2151 results about "Broadcast channels" patented technology

A system and method for displaying still video images related to video content in an interactive broadcast television system. The system and method of the present invention may also be used for simulating an Internet home page on an interactive television system. The present invention thus supports hyperlinked web-like navigational capabilities in an interactive television system. According to the method of the present invention, the video delivery system provides or broadcasts one or more audio/video channels each comprising video content and also provides or broadcasts at least one still image channel comprising a plurality of still video images, preferably MPEG-2 compressed still images. The user or viewer can select options displayed on the television screen to view desired information. When the set top box receives user input selecting an option to view one of the linked still images, the set top box captures the requested image from the still image broadcast channel, stores the image in memory, and displays the captured still video image corresponding to the selection. The still image being displayed may have associated interactive program content for displaying further selections, wherein these selections may be for viewing other images or content, for ordering information, or purchasing products. The user can thus selectively navigate between the video content and stills in a web-like hyperlinked fashion. In one embodiment, when a user is navigating through still images, the television program or video content which was being viewed is displayed in a small window overlaid on the still image being displayed. Also, when the set top box captures a requested image from the still image broadcast channel, the set top box preferably also pre-caches or pre-loads other related still images based on the probabilty that these related images will be subsequently requested by the user. The invention also includes an embodiment which provides user requested still images "on demand" on a dedicated "search" channel.

The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for utilizing unused portions of an allocated frequency spectrum in a wireless communications system that broadcasts content to wireless stations. A first wireless station may communicate with a second wireless station on an idle broadcast channel while keeping the resulting interference level below an acceptable maximum limit at the other wireless stations. Using interference level information that are measured at the wireless stations, the wireless station can negotiate with the other wireless station on an establishment channel for subsequent communications on one or more broadcast channels. The wireless station may receive broadcast content on a time slice that corresponds to a broadcast channel and that is further processed by the wireless station. Otherwise, the wireless station can utilize the corresponding time to measure an interference level for the corresponding channel or to transmit or receive data to/from another wireless station.

A method of and apparatus for allowing a user using a communications device to interact with first media material that is broadcast on a first broadcast channel y a first broadcast media source and second media material that is broadcast on a second broadcast channel by a second broadcast media source, the first media material and the second media material include a first media item and a second media item, respectively, the first media item and the second media item are associated with a first representation of the first media item and a representation of the second media item, respectively, that are received and presented by a broadcast reception device while the broadcast reception device is tuned to a third broadcast channel. The method includes maintaining in a temporary storage an item identifier, the item identifier identifies one of a first media item-related information and a second media item-related information. Additionally, when the broadcast reception device is tuned to the third broadcast channel and presents the first representation of the first media item, the method includes providing the item identifier as a basis for identifying the first media item-related information, the first media item-related information is a basis for a response to an interactivity activation made in reaction to presentation of the first representation of the first media item by the broadcast reception device. When the broadcast reception device is tuned to the third broadcast channel and presents the first representation of the second media item, the method includes providing the item identifier as a basis for identifying the second media item-related information, the second media item-related information is a basis for a response to an interactivity activation made in reaction to presentation of the representation of the second media item by the broadcast reception device.

The invention provides a method for establishing communications with a quiescent mobile vehicle. A satellite radio system broadcast channel is monitored for a command signal. The command signal is extracted from the broadcast channel. A cell phone in a telematics unit is powered up based on the command signal.

User end communication apparatus for managing broadcast channel input within a user end environment, comprises: a channel probe for obtaining channel context data from a stream at least passing through said user end communication apparatus; a keyword/key concept extractor for extracting channel keywords from the channel context data; and a content selector for selecting a content item or stream for mixing into a channel currently being viewed based on the channel keyword/key concept.

A system and method for displaying still video images related to video content in an interactive broadcast television system. The system and method of the present invention may also be used for simulating an Internet home page on an interactive television system. The present invention thus supports hyperlinked web-like navigational capabilities in an interactive television system. According to the method of the present invention, the video delivery system provides or broadcasts one or more audio/video channels each comprising video content and also provides or broadcasts at least one still image channel comprising a plurality of still video images, preferably MPEG-2 compressed still images. The user or viewer can select options displayed on the television screen to view desired information. When the set top box receives user input selecting an option to view one of the linked still images, the set top box captures the requested image from the still image broadcast channel, stores the image in memory, and displays the captured still video image corresponding to the selection. The user can also request to view an image which is not currently being transmitted by the video delivery system. In this instance, the system provides user requested still images “on demand” on a dedicated “search” channel. The user can thus selectively navigate between the video content and stills in a web-like hyperlinked fashion.

