Server-Mediated Watch Reservations for Cross-Provider Broadcast Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image display apparatuses fail to ensure that users can watch reserved broadcast content even when absent or unable to use the apparatus, and OTT services do not allow watching reservations to be shared across different platforms.
Innovation Solution
A server system that allows users to set watching reservations for various content providers, manages reservation data, and sends notification messages to image display apparatuses and mobile devices at scheduled broadcast times, ensuring that users can watch reserved content even when absent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional image display apparatus provides a watch reservation function to switch channel at the start time of reserved broadcasting, then the user can watch desired broadcast content without missing it, but the practical benefit disappears when the user is absent or unable to use the apparatus
Solution Approach 1:
A server acts as an intermediary between the user and the broadcast content. When a user sets a watch reservation, the server monitors the broadcast schedule and automatically switches to the corresponding channel at the reserved time, even if the user is absent. The server notifies the user through various channels (SMS, email, app notifications) when the broadcast is ready, enabling reliable access without requiring user presence at the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The watch reservation system operates autonomously without requiring continuous user intervention. The server automatically manages the channel switching, monitors broadcast status, and sends notifications based on pre-set reservation parameters. This self-service capability ensures the system can reliably deliver broadcast content even when the user is unavailable.
2Adaptability or versatility
If OTT operators provide their own services independently, then they can offer specialized functions, but the watching reservation set by a user in a specific OTT service cannot be used in other OTT service
Solution Approach 1:
The server provides a universal watch reservation platform that supports multiple OTT services and content providers through a single integrated system. Users can set one reservation that automatically applies across all supported services, eliminating the need for separate reservation systems for each OTT provider. The server maintains a unified database of broadcast schedules and content information from various sources.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple OTT service reservation functions are merged into a single unified reservation system. The server consolidates scheduling information from different OTT providers and automatically coordinates channel switching across services. This merging eliminates redundancy and allows users to manage all watch reservations through one interface, reducing system complexity while maintaining versatility.
3Reliability
If the watching reservation function simply switches the channel of an image display apparatus, then the implementation is simple, but it fails to ensure users can watch content when absent or unable to use the apparatus
Solution Approach 1:
The server serves as an intermediary that manages the complexity of reliable content delivery. It automatically monitors broadcast schedules, switches channels in advance of the reserved time, and notifies users when content is ready. This intermediary approach ensures reliable content delivery while keeping the user-side device simple, as the complex coordination logic resides in the server rather than the local apparatus.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a server and a system including the same. The server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a communication unit configured to perform communication through a network; a storage unit configured to store reservation data including a title, broadcasting date, and time slot of content; and a controller, wherein, when a first signal for setting a watching reservation for specific content is received from an image display apparatus through the communication unit, the controller checks at least one content provider that provides a service related to watching of the specific content, generates reservation data for the specific content and stores the reservation data in the storage unit, and when a first time point corresponding to the broadcasting date and time slot of the specific content arrives, transmits a notification message, which contains data on at least one of the at least one content provider, that is related to watching of the specific content to the image display apparatus. Various other embodiments are possible.