Multimedia Receiver Terminal Synchronizing Broadcast and Network Components

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional television signals face limitations in bandwidth, restricting the volume of information that can be broadcast, making it difficult to expand audiovisual content offerings and accommodate multiple language options for simultaneous broadcasting across different regions.

Innovation Solution

A method for receiving television signals on a multimedia receiver terminal that involves inserting time stamps into main and secondary components, allowing synchronization and reproduction of coherent audiovisual content, where the secondary component is sourced from a remote network, enabling greater content diversity and language flexibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If television signals carry only main component within bandwidth limits, then signal transmission is simple, but content diversity and language options are restricted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent diversityVSAvoidsignal structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The television signal is segmented into a main component (carried by broadcast signal) and a secondary component (acquired from remote network). This segmentation allows the main component to remain within bandwidth constraints while the secondary component provides additional content diversity through external acquisition, resolving the contradiction between content versatility and signal simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal device is designed with multi-functionality to acquire secondary components from remote networks in addition to receiving main components from broadcast signals. This universal capability enables the system to provide diverse content and multiple language options without requiring separate broadcast signals for each content variant.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple language options are provided via broadcast signals, then user accessibility improves, but bandwidth requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelanguage optionsVSAvoidbandwidth

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The secondary component containing language-specific content (subtitles, soundtracks) is extracted from the broadcast signal and acquired separately from remote networks. This extraction allows the main broadcast signal to maintain limited bandwidth while users can access multiple language options through the separately acquired secondary component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A remote network acts as an intermediary between the broadcast signal and the terminal, providing secondary components with multiple language options. This intermediary enables language diversity without requiring the broadcast signal to carry all language variants simultaneously, thus preserving bandwidth constraints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Quantity of substance

If secondary component is acquired from remote network, then content volume increases, but synchronization complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation volumeVSAvoidsynchronization mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Time stamps are inserted into the secondary component in advance during its creation or preprocessing stage. These pre-inserted time stamps provide a synchronization framework that simplifies the terminal's task of aligning the secondary component with the main component, reducing real-time synchronization complexity while enabling high information volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal uses the time stamps from both main and secondary components to monitor and adjust synchronization status. This feedback mechanism ensures that even as information volume increases through remote acquisition, the system maintains coherent audiovisual reproduction by continuously aligning components based on their temporal markers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS7685615B2Television signal reception method and module

Publication Date: 2010.03.23 ORANGE SA

AI summary

According to the invention, in the method of receiving broadcast television signals:a main component (C1) is received (E6) in a multimedia receiver terminal (T);a secondary component (C2) is acquired (E5) in the multimedia receiver terminal (T) via a remote computer network (R), main time stamps (TSFCS1) referenced to a predetermined reference time (TSFCS10) being inserted beforehand into the main component (C1), and secondary time stamps (TSFCS2) referenced to said predetermined reference time (TSFCS10) being inserted into the secondary component (C2) prior to reproduction, the time stamps marking content reproduction advance; andthe received main component (C1) and the acquired secondary component (C2) are reproduced (E6) on the multimedia receiver terminal (T) in compliance with the chronology of the secondary time stamps and the main time stamps, to reproduce for the user a coherent audiovisual content made up both of the main component (C1) and of the secondary component (C2).