The present disclosure generally relates to media boxes and related methods.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Numerous entertainment options, including but not limited to television, cable and Internet-based systems and devices, are currently available for providing a wide range of home entertainment capabilities. One such option, broadcast television, has undergone improvement through conversion to digital broadcasts. Digital television signals may be received, e.g., through cable systems and/or over the air.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of digital media boxes and related methods. In an exemplary embodiment, a digital media box generally includes a receiver configured to receive, via an antenna, signals including metadata and program content from a plurality of over-the-air broadcast channels. A top portion of the box includes an antenna mount integral thereto for receiving the antenna. The box also includes a controller configured to combine metadata received by the digital media box from a plurality of metadata sources, the combined metadata including but not limited to at least some of the metadata from the over-the-air broadcast channels. The controller provides a dynamic display, on a display device connectible with the digital media box, of at least some of the combined metadata to describe shows scheduled to be presented on the broadcast channels.
In another exemplary embodiment, a digital media box includes top and bottom portions, and an antenna supported on the top portion. A controller between the top and bottom portions is connected with the antenna. The controller is configured to receive, via the antenna, signals including metadata and program content from a plurality of over-the-air broadcast channels, and to play at least some of the metadata and program content in response to user input. The controller is further configured to combine at least some of the metadata from the received signals with metadata received from one or more additional metadata sources, and dynamically display, on a display device, at least some of the combined metadata to describe shows scheduled to be presented on one or more of the broadcast channels.
Also disclosed are methods of providing digital content. In an exemplary embodiment, a method of providing digital content generally includes a digital media box receiving signals including metadata and program content from a plurality of over-the-air broadcast channels. The receiving is performed through an over-the-air antenna mounted on and held by an upper surface of the digital media box. A controller of the box combines at least some of the metadata from the received signals with metadata received by the controller from one or more additional metadata sources. The controller provides, on a display device, a changing slideshow of at least some of the combined metadata to describe shows scheduled to be presented on one or more of the broadcast channels.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The inventors hereof have recognized that when people attempt to put together home entertainment systems, the results can be less than ideal when entertainment system devices cannot be conveniently positioned and connected with one another. For example, where digital TV is being incorporated into an entertainment system, it is not always easy to find an optimal place for installing an over-the-air antenna to receive broadcast signals. In many cases, an over-the-air (OTA) antenna would be best installed outside the home, or at least inside but close to a window, in order to provide decent reception of OTA broadcast signals. Accordingly, the inventors have developed and disclose herein exemplary embodiments of a digital media box, e.g., a digital video recorder/streaming box, having an antenna mount integral thereto for receiving an OTA antenna. In various embodiments, a digital media box and antenna mounted thereon can be connected, e.g., with a TV or other display device and can provide, e.g., over-the-air digital TV broadcast programming, Internet streaming, and digital video recording.
The inventors hereof have further recognized that before the introduction of digital television, a TV viewer typically discovered content by performing a random channel scan or so-called “channel flipping” in which the viewer rapidly changed the television channel to see what was currently being shown on various channels. The viewer typically settled on a show only after actually seeing at least a bit of that show. In contrast, many currently available programming guides for digital TV provide only show titles and air times. A user may be forced to consciously search for a show he/she is already familiar with, rather than naturally stumbling upon a show that “looks good.” The metadata that is freely available for digital over-the-air (OTA) television programming can be limited to the title of a series of shows and an overarching description of that series, leaving a television viewer scanning through free programming data with no other way of recognizing or evaluating an individual show that is currently scheduled.
Accordingly, the inventors have developed and disclose herein exemplary embodiments of a digital media box having an antenna mount integral thereto for receiving an antenna, where the digital media box is configured to receive signals including metadata and program content from a plurality of over-the-air broadcast channels, and where at least some of the received signals are received via the antenna. The digital media box also includes a controller configured to combine metadata received by the media box from a plurality of metadata sources. The combined metadata includes but is not limited to at least some of the metadata from the over-the-air broadcast channels. The controller is further configured to provide a dynamic display, on a display device connectible with the digital media box, of at least some of the combined metadata to describe program content scheduled to be provided on the broadcast channels. In some implementations, the controller describes the program content in a slideshow that transitions from show to show. Unless otherwise indicated, the term “metadata” is used herein to refer to various types of data descriptive of digital media programs, shows, and/or presentations. Additionally, unless otherwise indicated, the term “show” is used herein to refer to any digital content that might be described in a slideshow or other dynamic display of metadata as described herein. Thus, a “show” may be or include, e.g., a show, program, series, presentation, etc. It should be noted generally that aspects of the disclosure could be implemented in relation to various types of digital content, e.g., video and/or audio content.
With reference now to the figures,
In the present embodiment, the digital media box 28 is connectible with a display device 50, e.g., a digital TV. In other embodiments, a display device may include, e.g., a home computer, a tablet, etc. The display device 50 is operable through the media box 28, e.g., by a user using a remote control device 54. In the present embodiment, the digital media box 28 also has Internet streaming capabilities. The media box 28 thus includes a wireless adapter/transceiver/antenna 58 by which the media box 28 is connectible with the Internet 60. In the present example embodiment, a home wireless network 64 includes a router/access point 68 accessible by computing devices including, but not necessarily limited to, the media box 28, the user's home computer(s), tablet(s), smart phone(s), etc. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the display device 50 may be a “smart” TV capable, e.g., of connecting with the Internet 60, e.g., through the home network 64. In yet other embodiments, the media box 28 may provide its own network access point whereby it connects with the Internet 60, e.g., through cell towers and/or Internet Service Providers (ISPs). It will be appreciated by those knowledgeable in the art that many configurations of entertainment systems are possible and that such systems could include various types of entertainment system components, connections and/or capabilities. In some embodiments, various capabilities described herein with reference to the media box 28 could be provided in distributed fashion by the media box 28 and one or more additional devices, e.g., a smart TV, personal computer, etc.
