RE-ADDRESSABLE ALTERNATE CONTENT

• US 20100325660A1
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Holden, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 8,307,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

Providing re-addressable alternate video content to consumers during trickplay modes of operation. For example, providing first video content for standard playback to a consumer; receiving a first consumer request for a first trick mode operation during the standard playback of the first video content; responsive to the first consumer request, providing addressable second video content, different from the first video content, to the consumer; receiving, during providing of the addressable second video content, a second consumer request for a second trick mode operation on the addressable second video content; and responsive to the second consumer request, providing addressable third video content, different from the first and second video contents, to the consumer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing first video content for standard playback to a consumer;

receiving a first consumer request for a first trick mode operation during the standard playback of the first video content;

responsive to the first consumer request, providing addressable second video content, different from the first video content, to the consumer;

receiving, during providing of the addressable second video content, a second consumer request for a second trick mode operation on the addressable second video content; and

responsive to the second consumer request, providing addressable third video content, different from the first and second video contents, to the consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the addressable second video content based on the first content; and

determining the addressable third video content based on the addressable second video content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the addressable third video content based on both the first content and the addressable second video content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video content is a video program, and the second video content and third video content each comprises advertising.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second video content comprises instructions to the consumer regarding re-mapping of one or more trick mode commands to a request for the third video content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising splicing the second video content with the first video content such that the second video content and at least a portion of a trick mode version of the first video content are each simultaneously in a same set of video frames, and wherein providing the second video content comprises providing a data stream representing the video frames.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising splicing the third video content with the first video content such that the third video content and at least a portion of a trick mode version of the first video content are each simultaneously in a same set of video frames, and wherein providing the third video content comprises providing a data stream representing the video frames.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the third video content based on a stored history of video content that was previously skipped by a recipient of the first video content.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the third video content based on a demographic characteristic of a recipient of the first video content.

10. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

providing first video content for standard playback to a consumer;

receiving a first consumer request for a first trick mode operation during the standard playback of the first video content;

responsive to the first consumer request, providing addressable second video content, different from the first video content, to the consumer;

receiving, during providing of the addressable second video content, a second consumer request for a second trick mode operation on the addressable second video content; and

responsive to the second consumer request, providing addressable third video content, different from the first and second video contents, to the consumer.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises determining the addressable third video content based on the addressable second video content.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises determining the addressable second video content based on the first content.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises determining the addressable third video content based on both the first content and the addressable second video content.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first video content is a video program, and the second video content and third video content each comprises advertising.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the second video content comprises instructions to the consumer regarding re-mapping of one or more trick mode commands to a request for the third video content.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises splicing the second video content with the first video content such that the second video content and at least a portion of a trick mode version of the first video content are each simultaneously in a same set of video frames, and wherein providing the second video content comprises providing a data stream representing the video frames.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises splicing the third video content with the first video content such that the third video content and at least a portion of a trick mode version of the first video content are each simultaneously in a same set of video frames, and wherein providing the third video content comprises providing a data stream representing the video frames.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising determining the third video content based on a stored history of video content that was previously skipped by a recipient of the first video content.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising determining the third video content based on a demographic characteristic of a recipient of the first video content.

20. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

responsive to a first request received while first video content is being provided in a data stream, splicing second video content, different from the first video content, into the data stream;

responsive to a second request received while the second video content is being provided in the data stream, determining third video content, different from the first and second video contents, based on a stored history of video content that was previously skipped by a recipient of the data stream; and

splicing the third video content into the data stream.