Interactive media guidance applications, such as interactive television program guides, are well known in the art. One known guidance feature is a channel scan. Channel scan features generally allow users to initiate a tuning sequence that proceeds from channel to channel without requiring the user to repetitively issue channel change commands. During a channel scan, a guidance application pauses on each channel for a period of time to allow the user to see what is on. Some scans do not tune sequentially, and instead allow users to scan programs that are, for example, only of a certain category.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, systems and methods are provided for enhanced scanning functionality in an interactive media guidance application, such as an interactive television program guide. Various embodiments of the present invention provide scanning features for scheduled television programs provided on analog or digital television channels. Embodiments of the present invention may also provide scanning features for non-scheduled video assets provided in other ways, such as video-on-demand (VOD) assets provided in a television system, Internet-delivered videos, or stored content. For simplicity, the different sources of these assets may be referred to as “channels” herein.
In some embodiments, the assets that are included in the scan are included because they meet certain conditions. For example, the scan may include only favorite assets or sources that were designated as favorites by the user. Or, as another example, the scan may include only assets that the interactive media guidance application determines to be potentially desirable to the user based on monitored user behavior. The interactive media guidance application may include a video asset in the scan based on whether other application features have been set for the asset, such as whether the user has purchased the asset, or whether the user has set a reminder for the asset. The interactive media guidance application may skip sources of video assets during a scan when, for example, the assets are temporarily unavailable such as when a television program goes to commercial.
Some embodiments of the present invention provide for an intelligent ordering of assets in the scan based on the availability of video assets. Assets that will become unavailable sooner (e.g., because they are going off the air, or because they will no longer be offered by the content provider), are put at the front of the scan. The interactive media guidance application may, in some approaches, include indicators of the next available asset from a source.
Some embodiments of the present invention include a scan wizard having a video window, an information panel, a scan criteria panel and a scan control panel. The user may select or adjust criteria for the scan, and dynamically control the scan, while the scan is in progress.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the interactive media guidance application may simultaneously perform and display multiple scans. In embodiments having multiple tuners or other source selectors, the interactive media guidance application may present video assets from multiple sources at once in multiple video windows. In embodiments having a single source selector, the interactive media guidance application may simultaneously display multiple programs by displaying still frame images of programs provided by sources that are not activated (e.g., channels that are not tuned to). Alternatively, the interactive media guidance application may simultaneously display multiple programs using a single tuner by tuning to a frequency that is encoded with a digital bitstream representing multiple services (e.g., an MPEG-2 multiple-service transport stream) and displaying two or more of the programs carried on that frequency.
In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may allow a user to record a program that is currently displayed in a scan without interrupting the scan. The interactive media guidance application may also allow the user to perform trick-play functions on a program that is displayed in a scan (e.g., a program that has been recorded, is in the process of being recorded, or is available on-demand).
The above and other features of the present invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Although the embodiments described below may refer to scanning channels in broadcast digital or analog television systems, it is to be clearly understood that the systems and methods of the invention may be used with any suitable video or audio content (e.g., on-demand or recorded content) in any suitable media system (e.g., satellite, on-demand, and IPTV system).
As also used herein, the term “tune” or “tuning” refers to the steps of acquiring and displaying a specific content stream or selection accessible by the user equipment. For traditional analog television systems, tuning may include acquiring or locking onto a particular channel carrier frequency. For digital television systems, tuning may include demodulating the digital carrier frequency, forward-error correction (FEC) decoding the demodulated transport stream (TS), demultiplexing the transport stream and filtering and separating out particular packet identifiers (PIDs). For IPTV, tuning may include opening a socket and joining a particular multicast group. For recorded content, tuning includes locating content on a storage device (e.g., by reading a file access table (FAT) for information stored on the storage device).
As used herein, content or channel “scanning” refers to automatically tuning through a series of content selections or channels (e.g., an automatic progression up, down, or in a random, a dynamically, or a statically determined sequence through a number of channels).
Media source 120 may be any suitable media source such as, for example, a cable system headend, satellite media distribution facility, media broadcast facility, internet protocol television (IPTV) headend, on-demand server (e.g., VOD server), website, game service provider (e.g., for online gaming), or any other suitable facility or system for originating or distributing media. Media source 120 may be configured to transmit signals over any suitable communications path 122 including, for example, a radio-frequency broadcast path, a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, an Internet path, or any other suitable wired or wireless path. The signals may carry any suitable media such as, for example, television programs, games, music, news, web services, video, or any other suitable media. In some embodiments, media source 120 may include control circuitry for executing the instructions of an interactive media guidance application such as, for example an online interactive media guidance application which includes a scan feature.
User equipment 110 may include any equipment suitable for providing an interactive media experience. User equipment 110 may include television equipment such as a television, set-top box, recording device, video player, user input device (e.g., remote control, keyboard, mouse, touch pad, touch screen or voice recognition interface), or any other device suitable for providing an interactive media experience. For example, user equipment 110 may include a DCT 2000, 2500, 5100, 6208 or 6412 set-top box provided by Motorola, Inc. In some embodiments, user equipment 110 may include computer equipment, such as a personal computer with a television card (PCTV). In some embodiments, user equipment 110 may include a fixed electronic device such as, for example, a gaming system (e.g., X-Box, PlayStation, or GameCube) or a portable electronic device, such as a portable DVD player, a portable gaming device, a cellular telephone, a PDA, a music player (e.g., MP3 player), or any other suitable fixed or portable device.
In the example of
Display device 112 may be any suitable device such as, for example, a television monitor, a computer monitor, or a display incorporated in user equipment 110 (e.g., a cellular telephone or portable music player display). Display device 112 displays the media transmitted by media source 120 over path 122, and the displays of the interactive media guidance application. Display device 112 may also be configured to provide for the output of audio.
Recording device 118 may include a hard drive (e.g., one or more ATA, SCSI, IDE, or IEEE 1394 drives), digital video recorder (DVR), personal video recorder (PVR), or any other device capable of storing media content. Control circuitry 116 may access stored content (e.g., programs and movies) on recording device 118 and cause the content to be presented on display device 112 at any suitable time. Recording device 116 may include one or more tuners. In some embodiments, recording device 118 may be omitted.
Control circuitry 116 is adapted to receive user inputs from input device 114 and execute the instructions of the interactive media guidance application. Control circuitry 116 may include one or more tuners 130 and 132 (e.g., analog or digital tuners), encoders and decoders (e.g., MPEG decoders), processors (e.g., MIPS family processors), memory 117 (e.g., RAM and hard disks), communications circuitry (e.g., cable modem circuitry), input/output circuitry (e.g., graphics circuitry), connections to the various devices of user equipment 110, and any other suitable component for providing analog or digital media programming, program recording, and interactive media guidance features. In some embodiments, control circuitry 116 may be included as part of one of the devices of user equipment 110 such as, for example, part of display 112 or any other device (e.g., a set-top box, television and video player).
