Interactive television system
View Patent ↗An interactive television system is described.
1. A method in a video server for modifying video to be sent to a user on-demand, the method comprising:
receiving from the user a request to send the video to the user;
retrieving profile information for the user, the profile information updated responsive to previous purchases of the user, the profile information comprising user specified filtering criteria, the user specified filtering criteria adapted to cause an interactive program guide to be displayed with user-identified information filtered out;
based at least in part on input from the user, dynamically and individually for the user modifying the video by adding ATVEF information to the video based on the retrieved profile information of the user and the previous purchases of the user and the user's probable future purchases in view of his previous purchases; and
transmitting the modified video to the user.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the modifying includes evaluating rules to determine whether the video should be modified.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the video is an on-demand movie.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the modifying occurs dynamically as the movie is being transmitted to the user.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the video includes frames and the modifying occurs dynamically on a frame-by-frame basis.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the ATVEF information relates to purchasing an item that is related to the video to be transmitted.
7. The method of claim 1 including wherein the modifying is automatic, the modifying based on an automatic analysis of closed caption information relating to the video.
8. A method in a content server for enhancing content being broadcast, the method comprising:
receiving the broadcasted content;
retrieving profile information related to a destination to which the received content is to be transmitted, the profile information updated responsive to previous user purchases, the profile information comprising user specified filtering criteria, the user specified filtering criteria adapted to cause an interactive program guide to be displayed with user-identified information filtered out;
adding ATVEF information to the received content based on the retrieved profile information, input from the user, the previous user purchases, and probable future purchases in view of previous purchases; and
transmitting the received content with the added ATVEF information to the destination.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the adding of ATVEF information includes modifying ATVEF information included in the received content.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the adding of ATVEF information includes adding ATVEF to content that does not include ATVEF information as broadcasted.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein the added ATVEF information is based on an automatic analysis of closed caption information.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the received content includes frames and the ATVEF information is added on a frame-by-frame basis.
13. A method in a video server for modifying video to be sent to a user on-demand the method comprising:
receiving from the user a request to send the video to the user;
retrieving profile information for the user, the profile information updated responsive to previous purchases of the user;
dynamically and individually for the user adding interactive content information to the video based upon the profile information, input from the user, the previous purchases of the user, and the user's probable future purchases in view of his previous purchases, the profile information comprising user specified filtering criteria, the user specified filtering criteria adapted to cause an interactive program guide to be displayed with user-identified information filtered out; and
transmitting the video with the added interactive content information to the user.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising evaluating rules to determine whether interactive content should be added to the video.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the video is an on-demand movie.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the video includes frames and the adding occurs on a frame-by-frame basis.
17. The method of claim 13 wherein the interactive content information is ATVEF information.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the ATVEF information relates to purchasing an item that is related to the video being transmitted.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein the ATVEF information relates to descriptive information regarding the video.
20. The method of claim 13 including wherein the adding is automatic, the adding based on an automatic analysis of closed caption information relating to the video.