Navitation within switched digital streamed content

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a method carried out in a digital television receiver device incapable of full two way communications, of receiving switched digital television programs involves storing a virtual channel table in the digital television receiver device, the virtual channel table having entries for each available channel and having a channel type indicator that identifies switched digital channels; receiving a command indicative of selection of a switched digital channel having the switched digital channel type indicator in the stored virtual channel table; sending a request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel; responsive to the request, receiving a response that either grants the request or denies the request; and if the response grants the request, receiving an updated virtual channel table having updated table entries. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain illustrative embodiments illustrating organization and method of operation, together with objects and advantages may be best understood by reference to the detailed description that follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a graph depicting viewership distribution for a cable television system.

FIG. 2 is illustrates a cable television network consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting operation of an exemplary process for channel selection at a user terminal in a manner consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary channel tuning process consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary head end or branch multiplexer operation in a manner consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a table defining an exemplary channel type code as used in a manner consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting the layout of FIG. 8 of the present application.

FIG. 8, which is made up of FIGS. 8A through 8E is a flow chart and signal flow diagram of certain embodiments consistent with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary digital cable receiver device consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary portion of CableCARD™ device 610 as used to implement an embodiment consistent with the present invention.

Claims

1. A method, carried out in a digital television receiver device, of receiving switched digital television programs without need for full interactive two way communication capabilities, comprising: storing a virtual channel table in the digital television receiver device, the virtual channel table having entries for each available channel and having a channel type indicator that identifies switched digital channels;receiving a command indicative of selection of a switched digital channel having the switched digital channel type indicator in the stored virtual channel table;sending a request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel;responsive to the request, receiving a response that either grants the request or denies the request; andif the response grants the request, receiving an updated virtual channel table having updated table entries.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising if the request is denied, displaying a message indicating that the requested channel is not available.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising if the request is granted tuning the requested channel based upon table entries in the updated virtual channel table.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the channel type indicator designates a channel as one of a switched digital channel, an unswitched digital channel or a video on demand channel.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the channel type indicator designates a channel as a four bit binary channel designator wherein one bit represents a navigation bit, one bit designates that tuning parameters are either defined or undefined, one bit designates that a channel is either a switched or unswitched digital channel and one bit designates whether the channel is either hidden or viewable on and electronic programming guide.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the command indicative of selection of a switched digital channel corresponds to a user selection from an electronic program guide.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel and supplying status of currently tuning to a switched digital channel is the only outbound communication sent from the television receiver device during any tuning operation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel comprises sending an SCTE-28 program_req( ).

9. A tangible computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out a process according to claim 1.

10. A method, carried out in a digital television receiver device, of receiving switched digital television programs without need for full interactive two way communication capabilities, comprising: storing a virtual channel table in the digital television receiver device, the virtual channel table having entries for each available channel and having a channel type indicator that identifies each channel as at least one of a switched digital channel, an unswitched digital channel;receiving a command indicative of selection of a switched digital channel having the switched digital channel type indicator in the stored virtual channel table,wherein the command indicative of selection of the switched digital channel corresponds to a user selection from an electronic program guide;wherein sending the request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel and sending a status of a currently tuned switched digital channel are the only outbound communications sent from the television receiver device during any tuning operationsending a request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel;responsive to the request, receiving a response that either grants the request or denies the request;if the response grants the request, receiving an updated virtual channel table having updated table entries, and tuning the requested channel based upon table entries in the updated virtual channel table;if the request is denied, displaying a message indicating that the requested channel is not available.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the channel type indicator designates a channel as a four bit binary channel designator wherein one bit represents a navigation bit, one bit designates that tuning parameters are either defined or undefined, one bit designates that a channel is either a switched or unswitched digital channel and one bit designates whether the channel is either hidden or viewable on and electronic programming guide.

12. A digital television receiver device that receives switched digital television programs without need for full interactive two way communication capabilities, comprising: a memory that stores a virtual channel table in the digital television receiver device, the virtual channel table having entries for each available channel and having a channel type indicator that identifies switched digital channels;a user interface that receives a command indicative of selection of a switched digital channel having the switched digital channel type indicator in the stored virtual channel table;a transmitter, responsive to the command, that sends a request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel;a receiver responsive to the request, receiving a response that either grants the request or denies the request; andif the response grants the request, the receiver receives an updated virtual channel table having updated table entries.

13. The device according to claim 12, further comprising if the request is denied, an on screen display generator displaying a message indicating that the requested channel is not available.

14. The device according to claim 12, further comprising if the request is granted the tuner tunes the requested channel based upon table entries in the updated virtual channel table.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein the channel type indicator designates a channel as one of a switched digital channel, an unswitched digital channel or a video on demand channel.

16. The device according to claim 12, wherein the channel type indicator designates a channel as a four bit binary channel designator wherein one bit represents a navigation bit, one bit designates that tuning parameters are either defined or undefined, one bit designates that a channel is either a switched or unswitched digital channel and one bit designates whether the channel is either hidden or viewable on and electronic programming guide.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the command indicative of selection of a switched digital channel corresponds to a user selection from an electronic program guide.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein sending the request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel comprises sending an SCTE-28 program_req( ).

19. A method of supplying digital television signals, comprising: broadcasting a virtual channel table to a plurality of digital television receiver devices, the virtual channel table having entries for each available channel and having a channel type indicator that identifies switched digital channels;receiving a request from one of the plurality of television receiver devices for a selected one of the switched digital channels, wherein the one of the plurality of television receiver devices is incapable of any transmission except a transmission requesting a switched digital channel and a transmission providing a status of tuning a switched digital channel;determining if the selected channel has been allocated;if the selected channel has been allocated, then granting the request and sending an updated virtual channel table having updated table entries to the television receiver device;if the selected channel has not been allocated, and if bandwidth is available for the selected channel, then allocating bandwidth for the selected channel and transmitting an updated virtual channel table having updated table entries to the television receiver device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising polling receivers to determine if allocated switched digital channels are being used, and if not releasing the allocated switched digital channel bandwidth.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising building a viewership database at least in part based upon the polling.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the channel type indicator designates a channel as one of a switched digital channel, an unswitched digital channel or a video on demand channel.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein sending the request from the television receiver device for the switched digital channel comprises sending an SCTE-28 program_req( ).

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the channel type indicator designates a channel as a four bit binary channel designator wherein one bit represents a navigation bit, one bit designates that tuning parameters are either defined or undefined, one bit designates that a channel is either a switched or unswitched digital channel and one bit designates whether the channel is either hidden or viewable on and electronic programming guide.