Tuners 130 and 132 may include one or more analog or digital tuners, network sockets (for IPTV systems), MPEG encoders/decoders, or other suitable audio/video circuitry. Tuners 130 and 132 may also include decoding/encoding circuitry for converting over-the-air or cable analog signals to MPEG signals for storage or for decoding digital audio and video signals. The tuning and encoding/decoding circuitry may be used by user equipment 110 to receive and display, play, or record a particular television, music, or on-demand channel or any other desired audio and video content (e.g., video requested from network-based or local digital video recorders).
Control circuitry 116 may direct tuners to tune, acquire, and decode any suitable content accessible by user equipment 110. For example, user equipment 110 may include tuner 130, a first analog tuner used to acquire analog television signals, and tuner 132, a second digital tuner used to acquire and decode digital television signals. Control circuitry 110 may store or buffer one or more frames of video from tuners 130 and 132 to memory 117 at any suitable time. In addition, memory 117 may include one or more pre-stored buffers (e.g., circular buffers) of low-resolution audio or video, graphics, advertising, or any other suitable content. Control circuitry 110 may cause the stored frames, pre-stored buffer, audio, or video to be displayed or presented on display device 112 at any suitable time (e.g., after some user input from user input device 114).
In some embodiments, user equipment 110 may also include graphics circuitry (e.g., incorporated within control circuitry 116). The graphics circuitry may include video and/or audio transcoding circuitry, one or more graphics processors, memory, and various display outputs (e.g., S-Video and composite video outputs). The graphics circuitry may also include video compression and scaling codecs or circuitry to scale the input from tuners 130 and 132 (or from some other device, such as recording device 118) to a resolution or size other than the input's native resolution or size. For example, using the graphics circuitry, the input to tuners 130 and 132 may be displayed at a smaller size on display device 112 than their native size in order for program listings information to be presented with the tuner content on the same display screen. As another example, the graphics circuitry may present full-motion or still frame thumbnail windows corresponding to one or more tuner inputs on the same display screen. The graphics circuitry may scale one video input at a time or scale more than one video input simultaneously. For example, the inputs of both of the tuners may be scaled simultaneously so that these inputs may be displayed together on the same display screen in real-time (perhaps with program listings information, content suggestions, or other suitable information).
In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may provide features to the user with a client/server approach. There may be one server for each instance of user equipment 110, one for multiple instances of user equipment 110, or a single server may serve as a proxy for each instance of user equipment 110.
Any suitable number of users may have equipment, such as user equipment 110, connected to media source 120 and data sources 124. But for the clarity of the figure, the equipment of only a single user is shown. The equipment of the plurality of users may be connected to media source 120 and data source 124 using a cable television network, a satellite television network, a local area network (LAN), a wireless network, the Internet, or any other suitable means. In some embodiments, the equipment of the plurality of users may be connected to each other using any suitable means.
User equipment 110 may receive interactive media guidance application data from one or more data sources 124. Data sources 124 may provide data for a particular type of media or for a particular application. For example, one data source 124 may provide data for non-on-demand media (e.g., non-pay and pay-per-view programs), and another may provide data for on-demand media (e.g., VOD programs). Or, for example, a single data source may provide both of these types of data. For example, one data source 124 may provide data for an interactive television program guide. Another data source 124 may, for example, provide data for another interactive application (e.g., a home shopping application). In some embodiments, data sources 124 may provide data to the interactive media guidance application using a client/server approach. There may be one server per data source, one for all sources or, in some embodiments, a single server may communicate as a proxy between user equipment 110 and various data sources 124. In some embodiments, data sources 124 may provide data as an online interactive media guidance application. In such embodiments, data source 124 may include control circuitry for executing the instructions of the online media guidance application.
The user may find it desirable to automatically scan through a plurality of channels to select which programs to watch, record, or set as favorites. For a scan to be effective, however, it is desirable to display only programs (e.g., not including commercials) that are related to the user's interests. In addition, it is desirable to modify the scan as the user provides scanning instructions to make the scanning experience as efficient and fruitful as possible for the user. Illustrative process 200 (
In some embodiments, instead of determining the scan sequence for all of the programs identified at step 206 prior to starting the scan, the interactive media guidance application may select the next program to display in the scan while the current program is displayed. For example, the interactive media guidance application may start a scan, display a first selected program, determine which program to display next and, after the scan length for the displayed program has lapsed, display the next program. The interactive media guidance application may repeat this process as long as the user does not terminate the scan. This process for setting the scan sequence may be used in any of the embodiments of the invention described above or below.
Once the programs have been selected, and the scan sequence has been set, process 200 moves to step 210 and automatically displays the selected programs in the order defined by the scan sequence. Each program is displayed, for example in a display window, for a set time period (e.g., 5 seconds). When the time period lapses, the interactive media guidance application directs a tuner to tune from the channel of the displayed program to the channel of the next program to be displayed in the scan sequence. The interactive media guidance application then directs display device 112 to display the program transmitted on the newly tuned channel.
At step 212, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the next program in the scan sequence is available. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the next program in the scan sequence is at a commercial. If the next program in the scan sequence is a recorded asset, it may have a “play from this point” marker that presently points to the beginning of a commercial. In this case, the marker may be advanced to beyond the commercial before the scan of that program starts. The interactive media guidance application may detect a commercial based on the absence of the FCC mandated “broadcast flag” during a protected program or other means as would be understood to one skilled in the art. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the next program in the scan sequence is at a commercial, process 200 moves to step 214. At step 214, the interactive media guidance application skips the program that is at a commercial break. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may identify commercials from recorded or on-demand programs, and skip the programs in the scan or advance past the commercials in them prior to displaying the programs. For example, if the interactive media guidance application determines, as it directs a tuner to tune, or prior to directing a tuner to tune, to the channel of the next program, that the broadcast flag is absent, the interactive media guidance application modifies the scan sequence for the current cycle and removes the next program from the sequence. If, at the next cycle, the program is no longer unavailable (e.g., at a commercial break), the interactive media guidance application may re-insert the program in the scan sequence and direct display device 112 to display the program at the appropriate time in the sequence. Process 200 then moves to step 216. Alternatively, after skipping the next program at step 214, process 200 may instead move back to step 212 to determine whether the next program in the scan is available.
If, at step 212, the interactive media guidance application instead determined that the next program in the scan sequence is not at a commercial, process 200 moves to step 216. At step 216, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the next program is within the last minutes of the program. For example, the interactive media guidance application identifies the end time of the program based on the program data provided by data source 124 and compares the end time to the current time. If the interactive media guidance application determined that the next program is within the last minutes, process 200 moves to step 220. At step 220, the interactive media guidance application adds jacket art or other preview material for the program following on the same channel as the next program to the scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application may display information provided by data source 124 in a screen following the display of the next program in the scan. In some embodiments, the preview material may replace the program that is ending in the scan sequence. The information may include jacket art, program description, video clips, audio clips, webpage hyperlinks, or any other suitable information related to the program that follows on the same channel.
