(12) United States Patent
`US 6,804,825 B1
`(10) Patent No.:
`
`(45) Date of Patent: Oct. 12, 2004
`Whiteet al.
`
`US006804825B1
`
`(54)
`
`(75)
`
`VIDEO ON DEMAND METHODS AND
`SYSTEMS
`
`Inventors: Chris M. White, San Francisco, CA
`(US); Timo Bruck, Mountain View, CA
`(US); Lee Mighdoll, San Francisco, CA
`(US); Phillip Y. Goldman, Los Altos,
`CA (US)
`
`(73)
`
`Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
`(US)
`
`(*)
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`US.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21)
`
`(22)
`
`(61)
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`(56)
`
`Appl. No.: 09/201,495
`
`Filed:
`
`Nov. 30, 1998
`
`Tint, C17 occ cccscccscescscsesescscsees HOAN 7/173
`US. C1. cee ccetcereeees 725/87; 725/88; 725/42;
`725/53; 725/102; 725/94
`Field of Search ...............cc cee 725/87, 39, 53,
`725/88, 40, 42, 86, 101, 102, 94; 345/327,
`156, 157, 716-719, 726, 760; 386/45, 46,
`1, 95, 125, 126
`
`References Cited
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`EP
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`Bellovin S. et al., “Network Firewalls”, IEEE Communica-
`tions Magazine, vol. 32, No. 9, Sep. 1994, pp. 50-57.
`Dan A.et al., “Channel Allocation under Batching and VCR
`Control in Video—On—DemandSystems”, Journal of Parallel
`and Distributed Computing,vol. 30, No. 2, Nov. 1, 1995, pp.
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`
`De Jong A. et al., “A VoD Application Implemented in
`Java”, Multimedia Tools and Applications, vol. 5, 1997, pp.
`161-170.
`
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`Primary Examiner—VivekSrivastava
`Assistant Examiner—Ngoc Vu
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Klarquist Sparkman, LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`An entertainment head-end provides broadcast
`programming, video-on demandservices, and HTML-based
`interactive programming through a distribution network to
`client terminals in subscribers’ homes. A numberofdifferent
`
`including novel user interfaces,
`features are provided,
`enhanced video-on-demandcontrols,a variety of interactive
`services (personalized news,
`jukebox, games, celebrity
`chat), and techniques that combine to provide user experi-
`ences evocative of conventional television.
`
`20 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets
`
`14
`
`16
`
`10
`
`NODE
`
`DISTRIBUTION
`
`ENTERTAINVENT
`HEAD-END
`
`Comcast, Exhibit-1007
`
`Comcast, Exhibit-1007
`
`1
`
`

`

`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`6,323,911 B1 * 11/2001 Schein et al. 0... 348/552
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`
`5,748,499 A 0 852 443 A2=—7/19985/1998. Trueblood EP
`
`5,751,282 A
`5/1998. Girard et al.
`JP
`0 721 283 A
`7/1996
`5,758,258 A
`5/1998 Shoff etal.
`US
`WO 98 43419 A
`10/1998
`5,758,259 A
`5/1998 Lawler
`wo
`WO 92/10040
`6/1992
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`7/1998 Sposato
`wo
`WO 95/15658
`6/1995
`5,790,115 A
`8/1998 Pleyeretal.
`WoO
`WO 96/17306
`6/1996
`5,815,145 A
`9/1998 Matthews,III
`WO
`WO 96/17467
`6/1996
`
`5,818,439 A * 10/1998 Nagasakaet al. ss... 345/327.+WO WO 98/44424 10/1998
`
`5,828,370 A * 10/1998 Moeller et al. ou. 345/328
`5,835,087 A
`11/1998 Herzet al.
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`5,850,218 A * 12/1998 LalJoie etal.
`Kerr G., “A Review of Fully Interactive Video on Demand”,
`5,857,190 A
`1/1999 Brown
`Signal Processing Image Communication,vol. 8, No. 3, Apr.
`5,874,985 A
`2/1999 Matthews,III
`1996, pp. 173-190.
