Series Aggregation via Proactive Episode Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in accessing and viewing episodes of a series in the correct order, especially when discovering a series late in its season or missing episodes, as re-runs may not be available simultaneously or in the original sequence, leading to confusion for serial programming and diminished viewer engagement.
Innovation Solution
An interactive media guidance application that aggregates and records episodes of a series in the order they were originally presented, allowing users to view them sequentially by compiling episodes from various sources, including broadcasts, on-demand servers, and recording devices, and providing options for immediate purchase or waiting for free availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users record episodes of a series using basic series recording functionality, then episodes are automatically recorded when aired, but episodes cannot be viewed in original order when discovered late in the season or when repeats are not available
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by identifying and recording episodes that users have not yet viewed, even before users request them. When a user marks an episode as viewed, the system proactively schedules recording of subsequent unviewed episodes, ensuring they are captured when aired. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by guaranteeing episode availability in original order while maintaining ease of operation through automatic management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring user viewing status and episode air dates. When the system detects that a user has viewed an episode, it automatically triggers scheduling of the next unviewed episode. This feedback loop ensures episodes are reliably recorded in sequence while requiring minimal user intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and sequence reliability.
2Quantity of substance
If users wait for re-runs of missed episodes, then episodes may become available over time, but episodes are not available simultaneously or in original sequence, causing confusion for serial programming
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary action by proactively scheduling and recording episodes as they air on broadcast television, long before users would need to watch them. Instead of waiting for re-runs, the system captures episodes in their original broadcast sequence, eliminating the time loss associated with waiting for re-run availability while ensuring complete episode collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system acts as an intermediary between broadcast television and the user's recording device. It monitors broadcast schedules, identifies unviewed episodes in the user's series, and automatically schedules their recording. This intermediary function resolves the contradiction by bridging the gap between episode broadcast and user consumption, ensuring all episodes are available in original order without requiring users to wait for re-runs or manually track availability.
3Reliability
If users manually track and record each episode individually, then episodes can be captured in order, but the process becomes complex and requires significant user effort
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically performing all episode tracking and recording scheduling without requiring user intervention. Users simply mark episodes as viewed, and the system autonomously identifies which unviewed episodes need to be recorded, schedules them according to broadcast times, and manages the entire collection process. This self-service approach maintains accurate episode sequencing while eliminating the complexity of manual episode management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies universality by combining multiple functions into a single integrated solution: it tracks user viewing status, monitors broadcast schedules, identifies unviewed episodes, schedules recordings, and manages episode collections across multiple series. This multi-functional approach ensures reliable episode sequence accuracy while reducing overall system complexity by consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate manual processes into one automated system.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
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AI summary
A viewer of an episode of a series such as a television' series may wish, to access episodes of the series that the viewer missed when they were originally, broadcast. Interactive applications may receive the viewer's indication of interest to record missed episodes of the incomplete series, which may include instructions regarding recording options for including the missed episodes in series aggregation. Interactive applications may identify the episodes to be included in the series aggregation, and record the missed episodes, which may then be stored and organized to create a series aggregation, in the order that they, were first broadcast with episodes that the viewer may already have available. Interactive applications may present the episodes of the series aggregation in the order that they, were originally broadcast, by providing the viewer with options on how to access the episodes.