Patent Application
20080148319
In the business environment and in the personal environment, there is an increasing use of digital video recorders DVR's to record programming and watch the recorded programming at a time other than the time that it was originally broadcast (i.e., time-shifted broadcast). Moreover, it is quite common for people to not only watch previously recorded programming, but to prefer to use the additional time-shifting techniques of pausing and resuming the programming for personal convenience. This allows the viewer to pause programming when he/she wants to take a break, answer a telephone call, etc. without missing any of the programming.
While time-shifting technology is becoming more pervasive, web-based collaboration technology is also becoming more popular, allowing people watching common programming to discuss it online or to access information that enhances the experience of viewing the programming. Unfortunately for viewers, as these two technologies become more advanced, their applications diverge further apart. In effect, a viewer of a time-shifted broadcast must choose between forgoing collaboration technology available for the broadcast that is being time-shifted or risking disclosure of events later in the broadcast through the use of collaboration technology.
The invention provides a method and program product for coordinating web media with a time-shifted broadcast. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a user viewing a time-shifted broadcast makes a request for time coordinated web content. A web site acquires time perspective information for the time-shifted broadcast. The time perspective information may be acquired either directly from a DVR presenting a time-shifted broadcast (through a periodic broadcast of time perspective information by the DVR) or from a networked device making the request for web content. The web site provides time-coordinated web content (i.e., a web page corresponding to the time perspective for the time-shifted broadcast) to the networked device. The networked device then provides the time coordinated web content to a display for viewing.
The invention further provides program products for acquiring, using and providing time perspective information and for identifying and providing time coordinated web content. The program products are provided for use at a web site, at a networked device, or at a combination thereof
The features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing. Included in the drawing are the following figures:
The invention provides a method and a program product for coordinating web content with a time-shifted broadcast. Time perspective information for the time-shifted broadcast is acquired, and web content coordinated with the time perspective of the time-shifted broadcast is provided to the viewer of the time-shifted broadcast.
To facilitate this technology, a DVR is enabled to make available a timestamp during a time-shifted broadcast. Assuming the DVR is network enabled, the DVR may make the timestamp available directly to a web application server. This may be done through the DVR transmitting a periodic broadcast mechanism (such as UDP broadcast) or by the DVR responding to a request of time (such as an IP/HTTP request).
Alternatively, a networked device such as a computer may acquire the timestamp and provide it to the web application server. A protocol such as UPnP may be used to establish communication between the DVR and the computer or other networked device. A browser on the networked device makes a request for web content. The browser may append program identification (such as a TV show) and a timestamp (user's perspective of time) to the User-Agent header of a web page request. This may be done for example using a plugin. Since the HTTP header supports arbitrary extension as part of the standard, websites are free to respond to or ignore the additional information in the header.
Web sites supporting time-shifting behavior may acquire the timestamp from the DVR or the networked device and use the timestamp together with their auditing trail information (versioning, etc) to influence how the web page is rendered. Thus, the web site may render time-coordinated web content. That is, a web page may be provided having content coordinated with the time perspective of the time-shifted broadcast.
A web page request 150 is sent from a web browser 130 to a web application server 120. The web browser resides on a client networked device, such as a personal computer. The web page request 150 may be in any format recognizable by the web application server 120. In the exemplary embodiment, the web page request is for a web page having on-line collaboration content directed to a program that is being viewed in a time-shifted manner by a user making the request. The web page request also identifies the networked client device on which the request was made.
In this embodiment, the web application server 120 acquires the time perspective information 140 from the DVR 110 for the time-shifted broadcast being run on the DVR 110. The web application server 120 also receives the web page request 150 from a web browser 130 on a client networked device. In response to the web page request 150, the web application server 120 using its audit trail or versioning information identifies and provides time coordinated web content 160 that is time-shifted to correspond to the time perspective for the time-shifted broadcast. The time coordinated web content 160 may be, for example, an archived web page created prior to the latest timestamp received in the time reference information 140 from the DVR 110. Alternatively, the time coordinated web content 160 may be a current web page with content entered after the latest timestamp received in the time reference information 140 from the DVR 110 either hidden or deleted.
