U.S. patent application number 10/262325 was filed with the patent office on 2004-04-15 for systems and methods for dynamic conversion of web content to an interactive walled garden program.
Invention is credited to Feinberg, Brian K., Logue, Jay D., Ludvig, Edward A., Sandke, Steven R..
Application Number | 20040073941 10/262325 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32068242 |
Filed Date | 2004-04-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040073941 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ludvig, Edward A. ; et
al. |
April 15, 2004 |
Systems and methods for dynamic conversion of web content to an
interactive walled garden program
Abstract
Systems and methods to dynamically convert Web content to an
interactive program for display on resource constrained television
clients are described. In particular, a head-end server in a
digital television entertainment system downloads the Web content
from an external data source. The head-end server dynamically
transcodes the downloaded content into an interactive walled garden
program (iWGP) that includes MPEG stills and metadata for delivery
to a client in the television entertainment system.
Inventors: |
Ludvig, Edward A.; (Redwood
City, CA) ; Logue, Jay D.; (San Jose, CA) ;
Sandke, Steven R.; (Cupertino, CA) ; Feinberg, Brian
K.; (Cupertino, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEE & HAYES PLLC
421 W RIVERSIDE AVENUE SUITE 500
SPOKANE
WA
99201
|
Family ID: |
32068242 |
Appl. No.: |
10/262325 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/113 ;
348/563; 348/E7.063; 348/E7.071; 725/110; 725/112; 725/135 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 7/17318 20130101;
H04N 21/2355 20130101; H04N 21/8545 20130101; H04N 21/8543
20130101; H04N 7/165 20130101; H04N 21/4725 20130101; H04N 21/4402
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/113 ;
348/563; 725/110; 725/112; 725/135 |
International
Class: |
H04N 007/173; H04N
007/16; H04N 005/445 |
Claims
1. In a digital television entertainment system, a method for
dynamic conversion of Web content to an interactive program for
display on a client, the method comprising: downloading, by a
head-end server, the Web content from an external data source; and
dynamically transcoding, by the head-end server, the Web content
into an interactive walled garden program (iWGP) for delivery to a
client in the digital television entertainment system.
2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Web content in an
HTML data format.
3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Web content is
walled garden Web site content with possible links to one or more
other walled garden web sites, and wherein the external data source
is Web server.
4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the iWGP includes a link
to a different iWGP such that the client can be used to navigate
from the iWGP to the different iWGP, the link indicating a digital
service corresponding to the different iWGP and target metadata for
the different iWGP.
5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the client is a set-top
box.
6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the iWGP includes at
least one still and corresponding metadata, the metadata describing
structure, contents, and an interaction model for the at least one
still.
7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein downloading the Web
content further comprises periodically downloading the Web content
from the external data source.
8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein downloading the Web
content further comprises downloading the Web content from the
external data source according to one or more parameters of a
configuration file, at least one parameter of the one or more
parameters being a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) identifying
the external data source and a root Web page of the Web
content.
9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein downloading the Web
content further comprises downloading the Web content from the
external data source according to one or more parameters of a
configuration file, the configuration file identifying the external
data source, a root Web page of the Web content, and Web content
targeting information.
10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein transcoding the Web
content further comprises changing a hypertext link indicated by a
page of the Web content into a relative link, the relative link
referencing a bitmap on a file carousel, the bitmap corresponding
to the page, the file carousel being used by the head-end server to
broadcast the iWPG to the client.
11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Web content is in a
dynamic HTML (DHTML) data format, the Web content comprising at
least one interface page, and wherein transcoding the Web content
further comprises taking multiple snapshots of the interface page
over time to substantially capture dynamic aspects of the interface
page, each snapshot of the multiple snapshots being generated at a
different time as compared to a different snapshot of the multiple
snapshots.
12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Web content
comprises one or more interface pages, and wherein transcoding the
Web content further comprises, for each interface page, generating
digital video and metadata components, the metadata component
indicating structure, content, and an interaction model for the
digital video components.
13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the digital video
components comprise MPEG stills.
14. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program
instructions executable by a processor to perform operations as
recited in the method of claim 1.
15. In a television entertainment infrastructure, a head-end server
comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the
memory comprising computer-program instructions executable by the
processor to performs operations comprising: identifying an address
corresponding to an external data source and source content, the
source content being in an HTML data format; downloading the source
content from the external data source; and automatically converting
the source content into an iWGP, the iWGP including multiple MPEG
stills and metadata for navigating the stills, the iWGP for
broadcast delivery to a client in the television entertainment
infrastructure.
16. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein the source
content exhibits transitive closure.
17. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein the metadata
includes a link to a different iWGP such that the client can be
used to navigate from the iWGP to the different iWGP.
18. A head-end server as recited in claim 17, wherein the link
indicates a digital service corresponding to the different iWGP and
target metadata for the different iWGP.
19. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein the client
comprises a set-top box.
20. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein the metadata
describes structure and contents for an interaction model
associated with the multiple MPEG stills.
21. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein downloading
the source content further comprises communicating media service
organization (MSO) and/or subscriber data to the external data
source for use by the external data source to localize the source
content.
22. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein automatically
converting the source content further comprises generating a
plurality of different stills over time from a single interface
page of the source content, the interface page comprising
attributes that change over time.
23. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein automatically
converting the source content into broadcast ready data further
comprises configuring the broadcast ready data to indicate a
program name, an iWGP transport rate, a parental control rating, an
identifier that maps a digital service to iWGP, an MPEG program
number at which the iWGP is being broadcast, and/or a program
broadcast frequency.
24. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein automatically
converting the source content further comprises: identifying a
picture quality attribute; and encoding a picture component from
the source content into a still of the multiple MPEG stills such
that the still is compressed according to the picture quality
attribute.
25. A head-end server as recited in claim 15, wherein the
computer-program instructions further comprise instructions for:
delivering video components of the iWGP to the client over an
in-band communication channel; and delivering metadata to the
client over an in-band or out-of-band communication channel, the
metadata corresponding to an interaction model for the video
components.
26. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program
instructions executable by a processor to performs operations
comprising: fetching Web content from an external data source;
responsive to receiving the Web content, transcoding the Web
content to an interactive walled garden program (iWGP); and
delivering the iWGP to a client in a television entertainment
infrastructure.
27. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
Web content is in an HTML data format.
28. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
client comprises a set-top box.
29. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
iWGP includes a relative link to a different iWGP such that the
client can be used to navigate from the iWGP to the different iWGP,
the link indicating a digital service corresponding to the
different iWGP and target metadata for the different iWGP.
30. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein a
iWGP metadata page includes at least one relative link to a
different metadata document in the iWGP.
31. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein each
metadata document includes an identifier to a corresponding
background video component.
32. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein
fetching the Web content further comprises communicating content
targeting information to the external data source for use by the
external data source to select localized source content for
transcoding by a cable-head-end into the iWGP.
33. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
computer-program instructions for transcoding the Web content
further comprises instructions for generating a plurality of
different video components over time from a single interface page
of the Web content, the interface page comprising attributes that
are dynamic over time.
34. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
computer-program instructions for transcoding the Web content
further comprise instructions for configuring the iWGP with a
program name, a target iWGP transport rate, a parental control
rating, a digital service corresponding to the iWGP, an MPEG
program number at which the iWGP is being broadcast, and/or a
program broadcast frequency.
35. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
computer-program instructions for delivering the iWGP to the client
further comprise instructions for broadcasting the iWGP to the
client over an in-band communication channel or over a combination
of the in-band communication channel and an out-of-band
communication channel.
36. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
computer-program instructions for delivering the iWGP to the client
further comprise instructions for: broadcasting one or more video
components to the client via an in-band communication channel; and
broadcasting the one or more metadata components to the client over
an out-of-band communication channel, the metadata components
corresponding to the video components.
37. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
Web content comprises one or more interface pages, and wherein
transcoding the Web content further comprises, for each interface
page of the one or more interface pages, generating digital video
components according to specified picture quality attributes.
38. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the
Web content comprises one or more interface pages, and wherein
delivering the iWGP to the client further comprises: identifying a
priority attribute associated with at least one interface page of
the interface pages; and configuring a carousel to broadcast the at
least one interface page to the client multiple times within a
latency period specified according to the priority attribute.
39. In a television entertainment infrastructure, a head-end server
comprising: downloading means for downloading Web content from the
external data source; and transcoding means for automatically
converting the Web content to an interactive walled garden program
(iWGP) for broadcast delivery to a client in the television
entertainment infrastructure.
40. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, wherein the iWGP is
transcoded such that it substantially reduces processing and/or
data storage resources used at the client to present the iWGP.
41. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, wherein the client is
processing and/or data storage resource constrained to a point that
the client is incapable of executing a Web browser.
42. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, wherein the client
comprises a set-top box.
43. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, wherein the
transcoding means further comprises means for generating a
plurality of different stills over time from a single interface
page of the Web content, the interface page comprising attributes
that change over time.
44. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, wherein the
transcoding means further comprises means for configuring the iWGP
based on one or more pre-set parameters selected from a program
name, an iWGP transport rate, a parental control rating, an
identifier that maps a digital service to the iWGP, an MPEG program
number at which the iWGP is being broadcast, and/or a iWGP
broadcast frequency.
45. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, wherein the
transcoding means further comprises means for configuring the iWGP
With a relative link to a different iWGP such that the client can
be used to navigate from the iWGP to the different iWGP, the link
indicating a digital service corresponding to the different iWGP
and target metadata for the different iWGP.
46. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, wherein the
transcoding means further comprises means for encoding a picture
component from the Web content such that the picture component is
compressed according to a predetermined picture quality
attribute.
47. A head-end server as recited in claim 39, further comprising
delivery means for broadcasting video components of the iWGP to the
client over an in-band communication channel, and delivering
metadata to the client over an in-band or out-of-band communication
channel, the metadata corresponding to an interaction model for the
video components.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is related to the following
copending U.S. applications:
[0002] U.S. application Ser. No. 10/154,622, titled "Systems and
Methods to Reference Resources in a Television-Based Entertainment
System", filed on May 22, 2002, and hereby incorporated by
reference; and
[0003] U.S. application Ser. No. ______, titled "Systems and
Methods for Generating a Walled Garden Program for Substantially
Optimized Bandwidth Delivery", filed on ______, and hereby
incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0004] The following arrangements and procedures relate to
generation and delivery of content to clients in a digital
network.
BACKGROUND
[0005] Existing techniques to broadcast originally Web-based
content to viewers in a television entertainment network are
substantially limited in that they typically require WWW content
providers to engage in substantial efforts to convert the
originally Web-based content into a data format that is compatible
with one or more particular cable broadcast servers, clients,
and/or transport implementations. This means that the WWW content
providers must not only design Web-based content for proper display
within constraints of various implementations of television
appliances, but must also utilize various tools and pre-existing
knowledge to generate content that may be compatible with a
particular head-end's specific server and/or transport
implementations so that a respective head-end can broadcast the
content to viewers. Such design and transformation activities are
generally labor intensive and time consuming. Note, these design
and transformation activities must be performed by the WWW content
provider prior to transferring any information (i.e., Web content
that has been converted by WWW content providers into a different
data format for broadcast to subscribers) to a cable head-end for
subsequent distribution to viewers.
[0006] The following systems and methods address these and other
limitations of conventional systems and techniques to create and
content for delivery to networked clients.
SUMMARY
[0007] Systems and methods to dynamically convert Web content to an
interactive program for display on digital television network
clients are described. In particular, a cable head-end server in a
digital television entertainment system downloads Web content from
an external data source (e.g., a Web server serving walled garden
content in HTML data format). The head-end server dynamically
transcodes the downloaded source content into an interactive walled
garden program (iWGP). The iWGP includes MPEG stills and metadata
for delivery to a client in the television entertainment system.
The metadata describes an interaction model corresponding for the
MPEG stills.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to
reference like features and components.
[0009] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary information service system to
support many types of ITV services, such as WWW walled garden
applications, Electronic Program Guide (EPG) services, VOD
navigator applications, etc. A feature of the system is that a
cable head-end dynamically converts downloaded Web content into
broadcast-ready-data for delivery to digital television network
clients.