If, at step 216, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the next program is not within the last minutes of the program, process 200 moves to step 222 (
While monitoring for user input, the application checks for scan timeout at step 223. Scan timeout occurs when the currently displayed program has been displayed for a pre-determined period of time and it is time to scan to the next program in the scan sequence. If scan timeout does not occur, the application returns to step 222 to check for user input. If scan timeout does occur, process 200 may return to step 212 (
If, at step 222, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has provided a “scan” instruction, process 200 moves to step 224. At step 224, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction was to hold. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “hold” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “hold” instruction, process 200 moves to step 226. At step 226, the interactive media guidance application holds the scan and displays the current program beyond the set scan length (e.g., 5 seconds). At step 228, the interactive media guidance application determines from the hold that the user is interested in the program, and automatically increases the scan length for the program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may increase the scan length to a maximum length (e.g., 15 seconds) before moving on. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may increase the scan length proportionally with the length of the hold (e.g., a 30 second hold in a 30 minute program corresponds to a 5 second increase in the scan length). In some embodiments, the scan length may be increased indeterminately, holding on the program until the user indicates that the scan should be resumed.
At step 230, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user has provided an instruction to return to the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “return” instruction. For example, releasing the “hold” key could be interpreted as a return to scan function. As another example, the user may press a “hold” key to hold the scan, and press the “hold” key a second time to release the hold (or return to the scan). In some embodiments, if a hold exceeds some threshold (e.g., 30 seconds) the scan application automatically exits the scan mode or prompts the user for an instruction to exit the scan mode. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user has not provided an instruction to return to the scan, process 200 returns to step 230 and continues to monitor for user instructions.
If, at step 230, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has provided an instruction to return to the scan, or if the increased scan hold time is reached, process 200 moves to step 232 and returns to the scan. Process 200 then moves back to step 210.
If, at step 224, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user instruction is not to hold, process 200 moves to step 234. At step 234, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user instruction is to skip forward. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “skip forward” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “skip forward” instruction, process 200 moves to step 236. At step 234, the interactive media guidance application skips to the next program in the scan sequence, and displays the next program for the user.
At step 238, the interactive media guidance application removes the skipped program from the scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application may modify the scan sequence to delete the skipped program. Alternatively, the interactive media guidance application may modify the scan length for the skipped program (e.g., decrease the scan length from 5 seconds to 2 seconds). In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may decrease the scan length proportionally with the time the program was displayed (e.g., the user hit “skip forward” after 3 seconds of display, the new scan length is set to 3 seconds). In some embodiments, a skipped program may not be removed from the scan sequence and its scan length may not be modified. At step 240, the interactive media guidance application returns to the scan. Process 200 then moves back to step 210.
If, at step 234, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user instruction is not to skip forward, process 200 moves to step 242. At step 242, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user instruction is to skip backward. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “skip backward” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “skip backward” instruction, process 200 moves to step 244. At step 244, the interactive media guidance application scans back to the previous program in the scan sequence, and displays the previous program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify the previous program of the scan sequence, direct a tuner to tune to the channel of the program, and direct display device 112 to display the program. At step 246, the interactive media guidance application optionally increases the scan length for the displayed program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may increase the scan length by a given amount (e.g., increase the scan length from 5 seconds to 10 seconds). At step 248, the interactive media guidance application returns to the scan. Process 200 then moves back to step 210.
If, at step 242, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user instruction is not to skip backward, process 200 moves to step 250. At step 250, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user instruction is to end the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “end scan” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the instruction is not an “end scan” instruction, process 200 moves back to step 222 and continues to monitor for user instructions.
If, at step 250, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user instruction is to end the scan, process 200 moves to step 252. At step 252, the interactive media guidance application ends the scan. Process 200 then ends at step 254.
The steps of process 200 may be executed in any suitable alternate order. For example, user commands may be checked in any suitable order, a multiple exit case statement may be executed, a key interrupt may be handled and invoke a subroutine, or whatever appropriate implementation may be used as would be obvious to one skilled in the art. Steps of this process may also be omitted. For example, one of the user commands may not be supported in some embodiments. In some embodiments, steps may be added to this process. For example, additional types of user commands may be supported. This may include, for example, commands to provide information about the currently displayed program, to change display modes, to configure settings, to mark a program, or any other suitable action.
The user may select which programs to scan using any suitable method. For example, the user may set a criteria and a proximity threshold for the criteria that limits the number of programs related to the criteria that are displayed as part of the scan. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may automatically select criteria and a proximity threshold based on learned user behavior. Process 400, shown in
Process 400 begins at step 402. At step 404, the interactive media guidance application receives a user selection of criteria for scanning. For example, the interactive media guidance application may receive a key or key sequence entered by the user on user input device 114 (
At step 406, the interactive media guidance application receives a user selection of a proximity threshold for the programs. For example, the interactive media guidance application may receive a key or key sequence entered by the user with user input device 114, or a selection of an on-screen option, that corresponds to a particular proximity threshold. The proximity threshold may be expressed in any suitable manner including, for example a cap on the number of programs (e.g., 10 programs), a percentage measurement of proximity (e.g., 75% similar), or any other suitable manner. In some embodiments, the threshold may be selected automatically by the application, for example, to avoid a scan sequence containing too few or no programs. In some embodiments, there may be no threshold, and all programs matching the selected criteria may be included in the scan.
At step 408, the interactive media guidance application identifies all of the programs that are related to the criteria selected at step 404. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine, based on program data provided by data source 124 (
At step 410, the interactive media guidance application selects an identified program. In some embodiments, the program may be selected based on a sort order that may be predetermined or may be selected by the user. At step 412, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the selected program satisfies the proximity threshold. For example, the interactive media guidance application determines, based on the program data for the program, whether the similarity between the selected program and the selected criteria is within a given percentage (e.g., at least 80% similar). If the interactive media guidance application determines that the selected program satisfies the proximity threshold, process 400 moves to step 414. At step 414, the interactive media guidance application adds the selected program to a scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application adds a reference for the program to the scan sequence. Process 400 then moves to step 418.
If, at step 412, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the selected program does not satisfy the proximity threshold, process 400 moves to step 416. At step 416, the interactive media guidance application disregards the program, and moves to step 418.
At step 418, the interactive media guidance application determines whether it has selected every program identified at step 408. For example, the interactive media guidance application determines whether it has compared the program data for every program to the criteria and to the proximity threshold. If the interactive media guidance application determines that at least one program has not been selected, process 400 returns to step 410 and selects a program that had not yet been selected.
If, at step 418, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that every identified program has been selected, process 400 moves to step 420, which corresponds to step 210 of
In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may add programs that are not related to a criteria identified for the scan, but that include other features. For example, the interactive media guidance application may also include programs for which the user has set a reminder, and programs that the user has purchased (e.g., VOD programs to which the user loses access after 24 hours), or programs that the system operator feels are of key interest or which the system operator has been provided additional advertisement revenue to promote. In addition, the interactive media guidance application may set the scan sequence based on whether a program is about to finish. For example, it may be desirable to avoid displaying a show to a user that is about to end as it is unlikely the user will want to watch the program if there is not much left to the program. In some embodiments, therefore, the scan criteria can be set by the user to include only those shows in the scan that are within 10 minutes of their start or within some time from the start that is some proportion (e.g., 10%) of the overall length of the program. In other embodiments, suppressing the scan of programs that are near the end may be desirable to avoid letting the user see the end of particular types of shows (e.g., detective/mystery shows) to avoid spoiling the show for future viewing. The following flow chart illustrates a process for providing these features.
