Method and application for interactive video on demand

摘要

Method and apparatus for generation of interactive programming. An interactive programming server embeds interactive components into a video signal. The interactive programming server receives content from a content source and interactive components from an interactive component source and uses the content and interactive components to generate an interactive Video On Demand (iVOD) interactive program. The iVOD interactive program is transmitted to a participant who views the content and interacts with the interactive components of the iVOD interactive program. The participant's responses to the content is transmitted back to the interactive programming server where the participant responses are incorporated into new content which is used to generate new iVOD interactive programming.

主权项

1. A method for generating an interactive video-on-demand (iVOD) interactive television program by an interactive television programming server configured for transmission to an iVOD interactive television programming transceiver, comprising:
receiving media content for the iVOD interactive television program by the interactive television programming server; receiving a participant response by the interactive television programming server from the interactive television programming transceiver through an Internet Protocol (IP) back channel; dynamically generating iVOD interactive television programming content by the interactive television programming server using the received media content and the participant response, wherein the dynamically generating the interactive television programming content by the interactive television programming server comprises: processing the participant response, generating participant response content based on the processed response, and merging the participant response content based on the processed response with the media content; receiving an interactive component by the interactive television programming server based on the processing of the participant response, the generating of the participant response content based on the processed response, and the merging of the participant response content based on the processed response with the media content; dynamically generating the iVOD interactive television program by the interactive television programming server using the iVOD interactive television programming content and the interactive component; transmitting the iVOD interactive television program by the interactive television programming server to the interactive television programming transceiver through a forward channel; and updating the media content in accordance with the participant response so that later receptions of the media content by the interactive television programming server reflect the updated media content, wherein the forward channel is a television network, wherein the media content is a digital video signal and generating the iVOD interactive television program further includes:
encapsulating the interactive component in a first elementary stream of a digital video broadcast transport stream; andadding the media content to a second elementary stream of the video broadcast transport stream, and wherein the interactive component comprises a trigger comprising:
a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) field for specifying a URL of a resource in an IP network; anda type field for specifying what type of network is used to access the URL.