Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING TRIGGER INFORMATION IN A
VIDEO SIGNAL AND PLAYING OUT A TRIGGERED EVENT
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material
which
is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to
the facsimile
reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it
appears in
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise
reserves all
copyright whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Over the course of half a century, the television industry has seen
many
startling advances. One such recent advance is the advent of interactive
television (iTV).
From video on demand and on-screen program guides (EPGs) to the ability to
book your
next holiday right from your remote control, iTV promises a more encompassing
and
streamlined television experience.
[0003] The ability of television to capture an audience is key, and
broadcasters,
well aware of the increase in "noise" from other media, are keener than ever
to hook
2 0 audiences to their shows. However, a "two screen" approach to
interactivity (i.e.,
employing both a television screen and a separate personal computer screen)
can push
viewers away from the program and toward the computer. Far better, for both
the viewer
and the broadcaster, is an interactive experience that allows the viewer to
interact through
the TV.
[0004] However, because of the distribution mechanism employed by networks
and cable operators, some issues arise. For example, the distribution of
network content is
generally achieved over satellite. Because of the cost of transponder
bandwidth, very little
beyond what is absolutely needed is contracted for (e.g., video and audio).
For this reason
3 0 it is likely that non-real-time content will have the interactive portion
of the content
delivered to a final head-end distribution facility (such as a cable head-end
or a satellite
uplink facility) prior to the airing time. This situation creates the need for
a trigger system
to be developed that will allow the video/audio content to cue, initiate, or
otherwise trigger
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the play out of pre-timed interactive content. While a number of mechanisms
can be
employed to solve this problem, most would require extensive modification or
rewiring of
existing equipment, which can be an extremely expensive and time consuming
ordeal.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0005] In one aspect, there is provided a system for providing trigger
information
in a video signal. The system comprises an automation system, a trigger unit,
and a data
inserter. The automation system includes an automation system schedule, which
includes
an event identifier and a start time for each program event in a plurality of
program events.
The automation system outputs the event identifier at the start time of each
event to
control video and audio sources in the creation of a video signal. The trigger
unit receives
the event identifier from the automation system and compares the event
identifier from the
automation system with at least one event identifier in a trigger schedule to
determine if
the event identifier from the automation system is included in the trigger
schedule. In
response to determining the event identifier from the automation system is
included in the
trigger schedule, the trigger unit outputs trigger information associated with
the event
identifier. The data inserter inserts the trigger information from the trigger
unit into a
portion of a vertical blanking interval of the video signal. The portion of
the vertical
blanking interval may include an extended data service auxiliary channel.
Also, the
2 0 trigger information may identify an interactive television application.
[0006] In another aspect, there is provided a system for outputting a
triggered
event. The system comprises a decoder and a content server. The decoder
detects a
unique identifier in a portion of a vertical blanking interval of a video
signal. The content
2 5 server compares the detected unique identifier with at least one unique
identifier in a
content server schedule to determine if the detected unique identifier is
included in the
content server schedule. In response to determining the detected unique
identifier is
included in the content server schedule, the content server plays out a
triggered event
associated with the unique identifier.
3 0 [0007] In yet another aspect, there is provided a system for providing
trigger
information in a video signal and outputting a triggered event. The system
comprises a
distribution facility and at least one head-end facility. The distribution
facility includes an
automation system, a trigger unit, and a data inserter. The automation system
includes an
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automation system schedule, which includes an event identifier and a start
time for each
program event in a plurality of program events. The automation system outputs
the event
identifier at the start time of each event to control video and audio sources
in the creation
of a video signal. The trigger unit receives the event identifier from the
automation
system and compares the event identifier from the automation system with at
least one
event identifier in a trigger schedule to determine if the event identifier
from the
automation system is included in the trigger schedule. In response to
determining the
event identifier from the automation system is included in the trigger
schedule, the trigger
unit outputs trigger information associated with the event identifier. The
trigger
information includes a unique identifier. The data inserter inserts the
trigger information
from the trigger unit into a portion of a vertical blanking interval of the
video signal. The
head-end facility includes a decoder and a content server. The decoder detects
the unique
identifier in the portion of the vertical blanking interval of the video
signal. The content
server compares the detected unique identifier with at least one unique
identifier in a
content server schedule to determine if the detected unique identifier is
included in the
content server schedule. In response to determining the detected unique
identifier is
included in the content server schedule, the content server plays out a
triggered event
associated with the unique identifier.
2 0 [0008] In yet another aspect, there is provided a method for providing
trigger
information in a video signal and outputting a triggered event, the method
comprises:
comparing an event identifier received from an automation system with at least
one event
identifier in a trigger schedule to determine if the event identifier is
included in the trigger
schedule; in response to determining the event identifier is included in the
trigger
2 5 schedule, outputting trigger information associated with the event
identifier; inserting the
trigger information into a portion of a vertical blanking interval of the
video signal;
detecting the trigger information in the portion of the vertical blanking
interval of the
video signal; comparing the detected trigger information with trigger
information in a
content server schedule to determine if the detected trigger information is
included in the
3 0 content server schedule; and in response to determining the trigger
information is included
in the content server schedule, playing out a triggered event associated with
the trigger
information.