`3,883,001 A
`3/1999. Hoarty
`UbikS., “Possibilities of Using Protocol Converters
`for NIR
`5,886,690 A *
`3/1999 Pondetal.
`°
`8 FTOLOCOLNONVETICTS FOr"
`5,898,387 A
`4/1999 Davisetal.
`System Construction”, Computer Communications Review,
`5,959,621 A
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`US. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, vol.
`5,959,697 A
`9/1999 Coleman, Jr.
`27, No. 2, Apr. 1997, pp. 37-48.
`5,971,849 A
`10/1999 Falciglia
`Namihira D. et al., “A Media Proxy Architecture for an
`6,020,912 A *
`2/2000 De Lang ou... ee 348/7
`NFS—Based VOD Service on the Intranet”, IEEE Pacific
`6,025,837 A
`2/2000 Matthews,III et al.
`Rim Conference on Communications, Computers and Signal
`6,075,526 A
`6/2000 Rothmuller
`Processing, U.S., New York, N.Y.: IEEE,vol. Conf. 6, 1997,
`6,078,348 A *
`6/2000 Klostermanet al.
`pp. 97-100.
`oo00 A
`82000 Sttvocon et al.
`Gottfried W.R. Ludereret al., “Distributed Multimedia using
`6.118.450 A
`9/2000 Proehletal.
`CORBA”, Global Telecommunications Conference (Globe-
`6,137,539 A * 10/2000 Lowneset al.
`com), U.S., New York, IEEE, 1996, pp. 68-72.
`6,141,003 A
`10/2000 Choretal.
`Jones, “The Microsoft Interactive TV System: An Experi-
`6,151,059 A
`11/2000 Scheinetal.
`ence Report,” Technical Report MSR-TR-—97-18, Jul.,
`6,154,771 A * 11/2000 Ranganetal.
`1997, 16 pages.
`6,184,877 B1 *
`2/2001 Dodsonet al.
`Printout from Amazon.com, Mar. 13, 1999, 3 pages.
`6,195,692 B1
`2/2001 Hsu
`6,233,736 B1
`5/2001 Wolzien
`
`.......... 348/10
`
`..sccecsees 348/569
`
`............. 345/327
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 12, 2004
`
`Sheet 1 of 3
`
`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`
`
`SATELLITE
`
`SS *
`SA
`>ARS
`
`
`
`34
`
`ee5
`MODULATOR
`26
`34
`TO
`28~1 COMBINER|NETWORKpeo
`
`
`
`
`
`MODULATOR
`DISK
`30|ARRAYS
`34
`!
`
`INTERACTIVE
`SERVER
`
`ween eS 71
`
`|-+|MODULATOR}—
`34
`
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`
`(
`
`1 CONTROL | fA atan Loe!
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`rn MODULATOR:
`| COMPUTER fF WMDDM" tees
`“S)
`34
`
`FIG.2
`
`88
`
`3
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 12, 2004
`
`Sheet 2 of 3
`
`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`NON-VOLATILE
`
`‘0
`
`AUDIO
`
`STAGE
`
`SPEAKER
`
`52
`
`“USER |
`|
`
`r {INTERFACE
`
`58
`
`
`REMOTE |_,| INFRARED|_,|5), DIAL-UP TO
`
`
`CONTROL”
`|INTERFACE
`INTERFACE| PHONE LINE
`
`
`
`46
`
`DISPLAY
`SCREEN
`
`DISPLAY
`DRIVER
`CIRCUITRY
`
`
`
`
`62
`
`MPEG
`DECODER
`
`
`
`CABLE
`INTERFACE]
`
`TO
`yETWORK
`
`FIG. 3
`
`64
`x
`
`ROBERT DE NIRO
`a“
`vibeo—= +~-RONIIN
`/|\N™
`*COMEDY #*NEW
`RONIN
`(R)
`*DRAMA
`®FOREIGN
`
`e MYSTERY ¢SCI-Fl
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`eHORROR «KIDS TITLES
`
`| ACTORS
`
`|
`
`SEARCH
`
`FIG. 4
`
`68
`
`4
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 12, 2004
`
`Sheet 3 of 3
`
`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`76C 76E
`
`76B
`
`76A 76D
`
`RUSSIA WARNS OF CHAOS
`FROM NATO ATTACK
`MOSCOW (REUTERS) — RUSSIAN FOREIGN
`MINISTER IGOR IVAMOV PLAYED
`DOWN SUGGESTION THATA NATO
`ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA COULD
`RENEW THE COLD WAR.
