METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOWNLOADING ANCILLARY PROGRAM DATA TO A DVR
A method and apparatus for downloading ancillary program data to a DVR. An embodiment allows multimedia device users to select programs to record or download movie or music over a network, such as the Internet, from a content provider. The system automatically downloads and stores ancillary program data that is directly related to, and associated with, a program that has been selected for recording or content requested for download. When a user selects a program to view the user is offered the opportunity to browse ancillary program data associated with the program and view an ancillary program data. The service can charge the content provider or an advertiser for each time their ancillary program data is viewed by a user. The ancillary programming is deleted when the associated recorded program is deleted.
1 . A method, comprising:
identifying, at a multimedia device, a program being viewed by a user;
requesting ancillary program data information associated with the program from a service;
receiving ancillary program data information from the service at the multimedia device;
in response to receiving the ancillary program data information, automatically downloading, by the multimedia device, ancillary program data from a source listed in the ancillary program data information to at least one storage device at the multimedia device;
indicating, by the multimedia device, to the user that ancillary program data is available for the program;
displaying, by the multimedia device, user-selected ancillary program data.
2 . A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a list of selectable ancillary program data after displaying the user-selected ancillary program data.
3 . A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to user input, displaying an alternate scene or different angle of a scene from the ancillary program data while the user is viewing the program.
4 . A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the user specifies types of ancillary program data that he wants downloaded, and wherein the download step limits ancillary program data downloads to user specified types.
5 . A method as recited in claim 4 , further comprising:
recording whether certain ancillary program data has been viewed;
reporting viewed ancillary program data to a service; and
wherein the service charges an advertiser or content provider a fee for every time the advertiser's or content provider's ancillary program data is viewed.
6 . A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ancillary program data information has items listed in a specific order, and wherein an advertiser or content provider pays a service a fee for the service ordering the ancillary program data information in the specific order.
7 . A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the multimedia device, in-band tags embedded in the program that refer to specific ancillary program data;
determining whether the specific ancillary program data has been downloaded;
in response to detecting that the specific ancillary program data has been downloaded, displaying an opportunity to view the specific ancillary program data to the user.
8 . A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ancillary program data includes at least one of: deleted scenes, “blooper” clips, “making of” clips, music videos, executable software, advertisements, additional scenes, multiple scene angle content, director's comments, games, any special features that a DVD would have available to a user, or a link to ancillary content.
9 . A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying an icon as the user is viewing the program that indicates that the user can view ancillary program data that adds to the program material viewing enjoyment.
10 . An apparatus, comprising:
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, at a multimedia device, that identifies a program being viewed by a user;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that requests ancillary program data information associated with the program from a service;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives ancillary program data information from the service at the multimedia device;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that, in response to receiving the ancillary program data information, automatically downloads, by the multimedia device, ancillary program data from a source listed in the ancillary program data information to at least one storage device at the multimedia device;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware that records or downloads, by the multimedia device, the specific content onto the storage device;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware that indicates to the user that ancillary program data is available for the program;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, by the multimedia device, that displays user-selected ancillary program data.
11 . An apparatus as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that displays a list of selectable ancillary program data after displaying the user-selected ancillary program data.
12 . An apparatus as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that in response to user input, displays an alternate scene or different angle of a scene from the ancillary program data while the user is viewing the program.
13 . An apparatus as recited in claim 10 , wherein the user specifies types of ancillary program data that he wants downloaded, and wherein the download subsystem limits ancillary program data downloads to user specified types.
14 . An apparatus as recited in claim 13 , further comprising:
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that records whether certain ancillary program data has been viewed;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that reports viewed ancillary program data to a service; and
wherein the service charges an advertiser or content provider a fee for every time the advertiser's or content provider's ancillary program data is viewed.
15 . An apparatus as recited in claim 10 , wherein the ancillary program data information has items listed in a specific order, and wherein an advertiser or content provider pays a service a fee for the service ordering the ancillary program data information in the specific order.
16 . An apparatus as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that detects, by the multimedia device, in-band tags embedded in the program that refer to specific ancillary program data;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that determines whether the specific ancillary program data has been downloaded;
a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that, in response to detecting that the specific ancillary program data has been downloaded, displays an opportunity to view the specific ancillary program data to the user.
17 . An apparatus as recited in claim 10 , wherein the ancillary program data includes at least one of: deleted scenes, “blooper” clips, “making of” clips, music videos, executable software, advertisements, additional scenes, multiple scene angle content, director's comments, games, any special features that a DVD would have available to a user, or a link to ancillary content.
18 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:
identifying, at a multimedia device, a program being viewed by a user;
requesting ancillary program data information associated with the program from a service;
receiving ancillary program data information from the service at the multimedia device;
in response to receiving the ancillary program data information, automatically downloading, by the multimedia device, ancillary program data from a source listed in the ancillary program data information to at least one storage device at the multimedia device;
indicating, by the multimedia device, to the user that ancillary program data is available for the program;
displaying, by the multimedia device, user-selected ancillary program data.
19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18 , further comprising:
displaying a list of selectable ancillary program data after displaying the user-selected ancillary program data.
20 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18 , further comprising:
in response to user input, displaying an alternate scene or different angle of a scene from the ancillary program data while the user is viewing the program.
21 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18 , wherein the user specifies types of ancillary program data that he wants downloaded, and wherein the download step limits ancillary program data downloads to user specified types.
22 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 21 , further comprising:
recording whether certain ancillary program data has been viewed;
reporting viewed ancillary program data to a service; and
wherein the service charges an advertiser or content provider a fee for every time the advertiser's or content provider's ancillary program data is viewed.
23 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18 , wherein the ancillary program data information has items listed in a specific order, and wherein an advertiser or content provider pays a service a fee for the service ordering the ancillary program data information in the specific order.
24 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18 , further comprising:
detecting, by the multimedia device, in-band tags embedded in the program that refer to specific ancillary program data;
determining whether the specific ancillary program data has been downloaded;
in response to detecting that the specific ancillary program data has been downloaded, displaying an opportunity to view the specific ancillary program data to the user.
25 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18 , wherein the ancillary program data includes at least one of: deleted scenes, “blooper” clips, “making of” clips, music videos, executable software, advertisements, additional scenes, multiple scene angle content, director's comments, games, any special features that a DVD would have available to a user, or a link to ancillary content.
26 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18 , further comprising:
displaying an icon as the user is viewing the program that indicates that the user can view ancillary program data that adds to the program material viewing enjoyment.