Second Displays for IPTV Content Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
IPTV systems face challenges in content navigation and management, particularly for multiple users, due to cumbersome data entry, limited memory and processing power, and the need for complex remote controls, which increase hardware costs and disrupt viewing experiences.
Innovation Solution
The system allows multiple users to utilize personal devices like smartphones and laptops as 'second displays' to browse and manage content on behalf of an IPTV, using authentication credentials to communicate with content servers, enabling simultaneous browsing and content selection without disturbing the primary playback device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple users share a single IPTV device, then hardware costs are reduced, but content navigation and management become cumbersome and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the content navigation function from the IPTV playback device by introducing separate second display devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) that users can control independently. Each user has their own control interface, eliminating the need for complex shared remote controls while maintaining hardware cost efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
A communication system acts as an intermediary between the second display devices and the IPTV device. This intermediary handles the complex navigation and control operations, allowing users to browse and manage content on their personal devices while the IPTV device simply executes playback commands, simplifying both hardware requirements and user interaction.
2Ease of operation
If a complex remote control is designed to handle all functions, then ease of operation improves, but hardware costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses universal second display devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) that users already possess, eliminating the need for specialized remote controls. These devices can handle all navigation and control functions through software applications, providing multi-functional capability without additional hardware investment.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating a new specialized control device, the system copies the control functionality to existing personal devices through software applications. This allows full control functionality to be replicated on users' personal devices without manufacturing new hardware.
3Ease of operation
If one user navigates content on the IPTV screen, then content selection is possible, but the viewing experience of other users is disturbed
Solution Approach 1:
The system moves the content navigation interface from the two-dimensional IPTV screen to separate second display devices held by individual users. This dimensional separation allows multiple users to simultaneously browse and select content on their own devices without their actions affecting others' viewing experiences on the main screen.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems and methods to enable a multiple users browsing content offerings on multiple devices to have their selections played by a content playback device using its own authentication credentials. The users can then continue to browse the content offerings on their multiple second displays without interrupting the content that is playing on the main content playback device. The method is an architecture design and implementation that allows users to navigate, browse, and search content offerings on a second display such as a smart phone, PC, laptop, tablet, internet appliance, or any other device with a capability to couple to a network. Concurrently, while a user is using the content playback device, another user can perform browsing activities on a second display and send a media selection to a primary content playback device of the user's choice for queueing and/or playback.