Broadcast Latency Cohorting for Fair TV-Linked Skill Games
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Solution Overview
Problem
Games of skill synchronized with live or taped television events face latency issues due to systemic propagation delays, arbitrarily imposed delays, and variances in broadcast times, leading to unfair competitive advantages and user dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that equalize latency differences by grouping participants based on their television signal reception paths, determining and adjusting delays through various methodologies, including participant feedback, GPS location determination, and automated signal sampling, to synchronize 'lock out' signals and game data across all cohorts, ensuring fair competition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If participants use different television reception systems (satellite, cable, over-the-air), then they can access the broadcast from various locations, but they experience different propagation delays that create unfair competitive advantages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides participants into separate cohorts based on their television reception system (satellite, cable, over-the-air). Each cohort is treated separately with customized delay compensation. This segmentation allows the system to address the specific propagation delays of each reception type while maintaining overall fairness across all participants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different delay compensation measures to different cohorts based on their specific reception characteristics. Each cohort receives customized timing adjustments tailored to their local reception system's propagation delays, ensuring fair competition for each group while accommodating the diversity of reception methods.
2Reliability
If the system accounts for and compensates latency differences through cohort-based delay adjustment, then competitive fairness is improved, but system complexity increases due to the need to determine and track individual delay amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs automated systems to measure and determine propagation delays without requiring manual input from participants. The system self-calibrates by analyzing signal transmission characteristics and automatically assigns delay compensation values to each cohort, reducing the operational complexity while maintaining fairness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts timing parameters (delay compensation values) based on measured propagation delays. By changing the temporal parameters of signal transmission and response windows according to each cohort's specific delay characteristics, the system achieves fairness without requiring complex manual configuration.
3Device complexity
If participants are grouped into cohorts based on signal reception paths, then latency equalization becomes manageable, but measurement precision requirements increase to accurately determine delay amounts for each cohort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors and measures actual propagation delays, compares them against expected values, and adjusts compensation parameters accordingly. This feedback loop ensures measurement precision is maintained while allowing for variations in real-world conditions, and it simplifies cohort management by using automated adjustment rather than static assumptions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of and system for handling latency issues encountered in producing real-time entertainment such as games of skill synchronized with live or taped televised events is described herein. There are multiple situations that are dealt with regarding latencies in receiving a television signal with respect to real-time entertainment based on the unfolding games played along with the telecasts. Systemic delays, arbitrarily imposed delays of a broadcast signal and variances in the precise broadcast times of taped television programs have to be equalized so as to provide fair entertainment.