`
`INTERVIEWER :
`
`MADONNA :
`
`DOUG B. :
`
`MADONNA:
`
`5
`
`

`

`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`1
`VIDEO ON DEMAND METHODS AND
`SYSTEMS
`
`RELATED APPLICATION DATA
`
`The subject matter of this application is generally related
`to that disclosed in the following applications filed contem-
`poraneously herewith:
`Proxy for Video on Demand Server Control (Bruck etal);
`Method and System for Presenting Television Program-
`ming and Interactive Entertainment (White et al); and
`Interactive Video Programming Methods (White et al).
`The subject matter of this application is also generally
`related to the subject matter of application Ser. No. 09/153,
`577,filed Sep. 15, 1998.
`The disclosures of these related applications are incorpo-
`rated by reference.
`BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`Interactive video promises to be a major component of
`future home entertainment systems. One antecedent—hotel
`video-on-demand systems-illustrates some of the failings of
`the prior art.
`In an exemplary hotel video-on-demand system, a user
`with a remote control tunes a television to a predetermined
`channel on which a menu of on-demand video services is
`presented. The menu typically solicits entry of a two-digit
`code, such as 30 for comedy movies, 40 for action movies,
`50 for children’s movies, etc. In response to user entry of a
`two-digit code, a further menuis presented detailing movies
`available under the selected category. The user is then
`promptedto enter a code correspondingto the desired movie
`(e.g. 51 for Anastasia, 52 for Antz, 53 for Snow White,etc.).
`After entry of a movie selection code (and after confir-
`mation of the video charge that will appear on the hotelbill
`at checkout), the movie begins playing. The movie thereafter
`plays continuously. If the viewer receives a telephone call,
`or wishes to tune the television briefly to another channel,
`there is no provision for interrupting the on-demand video
`delivery—the viewer simply misses part of the video. In
`most systems, if the television is tuned to another channel
`for more than a brief interval,
`the on-demand video is
`terminated. If the viewer wishes to continue viewing the
`video, it must be started again at the beginning, typically
`incurring another charge.
`Various embodiments of the present invention redress
`these, and related failings of prior art on-demand video
`systems.
`The foregoing and other features and advantages of the
`present invention will be more readily apparent from the
`following detailed description, which proceeds with refer-
`ence to the accompanying drawings.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an interactive video system
`that can be used in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the entertainment head-end
`of FIG. 1.
`
`FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a client terminal of FIG. 1.
`FIG. 4 is an illustration of a video-on-demand selection
`screen.
`
`FIG. 5 is an illustration of a user interface permitting a
`user to control playback of an on-demand video.
`FIG. 6 is an illustration of a screen display on a NEWS
`viewer channel.
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`2
`FIG. 7 is an illustration of a screen display on a CELEB-
`RITY CHATviewer channel.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary interactive video
`system 10 includes a entertainment head-end 12 and one or
`moreclient terminals 14 intercoupled through a network 16.
`The network 16 typically comprises coaxial cable or
`optical fiber 18, extending from the head-end 12 to distri-
`bution nodes 20 within various neighborhoods. From the
`distribution nodes, further cables 22 couple to individual
`subscriber premises.
`As detailed in the companion application entitled Proxy
`for Video on Demand Server Control, filed herewith, the
`network can include one or more proxy servers 24. These are
`computers interposed between the head-end 12 and the
`client terminals 14 to perform various system control and
`user interface (UD functions.