[0010] FIG. 2 shows exemplary aspects of the head-end of FIG. 1 in
more detail.
[0011] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary background image as it would
appear when displayed by a client.
[0012] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary interaction model defined by
metadata presented on an on-screen display (OSD) frame buffer of a
set-top box.
[0013] FIG. 5 shows exemplary aspects of a set-top box used at the
subscriber end of the system of FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 6 shows client-side input device, such as an exemplary
hand-held remote control.
[0015] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary procedure to dynamically convert
downloaded Web content into multiple MPEG stills and corresponding
metadata for use by clients in a digital television network.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Overview
[0017] The Information Service (IS) architecture described below
supports many types of ITV services, such as WWW walled garden
applications, Electronic Program Guide (EPG) services, VOD
navigator applications, and so on. A basic feature of the described
IS architecture is the ability for a cable head-end to download
walled garden Web source content for dynamic transcoding into an
interactive walled garden program (iWGP). The iWGP does not require
a Web browser for presentation by a receiving client. The program
is interactive because along a stream of MPEG still images, or
image pages, the program includes corresponding metadata that
provides an interaction model for a user to navigate the MPEG still
images from the client.
[0018] For instance, conveyed metadata describes links (i.e., a
URL) to other image page content, links to one or more applications
hosted by the client, and/or focus areas to access a limited set of
side effects and actions. A cable user (subscriber) can select and
activate links/focus areas corresponding to an image page with an
input device such as a hand-held remote control, thereby
interacting with pages of information displayed by the thin client
onto a display screen.
[0019] Since Web source content transcoded by the cable head-end
into an iWGP can be presented and navigated by users of digital
television clients, the client does not require a Web browser to
view information that corresponds to the Web content. In this
manner, client processing and/or data storage resource dependencies
that would otherwise be needed to view Web content with a Web
source content browser are essentially unnecessary.
[0020] An Exemplary Information Service
[0021] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary information service system to
convert downloaded Web content into an "interact walled garden
program" (iWGP) that can be presented and navigated by clients in a
digital television network. In general, head-end 102 directly
interfaces with one or more external data sources 104 to fetch and
receive source content 112 over network 106. External data
source(s) 104 distribute the source content to facilitate ITV
functionality of information service 100. To this end, external
data source(s) 104 represent a Web server and any number of other
types of network servers such as an EPG server, a VOD server, and
so on.
[0022] Source content 112 represents walled garden Web content such
as that formatted in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). For purposes
of this discussion, source content 112 further includes dynamic
HTML (DHTML) content. DHTML, as is known, may include combinations
of Java applets, JSCripts and JavaScript, Flash animation,
marquees, META-tag refreshes, and so on.
[0023] Source content 112 is authored using standard and well known
HTML creation tools, such as provided in an HTML-ready authoring
program. The number of fonts and languages that may be represented
by source content 112 is virtually unlimited. Head-end 102
downloads and transcodes the source content into an iWGP that
conforms to represented font(s) and language(s) as a function of
the particular font and/or language packs that are installed at the
particular head-end 102.
[0024] Source content 112 may be authored to reference a limited or
closed set of resources such as those presented via a walled garden
Web site. For instance, although the walled garden may reference
source content deployed by more than a single Web site (e.g.,
content may reference a weather service web site, a sports service
web site, a news headlines web site, etc.), walled garden content
does not reference resources that are outside of the walled garden.
This constrains user navigation to predetermined boundaries,
providing transitive closure that is in contrast to an open set of
resources, wherein there is no such closure. Source content may
also reference content that does not provide such transitive
closure, for example, by referencing a co-hosted application on the
target-set top box 116. This is accomplished via an embedded
intrinsic event handler. These and other aspects of authored Source
content 112 are described in greater detail below.
[0025] Head-end 102 dynamically converts downloaded source content
112 representing a single walled garden Web site into a single iWGP
107 for substantially optimized broadcast delivery as program data
108 onto coaxial cable transmission medium 110. The transmitted
signals are received at one or multiple subscriber locations
114(1)-114(N). At least one of the subscriber locations, such as
the location 114(1), includes a digital set-top box 116(1) or the
like, equipped to convert the transmitted signals into signals
capable of being received by a standard (e.g., NTSC) television set
118(1) for displaying video images and/or outputting audio to a
subscriber/user.
[0026] Set-top boxes 116 can be implemented in a number of
different ways. For example, set-top box 116(1) receives broadcast
content from a satellite-based transmitter via satellite dish 120.
Set-top box 116(1) is coupled to the television 118(1) for
presenting content (e.g., audio data and video data) received by
the set-top box, as well as a graphical user interface. Set-top box
116(2) is coupled to receive broadcast content from a broadcast
network, represented herein as coaxial cable 110, and provide the
received content to associated television 118(2). Set-top box
116(N) is an example of a combination television 118(N) and
integrated set-top box 122. In this example, the various components
and functionality of the set-top box are incorporated into the
television, rather than using two separate devices. The set-top box
incorporated into the television may receive broadcast signals via
a satellite dish (similar to satellite dish 120 via coaxial cable
110, and or terrestrial digital).
[0027] Each set-top box 116 is coupled to any number of televisions
118 and/or similar devices that are implemented to display or
otherwise render content. Similarly, any number of set-top boxes
116 can be coupled to a television 118.
[0028] Although system 100 represents a broadcast network with
coaxial cable 110 as the physical transmission medium, the head-end
102 can alternatively broadcast signals to client devices (e.g.,
set-top boxes 116) over different transmission media. For instance,
the head-end 102 can alternatively broadcast signals to client
devices via wireless means such as so-called "wireless cable"
broadcasts, digital satellite communication, etc.
[0029] An Exemplary Head-End
[0030] As shown in more detail in FIG. 2, head-end 102 contains
head-end local area network (LAN) 202, including an access control
server 204 for controlling the operation of the head-end 102 over
communication path 206 (e.g., an Intranet implementing Ethernet) to
the various components therein.
[0031] A satellite integrated receiver/encoder 208, receives and
encodes digital television programming signals such as originating
from microwave broadcasts received via satellite antenna (dish)
210. One such receiver/encoder 208 outputs twenty-seven megabits
per second (27 Mb/s) MPEG2 transport streams modulated onto a
forty-four megahertz intermediate frequency carrier. In turn, the
MPEG2-encoded transport streams are received by an intermediate
frequency to radio frequency (IF/RF) up-converter 212.
