Mosaic Display Stream for Simultaneous Channel Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multimedia content delivery systems, such as IPTV, do not efficiently display multiple favorite channels simultaneously, limiting user experience by requiring sequential channel selection or text-based lists, rather than a visual mosaic of currently available content.
Innovation Solution
A set-top box and application server system that generates a mosaic display stream with multiple viewports, each showing streaming video from a user's favorite channels, allowing simultaneous presentation and easy channel selection based on current content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sequential channel selection or text-based lists are used to display favorite channels, then the system complexity is low, but the user experience and ease of operation deteriorate due to inability to view multiple channels simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The display is segmented into multiple viewports, each showing a different favorite channel simultaneously. This allows users to view and compare content from multiple channels at once, transforming the single-channel sequential viewing into multi-channel parallel viewing, thereby significantly improving user experience without requiring complex additional hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from one-dimensional sequential channel switching to two-dimensional simultaneous display by arranging multiple channel viewports in a mosaic layout on the screen. This dimensional change enables users to access and compare multiple favorite channels at the same time, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and user experience
2Productivity
If a single channel is displayed at a time, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity deteriorates due to time loss in channel switching
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is divided into multiple independent viewports, each dedicated to showing a different favorite channel. This segmentation eliminates the need for sequential channel switching by allowing users to view all favorite channels simultaneously, thereby improving channel access efficiency without requiring multiple physical devices
Solution Approach 2:
A single display system performs multiple functions by simultaneously presenting multiple channels. The unified interface allows users to view, compare, and switch between multiple favorite channels through one display, replacing the need for separate viewing processes for each channel and improving overall productivity
3Loss of information
If text-based lists are used to display favorite channels, then the system complexity is low, but information completeness deteriorates by not showing current content availability
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from text-based one-dimensional information display to visual mosaic two-dimensional content display. Each viewport shows actual video content from the favorite channel, providing complete information about current content availability, program types, and visual appeal, thereby eliminating information loss without requiring additional external devices
Data Source
AI summary
A set-top box generates a multimedia signal that includes streaming video for a plurality of currently available multimedia channels. A user configures a plurality of favorite channels. Streaming video from the favorite channels is provided in a plurality of viewports on a display. A user presses a favorites button on a remote control to prompt an application server to signal a content server to provide a compound video signal including streaming video from each favorite channel. The set-top box produces a resultant video signal including the streaming video from each favorite channel in a corresponding viewport. The viewports correspond to a mosaic template that may be hosted by the application server and accessed by the content server.