Set-Top Box Self-Monitoring via Idle Channel Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing set-top box technologies lack self-monitoring capabilities, leading to inefficiencies and errors in delivering enhanced content in hospitality lodging environments and other settings.
Innovation Solution
A set-top box with self-monitoring capabilities, equipped with a processor, memory, and storage, which scans channels and generates composite TV screen image data when the television is not in use, allowing for real-time analysis and error detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If set-top box performs self-monitoring by scanning channels and generating composite TV screen image data, then error detection and network health monitoring are improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The set-top box performs channel scanning and image capture during idle periods before actual content delivery, preparing diagnostic data in advance. This preliminary action enables error detection without interfering with real-time content delivery, resolving the contradiction by performing monitoring functions during non-critical periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates composite TV screen image data as a copy of the actual television output by capturing and processing images from scanned channels. This copied data serves as a diagnostic representation that can be analyzed for errors without requiring direct interference with the original content delivery stream, maintaining reliability while managing complexity.
2Reliability
If set-top box scans channels and generates composite TV screen image data during idle periods, then content delivery quality is improved, but loss of time for actual content delivery may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The set-top box performs channel scanning and image capture periodically during predetermined idle periods between content deliveries. This periodic action allows the system to accumulate diagnostic data over time without requiring continuous operation, improving content delivery quality through accumulated insights while utilizing otherwise wasted idle time efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous monitoring capability by repeatedly scanning channels during available idle periods, ensuring that diagnostic data is continuously updated without interrupting content delivery. This continuous useful action during idle periods transforms previously unproductive time into valuable monitoring opportunities, improving reliability without causing time loss.
3Measurement precision
If set-top box processes multiple channel images to generate composite TV screen image data, then measurement precision of network health is improved, but use of energy and processing power increases
Solution Approach 1:
The set-top box processes a selected number of channels to generate composite TV screen image data, performing partial scanning rather than exhaustive analysis of all available channels. This partial action provides sufficient network health monitoring precision for practical purposes while significantly reducing processor energy consumption compared to complete channel analysis, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and energy use.
Data Source
AI summary
A set-top box with self-monitoring and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the set-top box, a housing secures a television input, a television output, a processor, memory, and storage therein, which are communicatively interconnected by a busing architecture. The memory is accessible to the processor, and the memory includes processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to detect when the television is not being utilized. Responsive thereto, the instructions cause the processor to scan channels received from the television input and generate a composite TV screen image data that may be resolved to a single TV screen image made from an assemblage of TV screen image captures corresponding to the scanned channels.