[0032] The frequency up-converter 212 modulates the MPEG2-encoded
transport streams onto six megahertz analog channels and injects
the signals onto the broadcast network, which in this
implementation is illustrated as cable transmission medium 110. By
multiplexing multiple, packetized digital signals per six megahertz
analog channel, hundreds of digital channels may be injected onto a
single coaxial medium.
[0033] The Source Download/Transcode Server
[0034] In addition to broadcasting conventional television
programming, head-end 102, and more particularly the source
download/transcode server 216, downloads and dynamically converts
source content 112 representing a walled garden into an iWPG for
substantially optimized bandwidth utilization during delivery to
set-top box(es) 116. Server 216 downloads source content 112 (FIG.
1) from one or more external data sources 104. The server may rely
on Internet, intranet, and/or Virtual Private Network (VPN) access
(e.g., via a local provider) from within the headend to fetch and
receive the source content. (Hereinafter, the source
download/transcode server 216 is often referred to as the "server",
"download server", "transcode server", "iWPG Server", and so on,
each name being representative of the particular functionality that
is being discussed at the time.)
[0035] The process of converting downloaded source content 112 into
an iWPG 107 is called transcoding. Because transcoding is performed
at the head-end 102, source content author(s) do not need
pre-existing knowledge of the data transport infrastructures of a
head-end or the target clients 116. This is substantially
beneficial because a source content author can create a single
instance of source content for distribution to any number of
different head-ends and clients with without needing such
pre-existing device implementation knowledge. This means that a
single instance of authored source content 112 can be dynamically
converted, by any number of head-ends 102, to iWGP 107 for delivery
to any number of clients, regardless of whether the respective
head-ends utilize different respective server, client, and/or
digital signal transport infrastructures.
[0036] The download server/transcoder component 216 is coupled
across communication path 206 (e.g., Ethernet) to local head-end
LAN 202. Download/transcode server 216 includes processor 220
coupled to memory 222. The memory includes volatile (i.e., random
access memory (RAM)) and/or non-volatile memory. The memory
comprises one or more program modules 224 and data 226. Processor
220 is configured to fetch and execute computer program
instructions from program modules 224 (applications portion) of the
memory, and further configured to fetch data from data 226 portion
of the memory while executing the program modules.
[0037] Program modules 224 typically include routines, programs,
objects, components, and so on, for performing particular tasks or
implementing particular abstract data types. In this
implementation, program modules 224 provide a run-time environment
(i.e., an operating system) and perform the following described
operations to fetch source content 112 from external data source(s)
104 and dynamically generate iWGP(s) 107 from the fetched content
for substantially optimized broadcast distribution to subscribers
114. In particular, source content 112 is fetched, or downloaded as
one or more electronic files 228 from external data source(s) 106.
For purposes of illustration, these electronic source content
downloads are represented within server 216 as "other data"
231.
[0038] Manually or via a scripting file (not shown), a system or
program administrator establishes and deploys infrastructure for
use by program module(s) 224 to: (a) download source content 112 as
one or more electronic files 228; (b) generate corresponding
iWGP(s) 107 from the downloaded source content; and (c) deliver the
generated iWGP(s) to subscribers 114. Configuration data 230
includes such infrastructure.
[0039] Server 216 includes configuration data 230, which specifies
at least a home page or root of a resource tree via a Universal
Resource Identifier (URI) indicating a name and address of source
content 112. The URI may further include, for example, localization
parameters such as head-end identifier/name, zip code and so on, as
provided by a program administrator. Configuration data 230 may
include other data such as a periodicity to indicate a frequency
for the server 216 to fetch source content 112 from a particular
URI, targeting information (e.g., a media service organization
(MSO) name and headend name), etc.
[0040] To facilitate server 216 transcoding of fetched source
content 112, the configuration data 230, for each URL identifying
source content 112, further indicates at least a portion of the
following:
[0041] an iWGP name such as a textual descriptor for the program
that is a substantially unique identifier.
[0042] a program application ID, which may be in the format
OrgID.AppID, where the OrgID represents an organization ID assigned
by Digital Video Broadcast, and the AppID represents an application
ID that is assigned by the organization. The program application ID
is used to populate a look-up file used by the client to identify
the digital service on which the iWGP will be broadcast.
[0043] a source capture rate, which is the refresh rate used to
fetch source content 112 from the site deploying the source
content.
[0044] a program transport rate, which is the overall transport
rate (bandwidth) allocated to an iWGP 107 (e.g., in units of
bits/second). In one implementation, a default program transport
rate is used.
[0045] a parental control rating, which is a TV rating parental
control setting (e.g.,
TV-Y7.vertline.TV-Y.vertline.TV-G.vertline.TV-PG.vertline.-
TV-14.vertline.TV-MA) that is applied by the download/transcode
server 216 to an entire iWGP 107. The parental control rating
overrides any settings that may be indicated by source content 112
or by a site deploying the source content.
[0046] a program number (i.e., a service number) such as an MPEG
number used to identify the digital service on which an iWGP 107 is
to be broadcast. In the case of a Motorola cable system, this
program number is used to populate a Virtual Channel Map used by
the set-top box 116 as a look-up from a virtual channel number
(VCN).
[0047] a program broadcast frequency or EIA channel (e.g., set on
up-converter(s) 236, 244). This configuration parameter indicates
the frequency at which the iWGP 107 is to be broadcast by the
head-end 102. In the case of a Motorola cable system; this value is
used to populate the VCM on the Digital Audio Converter (DAC) as
the look-up from the VCN).
[0048] An Exemplary Interactive Walled Garden Program (IWGP)
[0049] Source content 112 is downloaded or fetched by downloading
and transcode server 216 as one or more electronic data files 228.
The download/transcode server 216 downloads the source content from
an external data source 104 identified by a URL according to one or
more of the discussed parameters in the configuration data 230. The
download source content is dynamically transcoded upon receipt,
into iWGP(s) 107, each of which respectively represents broadcast
ready content. In one implementation, such transcoding is performed
by one or more Microsoft.RTM. Internet Explorer Active-X plug-in
controls, thereby rendering fetched source content into an iWGP
107.
