CONTENT ACCESS

• US 20100162292A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jha, Prashant K., Tozer, Mark B., Potrebic, Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,234,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25858 involving client software characteristics, e.g. OS identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/12 Systems in which the television signal is transmitted via one channel or a plurality of parallel channels, the bandwidth of each channel being less than the bandwidth of the television signal H04N7/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Techniques are described to provide content access. In an implementation, a determination is made at a client that a high-definition channel has content that matches content provided by a standard-definition channel. Access is provided to the content via the high-definition channel and access is restricted to the content via the standard-definition channel up the client is capable of outputting the content and high definition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining at a client that a high-definition channel has content that matches content provided by a standard-definition channel; and

providing access to the content via the high-definition channel and restricting access to the content via the standard-definition channel if the client is capable of outputting the content in high definition.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the providing access to the content via the high-definition channel and restricting access to the content via the standard-definition channel involves including representations of the high-definition channel and the content in an electronic program guide (EPG) and not including a representation of the standard-definition channel in the electronic program guide.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the providing access to the content via the high-definition channel and restricting access to the content via the standard-definition channel involves mapping the high-definition channel to a channel map of the client and excluding the standard-definition channel from the channel map.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the providing access to the content via the high-definition channel and restricting access to the content via the standard-definition channel involves redirecting a request for the standard-definition channel to the high-definition channel.

5. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the redirecting is performed automatically and without user intervention.

6. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the redirecting includes outputting an option that is selectable to confirm that the redirecting is to be performed.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the providing access to the content via the high-definition channel and restricting access to the content via the standard-definition channel is performed such that the high-definition channel is accessible via the client using a channel up or channel down function and the standard-definition channel is not.

8. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising ascertaining whether the client is capable of displaying the content in high definition.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the ascertaining is based on hardware and software content capabilities of the client.

10. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the ascertaining is performed at least in part by querying a driver.

11. A method comprising:

determining that a client has access to matching content from a plurality of different sources;

configuring an electronic program guide to include a single representation of the matching content; and

managing which of the plurality of different sources is to be used to obtain the matching content in response to a selection of the single representation.

12. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the managing is based at least in part on the hardware and software content capabilities of the client.

13. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the managing is based at least in part on accessibility of each said different source when the selection is received.

14. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the plurality of different sources includes different channels from a head end.

15. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the plurality of different content providers.

16. One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that are executable at a client to output an electronic program guide having a mode such that when a representation of a television program is selected for recording a television series that includes the television program is automatically selected for recording when in the mode.

17. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 16, wherein the representation of the television program is selectable via a single input to cause the recording of the television series.

18. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 16, wherein the mode is a default mode of the electronic program guide.

19. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 16, wherein the electronic program guide includes another mode that is selectable to cause the specified television program to be recorded and not the television series.

20. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 16, wherein the instructions are further executable to cause a confirmation to be displayed to confirm that the television series is to be recorded.

21. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 16, wherein the instructions are further executable to cause an option to be displayed to rank the television series in relation to one or more other television series that are scheduled to be recorded to resolve recording conflicts.

22. One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that are executable by a client device to output an electronic program guide having an option that is selectable to display representations of content that are available via one or more channels grouped using one or more characteristics.

23. One of more computer-readable media as described in claim 22, wherein at least one said characteristic causes the electronic program guide to output representations of content available during primetime exclusively.

24. One of more computer-readable media as described in claim 22, wherein the one or more characteristics pertain to late night talk shows, daytime talk shows, children'"'"'s programming, or newly-broadcast content.

25. One of more computer-readable media as described in claim 22, wherein the representations of the content are selectable to cause the content to be recorded.

26. One of more computer-readable media as described in claim 22, wherein at least one of the representations is of a television program and is selectable to record a television series that includes the television program.