System and method for generating and providing a program viewing indicator

1. A method for providing a program viewing indicator, the method comprises:

receiving a display power consumption level indicator;

determining, in response to the display power consumption level indicator, whether a program that is sent to a signal converter that is coupled to the display, is being displayed on the display;

transmitting to a remote system over a network, by the signal converter, and in response to the determining, a program viewing indicator; and

discontinuing to transmit the program to the to the signal converter from the remote system in response to determining that the program is not being provided to the display;

wherein a timing of at least one of the determining and the transmitting is determined in response to a number of requests to receive media content that are not provided due to bandwidth constraints.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the requests to receive media content that are not provided due to bandwidth constraints are received by the remote system, and the remote system triggers the signal converter to determine whether the program is being displayed on the display device.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising monitoring a display power consumption level by a sensor that communicates with the signal converter over a power line link; wherein the display power consumption level indicator comprises display power readings of more than two levels.

4. The method according to claim 1 comprising deciding whether the program is being recorded by an end user device; and transmitting to the remote system, by the signal converter, and in response to the determining and to the deciding, a program viewing/recording indicator.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the timing of the transmitting is determined in response to the number of requests to receive media content that are not provided due to bandwidth constraints.

6. A method for transmitting a program, the method comprises:

receiving by a remote system at least one program viewing indicator from at least one signal converter, wherein each program viewing indicator is generated in response to a power consumption of a display coupled to a signal converter;

determining a program transmission scheme for transmission over a network that couples between the remote system and the at least one signal converter in response to the at least one program viewing indicator; wherein the remote system is located in either one of a hub, a headend, and a Video Service Office (VSO);

transmitting at least one program over the network according to the program transmission scheme, wherein the network couples between the remote system and the at least one signal converter and wherein the remote system is located in either one of a hub, a headend, and a Video Service Office (VSO); and

discontinuing to transmit an unwatched program to the to the at least one signal converter from the remote system in response to determining that the program is not being provided to the display based on the at least one program viewing indicator received from the at least one signal converter.

7. The method according to claim 6 comprising:

determining, by a remote system, to trigger a response from an end user by changing a characteristic of the program that is transmitted from the remote system to a signal converter and is presumably being displayed on an end user display that is coupled to the end user display; and

determining that the program is being viewed by the end user if the response was received from the end user.

8. The method according to claim 7 comprising setting audio metadata that is transmitted over the network, that once processed by the signal converter determines a volume of audio that is heard when the program is being displayed on a display.

9. The method according to claim 7 comprising: lowering a volume of the program that is presumably being displayed on the end user display; and

determining that the program is being viewed by the end user if the end user requests to increase the volume of the program before an end of a predefined time window that starts when the volume of the program decreases below the predefined threshold.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer-readable code embodied therein, the computer-readable code comprises instructions for:

receiving a display power consumption level indicator;

determining, in response to the display power consumption level indicator, whether a program that is sent to a signal converter that is coupled to the display, is being displayed on the display;

transmitting to a remote system over a network, by the signal converter, and in response to the determining, a program viewing indicator; wherein a timing of at least one of the determining and the transmitting is determined in response to a number of requests to receive media content that are not provided due to bandwidth constraints; and

discontinuing to transmit an unwatched program to the to the signal converter from the remote system in response to determining that the program is not being provided to the display.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for generating the display power consumption level indicator by the signal converter; wherein the signal converter is integrated with a sensor; wherein the timing of the determining is determined in response to at least one parameter out of an expected load on the network, bandwidth constraints, and the number of requests to receive media content that are not provided due to bandwidth constraints.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for receiving display power consumption level indicator from a sensor that is coupled to the signal converter; wherein the timing of the transmitting is determined in response to a number of requests to receive media content that are not provided due to bandwidth constraints.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for receiving display power consumption level indicator from a sensor that is coupled to the signal converter over a power line link; wherein the display power consumption level indicator comprises display power readings of more than two levels.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for deciding whether the program is being recorded by an end user device; and transmitting to the remote system, by the signal converter, and in response to the determining and to the deciding, a program viewing/recording indicator.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10 , wherein the timing of the transmitting is determined in response to the number of requests to receive media content that are not provided due to bandwidth constraints.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable code embodied therein, the computer-readable code comprises instructions for:

receiving by a remote system at least one program viewing indicator from at least one signal converter, wherein each program viewing indicator is generated in response to a power consumption of a display coupled to a signal converter;

determining a program transmission scheme for transmission over a network; wherein the network couples between the remote system and the at least one signal converter and wherein the remote system is located in either one of a hub, a headend, and a Video Service Office (VSO);

transmitting at least one program over the network according to the program transmission scheme, wherein the network couples between the remote system and the at least one signal converter and wherein the remote system is located in either one of a hub, a headend, and a Video Service Office (VSO); and

discontinuing to transmit an unwatched program to the to the at least one signal converter from the remote system in response to determining that the program is not being provided to the display based on the at least one program viewing indicator received from the at least one signal converter.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for:

determining, by a remote system, to trigger a response from an end user by changing a characteristic of the program that is transmitted from the remote system to a signal converter and is presumably being displayed on an end user display that is coupled to the end user display; and

determining that the program is being viewed by the end user if the response was received from the end user.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for: control in response to audio metadata a lowering a volume of the program that is presumably being displayed on the end user display; and

determine that the program is being viewed by the end user if the end user requests to increase the volume of the program before an end of a predefined time window that starts when the volume of the program decreases below the predefined threshold.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for: lowering a volume of the program that is presumably being displayed on the end user display; and

determining that the program is being viewed by the end user if the end user requests to increase the volume of the program before an end of a predefined time window that starts when the volume of the program decreases below the predefined threshold.

20. A system for transmitting a program, the system comprises:

a receiver of a remote system that is adapted to receive at least one program viewing indicator from multiple signal converters, wherein each program viewing indicator is generated in response to a power consumption of a display coupled to a signal converter;

a processor, adapted to determine a program transmission scheme for a transmission over a network in response to the at least one program viewing indicator; wherein the network couples between the remote system and the at least one signal converter and wherein the remote system is located in either one of a hub, a headend, and a Video Service Office (VSO);

a transmitter that is adapted to transmit at least one program over the network according to the program transmission scheme wherein the network couples between the remote system and the at least one signal converter and wherein the remote system is located in either one of a hub, a headend, and a Video Service Office (VSO); and

wherein the transmitter is operable to discontinue to transmit an unwatched program to the to the at least one signal converter from the remote system in response to determining that the program is not being provided to the display based on the at least one program viewing indicator received from the at least one signal converter.

21. A signal converter, comprising:

a sensor for monitoring a display power consumption level and for generating a display power consumption level indicator that comprises display power readings of more than two levels;

an interface for receiving media signals and control signals;

a media unit for converting the media signals to content to be displayed on a display and;

a controller, wherein the controller is adapted to: control a change of a characteristic of the program that is presumably being displayed on an end user display in response to audio metadata that is part of the media signals and control signals; and

determine that the program is being viewed by the end user if the response was received from the end user; and

discontinue to transmit an unwatched program to the to the signal converter from the remote system in response to determining that the program is not being viewed by the end user.