METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING A VERSION OF AN ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM BASED ON USER PREFERENCES

• US 20130133003A1
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, Christopher D Williams, Gregory D. Buscheck, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki, Kenneth Alan Moore
• Original Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, Christopher D Williams, Gregory D. Buscheck, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki, Kenneth Alan Moore
• Inventors: Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Williams, Christopher D., Buscheck, Gregory D., Moore, Kenneth Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4532 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting a version of an entertainment program based on user preference includes receiving entertainment programming input, identifying multiple available versions of an entertainment program, identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, accessing user preferences, and selecting one of the multiple versions for display based on a comparison of the descriptive information to the user preferences.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method comprising:

receiving entertainment programming input;

identifying multiple versions of an available entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, the descriptive information comprising a plurality of video quality characteristics of the respective version;

identifying the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions; and

displaying characteristics of the identified multiple versions and highlighting the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions to a user.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein highlighting the differences comprises displaying only the identified differences in characteristics.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a selection from the user identifying one of the plurality of the multiple versions; and

displaying the one of the plurality of multiple versions corresponding to the user selection.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the multiple versions are available using different channel transport media, the method further comprising displaying an identification of the channel transport medium for each respective version, the channel transport media including at least one of cable broadcast, satellite broadcast, radio frequency broadcast, telephone interface, computer network interface, CD-ROM, video disk, and video cassette.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the video quality characteristics comprise at least one of enhanced programming, language of subtitles, descriptive video service, closed captioning, color, letterbox format, standard television format and director'"'"'s cut version.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein identifying multiple versions comprises searching through data of an electronic programming guide for additional entries having a same identifier.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein identifying multiple versions comprises searching through data of an electronic programming guide for additional entries that start within a threshold period of time of the start of the version corresponding to the original program selection.

29. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer result in:

receiving entertainment programming input;

identifying multiple versions of an available entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, the descriptive information comprising a plurality of video quality characteristics of the respective version;

identifying the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions; and

displaying characteristics of the identified multiple versions and highlighting the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions to a user.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the plurality of instructions which when executed by the processor, result in highlighting the differences, further result in displaying the identified differences in characteristics together with additional identified characteristics, the identified characteristics comprising at least one of a source identifier, a channel transport medium, program duration, pricing, enhanced programming availability, closed captioning availability, language of subtitles in the version and language spoken in the version.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in receiving a selection from the user identifying one of the multiple versions, and displaying the selected one of the multiple versions corresponding to the user selection.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, result in identifying multiple versions comprise searching through data of an electronic programming guide for additional entries having a same title.

33. An apparatus comprising:

a program guide controller to receive entertainment programming input;

a selection controller coupled to the program guide controller to identify multiple available versions of an entertainment program, to identify, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, the descriptive information comprising a plurality of video quality characteristics of the respective version and to identify the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions; and

a device controller, coupled to the selection controller, to display characteristics of the multiple versions and to highlight the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions to a user.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the device controller in highlighting the differences is to display only the identified differences in characteristics.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising a user interface controller to receive a selection from the user identifying one of the plurality of the multiple versions;

and wherein the device controller is further to display the selected one of the multiple versions corresponding to the user selection.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the program guide controller comprises a program guide memory for use by the selection controller, the program guide memory having a table of programs and wherein for each program the table includes an identification of the program and a plurality of characteristics including at least one of channel audio support, broadcast date, broadcast time, program duration, alternate audio channels, language, screen format, closed caption availability and a program description.

37. A method comprising:

receiving entertainment programming input;

identifying multiple versions of an available entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, the descriptive information comprising a plurality of audio quality characteristics of the respective version;

identifying the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions; and

displaying characteristics of the identified multiple versions and highlighting the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions to a user.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein highlighting the differences comprises displaying only identified differences in characteristics together with additional characteristics, the additional characteristics comprising at least one of a source identifier, a channel transport medium, program duration, pricing, enhanced programming availability, closed captioning availability, language of subtitles in the version and language spoken in the version.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

receiving a selection from the user identifying one of the plurality of the multiple versions; and

displaying the multiple version corresponding to the user selection.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein identifying multiple versions comprises searching through data of an electronic programming guide for additional entries that start at approximately the same time.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein the audio quality characteristics comprise at least one of alternate audio, secondary audio, language of dubbing, language spoken, mono, stereo, surround, digital stereo and digital surround.

42. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer result in:

receiving entertainment programming input;

identifying multiple versions of an available entertainment program;

identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, the descriptive information comprising a plurality of audio quality characteristics of the respective version;

identifying the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions; and

displaying characteristics of the identified multiple versions and highlighting the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions to a user.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the characteristics further comprise at least one of a source identifier, a channel transport medium, program duration, pricing, enhanced programming availability, closed captioning availability, language of subtitles in the version and language spoken in the version.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the multiple versions are available using different channel transport media and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further result in displaying an identification of the channel transport medium for each respective version, the channel transport media including at least one of cable broadcast, satellite broadcast, radio frequency broadcast, telephone interface, computer network interface, CD-ROM, video disk, and video cassette.

45. An apparatus comprising:

a program guide controller to receive entertainment programming input;

a selection controller coupled to the program guide controller to identify multiple available versions of an entertainment program, to identify, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, the descriptive information comprising a plurality of audio quality characteristics of the respective version and to identify the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions; and

a device controller, coupled to the selection controller, to display characteristics of the multiple versions and to highlight the differences in characteristics between the multiple versions to a user.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the device controller in highlighting the differences is to display the identified differences in characteristics together with all of the other identified characteristics.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising a user interface controller to receive a selection from the user identifying one of the plurality of the multiple versions;

and wherein the device controller is further to display the multiple version corresponding to the user selection.