Providing television broadcasts over a managed network and interactive content over an unmanaged network to a client device
First Claim
1. A method of transmitting, over an unmanaged network, interactive content to a client decoding device that is configured to receive the interactive content over the unmanaged network and to receive broadcast video content over a managed network, the method comprising:
- receiving a request to provide, over the unmanaged network, a first interactive service to the client decoding device, wherein the first interactive service provides first interactive content that includes a first video component, a first audio component, and a first interactive user-interface element;
compositing, in a frequency domain, the first video component of the requested first interactive content with the broadcast video content to form a series of video frames;
encoding a first plurality of the video frames according to a video encoding bitrate, thereby forming a first portion of encoded video content;
transmitting, over the unmanaged network, the first portion of the encoded video content and a first portion of the first audio component of the first interactive content to the client decoding device;
determining a transmission bandwidth over the unmanaged network;
determining, using one or more business rules, whether the determined transmission bandwidth meets first criteria for the first interactive service;
in accordance with a determination that the determined transmission bandwidth meets the first criteria for the first interactive service;
adjusting the video encoding bitrate according to the determined transmission bandwidth;
encoding a second plurality of the video frames according to the adjusted video encoding bitrate for the first video component, thereby forming a second portion of encoded video content; and
transmitting, over the unmanaged network, the second portion of encoded video content to the client decoding device; and
,in accordance with a determination that the bandwidth requirement does not meet the first bandwidth criteria for the first interactive service;
using the determined transmission bandwidth and the one or more business rules to determine a plurality of alternative interactive services, wherein;
the determined transmission bandwidth meets second criteria, distinct from the first criteria, for each respective alternative interactive service of the plurality of alternative interactive services, andeach respective alternative interactive service of the plurality of alternative interactive services includes respective interactive content that includes a respective video component, a respective audio component, and a respective interactive user-interface element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A client device receives a broadcast content signal containing an interactive identifier over a managed network at a client device. The interactive identifier may be a trigger that is included in a header or embedded within the digital video data. The trigger may have a temporal component, wherein the trigger can expire after a certain period of time. In response to identification of the trigger, the client device sends a user request for interactive content over an unmanaged network. For example, the managed network may be a one-way satellite television network, IP-television network or cable television network and the unmanaged network may be the Internet. The client device switches between receiving data from the managed network to receiving data from the unmanaged network.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of transmitting, over an unmanaged network, interactive content to a client decoding device that is configured to receive the interactive content over the unmanaged network and to receive broadcast video content over a managed network, the method comprising:
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receiving a request to provide, over the unmanaged network, a first interactive service to the client decoding device, wherein the first interactive service provides first interactive content that includes a first video component, a first audio component, and a first interactive user-interface element; compositing, in a frequency domain, the first video component of the requested first interactive content with the broadcast video content to form a series of video frames; encoding a first plurality of the video frames according to a video encoding bitrate, thereby forming a first portion of encoded video content; transmitting, over the unmanaged network, the first portion of the encoded video content and a first portion of the first audio component of the first interactive content to the client decoding device; determining a transmission bandwidth over the unmanaged network; determining, using one or more business rules, whether the determined transmission bandwidth meets first criteria for the first interactive service; in accordance with a determination that the determined transmission bandwidth meets the first criteria for the first interactive service; adjusting the video encoding bitrate according to the determined transmission bandwidth; encoding a second plurality of the video frames according to the adjusted video encoding bitrate for the first video component, thereby forming a second portion of encoded video content; and transmitting, over the unmanaged network, the second portion of encoded video content to the client decoding device; and
,in accordance with a determination that the bandwidth requirement does not meet the first bandwidth criteria for the first interactive service; using the determined transmission bandwidth and the one or more business rules to determine a plurality of alternative interactive services, wherein; the determined transmission bandwidth meets second criteria, distinct from the first criteria, for each respective alternative interactive service of the plurality of alternative interactive services, and each respective alternative interactive service of the plurality of alternative interactive services includes respective interactive content that includes a respective video component, a respective audio component, and a respective interactive user-interface element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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13. A method of adapting to varying conditions in the reception of interactive content over an unmanaged network in a client decoding device associated with a user, the interactive content having a video component and an audio component, the client decoding device receiving broadcast video content over a managed network, the method comprising:
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receiving, in the client decoding device from the unmanaged network, a data stream that includes (i) the audio component of the interactive content, wherein the audio component is encoded according to an unadjusted audio encoding bitrate, and (ii) a series of video frames that comprise the video component of the interactive content, wherein the series of video frames is automatically composited with the broadcast video content in a frequency domain, and encoded according to an adjusted video encoding bitrate; determining a receiving bandwidth at which the data stream is received in the client decoding device; demultiplexing the video component of the interactive content and the audio component of the interactive content from the data stream; simulating a playback of the audio component to determine the receiving bandwidth, wherein the receiving bandwidth is determined using a comparison between a number of audio frames in the audio buffer as a function of time and a fixed value that represents an expected audio bandwidth; adjusting a size of an audio buffer using the determined receiving bandwidth, and decoding the audio component and the video component in the client decoding device at a bitrate based on the simulation. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification