Multimedia session management

A multimedia provider, comprising:

• an application server structured to generate, based on a request for a first multimedia channel from a user terminal sent over a unicast-based communications system, a multimedia session set-up description comprising:
• i) a multimedia object defining, when processed in said user terminal, a displayable multimedia session window in a user interface of said user terminal, said multimedia session window comprising a multimedia display region adapted for displaying multimedia data of a requested multimedia channel and a displayable channel region comprising information on a second different multimedia channel;
• ii) an association object defining, when processed in said user terminal, an association of a user input of said user terminal with a channel identifier of said second different multimedia channel and a user terminal identifier of said user terminal;
• and
• iii) a request object generating, upon a user-triggering of said user input, a request for said second different multimedia channel, said request comprising said user terminal identifier and said channel identifier of said second different multimedia channel;
• the application server also being structured to
• transmit said multimedia session set-up description to said user terminal over said unicast-based communications system, and
• receive from said user terminal over said unicast-based communications system, said request for said second different multimedia channel;
• a streaming server structured to start a multimedia session over said unicast-based communications system with said user terminal;
• and
• a channel switch structured to switch, based on said user terminal identifier and said channel identifier of said second different multimedia channel, multimedia data of said first multimedia channel to a multimedia data of said second different multimedia channel,
• wherein the streaming server is structured to provide said multimedia of said second different multimedia channel to said user terminal during said multimedia session over said unicast-based communications system for display in said multimedia display region of said user terminal,
• wherein the multimedia provider is implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software.

A user terminal, comprising:

• an input and output unit structured to
• transmit a request for a first multimedia channel to a multimedia provider over a unicast-based communications system, and
• receive from said multimedia provider over said unicast-based communications system, a multimedia session set-up description generated based on said request for said first multimedia channel, said multimedia session set-up description comprising a multimedia object, an association object, and a request object;
• a multimedia object processor structured to process said multimedia object to provide a multimedia session window displayable in a user interface of said user terminal, said multimedia session window comprising a multimedia display region adapted for displaying multimedia data of a requested multimedia channel and a displayable channel region comprising information on a second different multimedia channel;
• an association object processor structured to process said association object to provide an association of a user input of said user terminal with a channel identifier of said second different multimedia channel and a user terminal identifier of said user terminal;
• and
• a request object processor structured to process said request object to generate, upon a user-triggering of said user input, a request for said second different multimedia channel, said request comprising said user terminal identifier and said channel identifier of said second different multimedia channel,
• wherein the input and output unit is structured to receive multimedia data of the first multimedia channel from the multimedia provider in a multimedia session over the unicast-based communications system, the multimedia session having been established between the multimedia provider and the user terminal as a result of the input and output unit transmitting the request for the first multimedia channel, the multimedia data of the first multimedia channel being for display in the multimedia display region,
• wherein the input and output unit is structured to transmit the request for the second different multimedia channel generated by the request object processor, and subsequently receive multimedia data of the second different multimedia channel from the multimedia provider during the multimedia session over the unicast-based communications system, the multimedia data of the second different multimedia channel being for display in the multimedia display region, and
• wherein at least one of the input and output unit, the multimedia object processor, the association object processor, and the request object processor is implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software such that the user terminal as a whole is implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software.