Electronic Programming Guide for Missed Content Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Television users often miss portions of broadcast programs due to tuning in late, and existing solutions for accessing missed content can be confusing and disorganized, leading to unused available content.
Innovation Solution
A television receiver system that processes requests to present an electronic programming guide (EPG) indicating availability of missed program portions, analyzing multiple content resources, and configuring the guide to show retrieval options, including progress bars and icons representing availability and source selection based on response time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple content resources are made available to users for accessing missed content, then the availability of missed content increases, but the complexity of accessing such content increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple content resources (DVR, internet sources, broadcast channels) into a unified interface through the EPG. The system merges these disparate sources and presents them as a single organized list of playback options within the guide, allowing users to access missed content from any source without navigating multiple separate systems or interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The EPG serves as an intermediary system between the user and multiple content resources. It automatically analyzes availability across DVR, internet, and broadcast sources, then presents a simplified view to the user. The EPG mediates the complexity by handling source comparison, availability checking, and presentation of unified access options.
2Ease of operation
If the system automatically analyzes content resources and configures the EPG, then the ease of operation improves, but the processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of content resource availability and configures the EPG in advance, before the user needs to access missed content. By pre-analyzing which sources have the missed content and pre-configuring the guide, the system reduces the time required at the moment of user interaction, though it does require processing time during the preliminary configuration phase.
Data Source
AI summary
Arrangements for providing available playback options for missed portions of broadcast content may be presented. A request to present an electronic programming guide that comprises indications of a plurality of television programs currently being broadcast may be received. A missed portion of each television program of the plurality of television programs may have already been broadcast. For each television program of the plurality of television programs, a plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of each television program of the plurality of television programs may be retrievable may be analyzed. A first source from the plurality of content resources from which the missed portion of a television program is retrievable may be identified. The electronic programming guide may be configured and output to comprise an indication of availability of the missed portion of the television program.