Method and Device for Receiving and Providing Programs
A method for providing programs includes: (i) providing a program multiplex to multiple users device; (ii) considering a removal of at least one program from the multiplex in response to program viewing parameters; (iii) allowing at least one user to respond to a possible removal of the program; and (iv) determining whether to remove the al least one program in response to received user removal responses. A user device that includes a transceiver unit that is connected to a controller, wherein the device is adapted to receive a program multiplex, to receive an indication that at least one program is to be removed from the multiplex, and to selectively transmit a program removal response.
1 . A method for providing programs, comprising:
providing a program multiplex to multiple users device;
considering a removal of at least one program from the program multiplex in response to program viewing parameters;
allowing at least one user to respond to a possible removal of the at least one program; and
determining whether to remove the at least one program in response to one or more program removal responses received from the at least one user.
2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein allowing at least one user to respond to the possible removal of the at least one program comprises sending a program removal indication to at least one user device.
3 . The method according to claim 1 wherein considering removal of at least one program occurs in response to receiving a request to view at least one program not included within the program multiplex.
4 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising repetitively checking a status of multiple users device.
5 . The method according to claim 4 wherein said checking comprises determining whether active messages were received from respective ones of the multiple user devices.
6 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating content information representative of programs included within the program multiplex.
7 . The method according to claim 6 wherein the content information further comprises program frequency and program identification information.
8 . The method according to claim 7 wherein the content information further comprises program modulation information.
9 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating differential content information representative of changes between previous content of the program multiplex and current content of the program multiplex.
10 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising associating unique program parameters to each user of a group of multiple users.
11 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising receiving user viewing pattern information representative of user viewing related operations.
12 . The method according to claim 11 wherein the user viewing pattern information reflects timing of at least one user viewing related operation.
13 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising:
generating multiple versions of a certain program, wherein different versions of the certain program are time shifted from each other, and selecting one version out of the multiple versions to add to the program multiplex; wherein the selection is responsive to a timing of the adding.
14 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising altering a type of at least one frame of a program adjacent to an addition of that program to the program multiplex.
15 . A method for receiving programs, comprising:
receiving a program multiplex;
receiving a program removal indication; and
selectively transmitting a program removal response.
16 . The method according to claim 15 further comprising transmitting active messages indicating that a user device is active.
17 . The method according to claim 15 further comprising generating a request to add a program to the program multiplex in response to received content information.
18 . The method according to claim 17 further comprising receiving content information and switching between programs of the program multiplex in response to the content information.
19 . The method according to claim 15 further comprising processing content information provided during multiple content information reception sessions.
20 . The method according to claim 15 further comprising generating user viewing pattern information representative of user viewing related operations.
21 . The method according to claim 20 wherein the user viewing pattern information reflects timing of at least one user viewing related operation.
22 . A device adapted to provide a program multiplex, the device comprising:
a media processor adapted to generate a program multiplex; and
a management unit, coupled to the media processor, and adapted to consider a removal of at least one program from the program multiplex in response to program viewing parameters and to determine the removal in response to received user program removal response.
23 . The device of claim 22 further adapted to transmit program removal indication to at least one user device.
24 . The device of 22 wherein the device is adapted to consider the removal in response to a reception of a request to view at least one program not included within the program multiplex.
25 . The device according to claim 22 further adapted to repetitively check a status of multiple users device.
26 . The device according to claim 25 wherein the check comprises determining whether active messages were received from the user device.
27 . The device according to claim 22 further adapted to generate content information representative of the programs that are included within the multiplex.
28 . The device according to claim 27 wherein the content information further comprises program frequency and program identification information.
29 . The device according to claim 28 wherein the content information further comprises program modulation information.
30 . The device according to claim 22 further adapted to generate differential content information representative of changes between a previous content of the multiplex and a current content of the multiplex.
31 . The device according to claim 22 further adapted to associate unique program parameters to each user out of a group of multiple users.
32 . The device according to claim 22 further adapted to receive user viewing pattern information representative of user viewing related operations.
33 . The device according to claim 32 wherein the user viewing pattern information reflects a timing of at least one user viewing related operation.
34 . The device according to claim 22 further adapted to generate multiple versions of a certain program, wherein different versions of the certain program are time shifted from each other, to select one version out of the multiple versions to add to the multiplex; wherein the selection is responsive to a timing of an addition of the program to the multiplex.
35 . The device according to claim 22 further adapted to alter a type of at least one frame of a program adjacent to an addition of that program to the multiplex.
36 . A user device, comprising: a transceiver unit coupled to a controller, wherein the device is adapted to receive a program multiplex, receive an indication that at least one program is to be removed from the program multiplex; and selectively transmit a program removal response.
37 . The device according to claim 36 further adapted to transmit active messages indicating that the device is active.
38 . The device according to claim 36 further adapted to generate a request to add a program to the multiplex in response to received content information.
39 . The device according to claim 38 further adapted to receive content information and switch between programs of the multiplex in response to the content information.
40 . The device according to claim 36 further adapted to process content information provided during multiple content information reception sessions.
41 . The device according to claim 36 further adapted to generate user viewing pattern information representative of user viewing related operations.
42 . The device according to claim 41 wherein the user viewing pattern information reflects a timing of at least one user viewing related operation.