Video on demand in a broadcast network

• US 7,801,303 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dulac, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie; Oscar A
• Application Number:
  US10/790,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,395 Days
• Field of Search: 380/200, 380/211, 380/212, 380/231, 705/50, 705 52- 54, 705/77
• US Class Current: 380/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention is a video on demand service enabled from a near video on demand service. A desired program is split into portions, or clips. The first clip is delivered a priori to the customer'"'"'s Digital Video Recorder (DVR) using a hidden channel and it is made available for purchase on demand. The remaining portion is broadcast regularly using the start time of the Near Video On Demand service, for as long as the program is available for Video On Demand purchase. Upon purchase, the remaining portion is authorized for capture by the DVR. The clips are spliced together upon playback to form a complete program.

Claims

1. A method of providing a video program in response to a demand by a subscriber, wherein the video program is repeatedly transmitted on one of a plurality of channels by a headend, each repeated transmission separated from a previous transmission by a predetermined period of time, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting a trigger into the video program at a predetermined transition point;

delivering a first portion of the video program available for viewing on demand, the first portion of the video program comprising the trigger inserted at the predetermined transition point;

if reception and decryption of the received first portion of the video program is authorized, decrypting the first portion of the at least one video program;

storing the decrypted first portion of the video program on a digital video recorder (DVR);

offering the video program for purchase by the subscriber;

accepting a subscriber demand to purchase the video program;

retrieving the stored first portion of the video program from the DVR after accepting a subscriber demand to purchase the video program;

authorizing capture and decryption of a remaining portion of the purchased video program from the headend;

switching from the stored decrypted first portion of the at least one video program to the captured and decrypted remaining portion of the purchased video program at a time indicated by the trigger.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of delivering a portion of at least one video program further comprises delivering a portion of at least one video program on a hidden channel.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remaining portion comprises less than all of the program and including at least the portion not stored in the first portion.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of switching from the stored first unencrypted portion of the at least one video program to the remaining portion of the video program further comprises switching to the remaining portion at one of a plurality of predetermined transition points determined by the trigger.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger is included in a vertical blanking interval of the video program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the video program is associated with services metadata and the trigger is included with the services metadata.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the DVR determines when to store the first portion of the at least one video program based on received metadata.

8. A method of purchasing a program on demand comprising the steps of:

determining if reception of an encrypted first portion of the program is authorized according to a subscription service level;

if reception of the encrypted first portion is authorized, receiving encrypted first portion of the program for purchase from a headend;

determining if decryption of the received encrypted first portion is authorized based on received conditional access metadata

if decryption of the received encrypted first portion is authorized, decrypting the received first portion of the program;

storing the decrypted first portion of the program for later purchase on a subscriber'"'"'s digital video recorder;

offering the program for purchase;

selecting the program for purchase;

retrieving the stored decrypted first portion of the selected program from the subscriber'"'"'s digital video recorder for viewing by the subscriber;

receiving a remaining portion of the selected program from the headend;

authorizing storage of the program by the subscriber'"'"'s digital video recorder according to a subscription service level;

if the storage of the program is authorized, splicing the decrypted first portion of the program with the remaining portion of the program to form a complete program;

storing the complete program on the digital video recorder for a predetermined period of time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of receiving the encrypted first portion of the program further comprises receiving the encrypted first portion of the program over a channel that is hidden to the subscriber but recognized by the digital video recorder.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of receiving the encrypted first portion of the program further comprises receiving information about the program in addition to the first encrypted portion.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information in addition to the first encrypted portion further comprises information selected from the group comprising promotional video, additional description about the program and program reviews.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of offering a free preview of the program from the stored decrypted first portion.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said step of splicing the decrypted first portion of the selected program with the remaining portion of the program to form the complete program comprises the steps of:

inserting triggers at predetermined transition points in the remaining portion of the program;

delivering the inserted triggers with the remaining portion of the program;

identifying the inserted triggers at the digital video recorder for switching from the stored decrypted first portion of the program to the remaining portion of the program.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the triggers are included with a service'"'"'s metadata.

15. An apparatus configured to provide a program in response to a subscriber demand comprising:

a digital video recorder being an integrated receiver/decoder having digital video recording capabilities, the digital video recorder comprising;

means for determining if reception of a first portion of the program is authorized according to a subscription service level and for receiving the first portion of the program if authorized;

means for determining if decryption of the received first portion is authorized and for decrypting the received first portion if authorized based on received conditional access metadata;

means for accepting an offer to purchase the program;

means for retrieving the decrypted first portion from storage on the digital video recorder while retrieving a remaining portion of the program from a headend;

means for authorizing decryption of the remaining portion of the program;

means for splicing the decrypted first portion of the at least one program with the remaining portion of the program to define a complete program;

means for storing the complete program on the digital video recorder.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the offer to purchase the program comprises a program guide stored on the digital video recorder.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a channel hidden from the program guide but known by the digital video recorder for sending the first portion to the digital video recorder for storage thereon.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the means for splicing the first portion with the remaining portion further comprises triggers inserted into the remaining portion at predetermined transition points for identification by the digital video recorder as a point of transition between the first portion and the remaining portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the program is repeatedly transmitted on one of a plurality of channels, each repeated transmission separated from a previous transmission by a predetermined period of time.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least a portion of the program consists of the remaining portion of the program.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least a portion of the program comprises the entire program.

22. A method of providing at least one video program in response to a demand by a subscriber, wherein the video program is repeatedly transmitted on one of a plurality of channels by a headend, each repeated transmission separated from a previous transmission by a predetermined period of time, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting a trigger into the video program at a predetermined transition point;

delivering a first portion of the at least one video program available for viewing on demand;

storing the first portion of the video program as unencrypted data on a digital video recorder (DVR);

offering the at least one video program for purchase by the subscriber;

accepting a subscriber demand to purchase the at least one video program;

retrieving the stored first portion of the at least one video program from the DVR after accepting a subscriber demand to purchase the at least one video program;

authorizing capture and decryption of a remaining portion of the purchased at least one video program from the headend; and

switching from the stored first unencrypted portion of the at least one video program to the remaining portion of the purchased at least one video program at a time indicated by the trigger;

wherein the delivered first portion of the at least one video program is encrypted and includes conditional access metadata and the method further comprises the steps of;

determining if reception of the delivered first portion of the at least one video program is authorized according to a subscription service level;

if reception of the delivered first portion of the at least one video program is authorized, determining if decryption of the received first portion of the at least one video program is authorized based on received conditional access metadata including an entitlement control message; and

if decryption of the received and delivered first portion of the at least one video program is authorized, decrypting the first portion of the at least one video program to produce the unencrypted data before storing the unencrypted data on the DVR.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein said step of delivering the first portion of the at least one video program further comprises delivering the first portion of the at least one video program on a hidden channel.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the remaining portion of the purchased video program comprises less than all of the at least one video program and including at least the portion not stored in the first portion of the at least one video program.

25. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein said step of switching from the stored first portion of the at least one video program to the remaining portion of the video program further comprises switching to the remaining portion of the at least one video program at one of a plurality of predetermined transition points determined by the trigger.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the trigger is included in a vertical blanking interval of the at least one video program.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one video program is associated with services metadata and the trigger is included with the services metadata.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the DVR determines when to store the first portion of the at least one video program based on received metadata.