[0050] Each iWGP 107 is a navigable page tree that includes one or
more MPEG stills 232, which are the visual portions of a page, a
metadata component 234, and optional audio component 235. Each of
these aspects is now described.
[0051] An Exemplary MPEG Still
[0052] Each video still 232 generated by transcode server 216 is a
single intra encoded MPEG2 picture (still) wrapped in a packetized
elementary stream layer (PES) per the MPEG specification ISO/IEC
13818-2 Video. Each page's video component (still) 232 is assigned
an exclusive Packet Identifier (PID) per the MPEG specification
ISO/IEC 13818-1 Systems. Each MPEG video still 232 is capable of
being decoded by an MPEG video decoder 536 in the set-top box 116
(FIG. 5).
[0053] The download/transcode server 216 generates the MPEG video
232 in compliance with US and European cable system standards using
square pixel resolution parameters.
[0054] As noted above, source content 112, from which iWGP(s) 107
are generated, may be dynamic (i.e., dynamic HTML or a "DHTML"
document), including any combination of Java applets, JSCripts and
JavaScript, Flash animation, marquees, META-tag refreshes, and so
on. Although these elements can be used, the transcode server 116
does not guarantee that the dynamic aspects of fetched source
content will be finished executing, or will have executed to any
specific point before the server 116 generates a snapshot of the
page (i.e., a single MPEG still 232). This is because a single
still image effectively freezes the current state of the source
content, regardless of whether dynamic content is executing.
Accordingly, to represent dynamic content such as an animation loop
within a source page 112, the transcode server 216 captures a
series of snapshots of the same source content page, thus
preserving substantial aspects of the dynamic character of the
source content.
[0055] Picture quality attributes for an MPEG still 232 are
indicated with a meta-tag in corresponding metadata 234. The
quality attribute impacts picture quality of a corresponding MPEG
still 232 as it is displayed at the client 114. For instance, image
pages may be assigned one of three levels of quality, including,
high, medium, or low. These quality designations are mapped to
respective minimum quantization or compression values. The minimum
quantization value indicates the degree of compression applied by
the download/transcode server 216 to MPEG still 232, which is
dynamically transcoded from Web content by the server 216. The
degree of quanitization/compression affects the page size, which
has a resultant effect on the average page size in an iWGP 107.
Picture quality attributes specified by an author of source content
112 are parsed during programmatic generation of corresponding iWGP
content by the server 216.
[0056] In one implementation, an exemplary image quality
indications map: (a) HI quality pages to a minimum quantization of
two; MED quality pages to a minimum quantization of eight; and LOW
quality pages to a minimum quantization of sixteen.
[0057] There is a direct correlation between quality and the number
of bits used to encode a still 232. In general, reducing a page's
quality reduces its bandwidth requirement. An iWGP 107 can be
edited by a system or program administrator or the transcode server
216 (i.e., programmatically) at the head-end 102 to override and/or
initially assign MPEG content picture quality attributes. For
example, page quality may be adjusted automatically during
transcoding to accommodate any bandwidth constraints configured for
the iWGP 107 (e.g., as indicated by configuration data 230). In
this implementation, all pages within a source content 112 are
transcoded assuming default quality unless otherwise specified by a
quality attribute.
[0058] An iWGP 107 can be edited to add/remove image pages 232,
corresponding metadata 234, audio 235, and so on. Related to the
addition and removal of content from an iWGP 107 is the concept of
MPEG still 232 priority. A page image's priority attribute affects
acquisition latency of the page image at the client 114. To reduce
acquisition latency, multiple instances of a frequently accessed
page can be added by the program administrator (i.e., manually or
automatically via configuration data 230) to the transport carousel
system 218 at spaced-apart locations. Such page image redundancy
reduces the latency for that page by increasing its frequency on
the carousel. The priority assigned to a particular still 232
determines the frequency with which the page appears in the
carousel 218. The carousel frequency divides the latency for that
page.
[0059] At scheduled intervals, the download server 216 may
iteratively download source content 112 from a particular external
data source 104 to synchronize or refresh a corresponding iWGP 107
so that it reflects current or updated content for subsequent
broadcast publication. It is possible for the page image to be
updated at a frequency equal to the maximum initial latency of the
carousel 218.
[0060] IWGP Metadata
[0061] Metadata 234 describes structure of a tree (i.e., links
between iWGP pages) and contents of a corresponding MPEG still 232,
or page image as well as an interaction model for the page image.
The transcode server 216 determines the structure of downloaded
source content 112 from the HTML Document Object Model (DOM), which
is indicated by the downloaded source content 112. In particular,
the server 216 transcodes the structure of an HTML document by
extracting the location and shape of hot-spots by searching a
page's DOM for anchor tags and client-side image maps. This
hot-spot or interaction model information is stored into the
metadata 234 for the document.
[0062] The interaction model defined by metadata 234 provides for
viewer interface with the digital set-top box 116 to selectively
display the various page images 232 on the screen of the television
set 118, access applications hosted by the set-top box 116, and so
on. For example, a page image typically includes one or more
selectable regions (hot-spots, buttons, etc.), a cursor that a
viewer can move to focus on a particular region and select it
(e.g., using an input device such as a remote control), and a set
of responses mapped to the selectable regions. One or more of the
mapped responses are triggered as a result of viewer selection of
one of the selectable regions.
[0063] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary background image 300 as it would
appear when displayed by a hardware video decoder on a set-top box
116. The background image 300 represents an MPEG still 232 to
illustrate, among other things, two button controls 302 and 304.
The metadata 234, or interface model of this example, identifies
locations of hotspots on the page, identifies navigation links to
other pages, and indicates response(s) to user inputs (e.g.,
highlighting underlying portions of the video plane) based on
cursor position.
[0064] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary interaction model 400 defined by
metadata presented on an on-screen display frame buffer (OSD) of a
set-top box 116. The OSD is capable of superimposing alphanumeric
characters, other symbols and bitmap graphics over a displayed
image.
