Method and apparatus to control playback in a download-and-view video on demand system
First Claim
1. A method, comprising playing out stored content from a computer-readable medium of a set-top appliance to a display device communicatively coupled thereto according to rules provided by an advertising module of the set-top appliance, the rules having been received from a remote server communicatively coupled to the set-top appliance via one or more computer networks and the stored content including one or more advertisements.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Rules concerning whether or not to insert advertisement and/or allow trick mode capabilities during playback of locally stored content downloaded from a content provider'"'"'s or a VOD service providers server are communicated to the client device and may be specified by a variety of mechanisms including a Web-page based tool for a content provider to edit and for a VOD service provider to review and modify such rules. The client device stores and applies the rules during playback of the content.
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Citations
23 Claims
- 1. A method, comprising playing out stored content from a computer-readable medium of a set-top appliance to a display device communicatively coupled thereto according to rules provided by an advertising module of the set-top appliance, the rules having been received from a remote server communicatively coupled to the set-top appliance via one or more computer networks and the stored content including one or more advertisements.
- 8. A method, comprising playing a series of multimedia files from a computer-readable medium of an appliance in a sequence determined by rules for playing advertisements and in response to a single selection operation of a viewer indicating a desire to view one of the series of multimedia files, the rules having been received from a remote server communicatively coupled to the appliance via one or more computer networks.
- 15. An appliance, comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon one or more multimedia files and a computer processor coupled to the computer-readable medium and configured, under programmable control, to cause to be played out some or all of the multimedia files in a sequence determined by rules for playing advertisements and in response to a single selection operation of a viewer indicating a desire to view one of the series of multimedia files.
- 21. A user interface, comprising one or more Web forms configured to permit setting of trick mode controls associated with multimedia content to a program guide distributable to remote set-top appliances configured to permit downloading of the multimedia content from Internet hosts.
Specification