System for presenting media services

• US 10,405,021 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Chae, Kyu
• Application Number:
  US14/197,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system for presenting media services is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a portal having a controller element to detect an installation of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media receiver in an IPTV media system and adapt at least a portion of the portal according to the installation. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

submitting a request to a portal service of a web server via an internet browser to remotely navigate media files stored at a set-top box, the request originating from user equipment based on a user input corresponding to selection of a graphical element, wherein the user equipment comprises a portable communication device in communication with the portal service of the web server via the internet browser and wherein the user equipment is not in communication with the set-top box;

receiving a catalog of the media files from the web server via the portal service;

presenting the catalog;

submitting a selection of a first media file of the media files from the catalog;

receiving an embedded media player from the web server via the portal service;

presenting the embedded media player via the internet browser;

receiving a media stream via the embedded media player, the media stream comprising content of the first media file obtained from the web server via the portal service, and the media stream originating from the set-top box;

presenting the media stream at the embedded media player, wherein the media stream is presented via the portal service of the web server when received at the web server from the set-top box without additional user input and as supplied to the web server by the set-top box, and wherein buffering of the media stream as supplied to the web server by the set-top box is not performed at or before a beginning of the presenting of the media stream; and

facilitating buffering of the media stream after the beginning of the presenting of the media stream, wherein the buffering is performed by the portal service of the web server responsive to a control signal generated by the embedded media player based on a user selection.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the media files are stored at a digital video recorder of the set-top box.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the catalog is stored at the set-top box.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining metadata associated with the first media file; and

presenting information associated with the metadata at a graphic user interface of the internet browser.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the metadata comprises one of a name, a date, or a time associated with the first media file.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the request to remotely navigate is submitted responsive to a determination that the portable communication device is roaming in a long-range communication network.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second selection of a selectable graphical user interface element; and

modifying operation of the embedded media player responsive to the second selection.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the selectable graphical user interface element commands the set-top box to perform a control operation for a digital video recorder of the set-top box.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the web server is associated with a broadcast media communication system.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

supplying authentication information to a gateway coupled to the set-top box; and

establishing communications with the set-top box responsive to a successful authentication.

11. A set-top box device, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

submitting a request to a portal service of a web server via an internet browser to remotely navigate media files stored at a set-top box, the request originating from user equipment based on a user input corresponding to selection of a graphical element, wherein the user equipment comprises a portable communication device in communication with the portal service of the web server via the internet browser and wherein the user equipment is not in communication with the set-top box;

receiving a catalog of the media files from the web server via the portal service;

presenting the catalog;

submitting a selection of a first media file of the media files from the catalog;

receiving an embedded media player from the web server via the portal service;

presenting the embedded media player via the internet browser;

receiving a media stream via the embedded media player, the media stream comprising content of the first media file obtained from the web server via the portal service, and the media stream originating from the set-top box;

presenting the media stream at the embedded media player, wherein the media stream is presented via the portal service of the web server when received at the web server from the set-top box without additional user input and as supplied to the web server by the set-top box, and wherein buffering of the media stream as supplied to the web server by the set-top box is not performed at or before a beginning of the presenting of the media stream; and

facilitating buffering of the media stream after the beginning of the presenting of the media stream, wherein the buffering is performed by the portal service of the web server responsive to a control signal generated by the embedded media player based on a user selection.

12. The set-top box device of claim 11, wherein the set-top box device further comprises a digital video recorder, wherein the media files are stored at the digital video recorder.

13. The set-top box device of claim 11, wherein the catalog of the media files is stored by the set-top box device.

14. The set-top box device of claim 13, wherein the catalog of the media files is presented to the portable communication device as a graphical user interface at the internet browser.

15. The set-top box device of claim 11, wherein the embedded media player has a selectable graphical user interface elements for controlling operations of the set-top box device.

16. The set-top box device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting metadata associated with the first media file to the web server, wherein the metadata is presented at the portable communication device.

17. The set-top box device of claim 16, wherein the metadata comprises data associated with the first media file comprising one of a description, an end-user provided name, a recording date, a recording time, a playback duration, or artist identification information.

18. A method, comprising:

submitting, by a set-top box comprising a processing system including a processor, a request to a portal service of a web server via an internet browser to remotely navigate media files stored at a set-top box, the request originating from user equipment based on a user input corresponding to selection of a graphical element, wherein the user equipment comprises a portable communication device in communication with the portal service of the web server via the internet browser and wherein the user equipment is not in communication with the set-top box;

receiving, by the set-top box, a catalog of the media files from the web server via the portal service;

presenting, by the set-top box, the catalog;

submitting, by the set-top box, a selection of a first media file of the media files from the catalog;

receiving, by the set-top box, an embedded media player from the web server via the portal service;

presenting, by the set-top box, the embedded media player via the internet browser;

receiving, by the set-top box, a media stream via the embedded media player, the media stream comprising content of the first media file obtained from the web server via the portal service, and the media stream originating from the set-top box;

presenting, by the set-top box, the media stream at the embedded media player, wherein the media stream is presented via the portal service of the web server when received at the web server from the set-top box without additional user input and as supplied to the web server by the set-top box, and wherein buffering of the media stream as supplied to the web server by the set-top box is not performed at or before a beginning of the presenting of the media stream; and

facilitating, by the set-top box, buffering of the media stream after the beginning of the presenting of the media stream, wherein the buffering is performed by the portal service of the web server responsive to a control signal generated by the embedded media player based on a user selection.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the set-top box further comprises a digital video recorder, and wherein the media files are stored at the digital video recorder.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the the media files is stored by the set-top box.