Technique for delivering entertainment programming content including commercial content therein over a communications network
Although personal video recorders (also known as digital video recorders) provide certain conveniences to viewers of programming content, such devices facilitate manipulation or “skipping” of commercials, frustrating the intent of the advertisers of the commercials. In accordance with the invention, when a user fast-forwards (rewinds) a commercial, alternate commercial(s) may be accessed for display in place of the original commercial, which provides a full impression of the goods and service promoted, otherwise impossible to appreciate at the fast-forward (rewind) speed. The duration of the alternate commercial(s) corresponds to the duration of the original commercial at the fast-forward (rewind) speed controlled by the user. With the invention, the user advantageously realizes the convenience of manipulating programming content, and at the same time can appreciate the full impression of an alternate commercial to the original commercial, albeit in a shorter duration.
1. A method for presenting programming content including a first commercial therein, comprising:
generating a commercial table including information indentifying alternate commercials corresponding to the first commercial, said commercial table identifying a plurality of different alternate commercials corresponding to different trick play speeds and directions of playback operation;
storing in said commercial table an ending frame identifier identifying an ending I-frame of said first commercial;
receiving a request for manipulation of a presentation of the programming content, the request including information concerning a manipulation speed affecting the presentation of said first commercial; and
in response to the request, accessing said commercial table and selecting, based on the information in said commercial table, an alternate commercial corresponding to both the first commercial and to a trick play speed and direction indicated by said request for manipulation of the presentation, for presentation, in lieu of at least a portion of the first commercial.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulation includes rewinding the programming content in presentation thereof.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulation includes fast-forwarding the programming content in presentation thereof.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a duration of an alternate commercial to be played as a function of the amount of time which elapsed from the start of said first commercial before the request for manipulation was made.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the manipulation includes changing a speed of fast-forwarding the first commercial in presentation thereof.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the manipulation includes changing a speed of rewinding the first commercial in presentation thereof.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content of the first commercial is related to the content of the selected alternate commercial.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first commercial and the selected alternate commercial promote the same goods or service.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content of the first commercial is unrelated to the content of the selected alternate commercial.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the selected alternate commercial is targeted to a viewer of the programming content.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the selected alternate commercial is selected based on at least a subject matter of the programming content being viewed by the viewer.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the selected alternate commercial is selected based on at least personal information concerning the viewer.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a presentation of the selected alternate commercial includes a video presentation.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a presentation of the selected alternate commercial includes a presentation of one or more images.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the presentation of the one or more images includes a slide presentation.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alternate commercials are associated with different manipulation speeds, respectively.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alternate commercials have different durations.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulation speed is a selected one of a plurality of manipulation speeds.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the manipulation speed is selected by a viewer of the programming content.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulation speed is expressed as a relative speed.
21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing said commercial table in a storage device in association with said first commercial.
22. The method of claim 1 , wherein said commercial table includes codes identifying alternate commercials having different durations.
23. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein said request for manipulation of a presentation of the programming content is included in a message from a set top terminal, said message further including a fast forward initiation command, an address identifying said set top terminal and an I-frame identifier.
24. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
retrieving a record associated with the set top terminal identified by said address indicating the programming content being transmitted to the set top terminal; and
determining whether said fast forward initiation command was issued during a show segment or a commercial segment.
25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising:
when it is determined that said fast forward initiation command was issued during a commercial segment, retrieving a commercial branch table associated with each commercial included in said commercial segment, said first commercial being a commercial included in said commercial segment, said commercial table being a commercial branch table.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein said commercial segment includes a plurality of commercials.
27. The method of claim 25 , further comprising:
determining an amount of time available for the display of an alternate advertisement as a function of the I-frame identifier included in said message and the ending frame identifier included in said commercial table.
28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:
retrieving a trick play file corresponding to a show segment which follows said commercial segment, said trick play file corresponding to a trick playback speed indicated by said fast forward initiation command.
29. Apparatus for presenting programming content including a first commercial therein, comprising:
a storage device including a commercial table corresponding to the first commercial, said commercial table identifying a plurality of different alternate commercials corresponding to different trick play speeds and directions of playback operation, said commercial table including a stored ending frame identifier identifying an ending I-frame of said first commercial;
an interface for receiving a request for manipulation of a presentation of the programming content, the request including information concerning a manipulation speed affecting the presentation; and
a processing element responsive to the request for selecting, for presentation, in lieu of at least a portion of the first commercial, an alternate commercial based on the information included in said commercial table, the alternate commercial corresponding to both the first commercial and to a trick play speed and direction indicated by said request for manipulation of the presentation.
30. The apparatus of claim 29 comprising a headend in a cable system.
31. The apparatus of claim 29 comprising a set-top terminal.
32. The apparatus of claim 31 , further comprising storage for storing the alternate commercials, the storage being incorporated in the set-top terminal.
33. The apparatus of claim 31 , further comprising storage for storing the alternate commercials, the storage being connected to the set-top terminal.
34. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the manipulation includes rewinding the programming content in presentation thereof.
35. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the manipulation includes fast-forwarding the programming content in presentation thereof.
36. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the manipulation includes pausing the programming content in presentation thereof.
37. The apparatus of claim 29 , further comprising:
means for determining a duration of an alternate commercial to be played as a function of the amount of time which elapsed from the start of said first commercial before the request for manipulation was made.
38. The apparatus of claim 37 , wherein the manipulation includes changing a speed of fast-forwarding the first commercial in presentation thereof.
39. The apparatus of claim 37 , wherein the manipulation includes changing a speed of rewinding the first commercial in presentation thereof.
40. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the first commercial is related to the selected alternate commercial.
41. The apparatus of claim 40 , wherein the first commercial and the selected alternate commercial promote the same goods or service.
42. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein a presentation of the selected alternate commercial includes a video presentation.
43. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein a presentation of the selected alternate commercial includes a presentation of one or more images.
44. The apparatus of claim 43 , wherein the presentation of the one or more images includes a slide presentation.
45. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the alternate commercials are associated with different manipulation speeds, respectively.
46. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the alternate commercials have different durations.
47. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the manipulation speed is a selected one of a plurality of manipulation speeds.
48. The apparatus of claim 47 , wherein the manipulation speed is selected by a viewer of the programming content.
49. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the manipulation speed is expressed as a relative speed.
50. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein said commercial table includes codes identifying alternate commercials having different durations.
51. The apparatus of claim 29 ,
wherein said request for manipulation of a presentation of the programming content is included in a message from a set top terminal, said message further including a fast forward initiation command, an address identifying said set top terminal and an I-frame identifier.