DATA SERVICE FUNCTION
A data service function for an intelligent television (TV) includes a source plugin that communicates with and receives data from an external content provider and processes the received data into a data model format. The data service function further includes a subservice corresponding to the source plugin, the subservice communicates with and provides the converted data as content to the Intelligent TV. Data formats include video-on-demand, electronic programming guide, and media. The data service function further includes a database to store the received data or the converted data, a resource arbitrator to provide access to the subservice to provide content to the various hardware of the Intelligent TV, and a thumbnail cache manager to manage thumbnail images associated with the received data and to store the thumbnail images in a storage of the Intelligent TV.
1 . A method of processing data from an external content provider for an intelligent television (TV), comprising:
loading, on the Intelligent TV, a source plugin configured for processing the data from the external content provider;
communicating and receiving, through the source plugin, the data from the external content provider;
converting the received data from the external content provider into a data model format;
processing the converted data by a subservice corresponding to the source plugin and the data model format; and
communicating with and providing the converted data to an internal content provider module configured to provide the converted data as content to the Intelligent TV.
2 . The method of processing data of claim 1 , wherein the source plugin comprises one of a video-on-demand (VOD) source plugin, an electronic programming guide (EPG) source plugin, and a media source plugin, wherein the data model format comprises one or a VOD data model, an EPG data model, and a media data model, and wherein the subservice comprises one of a VOD subservice, an EPG subservice, and a media subservice.
3 . The method of processing data of claim 1 , further comprising storing the received data or the converted data into a database by the source plugin or the subservice.
4 . The method of processing data of claim 2 , wherein the database comprises a sqlite database.
5 . The method of processing data of claim 1 , wherein the source plugin is configured to work with an interface defined by the corresponding subservice.
6 . The method of processing data of claim 1 , wherein the source plugin is configured to communicate with a plurality of different external content provider modules.
7 . The method of processing data of claim 6 , wherein the external content provider modules include providers for a particular service in one or more geographic zones.
8 . The method of processing data of claim 6 , wherein the source plugin is configured to communicate with a number of different external content provider modules.
9 . The method of processing data of claim 1 , further comprising communicating with a resource arbitrator to gain access and provide content to hardware of the Intelligent TV, wherein the hardware includes a local network, a cloud service, a display, and/or a video hardware.
10 . The method of processing data of claim 1 , further comprising communicating with a thumbnail cache manager to manage thumbnail images associated with the received data and storing the thumbnail images in a storage of the Intelligent TV, wherein the thumbnail cache manager is configured to create and store the thumbnail images, and wherein the thumbnail images include movie thumbnails, posters, and TV channel logos.
11 . The method of processing data of claim 10 , further comprising periodically purging a portion of the thumbnail images from the storage.
12 . A data service system in an intelligent television (TV), comprising:
a source plugin, the source plugin configured to communicate with and receive data from an external content provider and processing the received data into a data model format; and
a subservice corresponding to the source plugin, the subservice configured to communicate with and provide the converted data to an internal content provider module configured to provide the converted data as content to the Intelligent TV.
13 . The data service system of claim 12 , wherein the source plugin comprises one of a video-on-demand (VOD) source plugin, an electronic programming guide (EPG) source plugin, and a media source plugin, wherein the data model format comprises one or a VOD data model, an EPG data model, and a media data model, and wherein the subservice comprises one of a VOD subservice, an EPG subservice, and a media subservice.
14 . The data service system of claim 12 , further comprising a database configured to store the received data or the converted data by the source plugin or the subservice.
15 . The data service system of claim 12 , wherein the source plugin comprises one of a video-on-demand (VOD) source plugin, an electronic programming guide (EPG) source plugin, and a media source plugin, wherein the data model format comprises one of a VOD data model, an EPG data model, and a media data model, and wherein the subservice comprises one of a VOD subservice, an EPG subservice, and a media subservice.
16 . The data service system of claim 12 , wherein the source plugin is configured to work with an interface defined by the corresponding subservice.
17 . The data service system of claim 12 , wherein the source plugin is configured to communicate with a plurality of different external content provider modules.
18 . The data service system of claim 12 , further comprising a resource arbitrator configured to provide access to the subservice to provide content to hardware of the Intelligent TV, wherein the hardware includes a local network, a cloud service, a display, and/or a video hardware.
19 . The data service system of claim 12 , further comprising a thumbnail cache manager configured to manage thumbnail images associated with the received data and to store the thumbnail images in a storage of the Intelligent TV, is configured to create and store the thumbnail images, wherein the thumbnail images include movie thumbnails, posters, and TV channel logos.
20 . An intelligent television (TV) comprising a data service system, the data service system comprising:
a source plugin, the source plugin configured for communicating with and receiving data from an external content provider and processing the received data into a data model format;
a subservice corresponding to the source plugin, the subservice configured to communicate with and provide the converted data to an internal content provider module configured to provide the converted data as content to the Intelligent TV;
a database configured to store the received data or the converted data by the source plugin or the subservice;
a resource arbitrator configured to provide access to the subservice to provide content to hardware of the Intelligent TV, wherein the hardware includes a local network, a cloud service, a display, and/or a video hardware; and
a thumbnail cache manager configured to manage thumbnail images associated with the received data and to store the thumbnail images in a storage of the Intelligent TV, is configured to create and store the thumbnail images, wherein the thumbnail images include movie thumbnails, posters, and TV channel logos.