Global Schedule Pause Feature for Broadcast Multimedia Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Providing a pause function in real-time digital streaming environments, such as airline satellite systems, is challenging due to complications with system clocks, program guides, and control systems, especially when viewers are not in control of the video/audio program and need to adjust start times independently of transportation schedules.
Innovation Solution
A global schedule pause feature that stores all delivered streams in a buffer, allowing viewers to select desired start times for programs, eliminating the need for local storage in set-top boxes and simplifying the system by handling data rate efficiently as a single system rather than independently for each channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a pause function is implemented in a real-time digital streaming environment with hundreds of channels, then viewers can adjust programming start times to desired times, but system complexity increases due to complications with system clocks, program guides, and control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pause functionality from individual set-top boxes and centralizes it in a global pause control system. The global control receives pause commands and manages the buffering of program content centrally, separating the complex clock and scheduling management from individual user devices. This extraction reduces the complexity burden on each set-top box while maintaining the desired adaptability for viewers to pause and resume programs at desired times.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a global pause control as an intermediary between the satellite receiver and individual set-top boxes. This mediator manages the buffering and time-shifting of program content centrally, coordinating between the incoming satellite signal and multiple viewer requests. The intermediary handles the complex clock synchronization and program guide updates centrally, preventing these complexities from propagating to each individual device in the system.
2Reliability
If all delivered streams are stored in a buffer to enable multiple time-delayed start times, then viewers can watch entire programs without missing content, but memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary buffering of satellite program content at the global pause control before distribution to set-top boxes. By pre-buffering the content centrally, the system ensures that program data is readily available when viewers want to pause or start programs at different times. This preliminary action at the source prevents data loss and ensures reliability without requiring each individual set-top box to have large local storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the buffering function of all set-top boxes into a single centralized buffer at the global pause control. Instead of each device maintaining its own buffer, the system combines storage resources centrally, allowing efficient utilization of memory. This merging reduces total memory requirements while still providing multiple time-delayed start times and ensuring viewers can watch entire programs without missing content.
3Ease of operation
If pause functionality is provided at each set-top box with local storage, then individual channel pause is enabled, but device complexity and data rate handling become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the storage and complex control functions from individual set-top boxes and relocates them to a global pause control. The set-top boxes retain only the simple function of sending pause commands and receiving buffered content, while the complex buffering, clock management, and program guide updates are performed centrally. This extraction maintains ease of operation for individual channel pause while dramatically reducing device complexity at the set-top box level.
4Productivity
If a global pause control manages all program content centrally, then system efficiency increases by handling data rate as one system, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the data rate handling and buffering operations of multiple set-top boxes into a single centralized system. By combining these functions at the global pause control, the system processes data rates as one unified stream rather than managing multiple independent streams. This merging improves overall system efficiency and productivity while consolidating control logic in one location, making the increased complexity manageable through centralization rather than distribution across many devices.
Data Source
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AI summary
A global program guide pause function in a broadcast multimedia system including a first main control (605) configured to process multimedia content received from a packet processor (603), the first main control (605) including an analyzer module (102) for acquiring and analyzing program guide data to determine multiple time-delayed start content, a filtration module (104) for filtering undesired content and enabling desired data streams to be saved in at least one global memory device (211), and a guide module (106) for creating a program guide comprising only non-filtered programs being offered at time-delayed start times. The guide module (106) is further configured to create multiple listings in the program guide showing a real-time versus a delayed-start time for each non-filtered program. A popular stream packet processor (701) can be provided for saving data content corresponding to popular programs.