A digital broadcast channel reception system and a portable terminal allow watching a digital broadcast on the terminal. In the examples, a receiver unit for receiving digital broadcasts transmits video data to a display unit, using its TX data manipulator, modulator, TX circuit, and antenna. The TX data manipulator manipulates the output from an OFDM demodulator into data to transmit from the TX circuit and appends error correction codes to the data. The modulator modulates the output from the TX data manipulator. A display unit for digital broadcast display receives video data transmitted from the receiver unit, using its antenna, TX/RX section, and modulator/demodulator. After error correction codes in the received signals are decoded by a TX/RX data manipulator, video data is extracted. After the video data is decoded by a MPEG4 decoder, a picture is output on the display.

To address the need to convey ACK/NACK information in a manner that conserves system and signaling resources, embodiments of the present invention employ a Node-B transmitting on two types of ACK/NACK broadcast channels (501, 502), one type for received uplink data that was scheduled by the Node B and the other type of broadcast channel for received uplink data that was not scheduled by the Node B. Other embodiments of the invention employ a Node-B transmitting on two types of broadcast channels, one type of broadcast channel for received uplink data that comes from non-SHO users and another type of broadcast channel for received uplink data that comes from non-scheduled users or comes from scheduled SHO users. In addition, ACK/NACK information is scheduled (800) into the available broadcast channel time slots in accordance with a transmission priority that is determined by a scheduler.

A method for broadcasting channel information, available channel and data rate of a base station in a CDMA communication system. The base station receives information indicating that a mobile station has data to transmit, over an access preamble channel. The base station transmits use status information of physical channels and maximum available data rate information on a status indicator channel. The mobile station receives the use status information of physical channels and the maximum available data rate information through the status indicator channel from a base station. The mobile station transmits to the base station an access preamble for requesting allocation of a given physical channel determined depending on the use status information and the maximum available data rate information.

A system for representing virtual channels of a broadcast genre type in a display of an IP datacasting receiver is disclosed. Aspects of the invention are applicable to video and audio broadcasting via IP over Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) or IP time slicing over DVB. In one arrangement, the number of content channels available to a user is expanded due to the virtual channels being mixed with broadcasted channels. A profile for a virtual channel may be constructed by either selecting channels or defining a type of program that are preferred to be consumed during a specific time period. A virtual channel may be created by comparing information in the profile that defines preferred channels with transmission units either with genre information or a list of channels that may be stored in a digital receiving device. The genre information may include metadata describing IP addresses, time intervals, names of channels and content. Local content may also be mixed with the virtual channels thereby providing an increased degree of customization of content.

Various embodiments of the invention provide the ability for a subscriber to define personal broadcast channels. Such personal broadcast channels can allow a subscriber to define a play order for a plurality of sets of content (including without limitation video content, audio content, various alerts and/or other data, and the like). In some cases, the content might be on-demand content; in other cases, real-time content may be integrated as well. In an aspect, some embodiments thus provide a subscriber with heretofore unknown flexibility in determining what content, and in what order, the subscriber wishes to be provided (e.g., from a content provider's network). In some cases, this functionality might be provided by a networked personal video recorder. In other cases, a subscriber (or another) might be allowed to distribute (perhaps for a fee), a personal broadcast channel for use by others.

An apparatus and method for adaptive broadcast transmission. A broadcast transmission can be received. Insufficiency of a broadcast channel quality can be determined. A negative acknowledgement signal can be sent on a common uplink channel in response to determining the broadcast channel quality is insufficient. The negative acknowledgement signal can be received on the common uplink channel at another location, the negative acknowledgement signal indicating broadcast channel quality is insufficient. The broadcast channel quality can be adjusted in response to receiving the negative acknowledgement signal.

A base station and terminal use methods of obtaining synchronization and system information in a wireless communication system. An operation of a base station includes generating a synchronization signal to be transmitted through a Synchronization Channel (SCH), generating a broadcast signal to be transmitted through a Broadcast Channel (BCH), and transmitting repetitively the SCH and the BCH by performing beamforming on the channels with different transmission beams.

A method for obtaining broadcasting channel information and registering for reception of multicast based Internet protocol (IP) TV broadcasting service in a subscriber network is provided. The method for receiving multicast based IP TV broadcasting service by a terminal connected to a subscriber network through an access router, includes: completing authentication of the terminal and subscriber; accessing a web server providing an electronic program guide (EPG) and receiving information on at least one or more channels permitted to the terminal; providing at least one or more selection units by using graphic user interface (GUI) so that a channel is selected based on the channel information; and according to the selected channel, generating and transmitting a multicast socket. Since the subscriber terminal receives channel information allocated to the terminal in the initial channel selection step, it is appropriate to Internet broadcasting which changes dynamically, and the time for selecting a channel can be reduced.

