Selective content distribution

HELECTRICITY H04Electric communication H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION

H04N21/00Selective content distribution

H04N21/20Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content H04N21/21Server components or server architectures H04N21/214Specialised server platform H04N21/2143located in a single building H04N21/2146located in mass transportation means H04N21/218Source of audio or video content H04N21/21805enabling multiple viewpoints H04N21/2181comprising remotely distributed storage units H04N21/21815comprising local storage units H04N21/2182involving memory arrays H04N21/21825involving removable storage units H04N21/2183Cache memory H04N21/2187Live feed H04N21/222Secondary servers H04N21/2221being a cable television head-end H04N21/2223being a public access point H04N21/2225local VOD servers H04N21/226Characteristics of the server or Internal components of the server H04N21/2265Server identification by a unique number or address H04N21/23Processing of content or additional data Elementary server operations Server middleware H04N21/231Content storage operation H04N21/23103using load balancing strategies H04N21/23106involving caching operations H04N21/23109by placing content in organized collections H04N21/23113involving housekeeping operations for stored content H04N21/23116involving data replication H04N21/2312Data placement on disk arrays H04N21/2315using interleaving H04N21/2318using striping H04N21/232Content retrieval operation locally within server H04N21/2323using file mapping H04N21/2326Scheduling disk or memory reading operations H04N21/233Processing of audio elementary streams H04N21/2335involving reformatting operations of audio signals H04N21/234Processing of video elementary streams H04N21/23406involving management of server-side video buffer H04N21/23412for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects H04N21/23418involving operations for analysing video streams H04N21/23424involving splicing one content stream with another content stream H04N21/2343involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements H04N21/234309by transcoding between formats or standards H04N21/234318by decomposing into objects H04N21/234327by decomposing into layers H04N21/234336by media transcoding H04N21/234345the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream H04N21/234354by altering signal-to-noise ratio parameters H04N21/234363by altering the spatial resolution H04N21/234372for performing aspect ratio conversion H04N21/234381by altering the temporal resolution H04N21/23439for generating different versions H04N21/2347involving video stream encryption H04N21/23473by pre-encrypting H04N21/23476by partially encrypting H04N21/235Processing of additional data H04N21/2351involving encryption of additional data H04N21/2353specifically adapted to content descriptors H04N21/2355involving reformatting operations of additional data H04N21/2356by altering the spatial resolution H04N21/2358for generating different versions H04N21/236Assembling of a multiplex stream H04N21/23602Multiplexing isochronously with the video sync H04N21/23605Creation or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES] H04N21/23608Remultiplexing multiplex streams H04N21/23611Insertion of stuffing data into a multiplex stream H04N21/23614Multiplexing of additional data and video streams H04N21/23617by inserting additional data into a data carousel H04N21/2362Generation or processing of Service Information [SI] H04N21/2365Multiplexing of several video streams H04N21/23655Statistical multiplexing H04N21/2368Multiplexing of audio and video streams H04N21/237Communication with additional data server H04N21/238Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network H04N21/23805Controlling the feeding rate to the network H04N21/2381Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network H04N21/2383Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream H04N21/2385Channel allocation Bandwidth allocation H04N21/2387Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user H04N21/2389Multiplex stream processing H04N21/23892involving embedding information at multiplex stream level H04N21/23895involving multiplex stream encryption H04N21/23897by partially encrypting H04N21/239Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network H04N21/2393involving handling client requests H04N21/2396characterized by admission policies H04N21/24Monitoring of processes or resources H04N21/2401Monitoring of the client buffer H04N21/2402Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network H04N21/2404Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure H04N21/2405Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server H04N21/2407Monitoring of transmitted content H04N21/2408Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network H04N21/241Operating System [OS] processes H04N21/242Synchronization processes H04N21/25Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices H04N21/251Learning process for intelligent management H04N21/252Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data H04N21/254Management at additional data server H04N21/2541Rights Management H04N21/2542for selling goods H04N21/2543Billing H04N21/25435involving characteristics of content or additional data H04N21/2547Third Party Billing H04N21/258Client or end-user data management H04N21/25808Management of client data H04N21/25816involving client authentication H04N21/25825involving client display capabilities H04N21/25833involving client hardware characteristics H04N21/25841involving the geographical location of the client H04N21/2585Generation of a revocation list H04N21/25858involving client software characteristics H04N21/25866Management of end-user data H04N21/25875involving end-user authentication H04N21/25883being end-user demographical data H04N21/25891being end-user preferences H04N21/262Content or additional data distribution scheduling H04N21/26208the scheduling operation being performed under