`The proxy server 24 is interposed in a logical TCP/AP
`control channel 27 between the head-end and clients. While
`the control signals and the entertainment are physically
`conveyed on the same cable 18, they are shown separately
`in FIG. 1 for conceptualclarity.
`As shown in FIG. 2,
`the entertainment head-end 12
`includes the components typically associated with a cable
`television head-endinstallation,e.g. satellite receivers 26 for
`receiving satellite broadcasts and producing corresponding
`baseband analog video signals. Additionally, head-end 12
`includesfast digital disk arrays and/or optical storage 28 for
`storage of MPEG-encoded digital video for on-demand
`delivery. Head-end 12 also includes one or more interactive
`services servers 30, which output HTML-based program-
`ming (e.g. customized news, celebrity chat,
`interactive
`jukebox, and interactive games), as further detailed below.
`In systems not employing proxy servers 24, the head-end
`additionally includes a control computer 32 that receives and
`transmits control data relating to system administration(e.g.
`channel assignment data, billing information, etc.).
`The transmission of these various forms of data from the
`head-end over the network 16 is straightforward. As is
`familiar to those skilled in the video arts, the analog video
`is commonly distributed on 6 MHz channels, beginning at
`52 MHz and extending upwardly. The digital video can be
`encoded on a carrier for transmission within one of these
`conventional broadcast channels, or can be modulated at one
`or more other un-used frequencies. Statistical multiplexing
`is desirably employed to transmit plural channels of digi-
`tized video with reduced bandwidth. The HTML-based
`interactive services and the control data can be transmitted
`using a conventional protocol (e.g. TCP/IP) and modulated
`onto a suitable carrier frequency for distribution over the
`network. Or such data can be transmitted in the vertical
`
`blanking interval of analog video broadcasts, as is well
`known.
`
`After modulation to appropriate distribution frequencies
`by modulators 34, the various signals from the head-end are
`combined by an RF combiner 36 for distribution over the
`network 16.
`Each client terminal 14 is an enhanced WebTV terminal
`that includes a CPU 38, RAM memory 40, non-volatile
`memory 42, a display screen 44, display driver circuitry 46,
`a speaker 48 with an associated audio stage 50, a remote
`control 52, an infrared interface 54, a user interface (UI) 56,
`a dial-up interface 58, a cable interface 60, and an MPEG
`decoder 62 (FIG. 3). (The artisan is presumed familiar with
`WebTV terminals from their many descriptions in the patent
`and technical literature, and their widespread availability/
`use.)
`
`6
`
`

`

`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`3
`The CPU 38 can be any of several microprocessors, e.g.
`those available from Intel, AMD, Cyrix, Motorola, etc.
`Alternatively, the CPU can be a custom device that option-
`ally integrates one or more of the other components of
`terminal 14.
`
`The RAM memory 40 typically comprises 8 or 16K of
`EDO memory, but more or less memory, and/or memory of
`differing type, can alternatively be used.
`The non-volatile memory 42 in the illustrated embodi-
`ment includes a ROM, EEPROM,orflash memory in which
`certain components of the operating system and applications
`software are stored. Additionally, the illustrated non-volatile
`memory 42 includes 4 GB of magnetic disk storage.
`Display screen 44 is a CRT of the type conventionally
`used in consumertelevisions, and display driver circuitry 46
`serves to provide the excitation signals needed by the CRT,
`in accordance with input video data providedthereto.
`Speaker 48 and audio stage 50 are the audio counterparts
`to the video display screen and driver circuitry. Desirably,
`these stages comprise high fidelity speakers and a suitable
`amplifier,
`together with audio-synthesis circuitry corre-
`sponding to the digital data format by which audio data is
`transmitted. (For the JUKEBOXservice, detailed below, the
`audio may be transmitted in the MPC3 format, in which case
`the MPEG decoder 62 may be employed for decoding.)
`Remote control 52, and corresponding IR interface 54, are
`generally conventional, and serve to relay user commandsto
`the terminal in accordance with user manipulation of buttons
`on the remote control 52.
