67 results about "Tv viewing" patented technology

An interactive television system is provided in which a program listings grid is displayed for the user. The user can scroll in the backwards direction to view information on programs that have been recorded and certain video-on-demand content. Icons or other visual indicators may be provided on program listings screens to indicate the status of the programs. The status information may include an indication of whether programs are available for recording, have been recorded, are being recorded, or will be recorded, or whether a given program is available for advance viewing through the interactive television system's video-on-demand service. Programs can be recorded automatically on user equipment or on network-based equipment. A program may be automatically recorded when a user sets a reminder for the program but fails to watch the program or when a given program is determined to satisfy the user's television viewing preferences.

Digital technology based consumer media devices have many desirable features, including the ability to easily find and watch television shows, and / or automatically record programs of interest. Disclosed is a system and method for allowing a group of television viewers to share program viewing information. This information, exchanged through various on-line community modalities (including Internet chat rooms, email, Internet Web Logs, and the like), can be used within a consumer media device, such as a Digital video Recorder to influence the decision process concerning which programs to record, buffer or view.

This invention permits the upstream transmission of short packets of information in a cable TV system, and blocking upstream noise at all other times, and does so without interfering with image quality of normal TV viewing. A remotely operable ingress noise blocking filter is placed at the terminating junction between a subscriber's coaxial drop cable and a corresponding feeder tap in a cable TV system. The ingress noise blocking filter contains a high pass filter to pass the normal TV band. This high pass filter is bypassed by a section containing low pass filters and a switch operated when receiving a control signal from a cable modem during those short durations the cable modem is authorized to transmit an upstream signal. Low pass filters isolate the switching elements so that switching transients cannot occur in the downstream TV band. The level of the amplitude of the downstream signal is unaffected whether the switching elements are open or closed. Further, the switching arrangement provides a relatively constant impedance, both when the switching element is on and off to provide a high return loss and avoid signal reflections and maintain signal quality. In a diagnostic mode, the location of each noise source is determined by correlating the energy measured at each a set of frequencies across the band at the headend during those periods when the cable modem is allowed to transmit versus the energy received during those periods when the same cable modem is not authorized to transmit.

A user interface for a TV recommender system includes a display screen having a first region for displaying a rating derived from a previously defined TV viewing preference profile contained in the recommender system; and a second region displaying preference settings in the profile which were used to derive the rating. The user interface enables the preference settings to be changed if the rating derived by the profile is incorrect. Additionally, the user interface allows for new features to be added to the profile, which were not previously a part of the profile.

Improving the TV watching experience by the use of digital video time shifting and micro program guides per program to match an interest profile filter for each viewer. This is coupled with a payment mechanism to allow each individual the capability of watching TV programs in a manner consistent with their individual interests and values, and simultaneously protecting the economic rights of the content provider. To date, the cable industry increases revenues by offering additional programming to their customers. This invention teaches that major additional revenue can also be created by the omission of undesired content.

Disclosed are techniques for a protocol that provides for a TV viewing experience with interaction by allowing for social collaboration of non co-located TV viewers and integrating the TV viewing experience with social networking concepts and interactive multimedia communication. The protocol enables a digital video distribution system (e.g., IPTV) to provide a user with presence, channel, and grouping information regarding other users in the IPTV system and available video content. The protocol also enables users of the IPTV system to interact using real-time and / or non-real time communication.

Mass electronic-commerce (e-commerce) user terminal is disclosed, which enables mass television (TV) viewers to participate in e-commerce using new and existing business infrastructures. The multi-media user terminal makes a direct, real-time, instantaneous connection between products featured in TV commercials / programs (or other event such as a movie in a theater) and the existing web-based business infrastructure directly through the multi-media user terminal device. The multi-media user terminal provides real-time two-way communication with the TV viewers and the business entities. The device will also provide the TV viewing information for TV rating on real-time basis.

Research of television viewing behavior shows that there is a population of television users who tune the television to a particular channel but do not attentively watch the resulting broadcast. In a typical broadcast television system, this poses no additional loads on the system and does not incur additional cost for the content provider. In IPTV, however, these unattended content streams consume valuable bandwidth. A bandwidth management process for television content transmitted via Internet Protocol involves accepting a user designation of identified content as being content that will not be attentively viewed, or that will not be viewed at all during transmission, and reducing the bandwidth for the transmission of the designated content. One approach involves adjusting the video component of the transmitted content to reduce the bandwidth. Another approach involves recording the content to a DVR and automatically playing back the recorded content in a loop.

Systems and methods for monitoring and updating user availability based upon presence and television viewing behavior are described herein. In one embodiment, a presence system is used to detect a user's presence to update the user's availability status. The availability status is then used to update a contact list, voicemail message, and / or busy message. In further embodiments, user preferences are used in combination with presence data to update the user's availability status. In still further embodiments, a user's television viewing behavior is used in combination with the presence data, user preferences, or both to update the user's availability status. Alternative embodiments provide systems and methods in accordance with the present invention for other interactive devices.