constraints H04N21/26216involving the channel capacity H04N21/26225involving billing parameters H04N21/26233involving content or additional data duration or size H04N21/26241involving the time of distribution H04N21/2625for delaying content or additional data distribution H04N21/26258for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order H04N21/26266for determining content or additional data repetition rate H04N21/26275for distributing content or additional data in a staggered manner H04N21/26283for associating distribution time parameters to content H04N21/26291for providing content or additional data updates H04N21/266Channel or content management H04N21/26603for automatically generating descriptors from content H04N21/26606for generating or managing entitlement messages H04N21/26609using retrofitting techniques H04N21/26613for generating or managing keys in general H04N21/26616for merging a unicast channel into a multicast channel H04N21/2662Controlling the complexity of the video stream H04N21/2665Gathering content from different sources H04N21/2668Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group H04N21/27Server based end-user applications H04N21/274Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request H04N21/2743Video hosting of uploaded data from client H04N21/2747Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path H04N21/278Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content H04N21/41Structure of client Structure of client peripherals H04N21/4104using peripherals receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4108characterized by an identification number or address H04N21/4113PC H04N21/4117for generating hard copies of the content H04N21/4122additional display device H04N21/4126portable device H04N21/4131home appliance H04N21/4135external recorder H04N21/414Specialised client platforms H04N21/41407embedded in a portable device H04N21/41415involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home H04N21/41422located in transportation means H04N21/4143embedded in a Personal Computer [PC] H04N21/4147Personal Video Recorder [PVR] H04N21/418External card to be used in combination with the client device H04N21/4181for conditional access H04N21/4182for identification purposes H04N21/4183providing its own processing capabilities H04N21/4184providing storage capabilities H04N21/4185for payment H04N21/422using Input-only peripherals i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices H04N21/42201biosensors H04N21/42202environmental sensors H04N21/42203sound input device H04N21/42204User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor H04N21/42206characterized by hardware details H04N21/42207Interfaces providing bidirectional communication between remote control devices and client devices H04N21/42208Display device provided on the remote control H04N21/42209for displaying non-command information H04N21/4221Dedicated function buttons H04N21/42212Specific keyboard arrangements H04N21/42213for facilitating data entry H04N21/42214using alphanumerical characters H04N21/42215by measuring the time interval during which a key is pressed H04N21/42216for quick navigation H04N21/42218for mapping a matrix of displayed objects on the screen to the numerical key-matrix of the remote control H04N21/42219Remote control device emulator integrated in a peripheral device H04N21/4222Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus H04N21/42221Transmission circuitry H04N21/42222Additional components integrated in the remote control device H04N21/42224Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control H04N21/42225characterized by types of remote control H04N21/42226Reprogrammable remote control devices H04N21/42227the keys being reprogrammable H04N21/42228the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself H04N21/4223Cameras H04N21/4227Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device H04N21/426Characteristics of or Internal components of the client H04N21/42607for processing the incoming bitstream H04N21/42615involving specific demultiplexing arrangements H04N21/42623involving specific decryption arrangements H04N21/4263involving specific tuning arrangements H04N21/42638involving a hybrid front-end H04N21/42646for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium H04N21/42653for processing graphics H04N21/42661for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium H04N21/42669the medium being removable H04N21/42676for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information H04N21/42684Client identification by a unique number or address H04N21/42692for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium H04N21/43Processing of content or additional data H04N21/4302Content synchronization processes H04N21/4305Synchronizing client clock from received content stream H04N21/4307Synchronizing display of multiple content streams H04N21/431Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction Content or additional data rendering H04N21/4312involving specific graphical features H04N21/4314for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen H04N21/4316for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen H04N21/4318by altering the content in the rendering process H04N21/432Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium H04N21/4325by playing back content from the storage medium H04N21/433Content storage operation H04N21/4331Caching operations H04N21/4332by placing content in organized collections H04N21/4333Processing operations in response to a pause request H04N21/4334Recording operations H04N21/4335Housekeeping operations H04N21/434Disassembling of a multiplex stream H04N21/4341Demultiplexing of audio and video streams H04N21/4342Demultiplexing isochronously with video sync H04N21/4343Extraction or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES] H04N21/4344Remultiplexing of multiplex streams H04N21/4345Extraction or processing of SI H04N21/4346involving stuffing data H04N21/4347Demultiplexing of several video streams