`
`The dial-up interface 58 in the illustrated embodimentis
`a modem, coupled to a telephone line. Various different
`modems and communication links can be used.
`
`The cable interface 60 receives composite data signals
`from the network 16 and separates them into three general
`signal types: analog video (typically corresponding to broad-
`cast television programming), digital video (typically cor-
`responding to on-demand video programming), and HTML/
`control instructions (the former typically corresponding to
`other interactive services,
`the latter being instructions
`exchanged between the client terminal 14 and the head-end
`12, a proxy server 24, or a neighborhood node 20). Included
`in the cable interface 60 is an RF tuner section controlled by
`the CPU. The illustrated MPEG decoder 62 is an
`
`that converts the
`application-specific integrated circuit
`MPEGvideo stream into successive frames of video data.
`The user interface 56 in the illustrated embodimentrefers
`
`to various on-screen visual displays through which—in
`conjunction with the remote control 52-25 the user can
`effect various choices. One of these is switching viewing
`channels. (As detailed below, switching viewing channels
`does not necessarily effect a corresponding retuning of the
`RFtuner portion of the cable interface 60.) Althoughillus-
`trated separately for clarity,
`those skilled in the art will
`understand that the user interface 56 is typically realized as
`instructions stored in RAM memory 40
`The operation of the system is first described with refer-
`ence to the video-on-demandservice. To view an on-demand
`video,
`the user first
`tunes the client
`terminal 14 to a
`predetermined channel, the “VIDEO channel.”
`Here a distinction should be drawn between two types of
`“channels.” The first,
`termed a “transmission channel,”
`refers to an actual frequency channel (e.g. 52-58 MHz)that
`is used to relay programming from the head-end 12 to the
`client terminal 14 over the network 16. The second, termed
`a “viewer channel,” refers to the moniker (e.g. MSNBC,
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`45
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`4
`CNN, GAME, CHAT, VIDEO, FAVORITES) by which a
`user distinguishes different programming. The mapping
`between viewer and transmission channels is determined by
`the system (e.g. by the terminal 14, the head-end 12, or a
`proxy server 24).
`The VIDEO channel is a viewer channel—it is the chan-
`nel to which the viewer switches to receive video on demand
`
`programming. The frequency over which this programming
`is delivered is not important to the viewer. Different trans-
`mission channels maybe available for use at different times,
`depending system resource usage(e.g. other viewers’ video-
`on-demand usage). One day the 108-114 MHztransmission
`channel might be used to relay on-demand video to a
`subscriber. The next day, the 114-120 MHz transmission
`channel might be used instead. Data indicating the assign-
`ment of transmission channels-to-viewer channels is peri-
`odically relayed as control data among the components of
`the system 10.
`On the VIDEO channel, the user is presented an intro-
`ductory UI screen 64 of the sort shownin FIG. 4. This screen
`includes four components: a topical listing of movie catego-
`ries 66; a feature 68 permitting the user to search a database
`of available videosbytitle, actor, director, keywords,etc; a
`promotion 70 of one of more featured videotitles; and other
`advertising 72. This screen is defined by HTMLprimitives
`sent over the network 16, as rendered by the client terminal
`14. In the illustrated embodiment,
`the HTML primitives
`associated with the video selection screen 64 are sent from
`the proxy server 24.
`The viewer manipulates arrow keys on the remote control
`52 to highlight the feature of interest, e.g. a particular topical
`category. (Highlighting here refers to a visual indicia show-
`ing that a particular screen feature, or hyperlink, has been
`selected for execution. Various formsof highlighting can be
`used, e.g. a change in color of the feature, a colored box
`surrounding the feature, etc.) After a desired feature has
`been selected, a “Go” button on the remote control
`is
`pressed, signaling the user’s selection to the terminal 14.
`If the “KIDS” category was highlighted, the system next
`presents a screen listing available children’s movies (again
`defined by HTMLfrom the proxy server). Again, the viewer
`manipulates the remote control to select a particular choice,
`and then presses “Go.” At this point, an optional screen can
`be presented confirming billing arrangements (if any).