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[0009] In any of the above aspects, the portion of the vertical blanking
interval
may include an extended data service auxiliary channel, and the triggered
event may
include an interactive television application.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0010] Referring now to the drawing wherein like items are numbered alike in
the
various Figures:
[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic depiction of a system for providing trigger
information
in a video signal and outputting a triggered event in response to the trigger
information
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] Fig. 2 is an example of an automation system schedule according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] Fig. 3 is an example of a trigger schedule according to one embodiment
of
the present invention;
[0014) Fig. 4 is an example of a content server schedule according to one
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0015] Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a method of providing trigger information in a
video
signal and outputting a triggered event according to one embodiment of the
present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Fig 1. depicts an example of a system 10 for providing trigger
information
11 in a video signal 12 and playing out a triggered event in response to the
trigger
information 11. The system 10 includes a distribution facility 14, which may
be operated
2 5 by a television (TV) network, and one or more head-end facilities 16,
which may be
operated by TV stations, cable TV service providers, satellite TV service
providers, or the
like. The distribution facility I4 and head-end facility 16 send and receive
the video
signal 12 by a satellite communications link or other suitable communications
link I7. As
will be described in further detail hereinafter, the system 10 uses a portion
of the Vertical
3 0 Blanking Interval (VBI) of the video signal 12 (e.g., the Extended Data
Services (XDS)
auxiliary data channels) to transmit trigger information (iMarks) 11 from the
distribution
facility 14 to each head-end facility 16. XDS is an American standard
classified under
Electronic Industries Alliance standard EIA-766, which is incorporated herein
by
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reference in its entirety, for the delivery of any ancillary data (metadata)
to be sent with an
analog television program or any other NTSC video signal. XDS uses the same
line in the
VBI as closed captioning (NTSC line 21), but it utilizes the second video
field (as opposed
to closed captioning line 21, field 1). Since the XDS data is already used in
most studios,
the vast majority of operations are already equipped with the necessary
decoding
equipment. As a result, the use of XDS as an iTV event triggering system will
eliminate
the need for expensive modifications to existing equipment. The trigger
information 11 is
used to trigger the play out of triggered events (e.g., interactive TV (iTV)
applications) at
the head-end facilities 16 to the TV audience.
[0017] The distribution facility 14 includes an automation system 18, which is
typically used to control TV services. A modern TV service is created using
many playout
devices (not shown) to generate the video, audio, and captioning components of
the video
signal 12, and it is the responsibility of the automation system 18 to ensure
that the correct
content is delivered at the correct time.
[0018] Stored within the automation system 18 is a schedule showing each event
in the service and a time at which time that event is required. An event may
include, for
example, a single advertisement or program segment. As time passes, it is the
2 0 responsibility of the automation system 18 to ensure that each item of
playout equipment
knows what event of the service is required.
[0019] Fig. 2 depicts an example of an automation system schedule 20. In the
schedule 20, program event is identified by a program event identifier 22
(Material ID).
2 5 The schedule 20 also includes a description of each program event
(Description), and
indicates when each program event should occur (Start Time). For example, the
fifth
event in the schedule has a program event identifier "CAR-AD1," and is
described as a
"CAR ADVERT", with a start time of 10:05:02:00. If this event is an iTV item,
for
example, the automation system schedule 20 does not treat this event any
differently than
3 0 the other events in the schedule 20.
[0020] Referring again to Fig. 1, the distribution facility 14 also includes a
trigger
unit 24, which is responsible for outputting the correct trigger information
11 in response
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to instructions from the automation system 18 as to which program event is
currently
being played. The distribution facility 14 further includes an auxiliary data
inserter 26,
which inserts the trigger information 11 into the VBI (e.g., the XDS auxiliary
data
channels) of the video signal 12. For example, trigger unit 24 may be a
MediaSphere
Trigger unit commercially available from Softel-USA of Stamford, CT. The
specific data
inserter 26 used will be dependent on the distribution method used by the
system 10.
[0021] Fig. 3 depicts an example of a trigger schedule 28 that may be stored
within
the trigger unit 24 (Fig. 1 ). The trigger schedule 28 contains event
identifiers 22 for those
events that require a trigger (e.g., an iTV event), and a globally unique
identifier (GUID)
30 uniquely identifying the instance of the triggered event. For example, the
event having
the event identifier "CAR-AD-1" has a unique identifier of"1234-1234-1234-
1234".
(0022] In operation, the automation system 18 controls video and audio sources
to
create a program event in accordance with the automation system schedule 20
(Fig. 2).