At step 506, the interactive media guidance application identifies all of the programs that are related to the criteria selected at step 504. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine, based on program data provided by data source 124 (
At step 508, the interactive media guidance application identifies purchased programs and programs for which the user has set a reminder and other programs otherwise specifically identified by the user as being of interest. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify, from interactive media guidance application data and past interactive media guidance application instructions stored in memory 117 (
At step 510, the interactive media guidance application selects an identified program. The program may be selected from the set of identified programs based on a sort order that may be predetermined or may have been selected by the user. At step 512, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the selected program is about to finish. For example, the interactive media guidance application determines, based on the program data for the program that is provided by data source 124, whether the scheduled end time for the program is near (e.g., within 5 minutes). In some embodiments, this test may be conditioned based on the type of program. For example, the application may test dramas to determine if they are near the end, and may not test news programs. In some embodiments, the number of minutes considered to be near the end may be different based on the type of program. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the selected program is near, process 500 moves to step 514. At step 514, the interactive media guidance application marks the program for future reference. For example, the interactive media guidance application adds an entry in memory 117 for the program. Process 500 then moves to step 516.
If, at step 512, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the end of the selected program is not near, process 500 moves to step 516. At step 516, the interactive media guidance application determines whether it has selected every program identified at steps 506 and 508. For example, the interactive media guidance application determines whether it has determined, for every program, whether the end of the program is near. If the interactive media guidance application determines that at least one program has not been selected, process 500 returns to step 510 and selects a program that had not yet been selected.
If, at step 516, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that every identified program has been selected, process 500 moves to step 518. At step 518, the interactive media guidance application sets the scan sequence for the identified programs such that the programs that were marked (e.g., programs that will end soon) are at the beginning or the end of the scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application may display programs that are about to end early in the scan to quickly present to the user those relevant programs that may end soon, so that the user does not spend time scanning to other programs and miss the end of a program. This approach may be particularly desirable for programs that do not depend on what was missed (e.g., comedy shows like “Saturday Night Live”). As another example, the interactive media guidance application may display programs that are about to end at the end of the scan so that the user does not waste time scanning through programs that are about to end. This approach may be particularly desirable for programs that depend on the beginning of the program (e.g., murder mystery programs like “CSI: Miami”). In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may provide some programs that are about to end at the beginning of the scan, and other programs that are about to end at the end of the scan (e.g., depending on the type of program). In some embodiments, some or all of the programs that are about to end may be removed completely form the scan sequence. Process 500 then moves to step 520, which corresponds to step 210 of
In some embodiments, a scan may include not only programs that are transmitted or broadcast by media providers, but also on-demand programs, and programs recorded by the user and stored in the user's recording device (e.g., recording device 118). The following process describes a method for identifying programs from a plurality of sources for the scan.
At step 606, the interactive media guidance application identifies recorded programs that are related to the scan criteria. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify the programs stored in recording device 118 (
At step 608, the interactive media guidance application identifies available on-demand programs that are related to the scan criteria. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify the on-demand programs provided by media source 120 (
At step 610, the interactive media guidance application identifies non-on-demand programs that are related to the criteria selected at step 604 (e.g., the broadcast programs). For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine, based on program data provided by data source 124, whether a transmitted available program is related to the selected criteria (e.g., has the selected theme).
At step 612, the interactive media guidance application sets a scan sequence for all of the identified programs. For example, the interactive media guidance application sets a scan sequence that separates or mingles the programs identified from recorded programs, on-demand programs, and non-on-demand programs. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may separate non-on-demand programs with recorded or on-demand programs in the scan sequence to provide the tuners with additional time to tune to the next non-on-demand program in the sequence (e.g., the scan sequence provides the interactive media guidance application with the scan length of a recorded program to tune from a first channel to a second channel). Process 600 then moves to step 614, which corresponds to step 210 of
The scan may be provided for the user in any number of formats. For example, the interactive media guidance application may provide a scan wizard for the user.
When the user starts a scan, the programs that are scanned may be automatically sequentially displayed in video window 702. Information panel 704 may be linked with video window 702 such that when a particular program is displayed in video window 702, information related to that program is also displayed in information panel 704. For example, information panel 704 may include an indication 705 of how relevant the currently displayed program is (e.g., an indication of the proximity measurement calculated at step 412 of process 400, shown in
The user may select the scan criteria using the selectable options of criteria panel 706. Criteria panel 706 includes criteria categories 710, and associated options 712 for each of the categories. The user may navigate through the options by selecting arrows 714 or by pressing an arrow key on a remote control. The categories shown in
Other criteria in the sports category may include basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, figure skating, bass fishing, or any other suitable sport. The “movies” category may include action, adventure, thriller, comedy, horror, sci-fi or any other suitable movie criteria. The “kids” category may include educational, cartoons, pre-teen shows, or any other kids criteria. The “HDTV” category may include movies, sports, all HDTV sources, or any other HDTV criteria. The “Favorites” category may include a plurality of favorite channels and/or programs as defined by a specific user's favorite definitions, or any other favorite criteria. The “Premium” category may include Showtime, HBO, Cinemax, TMC, or any other premium service provider criteria. The “Music” category may include pop, rock, rap, hip hop, classical, contemporary, digital, or any other music criteria. The “Settings” category may include scan length, proximity threshold, or any other criteria related to the settings for a scan.
In addition to selecting scan criteria in criteria panel 706, the user may control the scan by selecting scan control options 720 from control panel 708. The control options shown in
At step 806, the interactive media guidance application displays the scan wizard. For example, the interactive media guidance application may direct display device 112 (
At step 810, the interactive media guidance application identifies current and future programs that are related to the criteria selected at step 806. For example, the interactive media guidance application may compare the program data provided by data source 124 for current and future programs to the criteria selected by the user. If the current and future programs are related to the selected criteria, the interactive media guidance application may identify the programs for scanning. In some embodiments, the application may identify only current programs matching the scan criteria, and may identify matching future program only when they become available. At step 812, the interactive media guidance application sets the scan sequence for the identified current programs and the scan sequence for the identified future programs. For example, the interactive media guidance application may select the order for displaying the programs using any suitable method (e.g., based on start time, end time, time remaining, proximity to scan criteria, or any other suitable method). In some embodiments, the application may determine only the first or a subset of the programs related to the criteria and the scan sequence, determine additional programs as the scan progresses.
At step 814, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user has provided a “scan” instruction. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the user has selected a key or key sequence, or selected an on-screen option related to a “scan” instruction.