`Once a final video selection has been made, a video
`control panel UI 74 (FIG. 5) is presented on the screen. In
`the illustrated embodiment, this panel is translucent, permit-
`ting the viewer to perceive imagery “behind” the overlaid
`panel. (That is, the panel is rendered as a change in lumi-
`nance of the underlying imagery.) The exemplary video
`control panel 74 of FIG. 5 includes PLAY, STOP, REWIND,
`FAST FORWARD, and PAUSE buttons 76A-E.
`(Additionally,
`the panel can have a textual or graphical
`indication 78 of the time remaining in the selected video.)
`The PLAY button is initially highlighted.
`While the control panel is being rendered at the client
`(from HTMLprimitives stored in the non-volatile memory
`42),
`the head-end queues the selected MPEG video for
`playback, and the system (either the head-end 12 or a proxy
`server 24) selects an available transmission channel. Data
`indicating the selected channel
`is relayed to the client
`terminal 14, which tunes the RF tuner in the cable interface
`60 without any user action. The viewer channel, in contrast,
`remains unchanged at the VIDEO channel.
`To play the selected video, the user simply presses the
`“Go” button on the remote control 52, activating the
`
`7
`
`

`

`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`5
`initially-highlighted PLAY button 76A on the control panel
`74. A corresponding instruction is sent to the head-end 12,
`and video delivery commences. The on-screen video control
`panel 74 disappears.
`If, during playback, the user wishes to stop or pause
`delivery of the on-demand video (e.g.
`to answer
`the
`telephone, or get a snack from the kitchen), a “Menu”button
`on the remote control is pressed. The video control panel 74
`reappears,this time with the STOPbutton highlighted. If the
`user wishesto stop playback, the “Go” button on the remote
`is pressed. If the user wishes to pause playback, the high-
`lighting on the control panel is moved to the PAUSEbutton
`using arrow keys on the remote control, and the “Go” button
`is then pressed. A corresponding stop or pause instruction is
`then sent to the head-end 12 from the client terminal 14,
`interrupting MPEGdelivery.
`the
`the client, at
`A data record is stored—either at
`head-end,or at a proxy server—indicating the point of video
`interruption (e.g. by SMPTEcode, disk address, time offset,
`etc.) so that playback can be resumed from that point (or
`shortly before that point, to provide context).
`Wheneither the STOP or PAUSE button is activated on
`the panel 74, the panel 74 persists on the screen, but the
`highlighting is switched back to PLAY. (if the PAUSE
`button is used to resume playback following a pause
`instruction, and the user activates the PAUSE button to
`interrupt
`the video,
`the highlighting can remain at
`the
`PAUSE button.) This arrangement permits the viewer to
`resume playback simply by pressing “Go” on the remote,
`since the button that resumes playback is already high-
`lighted.
`(The panel similarly persists on-screen if the
`REWIND or FAST FORARD buttons is activated, with
`PLAY next highlighted.)
`The screen can be put to various uses while the video is
`interrupted. Examples include presentation of quizzes and
`other entertainment
`to viewers who maystill be in the
`viewing room. An indication of waiting email, or commer-
`cial or promotional messages, can similarly be presented.
`If the stop in playback is brief, the system 10 maintains
`the assignment of the transmission channel to that video on
`demandclient 14, despite the interruption in video delivery.
`However,
`if the interruption period exceeds a threshold
`value (e.g.
`ten minutes),
`the system returns the assigned
`transmission channel back to the system’s pool of available
`transmission channels. The channel may then be assigned to
`another use. If the user thereafter resumes playback by
`pressing “Go” on the remote (PLAY was already
`highlighted), the system responds by dynamically assigning
`a new transmission channel, retuning the client’s RF tuner
`and the head-end’s modulator accordingly, and resuming
`playback from (or just before) the point of interruption.
`A similar sequence occurs if the user changes to another
`viewer channel during playback of an on-demandvideo(e.g.
