摘要:
An interactive cable television system utilizes a standard cable television distribution network for simultaneously providing a plurality of viewers with an interactive television program comprising a plurality of signals related in time and content. Video signals (1) are transmitted in a digital format, more than one signal being multiplexed onto a data stream on a single channel. The video signals (1) may be compressed for efficiency. A receiver (7), in conjunction with a signal selector (8), selects a particular NTSC channel for playback, then selects a particular video signal from the data stream, and decompresses the video signal for playback. Seamless switching between video signals on different channels is provided. In an alternative embodiment, the various signals which comprise the interactive program are switched at the head end (300) rather than at the receiver (7). The multiple choice control unit (9) selects a desired signal by relating the multiple choice selections of the user through a relay box (17) back to a remotely located switching station. The switching station routes the correct video signal down the appropriate cable channel for the particular user.
摘要:
A file specifying a "donut" of dynamic, hierarchical, shared user-profile information is maintained. The donut contains a user-profile, or acts as a key to a data repository containing such a user-profile, and the donut specifies user-profile information such as user characteristics, viewing preferences, hobbies, and spending habits. The donut may be stored in a network server or in a user's machine which is connectible to the network. The donut is accessed by browser programs, associated web server programs, and other applications for use in routing content to the user associated with the donut. The donut implements a dynamic store of user profile-data which may be exchanged between the user and the server. This enables, for example, advertising to be tailored to the user based on the users responses to specific questions and/or on the user profile.
摘要:
A distributed community network (200) provides services to an arbitrarily large community of end users (204, 206, 208) by distributing the load among many machines (210, 212, 214). The network uses hubs (220,222, 224) on the machines for routing packets. The hubs (220, 222, 224) obtain routing instructions from a router (256) and use those instructions for routing the packets. The packets include content for the machines based upon a particular network service, such as a chat service (218) permitting users to interact in chat rooms, or a push/pull service (228) for pushing content to the user machines either directly or based upon information received from the users.
摘要:
The present invention relates to an interactive digital system (1) enabling viewers full and active participation in experiencing a live broadcast event. Particularly, the presentation of the live event is personalized for the viewer through the provision of options, including multiple video streams, associated with different camera angles, for example, and integrated audio and graphic segments. Further, information obtained from related Web sites can be integrated into the live program.
摘要:
The present invention relates to an interactive digital system (1) enabling viewers full and active participation in experiencing a live broadcast event. Particularly, the presentation of the live event is personalized for the viewer through the provision of options, including multiple video streams, associated with different camera angles, for example, and integrated audio and graphic segments. Further, information obtained from related Web sites can be integrated into the live program.
摘要:
A method of programming an interactive scenario on a multitrack storage media (4) is disclosed. The interactive scenario includes a number of time-synchronized frames on separable data streams which are related in content to one another. The interactive scenario is played back on an apparatus (2) which includes means for selectively retrieving the data streams at a given time. A decision-making goal is defined for the interactive scenario. Once the goal has been defined, a set of rules is developed, preferably using knowledge derived from an expert, which lead to the defined goal. The rules relate hierarchically whereby the conclusions of at least some of the rules are premises for other rules. The rules also logically relate whereby the conclusion of a final rule or rules corresponds to the decision-making goal. If the rules require premises to be obtained, queries are generated to interactively ask for the premises.
摘要:
An interactive television system (10) for providing full motion synched compatible audio visual displays based on dynamic user selection (26) of a plurality of syllable synched compatible audio choices for a common full motion video frame presentation provided over a common television channel. Two or more audio channels are synched to a common video channel, with the video being compatible with all audio channels. The interactive programming is stored on video cassette (12), or other storage media and the audio channels are either multiplexed into the video line or the existing audio channels and are provided to a control module (14) which demultiplexes the signal (16) and ultimately combines the user selected audio signal with the video in an RF modulator (20) under computer control (18, 22, 24, 26) to provide the interactive display.
摘要:
A method and system for displaying updated, targeted, and/or alternately formatted advertisements to a consumer. The invention may use targeted ads in conjunction with consumer profile information to reach interested consumers. The invention may further detect stale advertisements and replace them with updated advertisements having timely information. The updated advertisements are displayed in place of the stale commercials. The invention may also display alternately formatted advertisements in place of speeded-up advertisements during a fast-forward operation on a personal video recorder. Reward-based content may also be provided, wherein the content is viewable only after one or more advertisements are viewed at normal playback speed. All of these functions are operable with a personal video recorder.
摘要:
A technique for optimizing the delivery of a multiplicity of advertisements and other programming (402) is providing by trading off full-motion video (404) for other forms of high quality still images, text, graphics and audio (406). By creating a group of synchronized digital programming components (408), for example, still-frame video, audio, graphics, text, animation, and media objects, which combined (416) utilize less bandwidth than a standard digital programming segment of full-motion video with CD quality audio, a greater number of differentiable programming content options can be made available in the digital transmission stream (418). Because of the greatly expanded amount of differentiable content that can be created using the bandwidth tradeoff techniques, greater precision in targeting particular content, such as advertisements, to particular users is possible. The invention also contemplates the system requirements, both hardware and software, for a digital programming transmission center and for user's receiver, necessary to implement the bandwidth tradeoff methodology.