Video distribution system

• US 20060212908A1
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ochoa Optics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ochoa Optics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hunter, Charles Eric, Sparks, Kelly C., Hebrank, John H., Ballou, Bernard L. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US11/361,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212908A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

The invention relates to video distribution systems and, more particularly, to a system that blanket transmits video/audio content such as movies (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer'"'"'s computer-based recording, storage and playback system. Customers preselect from a list of available movies or other content in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay for only the video/audio content that is actually viewed.

Claims

1. A method of distributing digital data content to a customer, the method comprising:

degrading the resolution of digital data content in order to not permit proper display of the digital data content;

transmitting a plurality of the digital data content to the customer;

automatically selecting desired digital data content from the plurality of digital data content for storage according to a predetermined criteria;

permitting the customer to display any of the selected digital data content from storage;

upconverting the selected digital data content immediately prior to display to permit display; and

transmitting digital data content displaying information from the customer to a remote location to verify that a selected digital data content has been displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the upcpnverting comprises upconverting to increase a pixelization rate of the preselected digital data content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the upconverting is performed by three-dimensional spatial/temporal interpolation that performs real time de-interlacing and frame rate upconversion of the preselected digital data content.

4. A system for distributing digital data content to a customer, the system comprising:

degrading means for degrading a plurality of digital data content in order to not permit proper display of the digital data content;

first transmission means for transmitting the degraded plurality of the digital data content to the customer;

receiver means for receiving the plurality of degraded digital data content and automatically selecting desired digital data content from the plurality of digital data content according to a predetermined criteria;

a memory for storage of the selected degraded digital data content;

enhancement means for enhancing the selected digital data content in the memory immediately prior to display in order to permit display;

a playback device for permitting the customer to display any of the enhanced selected digital data content from the memory; and

second transmission means for transmitting digital data content displaying information from the customer to a remote location to verify that a selected digital data content has been displayed.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the enhancement means comprises an upconverter that utilizes three-dimensional spatial/temporal interpolation to perform real time de-interlacing and frame rate upconversion.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the enhancement means comprises a hardware implementation of artificial neural networks.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the hardware implementation comprises a zero instruction set computer.

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

an encoder for compressing the digital data content prior to transmission to the customer; and

a decoder for decompressing the digital data content prior to displaying by the customer.

9. The system of claim 4, further comprising a billing system for billing the customer for only the digital data content that is stored and displayed.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the digital data content is video image data and the playback device is a monitor for displaying of the video image data by viewing.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the digital data content is audio data and the playback device is at least one speaker for displaying of the audio data by audio reproduction.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined criteria is randomly on a periodic basis.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined criteria is based on the popularity of the digital data content.

14. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined criteria is based on the preferences of the customer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the preferences of the customer are manually entered by the customer.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for inserting classification information in a header of at least some of the plurality of digital data content prior to transmission; and

a processor for comparing the classification information to preference information of the customer and automatically selecting digital data content from the plurality of digital data content having a predetermined degree of similarity between the classification information and the preference information.

17. A user station for displaying digital data content, the user station comprising:

a receiver for receiving a transmission of a plurality of digital data content, the digital data content being degraded in order to not permit proper display of the content;

a memory;

a means for automatically selecting from the plurality of digital data content for storage in the memory;

selection means for informing the user of the digital data content automatically selected and for selecting from the automatically selected digital data content for display; and

enhancement means for enhancing the selected digital data content in the memory immediately prior to display in order to permit proper display of the digital data content.

18. The user station of claim 17, wherein the enhancement means comprises an upconverter that utilizes three-dimensional spatial/temporal interpolation to perform real time de-interlacing and frame rate upconversion.

19. The user station of claim 17, wherein the enhancement means comprises a hardware implementation of artificial neural networks.

21. The user station of claim 17, further comprising a display for displaying the digital data content stored in the memory.

22. The user station of claim 17, wherein the digital data content is video image data and the display is a monitor.

23. The user station of claim 17, wherein the digital data content is audio data and the display is at least one speaker.

24. The user station of claim 17, further comprising a transmission means for transmitting billing information to a remote location for billing the customer for only the digital data content that is stored and displayed.

25. The user station of claim 17, wherein the receiver is selected from a group consisting of a satellite receiver, cable receiver, internet receiver, and telephone receiver.

26. The user station of claim 17, wherein the memory is a peripheral device selected from a group consisting of a hard drive, a compact disc, an optical drive, a magnetic drive, a magneto-optical drive, and a DVD Ram.

27. The user station of claim 17, wherein the plurality of digital data content is compressed, the user station further comprising a decoder for decompressing the digital data content prior to displaying by the customer.

28. The user station of claim 17, further comprising means for detecting data errors in the stored digital data content.

29. The user station of claim 17, wherein the predetermined criteria is randomly determined on a periodic basis.

30. The user station of claim 17, wherein the predetermined criteria is based on the popularity of the digital data content.

31. The user station of claim 17, wherein the predetermined criteria is based on the preferences of the customer.

32. The user station of claim 31, wherein the preferences of the customer are manually entered by the customer.

20. A user station for displaying digital data content, the user station comprising:

a receiver for receiving a transmission of a plurality of digital data content, the digital data content being degraded from an acceptable displaying degree;

a memory;

selection means for informing the user of the plurality of digital data content received, for selecting from the plurality of digital data content for storage in the memory, and for selecting from the digital data content stored in memory for display; and

enhancement means for enhancing the preselected digital data content in the memory prior to display in order to permit display, wherein the enhancement means comprises a hardware implementation of artificial neural networks and wherein the hardware implementation comprises a zero instruction set computer.