A method and system for customer management is disclosed. The method and system enhance a television service provider's ability to sell television channels and channel packages to users. The system and method disclosed herein enables a user to receive recommendations for one or more television channels and / or channel packages based on one or more television viewing activities of the user, social media activity of the user, and social media activity of other users.

An exercise motivating system which rewards the exerciser with allowable TV viewing time includes a component interactive with an exercise modality to generate a responsive signal proportionate to the amount of exertion or work done. The responsive signal is received by an accumulating component which converts it to a stored control medium. A control module is interposed between a source of household electrical current and an electrical appliance such as a TV set. The control module physically couples with the accumulating component and processes the stored control medium in a manner to operate the appliance for a time duration proportionate to the amount of exercise effort recorded by the accumulating component.

A device that permits a television to be extended from a position hidden behind a picture frame, and pivots an art picture frame up, and out of view so that a television screen is viewable at a lower level. When the television viewing is complete, the user retracts the television, resulting in a picture frame being pivoted down and coming to rest in front of the hidden television. The devise utilizes only one motorized pulley system to simultaneously move both a television and a picture frame. This devise also utilizes roller extension arms enabling a user to watch a flat TV screen at any level including fully up or down positions. Additionally, optional swivel arms can be utilized to allow a person to tilt the flat screen side to side for easy viewing at an angle.

The invention discloses a live channel sorting method and device. The method comprises the following steps: A, acquiring the raw data related to live channels, wherein the raw data includes the TV viewing data related to the viewing situation of the live channels and the sales data related to the purchase situation of the live channels; B, generating the corresponding evaluation data according to the raw data; C, calculating to obtain the scores of the live channels according to the evaluation data; D, sorting the live channels according to the scores of the live channels; and E, outputting the sorted live channels to the TV live-broadcasting platform. According to the live channel sorting method and device disclosed by the invention, the real-time changes of the current users or the live channels can be well reflected through the raw data so as to ensure that the final sorting result can be well consistent with the actual situation, and better revenues and recommended results can be obtained.

A system for interactive viewing by a child of DVD media content on a television includes: a DVD having media content organized into child-oriented programs; user interface (UI) components each specific to a respective program; and a remote control component configured to send, in response to actuation of a switch, infrared remote control signals, representative of an industry standard DVD remote control button press, to the DVD player. Each program is configured to display, on a television, video content of the DVD and menus of selection options displayed using child-recognizable icons for program navigation. Each UI component can be coupled to the remote control component and includes icons that correspond visually to icons displayed in the navigational menus. Pressing an icon of a UI component coupled to the remote control component sends infrared remote control signals to the DVD player that indicate to the DVD player a chosen selection option.

The present invention relates generally to multimedia, and more specifically, to a system and method of improved television viewing using automatic parallel recording of television channels. The invention continuously captures and records multimedia content for a set of “channels” in a central location, buffering all available channels for a number of days or weeks on a continuous basis. The buffered programming may then be streamed over a network such as the Internet on request, to the viewer's premises where it can be viewed on request via an appropriate display device such as a television equipped with an IP-enabled set top box or on a personal computer.

A game distribution system and method identifies a television program a user is watching and provides the user with games related to the TV program. A client game-play enabled device obtains TV viewing information from a set-top box, smartTV, computer with IPTV, or other device capable of providing TV programming to a video display. The client game-play enabled device sends the TV viewing information to a game distribution server with a request for recommended games. The game distribution server identifies the TV program the user is watching and determines if there are any games related to the TV program. In response to determining that there are games related to the TV program, the server provides one or more of such games to the client device, and the client device presents TV-related games to the user in accordance with any time constraints associated with the games.

The present invention provides a TV audio playing method comprising: receiving a selection order from an audio access interface; and controlling access of the audio access interface to a voice channels inside TV. The present invention also provides a TV for realizing the TV audio playing method, which includes: audio access interfaces on different TV view mode for receiving different audio signals and sending them to an audio channels switching unit; the audio channels switching unit connecting those different audio frequency interfaces and the inside voice channels for access or cut-off there between; an audio channels switching control unit for controlling the selected audio frequency interface to be accessed to the inside voice channels based on the user's selection. With this invention, audio playing under non-currently receiving mode can be realized.

The game show of the present invention comprises a game show studio with a game show set, a live studio audience, at least one game host, a plurality of game show contestants, a live TV-viewing audience, at least one prize, and at least one clue, embedded into the content of the game show.At least one potential winner is selected out of the live TV-viewing audience. Some of the game show contestants participate in the process of selection of the potential winner of the live TV-viewing audience.The at least one potential winner out of the members of the live TV-viewing audience is contacted directly by the show on live TV. The potential winner is contacted to confirm that the potential winner is aware of the clues embedded into the content of the game show, and is thus entitled to receive the prize.