If the collaborative web content were provided in real-time, then it would not be coordinated with the time-shifted broadcast 211, thereby creating the risk of providing information that anticipates events not yet viewed in the time-shifted broadcast 211 and detracts from suspense and excitement generated by those events in their natural sequence. For example, in the case of a dramatic program, real time web content that includes interactive dialog about a surprising twist in the drama would detract from the intended effect for a viewer of a time-shifted broadcast of that program. Similarly, real time web content that included statistics for a sporting event, such as a shot tracker or on-line game analysis, would detract from the suspense for a viewer of a time-shifted broadcast 211 of that sporting event by disclosing the results of action that has not yet been viewed.
By way of illustration of the foregoing embodiment, following is a description of the embodiment in which a user is viewing a basketball game. As is currently very common, the user watching the basketball game is also following the progress of the game on the web. In this example, a shot tracker on a web sports site is used to watch where shots have been taken by certain players, and a detailed real time play-by-play analysis is used to better understand the nuances of the game. While this model makes sense when the broadcast of the game and the web content are both consumed in real time, time-shifting of the game broadcast would throw the web content out of sync with the game broadcast. The information received from the web would precede the action viewed on the time-shifted broadcast of the game.
In this example, the DVR being used to provide a time-shifted broadcast 211 broadcasts time perspective information 140 in the form of a timestamp. The timestamp indicates the viewer's perspective of time. Thus, if the game started at 6:00 PM and is being viewed at 10:00 PM using a DVR 110, the timestamp at the beginning of the game would be 6:00 PM.
The web application server 120 acquires the time perspective data 140 from the DVR 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the time perspective information further includes user or client identification for matching with a web page request. 150. The viewer uses a web browser 130 on a networked client device (in this case a personal computer) to request a sports site web page to view a shot tracker and play-by-play analysis. In the exemplary embodiment, the web page request 150 also comprises a user or client identification.
A web application server 120, which hosts the sports site, acquires the time perspective information 140 from the DVR 110 and receives the web page request 150 from the web browser 130. Using this information, the web application server 120 recognizes that the web page request 150 is associated with the time-shifted broadcast 211 and identifies a version of the requested web page that is time coordinated with the time-shifted broadcast. This may be accomplished, for example, by stepping back the version of the web page until it precedes the timestamp. The web application server 120 provides the time coordinated web content 160 (e.g., a prior version of the web page) to the networked client device 202 where it is displayed as a viewable time coordinated web content 212.
A web application server 420 hosting the web site containing the requested web content acquires the time perspective information from the web content request 450. Using the time perspective information, the web application server identifies a version of the requested web content preceding the timestamp or time perspective of the time-shifted broadcast (time coordinated web content). This time coordinated web content 460, which is time shifted to correspond temporally to the time-shifted broadcast, is provided to the networked device. The networked device then provides the time coordinated web content 460 in a viewable form to a user interface, such as a monitor or the like.
The web site receiving the request, acquires the time perspective information (step 320). As previously discussed the web site is free to use or ignore the additional information appended to the header. Assuming the web site is set up to capture this information, the web site now has the time perspective of the user making the web page request. The web site can compare the time perspective of the user to its audit or versioning information (step 625). If the web page requested is time coordinated with the users perspective of time (i.e., the web page contains no information entered subsequent to the timestamp or user's perspective of time), then the web site provides the web page to the requesting user (step 330). If the web page requested is not time coordinated with the users perspective of time (i.e., the web page contains information entered subsequent to the timestamp or user's perspective of time), then the web site uses auditing or versioning information to retrieve a prior version of the requested web page (step 640). If the web page requested is now time coordinated with the user's perspective of time, then the web page is provided to the requesting user (step 330). Alternatively, content that is subsequent to the time perspective of the user could be deleted or hidden by the web site or the networked device.
As described with respect to
Although illustrated and described above with reference to certain specific embodiments, the present invention is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention.