If, at step 814, the interactive media guidance application determines that the user has provided a “scan” instruction, process 800 moves to step 816. At step 816, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to start or to resume the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “start” or “resume” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “start” or “resume” instruction, process 800 moves to step 818. At step 818, the interactive media guidance application sequentially displays the current programs in the order set by the scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs a tuner to sequentially tune to the channels of the programs in the scan sequence, and directs display device 112 to display the programs of the channels to which the tuner tunes in video window 702 (
At step 822, the interactive media guidance application starts a scan length timer. The scan length timer counts the time that the current program is displayed. Process 800 then moves back to step 814. If, at step 814, the interactive media guidance application determines that the user has not provided a scan instruction, process 800 moves to step 824. At step 824, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the scan timer has timed out. For example, the interactive media guidance application may compare the time elapsed from the timer set at step 822 to the scan duration (e.g., 5 seconds). If, at step 824, the interactive media guidance application determines that the scan timer has not yet timed out, process 800 moves back to step 814, where it monitors for a user instruction. For example, if no scan has been started, the scan timer cannot have timed out, so process 800 moves back to step 814.
If, at step 824, process 800 instead determines that the scan timer has timed out, process 800 moves back to step 818 and displays the next program in the scan sequence.
If, at step 816, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not to start or to resume the scan, process 800 moves to step 826. At step 826, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to hold the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “hold” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “hold” instruction, process 800 moves to step 828. At step 828, the interactive media guidance application holds the scan by maintaining the currently displayed program. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs a tuner to remain tuned to the current channel, and directs display device 112 to display the program of the current channel in video window 702 (
If, at step 826, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not to hold the scan, process 800 moves to step 832. At step 832, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to skip backward in the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “skip backward” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “skip backward” instruction, process 800 moves to step 834. At step 834, the interactive media guidance application skips to the previously displayed program in the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs a tuner to tune to the previous channel in the scan sequence, and directs display device 112 to display the program of the previous channel in video window 702 (
If, at step 832, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not to skip backward in the scan, process 800 moves to step 838. At step 838, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to skip forward in the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “skip forward” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “skip forward” instruction, process 800 moves to step 840. At step 840, the interactive media guidance application skips to the next identified current program in the scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs a tuner to tune to the next channel in the scan sequence, and directs display device 112 to display the program of the next channel in video window 702 (
If, at step 838, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not to skip forward in the scan, process 800 moves to step 844. At step 844, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to tune to the currently displayed program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “tune” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “tune” instruction, process 800 moves to step 846. At step 846, the interactive media guidance application exits the scan mode and tunes to the currently displayed program. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs the display device to remove the scan wizard display and to display the program of the currently tuned channel in full screen. If the current program in the scan sequence is a future program, the application may tune to the channel of the upcoming program. Process 800 then moves to step 866, where the scan process ends.
If, at step 844, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not to tune to the program currently displayed in the scan, process 800 moves to step 848. At step 848, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is a request for information related to the currently displayed program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to an “info” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided an “info” instruction, process 800 moves to step 850. At step 850, the interactive media guidance application displays additional information related to the currently shown program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may display information provided by data source 124 that is related to the program currently displayed in video window 702 (
If, at step 848, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not a request for information related to the program currently displayed in the scan, process 800 moves to step 852. At step 852, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to zoom on the currently displayed program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “zoom” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided a “zoom” instruction, process 800 moves to step 854. At step 854, the interactive media guidance application hides the scan wizard and scans through the programs in full screen. For example, the interactive media guidance application may direct display device 112 to display only the current program and to hide the scan wizard interface. In some embodiments, the application may display a reduced-sized control panel such as full-screen wizard display 740 (
If, at step 852, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not to zoom on the program currently displayed in the scan, process 800 moves to step 856. At step 856, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to modify the settings of the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the key or key sequence pressed by the user, or the option that the user selected on an interactive media guidance application screen, corresponds to a “settings” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user provided an instruction to modify the settings, process 800 moves to step 858. At step 858, the interactive media guidance application receives a user selection of a user setting. For example, the interactive media guidance application may receive a key or key sequence corresponding to a scan length. At step 860, the interactive media guidance application applies the setting change (e.g., modifies the scan length) in accordance with the user instruction provided at step 858. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs the tuner to wait until the new scan length has lapsed before tuning to the next channel of the scan sequence. Process 800 then moves to step 814, where the interactive media guidance application monitors the user's instructions. In some embodiments, the user may modify any other scan setting in response to providing a “settings” instruction, such as a minimum proximity threshold.
If, at step 856, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is not to modify the settings of the scan, process 800 moves to step 862. At step 862, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the instruction is to stop the scan. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the instruction is not to stop, process 800 moves to step 864. At step 864, the interactive media guidance application displays an error message. For example, the interactive media guidance application may direct display device 112 to display an error message that indicates that the user's entry does not correspond to any known scan instruction. Process 800 then moves to step 814, where the interactive media guidance application monitors the user's instructions. Alternatively, process 800 may terminate after displaying the error message.
If, at step 862, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the instruction is to stop, process 800 moves to step 866 and ends.
In some embodiments, the scan wizard may include other selectable options. For example, the scan wizard may include a “Delete” button. A user may select the “Delete” button to indicate that the user is no longer interested in the currently displayed program. In response to receiving a selection of this button, the interactive media guidance application may remove the currently shown program from the currently selected scan. The interactive media guidance application may then immediately skip to the next program in the scan sequence and will skip the program in all subsequent cycles through the sequence.
The scan wizard may also include a “More Like This” button. In response to receiving a user selection of this button, the interactive media guidance application may perform an automatic search for other programs that include criteria that is similar to the currently displayed program, and may modify the scan to include only those identified programs.
The scan wizard may also include an “Add program” button. This button may allow the user to add an individual program to an existing scan. In response to selecting this button, the interactive media guidance application may allow the user to identify an individual program to add to the scan (e.g., by searching through a program grid, performing a title search, or entering a channel number). This button may enable users to customize the scan criteria by adding a “wild card” program into the programs that qualify for a scan.
In some embodiments, the scan wizard may include a plurality of video windows. For example, illustrative scan interface 900, shown in
To select criteria for each scan, the user may first select one of the video windows, and subsequently select criteria from criteria panel 906. Alternatively, the scan wizard may include a criteria panel 906 for each of the video windows. Similarly, the user may first select one of the scan windows to select scan functions from scan control panel 908 for the selected scan. Alternatively, the scan wizard may include a scan control panel 908 for each of the scan windows.
In some embodiments, the user may simultaneously perform and display multiple scans each related to multiple criteria. For example, the interactive media guidance application may dedicate one tuner of a multi-tuner system to each of the requested scans. The programs being scanned may then be simultaneously be displayed on multiple video windows (e.g., video windows 902 and 903). Illustrative process 1000, shown in
Illustrative process 1000 describes the method for simultaneously performing and displaying two scans. It will be understood, however, that any number of scans may be simultaneously performed and displayed using extensions of this method. Illustrative process 1000 begins at step 1002. At step 1004, the interactive media guidance application receives a user selection of first criteria for the first scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may receive a user selection from the scan wizard of criteria for the first scan. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may automatically select a criteria based on the user's behavior. At step 1006, the interactive media guidance application receives a user selection of second criteria for the second scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application may receive a user selection from the scan wizard of criteria for the second scan. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may automatically select a criteria based on the users behavior. Process 1000 then moves in parallel to both steps 1008 and 1020.