`changing to MSNBC to check a sports score). The system
`interrupts delivery of the on-demand video (e.g. in response
`to an instruction or notification sent by the client), and a
`record indicating the point of MPEGinterruption is stored.
`If the user returns to the VIDEO viewer channel within a
`predetermined period (e.g. 24 hours), the system resumes
`transmission of the video from the point of interruption. (No
`user action, e.g. pressing PLAY,
`is required—no video
`control panel
`is presented in this scenario.) Again,
`the
`resumed transmission may occur over a different transmis-
`sion channel, but this detail is transparent to the user.
`The illustrated system includes an electronic program
`guide that can be selectively displayed on-screen to facilitate
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`viewer program selection. Electronic program guides are
`familiar to those skilled in the art, so are not belabored here.
`Exemplary program guides are shown,e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos.
`5,815, 5,758,258, 5,585,838, 5,654,748, 5,526,036, and
`application Ser. Nos. 08/969,979 and 08/968,386 (the dis-
`closures of which are incorporated by reference). Desirably,
`when an on-demand videois selected, the title of the video
`appears in the electronic program guide, in association with
`the VIDEO viewer channel. Additionally, an indication of
`the time-remaining in the selected video can also be
`displayed, e.g. as a numeric hour:minute representation, or
`as a block that extends in a gridded program guide for a
`distance corresponding to the remaining time. (Data speci-
`fying the selected videotitle and the remaining timeis stored
`in one or more of the components of system 10 and can be
`inserted into the program guide as appropriate.)
`This listing of an on-demand video amidst broadcast
`television programming in an electronic program guide
`contributes to user perception of on-demand video as just
`another channel. It is desirable to present all video services
`in this television-like paradigm so as to present a seamless,
`familiar experience to new users.
`Providing a television-like interaction for on-demand
`video is one thing; extending that experience to HTML-
`based video services is another. In the following discussion,
`several different HTML-based services are described. Vari-
`ous techniques are employed in such services to contribute
`to a television-like experience.
`Onetechniqueis to make the screen look like a television
`screen. Computer displays typically have an image area
`bounded by straight edges. Since the edge of the CRT tube
`is typically not straight but
`is slightly curved,
`there is
`commonly a thin black margin at someorall of the edges of
`computer monitors. The display does not extend into this
`marginal area lest
`it render another part of the image
`off-screen. Television displays, in contrast, are not so con-
`cerned with rendering accuracy. Instead, the emphasis is on
`providing the largest apparent image size. Accordingly, the
`screen is typically overscanned—with at least certain scan
`line ends extending beyondthe visible portion of the screen.
`Accordingly, one technique to yield a more television-like
`experience when displaying HTML-rendered graphicsis to
`deliberately overscan the screen.
`Arelated technique is to avoid displaysthat are larger than
`the viewing screen. Many “pages” on the world wide web
`require “scrolling” to view portions extendingoff the bottom
`of the screen. While this is a familiar operation for web-
`surfers,
`it is wholly foreign to television viewers and is
`desirably avoided.
`Another technique for enhancing the television-like
`appearance of HTMLgraphics is to employ production
`techniques and values evocative of television programming.
`For example, fades, dissolves, and wipes are video transition
`effects that viewers routinely encounter in television pro-
`gramming. However,
`they are used rarely—if at all—in
`HTMLproductions. Their use in the interactive services
`detailed below contributes to a television-like experience.
`Yet another integrating techniqueis to list the interactive
`services (e.g. GAMES, CELEBRITY CHAT, JUKEBOX,
`NEWS)in the system’s electronic program guide simply as
`additional channels, amidst the other channels familiar to
`viewers (e.g. network broadcast channels and cable
`channels).
`By techniques such as these, viewers encounter interac-
`tive video entertainment and conventional television pro-
`gramming in a seamless, familiar context. This is important
`
`8
`
`

`

`US 6,804,825 B1
`
`7
`because, as will be evident from the following discussion,
`interactive video entertainmentitself can be quite different
`from conventional TV.
