheral type, software version, amount of memory available or display capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a mobile communication device having a controller to receive a broadcast of media content from a first media source using a first communication protocol, display the media content on the mobile communication device, determine whether the media content exceeds one or more parameter thresholds when the media content is available to a display device from a second media source where the one or more parameter thresholds are based at least in part on the media content available from the second media source and where the display device is remote from the mobile communication device, and commence streaming of the media content from the mobile communication device to the display device when the media content exceeds the one or more parameter thresholds. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processing system comprising a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processing system, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving media content from a first media source;

determining whether the media content from a second media source is separately available to a television display device; and

responsive to the media content being separately available from the second media source to the television display device,

evaluating a power consumption according to a power consumption threshold, wherein the power consumption is based on a transmitting of the media content from the mobile communication device to the television display device;

evaluating a quality according to a minimum quality, wherein the quality is based on the transmitting of the media content from the mobile communication device to the television display device;

responsive to the power consumption exceeding the power consumption threshold and the quality satisfying the minimum quality, transmitting a stream of the media content to the television display device via a first wireless communication interface; and

responsive to one of the power consumption failing to exceed the power consumption threshold, the quality failing to satisfy the minimum quality, or both, allowing the television display device to receive the media content from the second media source.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the media content is transmitted using a first transmission protocol that is selected according to a power consumption criteria associated with a user profile.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the media content is received from the first media source via a wireless communication link to a cellular base station using long-term evolution protocol.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise;

receiving first information from the television display device via the first wireless communication interface to the television display device, wherein the first information identifies a preferred media content communication protocol for the television display device; and

selecting a first media content communication protocol from a plurality of media content communication protocols based on the preferred media content communication protocol.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the first media content communication protocol comprises enhanced-vestigial sideband modulation.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the first media content communication protocol comprises a single carrier frequency division multiple access scheme.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining if the transmitting of the media content to the television display device is resulting in the power consumption exceeding the power consumption threshold; and

stopping the transmitting of the media content to the television display device responsive to the determining that the power consumption is exceeding the power consumption threshold.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 7, wherein the television display device receives the media content from the second media source from a point in the media content where the mobile communication device stopped transmitting the media content to the television display device responsive to the determining that power consumption is exceeding the power consumption threshold.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the power consumption at the mobile communication device is determined by detecting a battery level at the mobile communication device.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting a format of the media content prior to transmitting the stream of the media content to the television display device.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the quality comprises a quality of a signal comprising the media content.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises a video content, and wherein the quality comprises a quality of the video content.

13. A device, comprising:

a display;

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processing system comprising a processor communicatively coupled to the display and the memory, wherein the processing system, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

determining availability of media content from a media source;

transmitting, via a first wireless communication interface and to a mobile communication device, first information associated with the availability of the media content from the media source;

receiving, via the first wireless communication interface and from the mobile communication device, a stream of the media content according to a first transmission protocol responsive to the first information indicating the media content is not available, if transmission of the media content according to the first transmission protocol would not result in power consumption at the mobile communication device exceeding a threshold and if the transmitting of the media content satisfies a minimum quality; and

receiving the media content from the media source responsive to the first information indicating the media content is not available, if transmission of the media content according to the first transmission protocol would result in power consumption at the mobile communication device exceeding a threshold and if the transmitting of the media content would not satisfy the minimum quality.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting second information to the mobile communication device via the first wireless communication interface, wherein the first information identifies a preferred media content communication protocol for the display, and wherein the mobile communication device selects a first media content communication protocol from a plurality of media content communication protocols based on the preferred media content communication protocol.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein transmission of the stream of the media content is hafted by the mobile communication device responsive to determining that the power consumption at the mobile communication device is exceeding a threshold.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the media content from the media source from a point in the media content where the mobile communication device stopped transmitting the stream of the media content responsive to the determining that power consumption is exceeding the threshold.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the power consumption at the mobile communication device is determined by detecting a battery level at the mobile communication device.

18. A method, comprising:

determining, by a processing system including a processor and a display, availability of media content from a media source;

transmitting, by the processing system and to a mobile communication device, first information associated with the availability of the media content from the media source;

receiving, by the processing system, via a first wireless communication interface and from the mobile communication device, a stream of the media content according to a first transmission protocol responsive to the first information indicating the media content is not available, if transmission of the media content according to the first transmission protocol would not result in power consumption at the mobile communication device exceeding a threshold and if the transmitting of the media content satisfies a minimum quality; and

receiving, by the processing system, the media content from the media source responsive to the first information indicating the media content is not available, if transmission of the media content according to the first transmission protocol would result in power consumption at the mobile communication device exceeding a threshold and if the transmitting of the media content would not satisfy the minimum quality.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting, by the processing system, second information to the mobile communication device, wherein the first information identifies a preferred media content communication protocol for the display, and wherein the mobile communication device selects a first media content communication protocol from a plurality of media content communication protocols based on the preferred media content communication protocol.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein transmission of the stream of the media content is halted by the mobile communication device responsive to determining that the power consumption at the mobile communication device is exceeding a threshold.