Interactive live media systems and methods
Methods, systems and arrangements are described herein for enabling viewers to engage with live media broadcasts in ways that provide rich interactive experiences. Methods, systems and arrangements are also described for enabling transactions to be integrated with live broadcasts, and for enabling viewers to experience the feeling of being part of a group. Methods, systems and arrangements are also described for integrating viewer interactions into live media broadcasts themselves.
1 . A server providing an interactive control service, the server including at least one processor configured to, while a plurality of viewer computing devices are each receiving, and displaying to a respective user, a respective copy of a mixed live video stream:
communicate, with those of the viewer computing devices capable of presenting a personal interactive user interface that is controllable by the interactive control service, to cause those of the viewer computing devices capable of the presenting to present a respective personal interactive user interface to the respective user simultaneously with the displaying to the respective user of the respective copy of the mixed live video stream;
receive user input data provided by at least one user via a respective personal interactive user interface;
process at least the user input data to generate interaction data;
communicate with a mixing computing device that is generating the mixed live video stream to provide the interaction data to the mixing computing device,
wherein the mixing computing device is remote from the viewer computing devices and:
generates mixable content using the interaction data;
draws the mixable content into an overlay frame buffer of the mixing computing device;
draws video frames of a live video into a main frame buffer of the mixing computing device;
generates each successive frame of the mixed live video stream as a combination of at least contents of the main frame buffer and contents of the overlay frame buffer; and
streams the successive frames of the mixed live video stream from the mixing computing device to the plurality of viewer computing devices.
2 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
cause the viewer computing devices to present personal interactive user interfaces to users in response to receiving, from the mixing computing device, an indication that the mixing computing device will accept the interaction data for generating the mixable content.
3 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to instruct the viewer computing devices to present each respective personal interactive user interface responsive to one or more instructions to the server from the mixing computing device.
4 . The server of claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to, while each personal interactive user interface is being presented by a respective viewer computing device, instruct each personal interactive user interface to change state responsive to one or more instructions to the server from the mixing computing device.
5 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the user input data comprises data regarding one or more financial transactions initiated by respective users.
6 . The server of claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to route financial transactions based on the data regarding the one or more financial transactions.
7 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
generate the interaction data corresponding to the user input data by aggregating at least a portion of the user input data received from a plurality of the personal interactive user interfaces.
8 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
send feedback to each personal interactive user interface responsive to receiving user input data from the personal interactive user interface.
9 . The server of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the feedback to each personal interactive user interface responsive to receiving respective user input data to trigger a change in what is displayed to the user via the personal interactive user interface.
10 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to periodically provide the interaction data to the mixing computing device.
11 . A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program executable on an server for operating an interactive control service while a plurality of viewer computing devices are each receiving, and displaying to a respective user, a respective copy of a mixed live video stream, the computer program comprising:
computer program code for communicating, with those of the viewer computing devices capable of presenting a personal interactive user interface that is controllable by the interactive control service, to cause those of the viewer computing devices capable of the presenting to present a respective personal interactive user interface to the respective user simultaneously with the displaying to the respective user of the respective copy of the mixed live video stream;
computer program code for receiving user input data provided by at least one user via a respective personal interactive user interface;
computer program code for processing at least the user input data to generate interaction data;
computer program code for communicating with a mixing computing device that is generating the mixed live video stream to provide the interaction data to the mixing computing device,
wherein the mixing computing device is remote from the viewer computing devices and:
generates mixable content using the interaction data;
draws the mixable content into an overlay frame buffer of the mixing computing device;
draws video frames of a live video into a main frame buffer of the mixing computing device;
generates each successive frames of the mixed live video stream as a combination of at least contents of the main frame buffer and contents of the overlay frame buffer; and
streams the successive frames of the mixed live video stream from the mixing computing device to the plurality of viewer computing devices.
12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , comprising:
computer program code for causing the viewer computing devices to present the respective personal interactive user interface to users in response to receiving, from the mixing computing device, an indication that the mixing computing device will accept the interaction data for generating the mixable content.
13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , comprising:
computer program code for instructing the viewer computing devices to present the respective personal interactive user interface responsive to one or more instructions to the server from the mixing computing device.
14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , comprising:
computer program code for, while each personal interactive user interfaces is being presented by a respective viewer computing device, instructing each personal interactive user interface to change state responsive to one or more instructions to the server from the mixing computing device.
15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the user input data comprises data regarding one or more financial transactions initiated by respective users.
16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , comprising:
computer program code for routing financial transactions based on the data regarding the one or more financial transactions.
17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , comprising:
computer program code for generating the interaction data corresponding to the user input data by aggregating at least a portion of the user input data received from a plurality of the personal respective interactive user interfaces.
18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , comprising:
computer program code for sending feedback to each personal interactive user interface responsive to receiving user input data from the personal interactive user interface.
19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , comprising:
computer program code for sending the feedback to each personal interactive user interface responsive to receiving respective user input data to trigger a change in what is displayed to the user via the personal interactive user interface.
20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , comprising:
computer program code for periodically providing the interaction data to the mixing computing device.
21 . A method of operating an interactive control service on a server while a plurality of viewer computing devices are each receiving, and displaying to a respective user, a respective copy of a mixed live video stream, the method comprising:
communicating, with those of the viewer computing devices capable of presenting a personal interactive user interface that is controllable by the interactive control service, to cause those of the viewer computing devices capable of the presenting to present a respective personal interactive user interface to the respective user simultaneously with the displaying to the respective user of the respective copy of the mixed live video stream;
receiving user input data provided by at least one user via a respective personal interactive user interface;
processing at least the user input data to generate interaction data;
communicating with a mixing computing device that is generating the mixed live video stream to provide the interaction data to the mixing computing device,
wherein the mixing computing device is remote from the viewer computing devices and:
generates mixable content using the interaction data;
draws the mixable content into an overlay frame buffer of the mixing computing device;
draws video frames of a live video into a main frame buffer of the mixing computing device;
generates each successive frames of the mixed live video stream as a combination of at least contents of the main frame buffer and contents of the overlay frame buffer; and
streams the successive frames of the mixed live video stream from the mixing computing device to the plurality of viewer computing devices.
22 . The method of claim 21 , comprising:
causing each viewer computing devices to present the respective personal interactive user interface to users in response to receiving, from the mixing computing device, an indication that the mixing computing device will accept the interaction data for generating the mixable content.
23 . The method of claim 21 , comprising:
instructing the viewer computing devices to present the respective personal interactive user interface responsive to one or more instructions to the server from the mixing computing device.
24 . The method of claim 23 , comprising:
while each personal interactive user interface is being presented by respective viewer computing devices, instructing the respective personal interactive user interface to change state responsive to one or more instructions to the server from the mixing computing device.
25 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the user input data comprises data regarding one or more financial transactions initiated by respective users.
26 . The method of claim 25 , comprising:
routing financial transactions based on the data regarding the one or more financial transactions.
27 . The method of claim 21 , comprising:
generating the interaction data corresponding to the user input data by aggregating at least a portion of the user input data received from a plurality of the personal interactive user interfaces.
28 . The method of claim 21 , comprising:
sending feedback to each personal interactive user interface responsive to receiving user input data from the personal interactive user interface.
29 . The method of claim 28 , comprising:
sending the feedback to each personal interactive user interface responsive to receiving respective user input data to trigger a change in what is displayed to the user via the personal interactive user interface.
30 . The method of claim 21 , comprising:
periodically providing the interaction data to the mixing computing device.