Apparatus and method for media content presentation

• US 8,949,910 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Fix, Jeremy, Meredith, Zachary
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPARD, JUSTIN E
• Application Number:
  US13/657,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• 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 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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 21/47202 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 21/64322 IP

Abstract

A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, accessing, by a system comprising at least one processor, a content display configuration corresponding to a plurality of feed selections from a plurality of media content feeds available from a service provider network, a plurality of display selections from a plurality of available displays, and a plurality of pairing selections assigning each feed selection of the plurality of feed selections to at least one display selection of the plurality of display selections, transmitting a plurality of displayable content streams according to the content display configuration, modifying the content display configuration according to a request, and transmitting the plurality of displayable content streams according to the content display configuration. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving a plurality of feed selections from a first listing of a plurality of media content feeds available from a service provider network, wherein the plurality of media content feeds comprise a plurality of camera feeds from a plurality of cameras filming a common event and content associated with the common event, wherein the plurality of media content feeds each comprise a subject area channel comprising a collection of sub-channels associated with the common event available from the service provider network, wherein the collection of sub-channels each comprise a separate, broadcast channel;

receiving a plurality of display selections from a second listing of a plurality of displays that are communicatively coupled to the device;

receiving information regarding an arrangement of each of the plurality of displays;

receiving a plurality of pairing selections, wherein each pairing selection of the plurality of pairing selections comprises an assignment of one sub-channel of the collection of sub-channels associated with the common event paired to one display selection of the plurality of display selections based on the arrangement of each of the plurality of displays;

generating a content display configuration corresponding to the collection of sub-channels associated with the common event, the plurality of display selections, and the plurality of pairing selections;

transmitting a plurality of displayable content streams to the plurality of display selections according to the content display configuration to cause the assigned sub-channels to be presented at respective display devices associated with the plurality of display selections;

modifying the content display configuration according to a received request to modify the content display configuration of one of the sub-channels associated with the common event, the plurality of display selections, the plurality of pairing selections, or any combination thereof; and

transmitting the plurality of displayable content streams according to the modifying of the content display configuration.

2. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising receiving, during the transmitting of the plurality of displayable content streams, the request to modify the content display configuration.

3. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising modifying one feed selection of the plurality of feed selections responsive to the request.

4. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising modifying one display selection of the plurality of display selections responsive to the request.

5. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising modifying one pairing selection of the plurality of pairing selections responsive to the request.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein a first feed selection of the plurality of feed selections is associated with a first media content feed of a first subject area content collection of the plurality of subject area content collections and a second feed selection of the plurality of feed selections is associated with a second media content feed of a second subject area content collection of the plurality of subject area content collections.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media content feeds are each associated with one subject area content collection of a plurality of subject area content collections available from the service provider network.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the request to modify the content display configuration is received from a remote controller communicatively coupled to the device.

9. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising:

receiving from the service provider network a plurality of content streams according to the content display configuration; and

decoding the plurality of content streams that are received to generate the plurality of displayable content streams.

10. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising one of enabling or disabling transmitting of a first displayable content stream of the plurality of displayable content streams responsive to the request.

11. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising one of enabling or disabling a first display associated with the plurality of display selections responsive to the request.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first listing of the plurality of media content feeds comprises an electronic programming guide and wherein the receiving of the plurality of feed selections comprises receiving selections from the electronic programming guide.

13. The device of claim 1, further performing operations comprising:

storing the content display configuration at the memory; and

retrieving the content display configuration that is stored in the memory during an initialization of the device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, facilitate performing of operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of feed selections from a plurality of media content streams available from a service provider network, wherein the plurality of media content streams comprise a plurality of camera feeds from a plurality of cameras filming a common event and content associated with the common event, and wherein the plurality of media content streams comprise a subject area channel comprising a collection of sub-channels associated with the common event available from the service provider network;

receiving information regarding an arrangement of a plurality of available displays;

decoding the plurality of content streams that are received to generate a plurality of displayable content streams;

displaying, at an electronic programming guide, a content display configuration, wherein the content display configuration comprises the plurality of media content streams organized according to the common event available from the service provider network and according to non-collected media content;

receiving a selection of the plurality of media content streams organized according to the common event;

responsive to receiving the selection of the plurality of media content streams organized according to the common event, transmitting the plurality of displayable content streams according to a selected one of the content display configuration to cause selected sub-channels associated with the common event to be presented at selected display devices;

receiving, during the transmitting of the plurality of displayable content streams, a request to modify the content display configuration to display different sub-channels of the collection of sub-channels associated with the common event;

modifying the content display configuration according to the request; and

transmitting different sub-channels to selected display devices according to the modifying of the content display configuration.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the executable instructions further facilitate the performing of operations comprising:

receiving the plurality of feed selections from a first listing of the plurality of media content feeds available from the service provider network; and

receiving a plurality of display selections from a second listing of the plurality of available displays.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein one display of the plurality of displays comprises a picture-in-picture display.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein one display of the plurality of displays comprises a display that is accessible by way of a wireless communication link.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein one media content feed associated with the plurality of feed selections comprises content accessible from an internet protocol website.

19. A method, comprising:

accessing, by a system comprising a processor, a content display configuration corresponding to a plurality of feed selections from a plurality of media content feeds available from a service provider network, a plurality of display selections from a plurality of available displays, wherein the plurality of media content feeds comprise a plurality of camera feeds from a plurality of cameras filming a common event and content associated with the common event, wherein the plurality of media content feeds comprise a subject area channel comprising a collection of sub-channels associated with the common event available from the service provider network, and wherein the collection of sub-channels each comprise a separate, broadcast channel;

displaying the collection of sub-channels as a content subject area in an electronic programming guide;

receiving a selection of sub-channels to display from the content subject area at the electronic programming guide as a content display configuration;

selecting a plurality of pairing selections to assign each sub-channel selection to one display selection of the plurality of display selections according to the content display configuration;

transmitting, by the system, the selected sub-channels to be presented at the selected display selections;

modifying, by the system, the content display configuration as a modified content display configuration according to a request to change one of the sub-channels associated with the common event, the plurality of display selections, the plurality of pairing selections, or any combination thereof; and

transmitting, by the system, a plurality of displayable content streams according to the modified content display configuration.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising modifying, by the system, one of a feed selection of the plurality of feed selections, a display selection of the plurality of display selections, or a pairing selection of the plurality of pairing selections responsive to the request.