The automation system 18 instructs the trigger unit 24 as to which program
event is
currently playing on-air by feeding the associated event identifier 22 to the
trigger unit 24.
This real-time event information is decoded by the trigger unit 24, which
ignores any
events that do not match the event identifiers 22 in its trigger schedule 28
(Fig. 3). When
2 0 the trigger unit 24 detects a match between the received event identifier
22 and an event
identifier 22 in the trigger schedule 28, the trigger unit 24 outputs the
appropriate trigger
information 11 into the video path I2 using the auxiliary data inserter 26.
For example,
when the trigger unit 24 receives the event identifier "CAR-AD1" it inserts
trigger
information 11 including the unique identifier "1234-1234-1234-1234" into the
broadcast
2 5 video signal 12. Once embedded, the video signal 12 can be freely
distributed to each
head-end facility 16, in this example via satellite. The video portion of the
signal 12 is
completely unaffected by this process.
[0023] The trigger information 11 requires very little bandwidth and may be
sent
3 0 infrequently; therefore, it may fit easily into the bandwidth allocated
for XDS information
in the video signal 12. While the system 10 of Fig. 1 may use XDS auxiliary
data
channels to transmit the trigger information 11, it is contemplated that other
portions of the
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video signal's VBI may be used.
[0024] At the head-end facility 16, a video decoder 40 receives the video
signal 12
and decodes the signal 12 to detect the trigger information 11 in the video
signal 12. The
trigger information 1 I is provided from the decoder 40 to a content server
42, which
triggers the output of an event (e.g., an iTV application). For example, the
content server
42 may include a MediaSphere TX unit commercially available from Softel-USA of
Stamford, CT. MediaSphere TX is a powerful iTV content server, which can
broadcast
MHP, OCAP, ACAP, MHEG and Open TV applications as part of a digital TV
service.
[0025] Referring to Fig. 4, an example of a schedule 44 that may be stored
within
the content server 42 is shown. The content server schedule 44 identifies at
least one
triggered event 46 to be output by the content server 42. Each triggered event
46 is
associated with a unique identifier 30 and a description of the event. In the
example
shown, the content server 42 will output the triggered event "APP-CAR-AD.ADF"
(an
iTV application having the description "CAR ADVERT") upon receipt of trigger
information 11 having the event identifier "1234-1234-1234-1234".
[0026] In operation, the content server 42 reads trigger information 11 from
the
2 0 broadcast video signal 12 via the decoder 40. The content server 42
ignores all items of
trigger information I I until one is found which has a unique identifier 30
matching that
within the content server schedule 44. When a matching unique identifier 30 is
found, the
triggered event 46 associated with that unique identifier 30 in the schedule
44 is output by
the content server 42 into a digital transport stream 48 so that it can be
received by the
2 5 viewers at home. In this manner, the content server 42 triggers the
generation of the
correct triggered event 46 at the correct time.
[0027] In the example described herein, the trigger information 11 is used to
trigger interactive television (iTV) applications, which are played out by the
content server
3 0 42 and received by the TV audience. It is contemplated, however, that the
system 10 has
many uses beyond triggering iTV applications. The trigger information 11 could
equally
be used for control of any downstream remote device, which needs to resolve
cues or other
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triggers from the automation system 18.
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 5, another aspect of the invention is a method 50
for
providing trigger information in a video signal and outputting a triggered
event. In step 52
of method 50, event identifier 22 is received from automation system 18. Next,
at step 54,
event identifier 22 is compared with trigger schedule 28 to determine if the
event identifier
is included in the trigger schedule. If it is determined that event identifier
22 is included in
trigger schedule 28, method 50 continues at step 56. At step 56, trigger
information 1 l,
which is associated with the event identifier, is output. If it is determined
that event
identifier 22 is not included in trigger schedule 28, method 50 ends. After
completion of
step 56, method 50 continues at step 58. At step 58, trigger information 11 is
inserted into
a portion of a vertical blanking interval of video signal 12. To facilitate
understanding of
method 50, steps 56 and 58 are illustrated as separate steps. However, in
practice, steps 56
and 58 typically occur substantially simultaneously. Then, at step 60, trigger
information
11 is compared with any trigger information contained in content server
schedule 44 to
determine if the trigger information is included in the content server
schedule. If it is
determined that trigger information 11 is included in content server schedule
44, method
50 continues at step 62. At step 62, triggered event 46, which is associated
with trigger
information 11, is output into a digital transport stream 48 so that it can be
received by
2 0 viewers. After completion of step 62, method 50 ends. If it is determined
that trigger
information 11 is not included in content server schedule 44, method 50 ends.
[0029] Although described in the context of preferred embodiments, it should
be
realized that a number of modifications to these teachings may occur to one
skilled in the
2 5 art. While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
respect to
preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that
changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the
scope and
spirit of the invention.
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