H04N21/4348Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams H04N21/4349by extracting from data carousels H04N21/435Processing of additional data H04N21/4351involving reassembling additional data H04N21/4353involving decryption of additional data H04N21/4355involving reformatting operations of additional data H04N21/4356by altering the spatial resolution H04N21/4358for generating different versions H04N21/436Interfacing a local distribution network H04N21/43607Interfacing a plurality of external cards H04N21/43615Interfacing a Home Network H04N21/43622Interfacing an external recording device H04N21/4363Adapting the video or multiplex stream to a specific local network H04N21/43632involving a wired protocol H04N21/43635HDMI H04N21/43637involving a wireless protocol H04N21/4367Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card H04N21/437Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network H04N21/438Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server H04N21/4381Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network H04N21/4382Demodulation or channel decoding H04N21/4383Accessing a communication channel H04N21/4384involving operations to reduce the access time H04N21/4385Multiplex stream processing H04N21/43853involving multiplex stream decryption H04N21/43856by partial decryption H04N21/439Processing of audio elementary streams H04N21/4392involving audio buffer management H04N21/4394involving operations for analysing the audio stream H04N21/4396by muting the audio signal H04N21/4398involving reformatting operations of audio signals H04N21/44Processing of video elementary streams H04N21/44004involving video buffer management H04N21/44008involving operations for analysing video streams H04N21/44012involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs H04N21/44016involving splicing one content stream with another content stream H04N21/4402involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display H04N21/440209for formatting on an optical medium H04N21/440218by transcoding between formats or standards H04N21/440227by decomposing into layers H04N21/440236by media transcoding H04N21/440245the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream H04N21/440254by altering signal-to-noise parameters H04N21/440263by altering the spatial resolution H04N21/440272for performing aspect ratio conversion H04N21/440281by altering the temporal resolution H04N21/44029for generating different versions H04N21/4405involving video stream decryption H04N21/44055by partially decrypting H04N21/4408involving video stream encryption H04N21/441Acquiring end-user identification H04N21/4415using biometric characteristics of the user H04N21/442Monitoring of processes or resources H04N21/44204Monitoring of content usage H04N21/44209Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server H04N21/44213Monitoring of end-user related data H04N21/44218Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user H04N21/44222Monitoring of user selections H04N21/44227Monitoring of local network H04N21/44231Monitoring of peripheral device or external card H04N21/44236Monitoring of piracy processes or activities H04N21/4424Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device H04N21/44245Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network H04N21/4425Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure H04N21/443OS processes H04N21/4431characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries H04N21/4432Powering on the client H04N21/4433Implementing client middleware H04N21/4435Memory management H04N21/4436Power management H04N21/4437Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] H04N21/4438Window management H04N21/45Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself H04N21/4508Management of client or end-user data H04N21/4516involving client characteristics H04N21/4524involving the geographical location of the client H04N21/4532involving end-user characteristics H04N21/454Content or additional data filtering H04N21/4542Blocking scenes or portions of the received content H04N21/4545Input to filtering algorithms H04N21/45452applied to an object-based stream H04N21/45455applied to a region of the image H04N21/45457applied to a time segment H04N21/458Scheduling content for creating a personalized stream H04N21/4583Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts H04N21/4586Content update operation triggered locally H04N21/462Content or additional data management H04N21/4621Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data H04N21/4622Retrieving content or additional data from different sources H04N21/4623Processing of entitlement messages H04N21/4627Rights management associated to the content H04N21/466Learning process for intelligent management H04N21/4661Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client H04N21/4662characterized by learning algorithms H04N21/4663involving probabilistic networks H04N21/4665involving classification methods H04N21/4666using neural networks H04N21/4667Processing of monitored end-user data H04N21/4668for recommending content H04N21/47End-user applications H04N21/472End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services End-user interface for interacting with content H04N21/47202for requesting content on demand H04N21/47205for manipulating displayed content H04N21/47208for requesting near-video-on-demand content H04N21/47211for requesting pay-per-view content H04N21/47214for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification H04N21/47217for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content H04N21/4722for requesting additional data associated with the content H04N21/4725using interactive regions of the image H04N21/4728for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI] H04N21/475End-user interface for inputting end-user data H04N21/4751for defining user accounts H04N21/4753for user identification H04N21/4755for defining user preferences H04N21/4756for rating content H04N21/4758for providing answers H04N21/478Supplemental