Local TV Integration via Networked Broadcast Receivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing OTT devices and services do not include local live programming from regional broadcast affiliates, requiring costly or complex integrations with over-the-air antennas and necessitating user navigation between video inputs.
Innovation Solution
Integrate local television channels into OTT devices and services using satellite television receivers, allowing seamless transmission of digital data representing live programming from regional broadcast channels to OTT devices on the same network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If OTT devices integrate with over-the-air antennas to receive local broadcast channels, then access to local television programming is enabled, but device complexity and integration cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a broadcast receiver as an intermediary device that receives broadcast channels and makes them available over the network. This mediator handles the complexity of signal reception and conversion, allowing OTT devices to access local programming through standard network protocols without direct antenna integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical/electrical integration between OTT devices and antennas with a network-based digital transmission system. Broadcast channels are converted to digital signals and transmitted over IP networks, eliminating the need for complex physical integrations and allowing seamless access through software interfaces.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users navigate between video inputs to access local programming, then access to local television programming is enabled, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges broadcast channel access with the existing OTT service interface by making broadcast channels available as network streams. Users access local programming through the same unified interface used for OTT content, eliminating the need to switch between different video inputs or applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the OTT device's network interface universal for accessing both OTT streaming content and local broadcast channels. The same device and interface handle multiple functions: receiving OTT streams over the network and receiving broadcast channels converted to network protocols, providing a single point of access for all television content.
3Reliability
If cable or satellite sources are used for television content, then content delivery is reliable, but user freedom to access content throughout the home is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a network dimension to traditional cable/satellite content delivery. Instead of delivering content through a single physical location (cable box or satellite receiver), the system distributes content across the network infrastructure, enabling access from multiple locations and devices throughout the home while maintaining the reliability of the original content source.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the content delivery system into separate functional components: the broadcast receiver that captures content reliably from cable/satellite sources, and multiple network distribution points that provide access throughout the home. This segmentation allows the reliable content source to remain unchanged while adding flexible access points via the network.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for integrating local television content into over-the-top (OTT) devices and services are presented herein. In some techniques, a television media broadcaster comprises a satellite antenna interface for receiving RF signals corresponding to a plurality of television channels including regional broadcast channels, an RF tuner for demodulating the RF signals into digital signals, and a communication interface to transmit the digital signals to a remote device for presentation on a display. In response to receiving a tuning request from the remote device for live media content for a regional channel, the RF tuner is tuned to a frequency corresponding to the channel, and a digital signal representing the live content is received and transmitted to the remote device for presentation.