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US 8,713,607 B2Granted
Multi-room user interface
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorElizabeth Rose McEnroe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Multi-room user interface is described. In an embodiment, a viewing system includes television-based client devices that each receive a different data stream and render a viewing selection from the data stream. A multi-room user interface displayed at a first television-based client device can display a representation of a viewing selection being shown at any one or more of the other television-based client devices.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a viewing system that includes a plurality of television-based client devices, at least one of the television-based client devices configured to:
- receive from a content provider, a bandwidth-limited digital data stream for carrying multiple individual digital data streams, wherein the multiple individual digital data streams are allocated by the content provider to the viewing system based on a bandwidth available to the viewing system;
- and
- provide, to individual television-based client devices of the plurality of television-based client devices, a selected one of the multiple individual digital data streams;
- and a multi-room user interface displayed at one of the television based client devices of the viewing system, wherein:
- the multi-room user interface is displayed when the viewing system detects a conflict;
- the multi-room user interface is configured to:
- provide information for any one or more of the television-based client devices of the viewing system;
- display representations of viewing selections being shown at two or more of the television-based client devices that receive different data streams, the display representations including at least one picture-in-picture data stream display representation and at least one poster image display representation of an on-demand media content, the on-demand media content representing content not currently available on one of the multiple individual digital data streams;
- and
- allow a viewer to select a conflict solution.
8 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving at a first television-based client device, selection of a program to be presented, wherein the television-based client device is one of a plurality of television- based client devices that are communicatively connected within a viewing system;
- in an event that an available bandwidth between a content provider and the viewing system is sufficient to present the program, presenting the program at the first television-based client device;
- and
- in an event that the available bandwidth is insufficient to present the program, displaying a multi-room user interface at the first television-based client device, the multi-room user interface including information associated with two or more other television-based client devices within the viewing system, wherein the information associated with the two or more other television-based client devices within the viewing system includes at least one picture-in-picture data stream display representation at a second television-based client device of the plurality of television-based client devices and at least one poster image display representation of an on-demand media content at a third television-based client device of the plurality of television-based client devices, the on-demand media content being content not currently available on a channel of the viewing system.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- a processor;
- memory communicatively coupled to the processor;
- and
- computer-executable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, perform operations comprising:
- receiving from a content provider, a bandwidth-limited digital data stream that includes multiple individual digital data streams;
- providing, to each of a plurality of television-based client devices, a selected one of the multiple individual digital data streams;
- detecting a conflict among the plurality of television-based client devices;
- and
- in response to the detecting:
- in an event that at least another of the plurality of television-based client devices is inactive from a lack of user interaction at the other of the television-based client devices, diverting a data stream from the other of the television-based client devices having the inactivity;
- and
- in an event that no other of the plurality of television-based client devices is inactive, displaying a multi-room user interface at a first television-based client device of the plurality of television-based client devices that includes at least one picture-in-picture representation of content being displayed at a second television-based client device of the plurality of television-based client devices and at least one poster image representation of an on-demand media content currently being displayed, or recorded at a third television-based client device of the plurality of television-based client devices, the on-demand media content including content not currently available on one of the multiple individual data streams.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.