At steps 1008 and 1020, the interactive media guidance application identifies programs related to the first and second criteria, respectively. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify the programs currently available from media source 120 (
At steps 1012 and 1024, the interactive media guidance application selects a program from each of the first and second scan sequences, respectively. For example, the interactive media guidance application may select the first program from each of the scan sequences. At steps 1014 and 1026, the interactive media guidance application may tune to each of the first and second selected programs, respectively. For example, the interactive media guidance application may direct tuner 320 (
In some embodiments, the first and second criteria may be the same, and the interactive media guidance application may simply simultaneously display different programs (e.g., consecutive programs in the scan sequence) in a plurality of video windows. In some of these embodiments, a check is performed to make sure that the same program is not displayed in each window. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may use only a single tuner, and display still frame images of other programs in the scan sequence in the non-active video windows while performing the scan. Illustrative process 1100 (
If, at step 1106, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has not provided a “stop” instruction, process 1100 moves to step 1110. At step 1110, the interactive media guidance application tunes to the selected program. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs a tuner to tune to the channel of the program. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may tune to an on-demand stream of the program provided by an on-demand server. As still another example, the interactive media guidance application may retrieve a recorded program from recording device 118 (
At step 1112, the interactive media guidance application determines whether a video window is available. For example, the interactive media guidance application determines whether one of video windows 902 and 903 (
If, at step 1116, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the scan length has been reached, process 1100 moves to step 1118. At step 1118, the interactive media guidance application displays a graphic in the video window. For example, the interactive media guidance application may select a still frame from the video of the program and direct display device 112 to display the image in the video window. The interactive media guidance application may select any suitable frame of the program such as, for example, the last frame displayed when the scan length is reached, the first frame displayed, an intermediate frame, a promotional image of the program (e.g., provided by data source 124,
If, at step 1112, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that every video window is being used, process 1100 moves to step 1120. At step 1120, the interactive media guidance application identifies the video window that has the least recent program of the scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify the video window that has the longest displayed still frame image (e.g., the video window of the earliest program in the scan sequence). At step 1122, the interactive media guidance application replaces the image displayed in the identified video window with the currently selected program (e.g., the program selected at step 1104). For example, the interactive media guidance application may direct display device 112 to replace the current image or video displayed in the identified video window with the program of the channel to which the tuner is tuned.
At step 1124, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the scan length for the program has been reached. For example, the interactive media guidance application compares the time that the program has been displayed in the video window with the scan length (e.g., 5 seconds). If the interactive media guidance application determines that the scan length has not been reached, process 1100 returns to step 1124 and continues to monitor the time that the program has been displayed in the video window.
If, at step 1124, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the scan length has been reached, process 1100 moves to step 1126 where an appropriate still from the video sequence is selected for display. At step 1118, the interactive media guidance application displays a graphic in the video window. For example, the interactive media guidance application may select a still frame from the video of the program and direct display device 112 to display the image in the video window. The interactive media guidance application may select any suitable frame of the program such as, for example, the last frame displayed when the scan length is reached, the first frame displayed, an intermediate frame, a promotional image of the program (e.g., provided by data source 124,
In some embodiments, the media source (e.g., media source 120) may provide a plurality of programs in a single QAM (quadrature amplitude multiplex) stream. In these embodiments, to access a program that is transmitted in a QAM stream, the interactive media guidance application may direct a tuner to tune to the QAM stream, direct a decoder to extract the appropriate program, decode that program and direct the display device (e.g., display device 112) to display the decoded program. In some embodiments, rather than simply displaying the single program, the interactive media guidance application may extract all of the programs related to the scan criteria that are transmitted in the QAM stream, and simultaneously display all of the related extracted programs. The interactive media guidance application may thus simultaneously display a plurality of non-on-demand programs while using only a single tuner assuming it has the capability to simultaneously decode multiple programs. When multiple videos are displayed, a mechanism to allow the user to select among the audios for the videos may also be provided. In some embodiments, the user may highlight one video and cause the audio of the highlighted video to be played. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may automatically cycle through the videos, highlighting each in turn and playing the synchronized audio associated with that video when it is highlighted. Illustrative process 1200 (
At step 1208, the interactive media guidance application identifies the QAMs on which the programs are transmitted. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine, from media source 120 or data source 124, the programs that are transmitted in the various QAMs. The interactive media guidance application may then identify those QAMs that include programs that were identified at step 1206 as being related to the scan criteria. At step 1210, the interactive media guidance application selects an identified program. For example, the interactive media guidance application selects one of the programs identified at step 1206. At step 1212, the interactive media guidance application selects an identified QAM. For example, the interactive media guidance application selects one of the QAMs identified at step 1208.
At step 1214, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the selected program is transmitted on the selected QAM. For example, the interactive media guidance application may compare the programs transmitted in the selected QAM with the program selected at step 1210. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the selected program is not transmitted on the selected QAM, process 1200 moves to step 1216. At step 1216, the interactive media guidance application disregards the program. At step 1218, the interactive media guidance application determines whether it has selected every QAM. For example, the interactive media guidance application may compare the QAMs that have been selected at step 1212 with the QAMs identified at step 1208. If the interactive media guidance application determines that every QAM has not yet been selected, process 1200 moves back to step 1212, where the interactive media guidance application selects another QAM.
If, at step 1218, the interactive media guidance application determines that every QAM has been selected, process 1200 moves to step 1220. At step 1220, the interactive media guidance application displays an error message, and terminates at step 1238.
If, at step 1214, the interactive media guidance application determines that the selected program is transmitted on the selected QAM, process 1200 moves to step 1222. At step 1222, the interactive media guidance application adds the selected program to the entry in the scan sequence that is associated with the selected QAM. For example, the interactive media guidance application may, in the scan sequence entry of the QAM, indicate that the program is provided in the QAM. At step 1224, the interactive media guidance application determines whether every program has been selected. For example, the interactive media guidance application may compare the programs that have been selected at step 1210 with the programs identified at step 1206. If the interactive media guidance application determines that every program has not yet been selected, process 1200 returns to step 1210 to select a new program.
If, at step 1224, the interactive media guidance application determines that every program has been selected, process 1200 moves to step 1226. At step 1226, the interactive media guidance application sets a scan sequence for the identified QAMs. For example, the interactive media guidance application, using the data for the selected programs provided by data source 124, sets a scan sequence for the QAMS identified at step 1208 (e.g., orders the QAMs by start-time, end-time, program length of the programs in the QAM, number of matching programs in the QAMs, or proximity of programs in the QAM to the criteria). At step 1228, the interactive media guidance application selects a QAM entry from the scan sequence of QAM entries. At step 1230, the interactive media guidance application extracts the identified programs transmitted on the selected QAM. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify the programs associated with the QAM entry at step 1222, and direct a decoder to extract and decode the programs for display on display device 112 (
At step 1234, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user has provided a “stop” instruction. For example, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user has pressed a key or key sequence on input device 114 that is associated with a “stop” instruction. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user has not provided a “stop” instruction, process 1200 moves to step 1236. At step 1236, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the scan length for the programs has been reached. For example, the interactive media guidance application compares the time that the program has been displayed in the video window with the scan length (e.g., 5 seconds). If the interactive media guidance application determines that the scan length has not been reached, process 1200 returns to step 1234 and determines whether the user has provided a “stop” instruction. If the scan length has been reached, the process returns to step 1228 to select another QAM for display.
