Content Application Selection via Channel Manifest Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channels may not be aware of hosted applications providing additional content, leading to inaccessible content without awareness of the hosted applications.
Innovation Solution
A manifest file associated with a channel indicates content items and applications that can provide the content, enabling a computing device to determine and select the appropriate content application for output, with options displayed via a graphic overlay on the user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users access content through isolated hosted applications, then content delivery is enabled, but user awareness and accessibility of additional content is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The main player application serves as an intermediary between the user and hosted applications. It receives manifest files containing hosted application information, processes this data, and presents it to users through a user interface, thereby mediating the connection between isolated hosted applications and user awareness
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by displaying information about hosted applications and their content items back to users through the main player application. This feedback loop allows users to become aware of additional content available through hosted applications without needing to know the specific application names or locations
2Adaptability or versatility
If manifest files contain detailed hosted application information, then content selection capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The main player application automatically processes manifest files, extracts hosted application information, and makes content selections without requiring users to manually configure or understand the complex manifest file structure. The system serves itself by handling the complexity internally while presenting a simple interface to users
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatuses for selecting content applications are described. A manifest file associated with a channel may include content item identifiers associated with content items and content application identifiers associated with content applications that can play the content items. A computing device such as a set-top box may determine one or more content applications to play one or more content items based on the content item identifiers and the content application identifiers in the manifest file.