`
`8
`display. This arrangement allows the user to change prefer-
`ences and apply the new preferences to recently downloaded
`news.
`
`Interactive entertainment encompasses a wide range of
`content. Some forms have antecedents in other contexts or
`
`media. Other forms are wholly new. A few examples will
`serve to illustrate the wide range of possibilities.
`A first exemplary interactive video service is a jukebox.
`Whena userfirst switches to the JUKEBOXviewer channel,
`a user interface akin to the video selection UI 74 is presented
`on-screen. However,
`instead of permitting selection of
`movies, it permits selection of music (e.g. by genre, artist,
`title, etc.). Selected music can then be played through the
`terminal’s audio speakers 48 using similar procedures and
`playback UI as detailed earlier for playback of on-demand
`video. As before, if the user switches away from the JUKE-
`BOX viewer channel, playback of the selected audio is
`interrupted and a pointer is stored indicating the point at
`which the selection should be resumed.
`
`During playback, rather than let the display screen 44 sit
`idle, it is desirably used in conjunction with the selected
`music.
`It may, for example, present a music video to
`accompany the selected audio recording. Or it may present
`information related to the selection, e.g. artist biography,
`critic reviews,
`listings of other recordings of the same
`selection by different artists, the artist’s upcoming concert
`schedule, etc. It may also allow the user to purchase the
`music, whether on CD or otherwise. (All such options can be
`hot-linked to other screens of HTMLdata,as is conventional
`on the world wide web.)
`Desirably,
`the system monitors the user’s musical
`selections, and automatically compiles a profile of the user’s
`preferences(e.g. by genre, artist, etc.). Alternatively, the user
`can explicitly define his or her preferences. (As with other
`data stored in distributed system 10,
`the user’s jukebox
`preferences can be stored in the client terminal, at a proxy
`server, or at
`the head-end, or distributed therebetween.)
`Whenthe user thereafter returns to the JUKEBOX viewer
`
`channel, a selection menu configured to focus on these
`preferences can be presented. (The focused selection menu
`also includes the option of returning to the general, all-
`encompassing music selection screen.)
`A second exemplary interactive service is NEWS. This
`viewer channel delivers personalized news information in a
`television-like format. The channel is organized like CNN
`Headline News, with a small numberof newscategories that
`are continuously cycled-through several
`times an hour.
`Categories can include, e.g., headlines, sports, weather,
`traffic, and financial. The presentations in each category can
`be static (e.g.
`text articles), but more typically include
`streaming video excerpts.
`An exemplary presentation of NEWSis shownin FIG. 6.
`In addition to showingpart of the current Headline category,
`the screen 80 gives the user the option of switching imme-
`diately to any other category (sports, weather, or stocks in
`the illustrated screen). Again, such selection is made by the
`user with arrow keys on the remote control, by moving
`highlighting to the desired choice and pressing the “Go”
`button.
`
`the NEWS channel
`As with the JUKEBOX channel,
`allows the viewer to define and store personal newsprefer-
`ences (e.g. a selected ticker of stock prices, Chicago Cubs
`news, weather for Chicago, etc.). If local client disk storage
`permits, all news is downloadedandstored, in a FIFO basis,
`in disk storage allocated thereto. This locally-stored newsis
`thenfiltered in accordance with the viewer’s preferences for
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`As in the earlier-described embodiments, state data indi-
`cating the status of the NEWS channel can be stored
`whenever the user switches to another viewer channel, so
`that the NEWSchannel can resumeat the point of interrup-
`tion.
`A third illustrated interactive channel is CELEBRITY
`CHAT. This viewer channel presents different celebrities
`with which participants can chat in a moderated dialog. The
`celebrities are scheduled at specific times, much like con-
`ventional TV talks shows.
`
`In the illustrated arrangement, viewers compose typed
`questions on a keyboard optionally provided with the client
`terminal, and send them e-mail fashion to a moderator of the
`CELEBRITY CHAT channel. The moderator (human or
`automated) selects questions of widespread appeal and poses
`them to the celebrity. The posed que