If, at step 1234, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has provided a “stop” instruction, process 1200 moves to step 1236 and ends.
Process 1200 may also be used in connection with on-demand or recorded programs. For example, the interactive media guidance application may simultaneously tune to a plurality of recorded programs or on-demand programs (e.g., provided in an IPTV system) and display the plurality of programs. In some embodiments, some windows of the scan may reflect programs carried on different QAM streams, and other windows may represent recordings. The number of simultaneously displayed programs in the scan may then exceed the number of tuners in device and/or the product of the number of QAM streams that can be simultaneously acquired (e.g., limited by the number of tuners) and the number of scan-worthy programs on those QAM streams.
In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may scan through recorded and on-demand programs such that no portion of the program is missed due to the scan. Illustrative process 1300 (
At step 1306, the interactive media guidance application selects a program from the scan sequence. For example, the interactive media guidance application selects the first program of the scan sequence at the start of the scan. At step 1308, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user has provided a “stop” instruction. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the user has pressed a key or key sequence associated with a “stop” instruction using input device 114 (
If, at step 1308, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has not provided a “stop” instruction, process 1300 moves to step 1312. At step 1312, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the selected program was previously displayed. For example, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the scan has previously reached the selected program in the scan sequence. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the program has a marked playback position. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the program was not previous displayed, process 1300 moves to step 1314. At step 1314, the interactive media guidance application displays the selected program in a video window. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs display device 112 (
If, at step 1316, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the scan length has been reached, process 1300 moves to step 1318. At step 1318, the interactive media guidance application marks the current playback position of the program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may mark, in recording device 118 (
If, at step 1312, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the program has been previously displayed process 1300 moves to step 1320. At step 1320, the interactive media guidance application identifies the marked playback position at which the identified program was last displayed. For example, the interactive media guidance application may identify the playback position for the recorded program that was marked at step 1318 during a prior scan of this program. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may request that the on-demand server that provided the program in an on-demand stream play back the program from the previously paused playback position.
At step 1322, the interactive media guidance application displays the program from the marked playback position. For example, the interactive media guidance application may direct display device 112 to display the program from the marked playback position. In some embodiments, the scan playback mark may be distinct from one or more pause points that are associated with a stored or on-demand program. At step 1324, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the scan length for the program has been reached. For example, the interactive media guidance application compares the time that the program has been displayed in the video window with the scan length (e.g., 5 seconds). If the interactive media guidance application determines that the scan length has not been reached, process 1300 returns to step 1324 and continues to monitor the time that the program has been displayed in the video window.
If, at step 1324, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the scan length has been reached, process 1300 moves to step 1326. At step 1326, the interactive media guidance application marks the current playback position of the program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may mark, in recording device 118, the playback position of the selected recorded program. As another example, the interactive media guidance application may direct an on-demand server to pause the program and to mark the paused playback position. Process 1300 then returns to step 1306 and selects another program from the scan sequence.
In some embodiments, the user may record a program from a scan window without interrupting the scan. In addition, for recorded programs, on-demand programs, and other programs cached in memory, the interactive media guidance application may provide trick-play functionality as part of the scan. Illustrative process 1400 (
If, at step 1406, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has not provided a “stop” instruction, process 1400 moves to step 1410. At step 1410, the interactive media guidance application displays the selected program. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs a tuner to tune to the channel of the selected program, and directs display device 112 (
At step 1416, the interactive media guidance application tunes to the selected program. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs the free tuner identified at step 1414 to tune to the channel of the selected program. At step 1418, the interactive media guidance application records the program. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs recording device 118 (
At step 1420, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the scan length for the program has been reached. For example, the interactive media guidance application compares the time that the program has been displayed in the video window with the scan length (e.g., 5 seconds). If the interactive media guidance application determines that the scan length has not been reached, process 1400 returns to step 1420 and continues to monitor the time that the program has been displayed in the video window.
If, at step 1420, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the scan length has been reached, process 1400 moves to back to step 1404 and selects another program.
If, at step 1414, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user's equipment does not have a tuner available, process 1400 moves to step 1422. At step 1422, the interactive media guidance application displays an error message indicating that the selected program cannot be recorded. For example, the interactive media guidance application may direct display device 112 to display an error message. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may display a conflict notice that prompts the user for instructions to free a tuner to record the selected program. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may display a message asking the user if they would like to exit the scan to utilize the tuner to record the program. Process 1400 then moves to step 1420.
If, at step 1412, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has not requested to record a program, process 1400 moves to step 1424. At step 1424, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the selected program is a recorded program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the program is being provided by media source 120 or recording device 118. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the selected program is a recorded program, the interactive media guidance application moves to step 1428, which will be described in more detail below.
If, at step 1424, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the selected program is not a recorded program, process 1400 moves to step 1426. At step 1426, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the selected program is an on-demand program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the program is being provided on-demand by media source 120 or an on-demand server. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may instead or in addition, at step 1426, determine whether the program is cached and whether trick-play functionality is enabled for the program. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the selected program is not an on-demand program, the interactive media guidance application moves to step 1420.
If, at step 1422, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the program is an on-demand program, process 1400 moves to step 1428. At step 1428, the interactive media guidance application optionally displays selectable trick-play functions for the selected program. For example, the interactive media guidance application may replace the scan wizard with a scan dashboard that includes trick-play functions (e.g., scan dashboard 1500 of
At step 1430, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the user has requested a trick-play function. For example, the interactive media guidance application may determine whether the user has pressed a key or key sequence associated with a trick-play function using input device 114. If the interactive media guidance application determines that the user has not requested a trick-play function, process 1400 moves to step 1432. At step 1432, the interactive media guidance application determines whether the scan length for the program has been reached. For example, the interactive media guidance application compares the time that the program has been displayed in the video window with the scan length (e.g., 5 seconds). If the interactive media guidance application determines that the scan length has not been reached, process 1400 returns to step 1430 and continues to monitor for a trick-play request from the user.
If, at step 1432, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the scan length has been reached, process 1400 moves to back to step 1404 and selects another program.
If, at step 1430, the interactive media guidance application instead determines that the user has requested a trick-play function, process 1400 moves to step 1434. At step 1434, the interactive media guidance application holds the scan. For example, the interactive media guidance application directs display device 112 to continue to display the selected program beyond the scan length. At step 1436, the interactive media guidance application performs the requested trick-play function. For example, the interactive media guidance application may fast-forward, rewind or pause the selected program. Process 1400 ends at step 1438.
Trick-play control panel 1508 may include any suitable trick-play control options. In the example shown in
In some embodiments, the user may select the criteria for a scan by selecting various categories and subcategories that correspond to program assets. In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may generate a series of categories and subcategories (e.g., game, documentaries, movies) when the user requests a scan. For example, the list of available categories and subcategories may be limited to those that have current programs available. The categories and subcategories may permit the user to dynamically switch between categories and subcategories so as to further narrow or further expand as the scan proceeds.
