BR-112019003296-B1 - METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC ACTIVATION OF A DIRECT DELAYED MODE

BR112019003296B1BR 112019003296 B1BR112019003296 B1BR 112019003296B1BR-112019003296-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates essentially to a method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode by a decoder unit (100), characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: reading (200), by a reading means of the decoder unit, in a favorite memory (120.2) of the decoder unit, a list of favorite program recordings, a favorite program recording comprising at least one start time (1202.2) and a transmission channel identifier (1202.1), filtering (210) the list of favorite program recordings according to a temporal criterion for the selection of recordings which correspond to favorite programs which start less than a first predetermined period (120.3) after the current date, for each selected recording, allocating (220) direct delayed mode resources, these resources comprising at least one receiver and one delayed mode memory to activate a direct delayed mode.

Inventors

JULIEN SEBIRE
Laurent Herrmann

Assignees

SAGEMCOM BROADBAND SAS

Dates

Publication Date: 20260310
Application Date: 20170808
Priority Date: 20160819

Claims (9)

1. Method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode by a decoder unit (100), wherein the direct delayed mode is a mode of viewing a program being transmitted, this mode allowing the transmission to be paused and temporal navigation within the transmission, the method comprising the following steps: - automatically reading (200), by a means of reading the decoder unit, into a favorites memory (120.2) of the decoder unit, a list of favorite program recordings, a favorite program recording comprising at least one start time (1202.2) and a transmission channel identifier (1202.1), - automatically filtering (210) the list of favorite program recordings according to a temporal criterion to select recordings that correspond to favorite programs which begin before a predetermined first period (120.3) after a current date, - for each selected recording, allocating (220) direct delayed mode resources, these resources comprising at least one receiver and a temporary circular memory to activate a mode delayed direct, in which the list of favorite program recordings is automatically updated as a function of the use made of the decoder unit, of at least one user action causing an evaluation of a condition to update the list of favorite program recordings; characterized by the fact that the at least one action is a channel change action, such channel change causing the initiation of a temporal zero, the update condition being the overcoming of a predetermined second period compared with the temporal zero, and in which during a standby mode placement, the decoder unit plans (230) a wake-up on a date equal to the start time of the next favorite program recording from the date of placing in standby mode.
2. A method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a recording of a favorite program includes a score for ranking recordings of favorite programs in the event of competition between them, a recording being added to the list with a predetermined initial score.
3. Method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode, according to claim 2, characterized in that the score increases each time an evaluation of a condition to update the list of favorite program recordings, connected to the recording by time and channel identifier, is evaluated as true.
4. Method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode, according to claim 2, characterized in that the list of recordings of favorite programs has a limited capacity, a recording being removed from the list when its score reaches a predetermined minimum score.
5. Method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode, according to claim 2, characterized in that the scores decrease each time an evaluation of a condition to update the list of recordings of favorite programs, the condition being connected in the recordings by time, is evaluated as true and when the maximum capacity of the list is reached.
6. Method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode, according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the maximum list capacity is equal to the number of transmission channels that the decoder unit is capable of processing simultaneously.
7. A method for the automatic activation of a direct delayed mode, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a permanent recording step of a favorite program, wherein the recording of the favorite program corresponding to said favorite program comprises a recording qualification flag to make this a permanent recording instruction.
8. A non-transient memory device characterized in that it comprises instruction codes for implementing the method, as defined in any of the preceding claims.
9. Decoder device (100) characterized in that it is configured to implement an automatic drive method of a direct delayed mode, as defined in any of claims 1 to 7.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a method for the automatic actuation of a direct delayed mode. [0002] The field of the invention is that of television decoder units. [0003] A decoder unit is also known as a "set-top box". A television decoder unit is a device that comprises at least: [0004] - a radio or cable communication medium for receiving television broadcast signals, [0005] - a means of selecting a transmission channel among the received transmission signals, and [0006] - a means of producing signals capable of being received by a television. [0007] For the invention, the signals are indiscriminately analog or digital signals. [0008] More specifically, the field of the invention is that of managing a direct delayed mode by a television decoder unit. [0009] The delayed direct mode is also known as "trick mode". [0010] A direct delayed mode is a way of viewing a program broadcast directly (also known as a "live" program), this mode allowing the broadcast to be paused and temporal navigation within the broadcast. Temporal navigation is assumed to mean the ability to scroll the program in fast rewind or fast forward. [0011] It is understood that fast forward cannot exceed the present date. In other words, the direct delayed mode does not make it possible to see what has not yet been transmitted. PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE [0012] In the previous technique, in order to be able to watch, with certainty, the entirety of a television program, a user has several solutions at their disposal. [0013] The first solution is known as "recovery" or "replay" television. This first solution requires a specific and consequential network infrastructure to be put in place by the broadcaster. This recovery infrastructure must specifically allow: [0014] - the recording of all programs that were recovered, and [0015] - the service of all retrieval requests transmitted in an asynchronous mode by users. [0016] The set-top box must also necessarily be able to have an active network connection available to access the recovery infrastructure in real time. Often, as a function of the technology employed (e.g., HLS (http live stream)), the direct delayed function is not available through this first solution. [0017] A second solution is to use the conventional recording functions of a set-top box. With such a set-top box, it is possible to program in advance the recording of a broadcast that you wish to watch later. This programming is done through the electronic program guide (EPG) or by selecting a channel and then manually starting the recording. This second solution has several disadvantages: [0018] - Recordings are created on a hard drive and it will be necessary to delete them regularly in one way or another to free up disk space; [0019] - From the user's point of view, the user needs to think about scheduling their recording before the start of their transmission. This solution thus forces the user to pay attention to something other than their current program and manage the advanced functions of the decoder unit. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0020] The invention aims to overcome all or part of the disadvantages of the prior art identified above, and notably proposes a means that makes it possible to improve the user experience. [0021] In the invention, a method is implemented for the automatic activation of a delayed direct mode on the programs, or channels, most watched by the user, that is to say, their favorite programs. These most watched programs are determined based on a usage history, which is equivalent to viewing habits. [0022] Thanks to the method according to the invention, the user no longer misses the start of his favorite programs if he is watching another program at that moment or if he is late to watch a program that he normally watches. [0023] The automatic initiation mechanism of the direct delayed mode makes it possible to produce temporary recordings without any direct action by the user. This production occurs as a function of the available resources, specifically as a function of the reception capabilities of the decoder unit. [0024] The invention enables a user who wishes to finish watching a program broadcast at the same time as a normal program, to be able to watch the entire usual program later, without any action by said user. [0025] So: [0026] - It is no longer necessary to have a decoder unit connected to a recovery infrastructure to be able to watch the start of your usual broadcast; [0027] - The user no longer needs to think about creating a recording; the decoder does it automatically for them as a function of their habits. They no longer need to delete them either because the decoder manages this functionality in a temporary mode, unlike a conventional recording on a hard drive. [0028] Thanks to this invention, the user experience is improved because the manual actions of the previous technique, navigating to a recovery server or scheduling a recording, are no longer nec