[0065] In this example, the interaction model 400 of FIG. 4
displays an outline of a cursor 402 over the default hotspot (e.g.,
button) of the background image 300 of FIG. 3 that is has current
focus. In this example, the default hotspot represents right button
control 304. Through the interaction model, the set-top box 116
interface may respond to a button select action by invoking
(linking) another interface page, by tuning the set-top to a
specific broadcast feed, launch another application and relinquish
set-top resources in the process (e.g., a button select may
initiate a VOD session), and so on.
[0066] As discussed above, metadata 234 that define how focus
should be drawn on links and form elements are inferred by the
transcode server 216 from the source content 112 layout. Focus
geometry is specified in a grid that corresponds to the source
content capture resolution. In other words, even pixel addresses
are used in focus specifications. The focus descriptors for each
page element are combined with the other metadata for each page
element.
[0067] Metadata 234 that indicate the name of the HTML source pages
112 associated with each link are inferred from the HTML source
112. One or more of these source pages may identify a background
video component. The metadata defining the focus geometry and link
URLs are encoded using standard client-side image map tags, e.g.,
<AREA>. The HREF attribute for entries relating to a form
element focus will contain the URL specified by an ACTION attribute
in the <FORM> tag. Appended to that URL is the form query
string fragment defined by that form element. The HREF attribute
for hyperlinks contain the URL from the corresponding anchor or
image map.
[0068] Hypertext links, specified by walled garden source content
112, are transcoded by server 216 to relative links stored in an
iWGP's corresponding metadata documents 234. In one implementation,
a relative link in one metadata document may specify an absolute
path to another metadata document of the same iWGP program. In
another implementation, the relative link in a particular iWGP
metadata document may also reference a different iWGP, the relative
link indicating a digital service corresponding to the different
iWGP and target metadata for the different iWGP. In this
implementation, the relative link can be used by a digital
television entertainment system client to navigate from the
particular iWGP to the different iWGP.
[0069] The absolute path specified by a relative link corresponds
to a location on transport carousel system 218. For example,
"./<path/targetFile.SVG>" represents a relative link to a
file on the carousel 218. Hypertext links, specified by walled
garden source content 112, that do not exhibit transitive closure
(i.e., point outside of a walled garden), such as to another walled
garden or application, are transcoded "as-is" in metadata 234. For
example, in one implementation, a relative link is a Transport
Stream (TS) Universal Resource Identifier Locator (URL). A TS URL
is a resource referencing mechanism through which an iWGP hosted by
a client device 116 can access virtually any type of resource that
is accessible via a digital or analog tuner. Such resources include
software and/or hardware resources.
[0070] As noted above, an intrinsic event handler may be embedded
into the DOM of source content 112. An intrinsic event handler
specifies one or more specific functions (exposed APIs) to invoke
with respect to applications co-hosted on a target set-top box 116.
For example, an intrinsic event handler may be used to invoke a VOD
session from an iWGP 107 and initiate the play-back of a specific
VOD title. Specific syntax for a script portion of an intrinsic
event handler corresponds to an exposed API of the co-hosted
application, an example is: <META
http-equiv="Content-Script-Type" Content="text/Basic
1.sub.--0">.
[0071] By way of further examples: (a) a VOD session launch is made
responsive to a subscriber click on an anchor tag corresponding to
<A onclick="VOD.Buy(`Some Movie Name)"> metadata; (b) a force
tune to a broadcast channel from an MPEG still 232 can be made when
an anchor corresponding to <A
onclick="TVAPI.Tune(`ts://<TSI>)"> metadata is selected by
a user ("ts" is a locator for a particular transport stream and
"TSI" represents an index to resource and channel); (c) responsive
to loading a "Body" tag, or on "Frameset" tag, such as when a
ticker application is launched from an MPEG still as the still is
loaded with the following syntax <BODY
onload="Ticker.Stocks(`MSFT`, `OPTV`, `MOTO`)">.
[0072] Although metadata 234 may be represented in any of a number
of different data formats, this implementation generates metadata
234 in a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) data format. The SVG data
format is a vector graphics language written in Extensible Markup
Language (XML). SVG metadata for the example of FIG. 4 is based,
for example, on the following structure and content:
1 EXEMPLARY METADATA STRUCTURE AND CONTENT Page ID Locator of
background MPEG video page Locator of audio track Hotspot 1 //e.g.,
Cursor to draw over right arrow button on OSD { link id, shape,
size, position, tab-order, opacity Hyperlink to next SVG page (page
metadata) } Hotspot 2 // e.g., Cursor to draw over left arrow
button on OSD { link id, shape, size, position, tab-order, opacity
Hyperlink to previous SVG page } // Hotspot ... { ... } // Hotspot
N { ... }
[0073] The page ID substantially uniquely identifies the page
generated by the source download/transcode server 216. Within each
page are one or more hotspot sections that encapsulate a respective
link ID. Link IDs collectively identify each of the links in the
page.
[0074] When metadata 234 is loaded for presentation of still(s) 232
of an iWGP 107, the following is an exemplary sequence of events
performed by a client 116. The background MPEG video still 232 is
presented on the video plane. The audio track is decoded and
presented by the hardware audio decoder. An element of metadata 234
is the default hotspot that is in focus when the metadata document
234 is loaded. The default hotpot is outlined with a cursor drawn
on the OSD on the video plane. When the user presses remote control
buttons for "left", "right", "up" or "down", the outline of the
cursor is drawn at a new position on the OSD overlaying the image
of the hotspot that is now in focus; the tab order of the selection
is determined by the explicit tab attributes specified for each
hotspot.
[0075] iWGP Broadcast Delivery
[0076] After server 216 has downloaded and converted source content
112 into one or multiple iWGP(s) 107, the server delivers
program(s) 107 to carousel system 218 for subsequent injection over
broadcast network 110 to subscriber(s). Carousel system 218
produces a real-time carousel data stream for modulation onto a six
or eight megahertz channel of transmission medium 110.
[0077] In this implementation, the carousel 218 of iWGP(s) 107 are
delivered to a client set-top-box 116 as a standard MPEG2 transport
stream, which is broadcast in-band over some number of MHz carrier.
Each iWGP is mapped to a digital service in a transport stream. The
carousel system 218 is a broadcast multiplexer that multiplexes
iWGP(s) 107 over a single transport stream.
