Apparatus, systems and methods for satellite system fast channel change
AssigneeEchoStar Technologies L.L.C.
InventorGregory Greene
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Fast channel change systems and methods are operable to change channels to a newly selected media content event in response to a user request. An exemplary embodiment communicates a previously stored low resolution version segment of the newly selected media content event to a presentation system while the media device is performing a tuning operation to change channels to receive a currently broadcasting high resolution version of the newly selected media content event. Once the tuning process has been completed at the media device, a handshake process is performed wherein the media device transitions presentation from the low resolution version to the high resolution version of the newly selected media content event.
Claims19
A method of presenting media content, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a media device, a plurality of high resolution media content events that are being broadcast via a broadcast system to a plurality of media devices,
- wherein the broadcast system is one of a satellite communication system or an over-the-air communication system, and
- wherein the plurality of high resolution media content events include at least a first high resolution media content event and a second high resolution media content event;
- operating a tuner of the media device to selectively tune to the first high resolution media content event, wherein the media device communicates a video portion of the first high resolution media content event to at least a display for presentation to a user of the media device;
- receiving a segment of a low resolution version of a media content event at a media device via a communication network,
- wherein the low resolution version of the media content event is received in a low resolution content stream via a communication network,
- wherein the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event corresponds to a portion of the second high resolution media content event and has a resolution that is lower that a higher resolution version of the second high resolution media content event, and
- wherein the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event is received at the media device via the communication network at substantially a same time that the corresponding portion of the broadcasting second high resolution media content event is being received at the media device via the broadcast system;
- receiving, at the media device, a user request initiated by the user of the media device While the first high resolution media content event is being presented to the user, wherein the user request corresponds to a request to present the second high resolution version of the media content event;
- presenting a video portion of the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event on the display in response to receiving the user request, wherein presentation of the first high resolution media content event then ends in response to the presentation of the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event;
- operating the tuner to selectively tune to the second high resolution media content event while the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event is being presented to the user;
- and
- presenting the second high resolution media content event after tuner has completed tuning itself to the second high resolution media content event.
method of claim 1, further comprising:
- storing the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event in a memory of the media device;
- and
- accessing the stored segment of the low resolution version of the media content event from the memory so that the video portion of the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event is presented on the display.
method of claim 1, wherein the media device receives more than one hundred broadcasting high resolution media content events via the broadcast system, wherein the first high resolution media content event and the second high resolution media content event are members of the broadcasting high resolution media content events, and wherein the user request is a first user request, the method further comprising:
- receiving a plurality of low resolution segments, wherein each received low resolution segment is a low resolution version that corresponds to one of the broadcasting high resolution media content events, wherein the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event corresponding to the second high resolution media content event is a member of the plurality of low resolution segments;
- storing each of the plurality of low resolution segments in a memory of the media device;
- receiving, at the media device, a second user request initiated by the user of the media device while the second high resolution media content event is being presented to the user, wherein the user request corresponds to a request to present a third one of the broadcasting high resolution media content events;
- accessing one of the stored low resolution segments from the memory that corresponds to the third one of the broadcasting high resolution media content events;
- presenting a video portion of the accessed low resolution segment that corresponds to the third one of the broadcasting high resolution media content events on the display in response to receiving the second user request, wherein presentation of the second high resolution media content event then ends in response to the presentation of the low resolution segment that corresponds to the third one of the broadcasting high resolution media content events;
- operating the tuner to selectively tune to the third high resolution media content event while the low resolution segment that corresponds to the third one of the broadcasting high resolution media content events is being presented to the user;
- and
- presenting the third high resolution media content event after tuner has completed tuning itself to the second high resolution media content event.
The method of claim 2, wherein the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event is a currently received second segment of the low resolution version of the media content event that is stored into the memory of the media device, the method further comprising:
- deleting a first segment of the low resolution version of the media content event from the memory of the media device,
- wherein the first segment of the low resolution version of the media content event was previously received at the media device via the communication network and stored in the memory prior to receiving the second segment of the low resolution version of the media content event, and
- wherein the first segment of the low resolution version of the media content event is deleted in response to receiving and storing the second segment of the low resolution version of the media content event.
The method of claim 14, wherein the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event is at least one low resolution group of pictures (GOP) that has a low resolution intra coded frame (I-frame), at least one low resolution predicted frame (P-frame) and at least one low resolution bi-directional predicted frame (B-frame), wherein the second high resolution media content event comprises a series of high resolution GOPs that comprise a high resolution I-frame, a high resolution P-frame and a high resolution B-frame, and wherein the low resolution I-frame, low resolution P-frame and low resolution B-frame of the low resolution GOP each correspond to the high resolution I-frame, the high resolution P-frame and the high resolution B-frame, respectively, of the corresponding high resolution GOP, the method further comprising:
- identifying a first high resolution I-frame in high resolution GOP of the second high resolution media content event after the timer has been tuned to receive the second high resolution media content event;
- identifying the corresponding low resolution I-frame in the low resolution GOP;
- initiating presentation of the second high resolution media content event using the identified high resolution I-frame;
- and
- ending presentation of the segment of the low resolution version of the media content event with presentation of a low resolution B-frame or a low resolution P-frame that immediately precedes the corresponding low resolution I-frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.