Apparatus and methods for syndication of on-demand video
View Patent ↗Metadata are provided to video generators using a syndication protocol, so that the video generators may produce interactive video content for television subscribers. Metadata relating to source media content are transformed in a computer process from a storage format into a syndication format. Relevant metadata to transform are chosen to reflect the type of interactivity desired by a television service provider and the demands of the video generation process. The transformed metadata are published according to a syndication protocol, so that another computer process that participates in the protocol may generate the interactive video content using the metadata, the source media content, and subscriber commands.
1. A method for providing interactive video content to a subscriber device based on a media asset, the media asset including source media content and associated source media metadata, the media metadata being encoded in a storage format that conforms to a media metadata specification, the method comprising:
receiving the media asset from a data communication network;
in a first computer process, transforming at least a portion of the metadata from the storage format into a syndication format that conforms to a syndication metadata specification;
publishing the transformed metadata to a plurality of interactive video content generators according to a syndication protocol; and
in a second computer process, at least one of the plurality of interactive video content generators generating interactive video content that includes at least a portion of the transformed metadata in response to receiving a request for the interactive video content from the subscriber device.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein receiving the metadata includes receiving a data package comprising the metadata.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein receiving the data package includes receiving a collection of data packages including the data package.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data communication network includes the Internet, a satellite network, a local area network, a wide area network, a storage area network, or network attached storage.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metadata includes information identifying a location from which the media asset may be retrieved.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the media metadata specification is an Asset Distribution Interface specification.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the syndication metadata specification is an RSS specification.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the syndication protocol is an RSS protocol.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein generating video content includes encoding the content according to an MPEG specification.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein encoding the content according to an MPEG specification includes stitching together a plurality of MPEG video streams according to a graphics layout template.
11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising distributing the encoded video content to a given user for display on a user display device.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein distributing the encoded video content includes distributing over a wide area network, a satellite network, a broadcast network, a cable network, or the Internet.
13. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving an electronic command relating to the distributed video content from a user interface associated with the user display device; and
in a computer process, generating second interactive video content from at least the transformed metadata and the electronic command.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the second video content is also generated from the source media.
15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the video content is also generated from the source media.
16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second computer process comprises an MPEG Object.
17. A computer program product comprising a tangible, computer-readable medium having thereon non-transitory computer program code for instructing a computer processor to perform a method for providing interactive video content to a subscriber device based on a media asset, the media asset including source media content and associated source media metadata, the media metadata being encoded in a storage format that conforms to a media metadata specification, the product including:
program code for receiving the media asset from a data communication network;
program code for transforming, in a first computer process, at least a portion of the metadata from the storage format into a syndication format that conforms to a syndication metadata specification;
program code for publishing the transformed metadata to a plurality of interactive video content generators according to a syndication protocol; and
program code for generating, in a second computer process in at least one of the plurality of interactive video content generators, interactive video content that includes at least a portion of the transformed metadata, in response to receiving a request for the interactive video content from the subscriber device.
18. The computer program product according to claim 17 , further comprising program code for receiving a data package comprising the metadata.
19. The computer program product according to claim 18 , further comprising program code for receiving a collection of data packages comprising the data package.
20. The computer program product according to claim 17 , wherein the data communication network includes the Internet, a satellite network, a local area network, a wide area network, a storage area network, or network attached storage.
21. The computer program product according to claim 17 , further comprising program code for parsing the metadata to obtain information identifying a location from which the media asset may be retrieved.
22. The computer program product according to claim 17 , wherein the media metadata specification is an Asset Distribution Interface specification.
23. The computer program product according to claim 17 , wherein the syndication metadata specification is an RSS specification
24. The computer program product according to claim 17 , wherein the syndication protocol is an RSS protocol.
25. The computer program product according to claim 17 , further comprising program code for encoding the content according to an MPEG specification.
26. The computer program product according to claim 25 , further comprising program code for stitching together a plurality of MPEG video streams according to a graphics layout template.
27. The computer program product according to claim 26 , further comprising program code for distributing the encoded video content to a given user for display on a user display device.
28. The computer program product according to claim 27 , wherein distributing the encoded video content includes distributing over the Internet, a wide area network, a satellite network, a broadcast network, or a cable network.
29. The computer program product according to claim 27 , further comprising:
program code for receiving an electronic command relating to the distributed video content from a user interface associated with the user display device; and
program code for generating, in a computer process, second interactive video content from the transformed metadata and the electronic command.
30. The computer program product according to claim 29 , further comprising program code for generating the video content from the source media.
31. The computer program product according to claim 17 , further comprising program code for generating the video content from the source media.
32. The computer program product according to claim 17 , wherein the second computer process comprises an MPEG Object.
33. A system for providing interactive video content to a subscriber device based on a media asset, the media asset including source media content and associated source media metadata, the media metadata being encoded in a storage format that conforms to a media metadata specification, the system comprising:
an interface port for receiving the media asset from a data communication network;
a first processor module, operatively coupled with the interface port, for
(1) transforming at least a portion of the metadata from the storage format into a syndication format that conforms to a syndication metadata specification, and
(2) publishing the transformed metadata to a plurality of interactive video content generators according to a syndication protocol; and
a second processor module in at least one of the plurality of interactive video content generators for generating interactive video content that includes at least a portion of the transformed metadata in response to receiving a request for the interactive video content from the subscriber device.
34. The system of claim 33 , wherein the interface port is an Ethernet port.
35. The system of claim 33 , wherein the first processor module comprises a microprocessor.
36. The system of claim 35 , wherein the second processor module comprises a microprocessor.
37. The system of claim 33 , further comprising a local area network or a wide area network for operatively coupling the first processor module to the second processor module.