Centralized Program Guide Aggregating Broadcast and Stored Content
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face challenges in discovering and accessing a wide range of television and video content from various sources, including broadcast, cable, satellite, and internet providers, due to fragmentation and the need for multiple authentication processes.
Innovation Solution
A processor-implemented method and system that aggregates program guides from independent sources, integrating scheduled programming, live content, and video-on-demand, allowing for a centralized electronic program guide accessible on portable devices, which dynamically combines links to broadcast and stored content, and applies user preferences to organize and present content listings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If consumers access content from multiple separate sources (broadcast, cable, satellite, internet providers), then they can enjoy a wide range of viewing choices, but they face fragmentation and complexity in discovering and accessing content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate program guides from different content sources (broadcast, cable, satellite, internet providers) into a single unified electronic program guide. This consolidation allows consumers to access diverse viewing choices through one interface, eliminating the complexity of navigating multiple separate systems and reducing the number of authentication processes required.
2Adaptability or versatility
If consumers use multiple separate program guides for different content sources, then they can access diverse content, but they must go through multiple authentication processes
Solution Approach 1:
The unified electronic program guide serves multiple functions by consolidating access to diverse content sources under a single system. It provides universal authentication that works across broadcast, cable, satellite, and internet provider content, eliminating the need for consumers to undergo multiple separate authentication processes while maintaining access to diverse content.
3Ease of operation
If a centralized program guide aggregates content from multiple sources, then content access becomes simpler, but the system must dynamically aggregate and manage multiple content lists
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a server as an intermediary that performs the complex task of dynamically aggregating content lists from multiple sources. This server-based approach handles the complexity of managing and synthesizing diverse content schedules, allowing the consumer interface to remain simple while the backend infrastructure manages the aggregation workload.
Data Source
AI summary
A processor-implemented method of accessing content is provided comprising a server composing a first list of broadcast content, wherein each entry in the first list comprises a link to access a broadcast content associated with the entry. The method also comprises the server composing a second list of stored content, wherein each entry in the second list comprises a link to access a stored content associated with the entry, and the server dynamically aggregating entries from the first list and the second list to compose a content guide. The method further comprises presenting at least a portion of the content guide on a display, wherein at least one entry from the first list and at least one entry from the second list are present at the same time on the display, and presenting content on the display based on selecting an entry from the guide.