[0078] In one implementation, the in-band data
modulator/up-converter 236 accepts 27 Mb/s transport streams from
carousel and encodes and modulates those signals to a 238 MHz
intermediate frequency. The up-converter component converts the 212
MHz intermediate signal to an RF signal and injects the RF signal
into the cable system's transmission medium 110. In this manner,
the 27 Mb/s MPEG2 transport streams containing iWGP(s) 107
generated by server 216 are modulated onto a six megahertz analog
channel for reception by subscribers.
[0079] In another implementation, MPEG stills 232 are broadcast
over the in-band channel and metadata 234 are delivered over an
out-of-band channel. For instance, the stills are delivered to the
set-top box 116 over an in-band channel as one or more electronic
files 240, whereas corresponding metadata 234 is delivered to the
set-top box 116 via an out-of-band channel as one or more
electronic files 242. This alternate implementation, takes
advantage of a second tuner on the client to cache metadata and
thereby substantially reduce user navigation latency. To this end,
carousel system 218 is coupled to an out-of-band data
multiplexer/up-converter 244. The out-of-band data
multiplexer/up-converter may also be used to communicate other
information service-related data to the cable network.
[0080] Although FIG. 2 shows only one source download/transcode
server 216 in head-end 102, two or more such servers may be
installed in a head-end for purposes of increased reliability based
on redundancy. Moreover, the downloading and transcoding operations
performed by server 216 can be distributed across any number of
computing devices, rather than being performed on a single server
216.
[0081] The Subscriber End
[0082] FIG. 5 shows exemplary digital set-top box 116 used at the
subscriber end of system 100. Although not necessary to the
invention, in this particular set-top box, the hardware is
unmodified so that the existing base of publicly distributed
set-top boxes may implement the Information Service without
requiring upgrade servicing or replacement. However, to provide a
service in accordance with the described arrangements and
procedures to dynamically convert downloaded source content 112 to
broadcast ready MPEG 107 program(s) for substantially optimized
broadcast delivery to the set-top box, the operation of the box 116
is modified by additional software downloaded thereto. Such
additional software includes iWGP Navigator module 124 (also shown
in FIG. 1), which is a computer-program module that communicates
with an operating system 502 of the box 116 by placing calls
through an application programming interface (API) 504, as
described in more detail below.
[0083] As shown in FIG. 5, the digital cable box 116 includes
in-band tuner 506 and out-of-band tuner 508, along with respective
demodulators 510 and 512. Microprocessor 514 controls the tuning
operations of tuners 506 and 508 based on commands received from a
subscriber via an input device such as a keypad or an infrared
remote control device 516, as described below. To this end, set-top
box 116 includes infrared sensor 518 connected to an infrared
receiver 520, which provides the command signaling information to
the microprocessor 514. Memory system 522 includes operating system
502 stored therein, and preferably comprises a combination of
volatile dynamic RAM 524 and non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) 526.
[0084] In this implementation, iWGP content is broadcast across
digital channels as MPEG transport packets onto a six megahertz
analog channel. The set-top box 116 includes some number of packet
identification (PID) filters, which in this example are three (3)
filters 528-532, to extract the appropriate encoded data packets
for an application selected digital channel. The audio, video, and
metadata content corresponding the iWGP are each respectively
encapsulated in transports packets assigned PIDs that are
substantially unique within the scope of the transport stream. The
digital service is associated via program specific information
(PSI) to the metadata component, which in turn references the
corresponding video and/or audio. One of the video and audio
components may be declared in the PSI to supply a splash screen for
presentation upon client tuning to the iWGP host digital
service.
[0085] Based on the selected channel, microprocessor 514 writes an
identification value to each PID filter 528-532, whereby the
filters 528-532 pass only those packets corresponding to that
value. As shown in FIG. 5, one of the PID filters, filter 528,
provides the filtered packets to an audio decoder 534 which decodes
the digital audio data 235 (encoded, for example, according to the
AC3 format), while another PID filter 532 provides filtered MPEG
still frame packets 232 to the video decoder 536.
[0086] In addition to line-level audio and video outputs, the
resulting video signal may be output from the set-top box 116 with
separate luminance and chrominance signals (SVHS format). Set-top
box 116 may also contain a modulator (not shown) for combining the
audio and video signals onto a modulated carrier channel such as
channel 3 or 4, for compatibility with television sets not having
separate audio and video inputs.
[0087] Third PID filter 530 is provided to extract in-band and
out-of-band data such as metadata 234 associated with corresponding
MPEG still frames 232. As described above, the metadata describes
links to other MPEG stills, other set-top box 116 co-hosted
applications (e.g., an electronic programming guide (EPG), a VOD,
and/or other applications), along with data describing any number
of side effects and actions. A user can select and activate the
links with a hand-held remote control, thereby interacting with the
pages of information displayed on the television screen or
switching to the referenced application. Packet processor 538
handles those packets by communicating them to navigator 124.
[0088] In this implementation, wherein metadata 234 is represented
in an SVG data format, iWGP Navigator 124 uses an SVG rendering
engine 531 running on middleware to render a cursor on the set-top
on-screen display frame buffer (OSD) over each hotspot on a
displayed MPEG still 232. (Using meta-tags in source content 112,
which is parsed by the transcode server 216 into metadata 234, an
author is able to indicate cursor attributes to the iWGP Navigator
124 on a per page basis). OSD 540 is capable of superimposing
alphanumeric characters, other symbols and bitmap graphics over a
displayed image. To accomplish this superimposition, overlay 542 is
provided to appropriately combine the video outputs of the video
decoder 536 and the OSD 540.
[0089] Cable box 116 functions when the user provides an
appropriate and valid command to the cable box. For example, in
response to a digital channel selection command, the microprocessor
tunes the in-band tuner 506 to an appropriate analog channel based
on the digital channel selected by the subscriber. If a digital
channel was selected, a table or the like stored in memory 522
determines the analog channel that carries the digital channel's
packets, along with the packet identification numbers corresponding
to that channel, for writing into PID filters 528 and 532. Once the
PIDs have been written, audio and video decoders 536 and 534 will
receive the appropriate packets and decode and output appropriate
signals. As described below, some of the packets will include
iWGP(s) 107 that have been dynamically generated at head-end
102.
