Second Display Language Support for IPTV Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
IPTVs face challenges in content navigation and management, especially for users whose native language and character set are not supported, due to memory limitations and the need for complex remote controls, leading to cumbersome data entry and limited interaction.
Innovation Solution
Users can employ a second display, such as a smartphone or laptop, to browse and select content in their preferred language and font set, which is then played back on the IPTV, using a proxy server to authenticate and manage content playback, allowing for enhanced user experience without additional hardware costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a remote controller is designed to support all possible functions and languages, then user accessibility is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a second display device (smartphone, tablet, or computer) as an intermediary between the user and the IPTV system. This second display handles language-specific interfaces and content browsing, while the IPTV remote controller maintains its simple, standardized design. The second display acts as a mediator that translates user interactions into commands for the IPTV system, eliminating the need to complicate the original remote controller with multiple language support.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple character font sets are stored on the IPTV to support different languages, then user accessibility is improved, but memory consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the language-specific character font sets and interface elements from the IPTV system and relocates them to the second display device. The IPTV system retains only the essential playback functionality with minimal language support, while the second display stores and displays the comprehensive multi-language interfaces and character fonts. This extraction reduces the memory burden on the IPTV while maintaining full language support capabilities through the second display.
3Ease of operation
If a second display is introduced to provide multi-language support, then user accessibility is improved, but device complexity and potential security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universal nature of second display devices (smartphones, tablets, computers) that users already possess. These devices serve multiple functions: they act as remote controls, provide multi-language interfaces, display content previews, and handle user authentication. By utilizing the existing multi-functionality of these devices, the system avoids adding dedicated complex hardware while achieving enhanced ease of operation and language support.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided to allow users to browse services, content items, or the like using the language that is generally most familiar to them, and in particular ones that are not available on an IPTV. Thus, users can browse content offerings on the second display in a language and font set that are personalized to themselves, and they may further send the content item to the IPTV for playback. The disclosed systems and methods provide a way for a group of users to exploit individual “second displays” to view, browse, and navigate content or data service offerings, by service providers, e.g., internet network services, in a preferred language and using preferred fonts, especially one not supported by a content playback device, on behalf of a content playback device, e.g., IPTV, the same having authenticated credentials for playback of such content, and then arrange for a selected content item or items to be played back on the content playback device. The second displays serve as a visual aid to the IPTV, but generally do not require additional investment by the user because the same make use of a device, e.g., a smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, an internet appliance, a desktop computer, etc., which most users would already have in their possession. Such a second display is a significant complement to an IPTV because of the second display's strength in supported languages and character font sets, data entry, processing power, and user experience in content management.