ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING CONTENT THEREOF

• US 20170085931A1
• Filed: 09/13/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JEONG, Seok-hyun, SOHN, Jeong-Hyo, Moon, Seong-Jin, Park, Sang-shin, Lee, Young-Jin, Chung, Hee-jung, CHOI, Myung-kwan, Kim, Do-Young, LEE, Scott Seongwook, CHO, Eun-Joo
• Application Number:
  US15/263,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085931A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a content providing method thereof are provided. The content providing method of an electronic apparatus includes receiving schedule information from an external server, where a plurality of VOD contents are allocated to a plurality of channels, receiving, in response to a command to select a channel corresponding to a first VOD content from among the plurality of VOD contents being input, the first VOD content from a content providing server based on address information of the first VOD content included in the schedule information, and outputting the received first VOD content.

Claims

1. A method of providing a content in an electronic apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving schedule information from an external server, wherein the schedule information includes information on a plurality of VOD contents allocated to a plurality of channels;

accessing, in response to receiving a command to select a channel corresponding to a first VOD content from among the plurality of VOD contents, a content providing server based on address information of the first VOD content included in the schedule information;

receiving the first VOD content beginning from a screen corresponding to a time point of when the command is input; and

outputting the received first VOD content.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the schedule information comprises a channel number, a channel name, a name of a program to be broadcasted for each time slot, and address information of the program to be broadcasted for each time slot.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the schedule information further comprises schedule information of at least two of a plurality of channels corresponding to the plurality of VOD contents, terrestrial channels, satellite channels, and cable channels.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

providing an integrated channel list including at least one of the plurality of channels corresponding to the plurality of VOD contents, the terrestrial channels, the satellite channels, and the cable channels.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first VOD content comprises at least one program, and

wherein the outputting comprises outputting a program from among the plurality of first VOD content on a screen beginning from a time point when the command is input.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the outputting comprises including and outputting a UI to control a reproduction time point of the first VOD content on the screen, and

wherein the method further comprises:

controlling a reproduction time point of the first VOD content and outputting the first VOD content, in response to a command being input through the UI to change a reproduction time point of the first VOD content.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the outputting comprises outputting a program list to select a program different from a program of the first VOD content together with the first VOD content currently being output on the screen.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the outputting comprises outputting a display item to identify information related to the first VOD content together with the first VOD content currently being output on the screen.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the outputting comprises outputting, in response to the selected program of the first VOD content being a subscription-based program, a payment menu to view the selected program of the first VOD content.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising:

communication circuitry configured to communicate with an external apparatus;

input circuitry configured to receive a command;

output circuitry configured to output content; and

a processor configured to control the communication circuitry to receive schedule information from an external server, wherein the schedule information includes information on a plurality of VOD contents allocated to a plurality of, to control, in response to a command received by the input circuitry for selecting a channel corresponding to a first VOD content from among the plurality of VOD contents, the communication circuitry to access a content providing server based on address information of the first VOD content included in the schedule information and to receive a first VOD content beginning from a time point when the command is input, and to control the output circuitry to output the received first VOD content.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the schedule information comprises a channel number, a channel name, a name of a program to be broadcasted for each time slot, and address information of the program to be broadcasted for each time slot.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the schedule information further comprises schedule information of at least two of a plurality of channels corresponding to the plurality of VOD contents, terrestrial channels, satellite channels, and cable channels.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to provide an integrated channel list including at least one of the plurality of channels corresponding to the plurality of VOD contents, the terrestrial channels, the satellite channels, and the cable channels and to control the output circuitry to output the integrated channel list.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first VOD content includes at least one program, and

wherein the processor is configured to control the output circuitry to output a screen of a program from among the plurality of programs of the first VOD content beginning from a time point of when the command is input.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to control the output circuitry to include and output a UI to control a reproduction time point of the first VOD content on the screen, and to control, in response to a command being input through the UI to change a reproduction time point of the first VOD content, the output circuitry to control a reproduction time point of the first VOD content and to output the first VOD content.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to control the output circuitry to output a program list to select a program different from a program of the first VOD content together with the first VOD content currently being output on the screen.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to control the output circuitry to output a display item to identify information related to the first VOD content together with the first VOD content currently being output on the screen.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to the selected program of the first VOD content being a subscription-based program, control the output circuitry to output a payment menu to view the selected program of the first VOD content.

19. A schedule information providing server comprising:

communication circuitry configured to receive information on a plurality of VOD contents from an external content providing server; and

a processor configured to allocate the plurality of VOD contents to a plurality of channels based on the information on a plurality of VOD contents received from the external content providing server, to generate schedule information on the plurality of VOD contents allocated to the plurality of channels, and to control the communication circuitry to transmit the generated schedule information to an external electronic apparatus.