Methods and systems are provided for generating a personalized video mosaic from multiple of video sources in a cable television services system. A head end receives a subscriber selection of video sources from multiple video sources broadcast in the television services system and generates a personalized video mosaic from those sources. The head end then transmits the personalized video mosaic to the subscriber for simultaneous viewing of the selected video sources on a broadcast channel in the cable television services system. The set-top box executes an application program enabling the subscriber to individually select the video sources which make up the personalized video mosaic and transmits the selections to the head end. The set-top box enables the display of the personalized video mosaic on the broadcast channel in the cable television services network.

A display method and apparatus are disclosed. The display method includes selecting a broadcasting channel to display a broadcast program, accessing an outside server to receive a SNS (Social Network Service) message corresponding to at least one of the broadcasting channel and the broadcast program among SNS messages registered with the outside server, and displaying the received SNS message on a picture displaying the broadcast program. The display apparatus includes a receiving unit for selecting a broadcasting channel to receive a broadcast program; a signal processing unit for processing the received broadcast program for display, a communication unit for accessing an outside server for receiving a SNS (Social Network Service) message registered with the outside server; said SNS message corresponding to at least one of the broadcasting channel and the broadcast program among SNS messages registered with the outside server; and a control unit to control the signal processing unit to display the received SNS message on the picture displaying the broadcast program.

This invention provides technology (including apparatus, method, software, and/or data structures) to broadcast data from one or more content providers via one or more broadcast channels to one or more content recipients. This technology meets the different needs of the three major stakeholders—the content providers, the broadcasters, and the content recipients. The technology provides support for identifying the data to be broadcast, setting the broadcast schedule, getting the data inserted into the broadcast stream, extracting it from the broadcast stream at the receiver, and many ancillary activities such as compression, error correction, bandwidth management, bandwidth usage reporting, and content filtering at the receiver.

A base station inserts an overhead message into a broadcast stream transmitted to a mobile station. To support autonomous soft handoff by the mobile station, the base station inserting the overhead message sends a notification message to one or more of the base stations transmitting the same broadcast stream. The notification message indicates the time when the overhead message will be sent and the duration and/or length of the overhead message. The broadcast channel may be divided into multiple time slots to support mixed flows. Base stations supporting a mobile station in soft handoff can agree on the time slots allocated for a designated broadcast stream.

Transmissions on the dedicated channel are encoded using a set of paramaters that are picked from a large selection of potential parameters. If the remote station does not know the particular set of parameters that were used by a base station, then the remote station would have to attempt to decode the transmission using every set of parameters, until the transmission is decoded correctly. This is an inefficient methodology. Hence, transmission format information is typically transmitted on a broadcast channel so that a remote station could receive the transmission format information. However, the broadcast channel has reliability problems. New methods and apparatus are presented to allow a base station to determine an overlapping set of Walsh code sequences that can be used to send the transmission format information on the dedicated channel, rather than a broadcast channel. Using the overlapping set allows the remote station to decode the information.

There is provided a video content transmission method that includes the steps of: transmitting normal video content to at least one stream respectively transmitted on at least one broadcast channel; transmitting stereoscopic video content that corresponds to the normal video content to at least one stream respectively transmitted on at least one broadcast channel; transmitting, along with the broadcast channel, system information relating to a transmission system of the stereoscopic video content; and transmitting, along with the broadcast channel, source location information relating to a source location of the stereoscopic video content.

An apparatus and method of transparently relaying a signal in a direct link and a relay link using the same frequency band in a multihop relay Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system. The method includes designating a start point of an asynchronous frame of the relay link by taking into account of a broadcast channel transmission interval of the direct link frame; and making a frame interval of the relay link null, where a transmission (Tx) mode of the direct link overlaps with another Tx mode. Accordingly, serving cell service coverage expansion and backward compatibility are achieved and a frame is constructed by selecting an optimum frame interval according to system information of the serving cell service. Therefore, efficient wireless access service can be provided.

Various embodiments of the invention provide novel solutions for providing content (including without limitation audio content and video content) to subscribers. In an aspect of some embodiments, content can be provided in an on-demand manner, allowing subscribers to select what content to receive and/or when to receive such content. In another aspect, embodiments can provide real-time content in such an on-demand environment, allowing a user to experience both the convenience of on-demand content and the timeliness of real-time content, perhaps integrated into a single stream of content. Merely by way of example, some embodiments provide personal broadcast channels, which can allow a user to define an ordered set of on-demand and/or real-time content to be delivered. Other embodiments provide automatic conversion services and/or networked content storage.

A network for mass broadcast of update packages to electronic devices makes it possible to efficiently broadcast update packages for configuration, firmware and software updates. A broadcast server in the network employs broadcast means to broadcast update packages. An electronic device capable of receiving these broadcast update packages comprises a listening client that is capable of listening to a broadcast channel and downloading an update package broadcast by the broadcast server. The listening client makes use of a listening parameters that are set by the DM server in order to facilitate the download from the broadcast server.