Media Receiver Local Catalog Browsing for Low Cost Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for accessing media content are not user-friendly and incur high communication costs, especially when cheap wired IP connectivity is not available, making it challenging to offer a rich user experience without expensive data connections.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a receiver with a local database and local communication channels to allow users to browse and select media content using a mobile device, minimizing communication costs by using a first remote channel only for requesting content, thus reducing data exchange and maintaining low communication costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users browse and download content through a mobile display device using a payable 3G/4G network, then user experience and content accessibility are improved, but communication costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data communication process into two distinct paths: a local communication path for browsing and selecting content (using cheap local network) and a remote communication path for only transmitting essential access rights and content data (using expensive but minimal 3G/4G network). This segmentation reduces the amount of data transmitted over the costly network while maintaining full user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiver acts as an intermediary device between the mobile display device and the content provider. It receives content data through the broadcast channel via local communication, processes it locally, and only transmits minimal access information through the mobile network to the content provider. This intermediary role significantly reduces the data volume over the expensive network connection.
2Device complexity
If a direct link between content provider and user device is established through data return path, then content ordering is simplified, but communication costs increase when using mobile networks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing a local communication channel between the receiver and mobile display device, and pre-loading content catalogs and access information locally. This allows users to browse and select content without needing continuous expensive mobile network connections, as the heavy data exchange has already been completed through the local broadcast channel.
3Productivity
If content is broadcast through a broadcast channel to all receivers simultaneously, then data delivery efficiency is improved, but user-specific content selection and ordering becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing each receiver to receive the same broadcast content through the broadcast channel, but then enabling user-specific selection and processing locally at the receiver. The mobile display device can browse and select content based on user preferences, and the receiver can process and deliver only the selected content to the user, maintaining both broadcast efficiency and user-specific customization.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure generally relates to a method for accessing media content, said method being used in a receiver. The method comprises a preparation phase and a use phase. The preparation phase comprises the steps of obtaining, by said receiver, a catalog of media content items, each media content item corresponding to a media content and comprising at least an item description and an item identification data and storing said catalog of media content items in a local database in a memory of the receiver. The use phase comprises the steps of accessing, by a mobile display device, said catalog of media content items through a local communication channel; displaying at least a part of the catalog of media content items on the mobile display device; selecting, by said mobile display device, at least one media content item displayed on the mobile display device; transmitting, by said mobile display device, a request to a content provider, the request comprising the item identification data corresponding to said selected media content item and additional data allowing for the receiver to be identified, said transmission using a first remote communication channel distinct from said local communication channel; and obtaining by the receiver, the media content corresponding to the media content item identified by the identification data contained in said request.The disclosure further relates to a receiver and a mobile display device for implementing the above described method and a system comprising at least said receiver and said mobile display device.