Disclosed herein are converged marketing architectures that may be utilized by retailers in conjunction with and / or independent of consumer loyalty programs in order to improve targeted marketing efforts. Such architectures enable participating retailers to constantly generate and compile consumer activity and preferences information from a plurality of in-store and out of store activities, including e-commerce web site activity, television viewing and recording activity, and retail location activity. In certain embodiments, retail location activity may be monitored by one or more of RFID tracking sub-systems, smart shopping cart sub-systems, and point-of-sale information sub-systems.

The Token-Based TV Viewing Regulator, is an electronic, token activated device that automatically electronically interrupts the television signal to the television monitor. The tokens inserted into the device will allow the signal to pass to the television for a predetermined time period. As an example of its use, a child can earn television viewing time by receiving tokens for chores or other acts agreed upon with an adult. The child then has the choice of spending the tokens to view television or saving the tokens for a later, extended viewing time.

The invention discloses a playing control method and device, a storage medium and a television, and the method comprises the steps: starting a preset child mode according to an input operation instruction, wherein various watching state functions are set in the child mode; and calling the watching state function according to the child mode, and playing the video based on the watching state function, so as to enable the television to provide a television watching mode conforming to the characteristics of the child. The problems of single function and no interest of the child watching mode in the prior art are solved.

The invention discloses a content recognition and push method and a TV accompanying AI assistance device. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring screenshot operation information; performing screenshot on a TV image according to the screenshot operation information so as to acquire a to-be-recognized image; performing image recognition on the to-be-recognized image so as to obtain recognized information; and recommending content information related to the recognized information according to the recognized information. When watched by a user, the TV content can be wakened up any time, content appearing in an instant image in the TV is recognized at any time, and by recognizing stars, objects and other information in pictures, other videos and news content related to the stars can be recommended or commodities related to the objects can be recommended, and the like. Novel convenient, effective and intelligent TV viewing experience can be provided for a user, the user can actively interact with the TV while watching the TV, intelligent recommendation is performed based on the user, and a novel flow transformation entrance is provided for advertising and relevant content parties.

There is provided a method of allowing members of a television viewing household to create individual user profiles using a plurality of input devices, the method comprising: determining the context of a user enrollment session; using the context to adapt a user enrollment to minimize operations required to complete an enrollment of the user; and generating a user hierarchy based on relationships between a plurality of user profiles according to a relationship with a television distributor and relationships between the plurality of user profiles. There is also provided a method of allowing television (TV) distributor administrators to manage user profiles and user settings, the method comprising: enabling creation of at least one administrative user; enabling the at least one administrative user to perform at least one of managing, creating, and viewing user profiles created for TV viewing households according to an administrative level assigned to the at least one administrative user; and enabling the at least one administrative user to configure settings related to an enrollment of a user.

The invention relates to a TV viewing information processing method and device. The method comprises that TV viewing sample information of a preset amount of families is counted in the unit of family; according to the counted TV viewing sample information, a TV viewing condition of each TV viewing member is counted; according to the counted TV viewing conditions, TV viewing probability information of TV viewing members with the same population attribute is obtained by fitting; TV source information of each family on which needs TV viewing analysis is collected; and according to the counted TV viewing condition of the TV viewing members and the TV viewing probability information, the TV source information of each family is analyzed, and TV viewing member constitution corresponding to the TV source information of each family and the TV viewing condition of each TV viewing member are obtained. On the premise that problems in the aspects of cost, privacy and the like are solved, information of the TV viewing members is analyzed effectively.

A gaming device and method with a ramp with an upper rear corner cut-out where cards are slid face down up the ramp so that the mirrors or a video camera allow the card indicia to be viewed, wherein gaming tables may be easily retrofitted for television viewing or casino monitoring.

A system and method are disclosed for enhancing a television viewing experience by a group of one or more users. The experience is enhanced by integrating services from a number of different sources. This integration of services aggregates cloud data, identifies content from the aggregated cloud data that is potentially of interest to the user, and distributes that content to a main display or one or more secondary computing devices associated with the one or more users in the group.

The invention discloses a television word size sound automatic adjustment processing method and device, an intelligent terminal and a medium. The method comprises the steps: collecting an image of a television viewer via a camera; recognizing a human face from the acquired viewer image; after the face is recognized, judging the age of the viewer; after the age of the viewer is identified, automatically adjusting the size of the word size sound. According to the method disclosed in the invention, a new function is added to the smart television, and the television word size sound can be automatically adjusted. The television can adjust proper word size and sound according to ages of different users, and therefore old people can see larger subtitles and hear larger sound when watching the television. Convenience is provided for the use of the user.

Subscribers to a television-delivery service can send and receive messages within a television-viewing environment. A subscriber can create a message, attach content from the television environment, and send the message to a friend, all without leaving the television environment. A television producer controls its rights to the content by allowing subscribers to select and send some content while preventing other content from being incorporated in a message. Rights can be checked at the sender site, at the recipient site, and in between by a message-transport service. In some situations, the recipient may not have sufficient rights to view the entire message. Specifically, the recipient's subscription level may not allow access to some of the message content that was pulled from the sender's television-delivery service. In this case, the recipient may take corrective action or may view the message with the restricted content replaced with alternative content.