Virtual Communal Television Viewing System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current television viewing systems fail to provide a social, communal experience for households with different viewing preferences, as they are designed for individual use and lack the ability to synchronize viewing and communication across different locations.
Innovation Solution
A virtual communal television viewing system that allows users to watch television content together through voice and video communication, using set-top boxes, mobile devices, and other computing devices, enabling synchronized playback and interactive experiences while allowing users to form and join viewing parties regardless of geographical location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If television viewing is designed for individual use with separate television sets, then each user can have personalized viewing preferences, but the system cannot provide social interaction or communal viewing experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that coordinates multiple television sets and users. The server manages content distribution, synchronization, and user communication, enabling communal viewing while preserving individual device autonomy and personalized preferences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple individual television viewing experiences into a unified communal viewing event. Users watch the same content simultaneously on different devices while engaging in real-time communication, merging isolated individual experiences into a social activity.
2Ease of operation
If users view television independently using different television sets, then viewing flexibility is improved, but synchronized communal viewing cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the server continuously monitors and coordinates the state of multiple television sets. This ensures that all users receive the same content at the same time, maintaining synchronization while allowing each user to operate their own device independently.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a system enables communal viewing across different households, then social experience is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as a central intermediary that handles the complexity of coordinating multiple users and devices. This centralization manages synchronization, content distribution, and communication protocols, shielding individual users from system complexity while enabling sophisticated communal viewing functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
System, method, and computer program product embodiments are described for viewing synchronized content. An embodiment operates by establishing a viewing party to view synchronized content. Then, viewing party characteristics associated with the viewing party are received. Then, a piece of content relevant to the one or more viewers of the viewing party is selected using the received viewing party characteristics. Then, the embodiments operates by synchronizing display of the selected piece of content at set-top boxes (STBs) of corresponding viewers in the viewing party, where control of the synchronously displayed piece of content is provided to one or more viewers within the viewing party.