In some embodiments the interactive media guidance application may provide a rungs-ropes tree structure to allow users to specify certain hierarchical criteria for use by the scan feature. The tree structure may be displayed, for example, in criteria panel 706 of scan wizard 700 (
Illustrative tree structure 1600 is displayed in
A user may in addition select a category or a subcategory as a scan criteria. If the user selects a category or subcategory, all of the subcategories and criteria in nodes following the category or subcategory are automatically selected. The user may select a category, subcategory, or criteria using highlight region 1610. When a category, subcategory, or criterion has been selected, the interactive media guidance application may mark the selected node(s) in any suitable manner (e.g., check mark 1612). In the example shown in
The user may move across, expand and collapse single nodes of tree structure 1600 using directional keys on an input device (e.g., input device 114). The user may also expand or contract all levels of nodes below a selected node by selecting a page-up or page-down key on the input device (e.g., input device 114).
In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application may display user interface features that allow users to view program listings for desired programs more easily. For example, some embodiments may include a “circler” feature. The circler is a component that circles a part of any screen to bring the user's attention to the content encompassed by the circle. It may be used in embodiments where the user input device is not a “point and click” type of device—where traditional TV remotes, and certain cell phone keypads are used. Such devices provide a set of arrow or number keys for allowing access to various parts of a display.
The circler provides advantages over other types of indicators, such as highlights, color codes, and icons. Highlights are used to simply point to the item where the cursor is positioned. One of the ways icons are used in the listing screen is to indicate if a program will be recorded. Icons tend to take up valuable space from the text, and can end up confusing the user. Finally, colors are also used extensively, to identify genres (movies, kids, sports etc) and are restricted to the colors that are going to be most effective against other background colors.
The circler provides another way users may filter programs that interest them. The circler may be any closed curve that is designed to maximize readability of the enclosed text. It is drawn by the guide when a particular item (say a listing) satisfies a certain set of criteria. For example, suppose the user has set “Action movies” as a favorite category. When the user is in the listing screen, and presses favorite key, all action movies will be circled. Circlers may also be used when, for example, the user enters a keyword for a search. All items on the screen that match the keyword will be circled. In some embodiments, the circler may be used to highlight the program from a program grid that is currently being displayed in a scan window.
Illustrative display screen 1700, shown in
Once a user has viewed program listings using the circlers, the user may select a listing element to tune to a program associated with that element. In response to the user selection, the guide may, for example, display the program and a FLIP display. When the user enters the scan mode from the program, the guide may scan currently-available assets according to the criteria used to provide the circlers. For example, if the user has identified programs of certain categories in a listings display using circlers, the interactive media guidance application may scan through the identified programs in response to a user request to initiate a scan.
The first screen, called the “Favorite Setup Start” screen allows the user to pick which of the three modes the user would like to use as a means of selecting favorites.
Navigation between the buttons of
The content of the information screen may change based on the action button selected by the user. When the back button is selected, the guide may return to the previous screen, such as screen 2100 of
Action buttons on information screens, such as that shown in
It will be understood that the functionality and layout of the illustrative category information screen of
The user may navigate between the two buttons, “Set As favorite” and “Do not set as favorite” using the up/down arrow keys. The left right arrow keys are used to move the cursor to the check boxes. The ok button toggles the state of the check box.
In some embodiments, the scan feature may include two different overlays depending on whether favorites criteria have been set or not. The overlays, examples of which are shown in
During the scan process, a flip bar may be displayed.
The user may exit a scan by pressing an exit key, or by accessing the quick menu and selecting the scan button.
While the user interacts with the scan (e.g., access an info screen, sets reminders/recordings, view upcoming times etc.), the scan pauses. The user may also pause a scan by pressing a suitable key, such as the ok key or by selecting a Hold option from a scan control panel. The ok key pauses the scan, and if there is no user interaction, the scan mode ends after 10 seconds.
The illustrative favorites and information screens shown in
The above described embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims which follow. Furthermore, all of the flow charts and processes described above or illustrative. Steps may be added or removed to any of the flow charts, and steps may be performed in a different order.
This invention is directed to systems and methods for providing scans in video or audio entertainment systems. This application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/189,386, filed Aug. 11, 2008, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/431,143, filed May 8, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/686,229, filed May 31, 2005, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/678,494, filed May 6, 2005. All these prior applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
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2113318 | Apr 1990 | JP |
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02-146884 | Jun 1990 | JP |
02-176968 | Jul 1990 | JP |
2189753 | Jul 1990 | JP |
03-167975 | Jul 1991 | JP |
3178278 | Aug 1991 | JP |
03-214919 | Sep 1991 | JP |
03-243076 | Oct 1991 | JP |
04 044475 | Feb 1992 | JP |
04-162889 | Jun 1992 | JP |
04-180480 | Jun 1992 | JP |
05-103281 | Apr 1993 | JP |
05-183826 | Jul 1993 | JP |
05-339100 | Dec 1993 | JP |
06-090408 | Mar 1994 | JP |
60-61935 | Mar 1994 | JP |
06-133235 | May 1994 | JP |
08-137334 | May 1996 | JP |
8-506469 | Jul 1996 | JP |
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WO-8700884 | Feb 1987 | WO |
WO-8804507 | Jun 1988 | WO |
WO-8903085 | Apr 1989 | WO |
WO-9007844 | Jul 1990 | WO |
WO-9015507 | Dec 1990 | WO |
WO-9106367 | May 1991 | WO |
WO-9204801 | Mar 1992 | WO |
WO-9304473 | Mar 1993 | WO |
WO-9305452 | Mar 1993 | WO |
WO-9311639 | Jun 1993 | WO |
WO-9311640 | Jun 1993 | WO |
WO-9413107 | Jun 1994 | WO |
WO-9414281 | Jun 1994 | WO |
WO-9414282 | Jun 1994 | WO |
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WO-9506389 | Mar 1995 | WO |
WO-9532583 | Nov 1995 | WO |
WO-9606605 | Mar 1996 | WO |
WO-9607270 | Mar 1996 | WO |
WO-9619074 | Jun 1996 | WO |
WO-9617473 | Jun 1996 | WO |
WO-9641478 | Dec 1996 | WO |
WO-9713368 | Apr 1997 | WO |
WO-9748230 | Dec 1997 | WO |
WO-9749242 | Dec 1997 | WO |
WO-9750251 | Dec 1997 | WO |
WO-9806219 | Feb 1998 | WO |
WO-9810589 | Mar 1998 | WO |
WO-9826584 | Jun 1998 | WO |
WO-9838831 | Sep 1998 | WO |
WO-9945702 | Sep 1999 | WO |
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WO-0011869 | Mar 2000 | WO |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120131616 A1 | May 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60678494 | May 2005 | US | |
60686229 | May 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12189386 | Aug 2008 | US |
Child | 13353725 | US | |
Parent | 11431143 | May 2006 | US |
Child | 12189386 | US |