[0090] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary client-side input device. The
subscriber also will be provided with an input device such as
hand-held remote control 516 of FIG. 6. In one implementation, the
input device includes four directional (up, down, left and right
cursor) buttons, 602(1)-602(4) respectively, and a "SELECT" button
604. The remote control 516 may include a dedicated button, chosen
as the "A" button 606 of FIG. 6, which may be used to enter the
information service in one alternative scenario described below. In
one implementation, the remote control input device will also
provide the normal complement of TV-related buttons including a
numeric keypad 608, volume adjustment, channel adjustment, mute and
so on. Other buttons such as those for control of a videocassette
recorder also may be provided. The remote control is wireless,
e.g., an infrared or RF-based remote control, but of course
alternatively may be wired. Moreover, alternate input devices need
not be remote, but may for example, be provided as a keypad (not
shown) on a set-top box.
[0091] An Exemplary iWGP Navigator Module
[0092] A user or subscriber utilizes set-top box 116 to display,
listen, and/or interact with cable data provided via head-end 102.
In particular, the user utilizes set-top box 116 to display,
listen, and/or interact with iWGP(s) 107 generated by head-end 102.
To this end, iWGP navigator module 124 has been downloaded into
memory 522 of set-top box 116, along with APIs 504 for interfacing
the iWGP navigator module to operating system 502 of the set-top
box.
[0093] In one scenario, when a subscriber tunes (e.g., via remote
control 516) to a specified channel reserved for the Information
Service of system 100 of FIG. 1, iWGP navigator 124 enables the
subscriber to browse iWGP(s) 107 broadcast on the cable network.
The user can launch the navigator from other co-hosted set-top
applications, such as from a menu within the EPG. Once an iWGP is
launched, the subscriber may navigate from one still 232 to another
still 232 and from one program 107 to another program 107.
[0094] For instance, when the user presses a directional cursor
button on input device 516 such as represented by buttons
602(1)-602(4), the navigator module 124 reads metadata 234
associated with the displayed MPEG still 232 to perform possible
actions. Examples of some possible actions include adjusting focus,
tabbing through links, hyperlinking to another MPEG still 232,
hyperlinking from the navigator module 124 to another application
(e.g., an EPG), etc.
[0095] Cable boxes typically provide APIs 504 to control the tuner
and selection of program elements in the MPEG2 stream. iWPG
navigator module 124 uses such an API (in the APIs 504) to specify
the digital channel corresponding to the appropriate iWGP 107 on
the carousel 218, whereby processor 514 in set-top box 116 tunes
in-band tuner 506 to the appropriate carrier and selects the
program (Service) corresponding to the desired page group. The
mapping between digital channels and carousel page programs is
fixed and may be mapped to virtual channels for selective control
of user channel access. The iWPG navigator selects the program
element (service component) containing the carousel page for
display, and uses an API (or the like) to select the Video Program
Element for display. As a result, the PID is written to PID filter
532 and the page image is decoded and displayed by the
hardware.
[0096] iWPG navigator 124 selects the program component that
carries metadata 234 for page group 107. Page metadata is organized
in the carousel system. Each iWGP page has an associated metadata
file. Cable boxes 116 may provide a carousel system client access
to specific metadata files in the carousel. The iWPG navigator
reads the page metadata, which includes a record for each hotlink
on the page. Each hotlink record includes information such as the
geometry of focus for that hot-spot and other information specific
to the hot-spot.
[0097] For anchor elements, the record includes the file name of
the target iWGP page metadata 232 to which the link refers. Note
that the carousel 218 contents are described by the carousel
metadata, which is carried in-band or out-of band. Where the
hot-spot indicates a link to a page in a different iWGP, the record
includes a reference to the particular digital service on which the
target program is broadcast in addition to a metadata file name
corresponding to the target page in the program.
[0098] After metadata 234 has been read by iWPG navigator 124, the
iWPG navigator draws focus on a default link as specified by the
page metadata. At this time, displayed still 232 is ready for
user-interaction. For example, iWPG navigator draws focus on other
links as they are tabbed to by the user, according to the focus
chain specified in the page metadata. Accordingly, when the user
moves focus to a hyperlink, the module 124 simply draws focus,
using OSD 540, on some region of the screen as indicated by
geometry information in page metadata. When the user selects the
link, the iWPG navigator changes the display to the destination
page as indicated by the link data in the former page's
metadata.
[0099] An Exemplary Procedure
[0100] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary procedure 700 to dynamically
convert downloaded Web content into programs that include MPEG
stills that can be presented and navigated using metadata on
clients in a digital television network. At block 702, server 216
actively gathers source content 112 from an external data source
104. As noted above, this data fetching operation is performed
according to parameters indicated by configuration data 230. At
block 704, server 216 transcodes the downloaded source content into
an iWGP 107, comprising one or more still(s) 232, metadata 234, and
optional audio 235 components. In one implementation, hereinafter
referred to as a non-layering implementation, there is a one-to-one
mapping between an MPEG still 232 and an interface page in the
downloaded source content 112. That is, a single MPEG still 232 is
generated from all background, image, and text components of a
single interface page 112 (e.g., a Web page).
[0101] In other implementations, described in the following
alternative implementations section, there is a many to one
relationship between the numbers of MPEG stills 232 generated from
a single interface page. That is, multiple MPEG stills 232 are
generated to respectively represent various background, image, and
possibly text components of a single interface page. In another
implementation, text is extracted from background, and/or text
layers of an interface page 112. The extracted text is not
represented with an MPEG still, but rather embedded into metadata
234 for later rendering onto an OSD layer at the client 114.
[0102] At block 706, the head-end 102 delivers the transcoded
source content as an iWGP 107 to one or more clients 114. At block
708, the iWGP navigator 124 presents received broadcast content 107
to users for interaction.
CONCLUSION
[0103] The described systems and methods provide for dynamic
conversion of Web content to an interactive walled garden program
for presentation by digital television network clients. Although
the systems and methods have been described in language specific to
structural features and methodological operations, the systems and
methods as defined in the appended claims are not necessarily
limited to the specific features or operations described. Rather,
the specific features and operations are disclosed as exemplary
forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.
* * * * *