IPTV Media Usage Aggregation for Social TV Selection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulty in selecting popular TV shows and series as current TV systems do not provide real-time indications of what others are watching, requiring users to manually scan through channels to remember discussed shows.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows end users to create a buddies list, displaying the media usage of friends, including what they are watching, recording, or have recorded, with privacy controls for opt-in settings, using an IPTV network to aggregate and mine media usage data for targeted advertising and social media integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If TV systems provide real-time indications of what others are watching, then users can easily prioritize TV show selection based on popularity, but the system complexity increases due to data aggregation and privacy control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system comprising a server and database that aggregates media usage data from multiple users. This intermediary handles the complex tasks of data collection, processing, and presentation, while individual TV systems remain relatively simple. The intermediary acts as a mediator between users and the complex data aggregation infrastructure, providing simplified access through user interfaces that display popularity information without exposing the underlying complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where media usage data is continuously collected from users, processed to determine popularity metrics, and then fed back to users through TV show selection interfaces. This feedback mechanism enables dynamic updating of popularity information in real-time, allowing users to make informed selections based on current viewing trends while the system automatically handles the complex data processing requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system aggregates and mines media usage data from multiple users, then targeted advertising and social media integration become possible, but user privacy concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing differentiated privacy controls that allow users to selectively opt-in or opt-out of data sharing for specific purposes. Instead of a uniform approach, the system enables users to control the granularity of their data sharing preferences, allowing targeted advertising and social media integration for some users while protecting privacy for others. This localized control mechanism resolves the contradiction by enabling versatility where desired while maintaining privacy where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic privacy controls that allow users to adjust their data sharing preferences at any time. The privacy framework is not static but adapts to user choices, enabling the system to aggregate data from users who consent while excluding those who prefer privacy. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain adaptability for targeted advertising while respecting individual privacy concerns through real-time user control.
3Quantity of substance
If users manually scan through channels to remember discussed shows, then no additional system infrastructure is needed, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-aggregating and organizing media usage data before users need to make viewing decisions. Popularity metrics are calculated and stored in advance, allowing users to quickly access information about what others are watching without having to manually scan channels or rely on memory. This preliminary data preparation significantly reduces time consumption while the infrastructure requirements remain manageable through efficient database design.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for executing a method is disclosed for monitoring video data, the method including but not limited to monitoring end user activity data for media usage for a plurality of end user client devices associated with a designated group of end users in an internet protocol television (IPTV) system; receiving from a first one of the end user client devices, avatar data indicating at least one search criterion within the end user activity data; searching the end user activity data based on the at least one search criterion; and sending to the first one of the end user client devices, search result data from the search based on the at least one search criterion.