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Regulating the quality of a broadcast based on monitored viewing behavior information

  • US 7,395,544 B2
  • Filed: 03/29/2001
  • Issued: 07/01/2008
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a system where a broadcast is output across a communications medium to individual home entertainment systems, the broadcast including a plurality of channels of viewable moving image data, a method for optimizing the quality of the broadcast by dynamically restructuring the broadcasting of the plurality of channels based on feedback from at least some of the home entertainment systems, the method comprising the steps for:

  • upon the occurrence of an event at a first home entertainment system, initiating usage tracking for a selected type of viewable moving image data usage for viewable moving image data of a selected channel, the selected type of viewable moving image data usage being selected from among a plurality of different types of viewable moving image data usage that can be tracked each time one of the plurality of different types of viewable moving image data usage are utilized at the first home entertainment system;

    in response to the event, tracking a utilization of the selected type of viewable moving image data usage, from among the plurality of different types of viewable moving image data usage, for the moving image data at the first home entertainment system by generating user behavior information to indicate that the selected type of viewable moving image data usage is utilized;

    coupling the event with the generated user behavior information for the first home entertainment system;

    combining the event and the generated user behavior information from the first home entertainment system with events and corresponding generated user behavior information from other home entertainment systems, the other home entertainment systems also utilizing a type of viewable moving image data usage selected from among the plurality of different types of viewable moving image data usage for the selected channel, wherein the other home entertainment centers also track each time one of the plurality of different types of viewable moving image data usage is utilized in response to a corresponding event; and

    dynamically restructuring the broadcast of at least the selected channel, by at least restructuring the viewable moving image data of the selected channel, based on the different types of viewable moving image data usage indicated in the combined events and generated user behavior information so as to optimize the quality of the broadcast, the restructuring increasing the quality of the broadcast by;

    reassigning the channel from a first transponder of a satellite television system to a second transponder of the satellite television system, the second transponder having a greater detected amount of available bandwidth, in response to the tracked utilization and generated user behavior such that available bandwidth on the second transponder is allocated to the channel with a larger perceived user participation; and

    dynamically increasing the bandwidth allocated to the selected channel, such that the signal strength of the selected channel is increased proportional to the actual detected viewing audience of the selected channel.

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