services H04N21/47805Electronic banking H04N21/4781Games H04N21/47815Electronic shopping H04N21/4782Web browsing H04N21/4784receiving rewards H04N21/4786e-mailing H04N21/4788communicating with other users H04N21/482End-user interface for program selection H04N21/4821using a grid H04N21/4823using a channel name H04N21/4825using a list of items to be played back in a given order H04N21/4826using recommendation lists H04N21/4828for searching program descriptors H04N21/485End-user interface for client configuration H04N21/4852for modifying audio parameters H04N21/4854for modifying image parameters H04N21/4856for language selection H04N21/4858for modifying screen layout parameters H04N21/488Data services H04N21/4882for displaying messages H04N21/4884for displaying subtitles H04N21/4886for displaying a ticker H04N21/4888for displaying teletext characters H04N21/60using Network structure or processes specifically adapted for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients Control signaling specific to video distribution between clients, server and network components H04N21/61Network physical structure Signal processing H04N21/6106specially adapted to the downstream path of the transmission network H04N21/6112involving terrestrial transmission H04N21/6118involving cable transmission H04N21/6125involving transmission via Internet H04N21/6131involving transmission via a mobile phone network H04N21/6137involving transmission via a telephone network H04N21/6143involving transmission via a satellite H04N21/615Signal processing at physical level H04N21/6156specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network H04N21/6162involving terrestrial transmission H04N21/6168involving cable transmission H04N21/6175involving transmission via Internet H04N21/6181involving transmission via a mobile phone network H04N21/6187involving transmission via a telephone network H04N21/6193involving transmission via a satellite H04N21/63Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients H04N21/631Multimode Transmission H04N21/632using a connection between clients on a wide area network H04N21/633Control signals issued by server directed to the network components or client H04N21/6332directed to client H04N21/6334for authorization H04N21/63345by transmitting keys H04N21/6336directed to decoder H04N21/6338directed to network H04N21/637Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components H04N21/6371directed to network H04N21/6373for rate control H04N21/6375for requesting retransmission H04N21/6377directed to server H04N21/63775for uploading keys H04N21/6379directed to encoder H04N21/64Addressing H04N21/6402Address allocation for clients H04N21/6405Multicasting H04N21/6408Unicasting H04N21/643using dedicated Communication protocols H04N21/64307ATM H04N21/64315DVB-H H04N21/64322IP H04N21/6433Digital Storage Media - Command and Control Protocol [DSM-CC] H04N21/6437Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP] H04N21/647Control signaling between network components and server or clients Network processes for video distribution between server and clients H04N21/64707for transferring content from a first network to a second network H04N21/64715Protecting content from unauthorized alteration within the network H04N21/64723Monitoring of network processes or resources H04N21/6473Monitoring network processes errors H04N21/64738Monitoring network characteristics H04N21/64746Control signals issued by the network directed to the server or the client H04N21/64753directed to the client H04N21/64761directed to the server H04N21/64769for rate control H04N21/64776for requesting retransmission H04N21/64784Data processing by the network H04N21/64792Controlling the complexity of the content stream H04N21/65transmission of management data between client and server H04N21/654transmission by server directed to the client H04N21/6543for forcing some client operations H04N21/6547comprising parameters H04N21/658transmission by the client directed to the server H04N21/6581Reference data H04N21/6582Data stored in the client H04N21/6583Acknowledgement H04N21/6587Control parameters H04N21/80Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process Content per se H04N21/81Monomedia components thereof H04N21/8106involving special audio data H04N21/8113comprising music H04N21/812involving advertisement data H04N21/8126involving additional data H04N21/8133specifically related to the content H04N21/814comprising emergency warnings H04N21/8146involving graphical data H04N21/8153comprising still images H04N21/816involving special video data H04N21/8166involving executable data H04N21/8173End-user applications H04N21/818OS software H04N21/8186specially adapted to be executed by a peripheral of the client device H04N21/8193dedicated tools H04N21/83Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content Content structuring H04N21/835Generation of protective data H04N21/8352involving content or source identification data H04N21/8355involving usage data H04N21/83555using a structured language for describing usage rules of the content H04N21/8358involving watermark H04N21/84Generation or processing of descriptive data H04N21/8402involving a version number H04N21/8405represented by keywords H04N21/845Structuring of content H04N21/8451using Advanced Video Coding [AVC] H04N21/8453by locking or enabling a set of features H04N21/8455involving pointers to the content H04N21/8456by decomposing the content in the time domain H04N21/8458involving uncompressed content H04N21/85Assembly of content Generation of multimedia applications H04N21/854Content Authoring H04N21/85403by describing the content as an MPEG-21 Digital Item H04N21/85406involving a specific file format H04N21/8541involving branching H04N21/8543using a description language H04N21/8545for generating interactive applications H04N21/8547involving timestamps for synchronizing content H04N21/8549Creating video summaries H04N21/858Linking data to content H04N21/8583by creating hot-spots H04N21/8586by using a URL