One embodiment of a media box is indicated generally in
The top portion 134 of the media box 128 is shown in greater detail in
The bottom portion 136 of the media box 128 is shown in greater detail in
As previously mentioned, various embodiments include a media box that can provide a dynamic display of show metadata, e.g., a slide show that transitions from show to show. In one example embodiment, and referring to
In various embodiments, the controller 42 may execute a software program, e.g., a media player application including one or more scripts, to perform, e.g., periodically, some or all of the processes described and/or exemplified herein. The media application may be written, e.g., in C++ and scripts may be written, e.g., in Python, although other or additional programming languages could be used. One such media player application is XBMC Media Center, although other or additional applications and/or dedicated software and/or firmware could be used. It should be noted generally that other or additional software, firmware and/or hardware could be used to provide various capabilities in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. Software can take many forms, including but not limited to source, object, and/or executable code that can include and/or refer to a plurality of objects, modules, libraries, services, etc., and that can be stored, distributed, downloaded, combined and/or accessed in many different ways.
In one example implementation, processes may be performed to supplement and dynamically display program data, e.g., as indicated generally in
In process 412, the controller 42 obtains a list of available broadcast channels from the PSIP data. In process 414, the controller 42 obtains from the PSIP data, for each broadcast channel, a list of all shows and the EPG data for each of the shows. In process 416, the controller 42 narrows the list of shows to those scheduled for broadcast, e.g., in the next sixteen (16) hours to obtain a “to-download” list of shows, etc. The controller 42 goes through the “to-download” list show by show. For example, in process 420 the controller 42 processes the first show on the “to-download” list. If in process 422 it is determined that artwork and/or additional metadata for that show has previously been downloaded and cached, then in process 424 that show is removed from the “to-download” list. Otherwise, in process 426 the controller 42 downloads additional metadata, e.g., artwork and additional descriptive metadata from online metadata source(s), etc. In process 428, the additional metadata, if any, is validated, e.g., to make sure that a fan art image was downloaded for that show, etc. In process 430, that show is added to a list of shows for which metadata has been downloaded and cached, and in process 424 that show is removed from the “to-download” list. In process 432, it is determined whether any shows remain in the “to download” list. If so, control returns to process 420 to process the next show on the “to download” list.
When the “to download” list is empty, the list of cached shows is saved to disk in process 434 for use in executing a display thread. The controller 42 executes display threads at various times (e.g., every hour, etc.) to provide a changing display of program information, e.g., on the display device 50, etc. Referring again to
When a thread has been started in process 438, metadata for each show on the list of cached shows may be displayed in turn and for a predetermined time (e.g., for ten (10) seconds, etc.) in a slideshow. For example, in process 442 fan art imagery and other metadata for the first show on the list of cached shows is passed to the media player application. The media player application in process 444 displays the fan art imagery and other metadata for that show, e.g., as an overlay on a home screen displayed by the media player application on the display device 50, etc. An example screenshot of an overlay is shown in
In various implementations, an “Info” screen may also display an option selectable by the user and executable by the controller 42 to record the show, e.g., on just the current day and/or on a periodic (e.g., weekly) basis, etc. Referring again to
A slideshow may be displayed in various ways. For example, in some implementations, metadata for shows may be displayed in the order in which the metadata was collected and/or added to the “to download” list or the list of cached shows. Additionally or alternatively, metadata for shows may be selected for download in, and/or rearranged into, a desired order by one or more categories, for example, by preferred time slots (e.g., if prime time between 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm is preferred, etc.) by genre, by broadcaster, etc. In various embodiments, the controller 42 may provide a slideshow in a random sequence by shuffling the shows. In some embodiments, the controller 42 provides a user with an option to select and/or adjust the speed at which a slideshow transitions. Various embodiments may also provide a recommendation service, e.g., whereby a user can be alerted to upcoming shows previously selected by the user, and/or whereby the user can receive recommendations of new shows based, e.g., on previous user selections of shows, etc.
A slideshow provided in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure can transition from show to show, thereby providing for the user a mechanical emulation of “channel flipping.” A user thus can naturally stumble upon shows airing on TV not only at the current time, but also over the course of, e.g., the next sixteen hours, etc. Such a slideshow can render a home background screen more dynamic and attractive.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that may be achieved with one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are provided for purpose of illustration only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure, as exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may provide all or none of the above mentioned advantages and improvements and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Specific dimensions, specific materials, and/or specific shapes disclosed herein are example in nature and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values and particular ranges of values for given parameters are not exclusive of other values and ranges of values that may be useful in one or more of the examples disclosed herein. Moreover, it is envisioned that any two particular values for a specific parameter stated herein may define the endpoints of a range of values that may be suitable for the given parameter (i.e., the disclosure of a first value and a second value for a given parameter can be interpreted as disclosing that any value between the first and second values could also be employed for the given parameter). For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have value A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned that parameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z. Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges of values for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping or distinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value that might be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of 1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may have other ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, and 3-9.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements, intended or stated uses, or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/044,807 filed Sep. 2, 2014. This application also claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Design Application No. 29/489,120 filed Apr. 25, 2014. The entire disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62044807 | Sep 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 29489120 | Apr 2014 | US |
Child | 14573934 | US |