Technique for delivering entertainment programming content including commercial content therein over a communications network
View Patent ↗Although personal video recorders (also known as digital video recorders) provide certain conveniences to viewers of programming content, such devices facilitate manipulation or Askipping@ 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 commercial segment therein, said commercial segment including a plurality of commercials, comprising:
generating for each of the plurality of commercials in said commercial segment, a commercial branch table;
receiving a request for manipulation of a presentation of the programming content, the request including information concerning a manipulation speed affecting the presentation; and
selecting, in response to the request, based on information stored in a first commercial branch table including information identifying alternate commercials which may be presented instead of a first commercial in said commercial segment, an alternate commercial for presentation, in lieu of the first commercial, as a function of the manipulation speed, said first commercial branch table being one of said plurality of commercial branch tables.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulation includes rewinding the programming content in presentation thereof, said table including information identifying different commercials to be selected in response to fast forward and rewind, said selecting including selecting a commercial corresponding to rewind.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said table includes information identifying multiple commercials, a different commercial being identified for at least three different rewind speeds of operation.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulation includes pausing the programming content in presentation thereof.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is made during a presentation of the commercial.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the manipulation includes changing a speed of fast-forwarding the commercial in presentation thereof.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the manipulation includes changing a speed of rewinding the commercial in presentation thereof.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the commercial is related to the selected alternate commercial.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the commercial and the selected alternate commercial promote the same goods or service.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the commercial is unrelated to the selected alternate commercial.
11. A method for presenting programming content including a commercial segment therein, comprising:
prior to receiving a request for manipulation of a presentation of said programming content, detecting a digital cue message included in said programming content in advance of said commercial segment;
generating, in response to said digital cue message, at least a first commercial branch table;
receiving said request for manipulation of a presentation of the programming content, the request including information concerning a manipulation speed affecting the presentation; and
selecting, in response to the request, based on information stored in a commercial branch table including information identifying alternate commercials which may be presented instead of a first commercial in said commercial segment, an alternate commercial for presentation, in lieu of the first commercial, as a function of the manipulation speed.
12. The method of claim 11 , where said digital cue message is included in said programming content at a predetermined time in advance of said first commercial in said commercial segment.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said predetermined time is a predetermined number of seconds.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said commercial branch table includes information identifying a different commercial for each of a plurality of different fast forward speeds and a different commercial for each of a plurality of different of reverse speeds.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said different fast forward speeds includes more than 2 fast forward speeds.