CN103024556A - System and method for automatically skipping television channels - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a TV channel jumping system, the system includes a playback device, an input device and a video monitoring module, the user inputs a channel jumping reservation request through the input device; the video monitoring module is used for real-time monitoring according to the received channel jumping reservation request The broadcasting content of the TV channel and instructing the broadcasting device to perform channel jumping; the broadcasting device is used for receiving and displaying TV programs and performing channel jumping according to instructions from the video monitoring module. According to the user's settings, the system can automatically jump to the program that the user likes when it starts, which not only realizes the intelligent broadcast of TV programs, but also improves the viewing experience of the user.

Description

System and method for automatically jumping TV channels

technical field

The invention relates to the field of video players, in particular to a system and method for automatically jumping TV channels.

Background technique

The so-called smart TV refers to a fully open platform like a smartphone, equipped with an operating system, and users can install and uninstall software, games and other applications provided by third-party service providers. It is a general term for such a type of TV that can expand its functions and realize surfing the Internet through network cables and wireless networks. Smart TVs have well integrated the advantages of traditional TVs and the Internet, and complied with the trend of "high-definition," "network," and "smart" TVs.

The so-called "smart" of the current smart TV is actually mainly in terms of its smart applications. From the perspective of watching TV programs, the most basic function of TV, it has not realized intelligence. TV viewers often encounter a lot of inconvenience during watching. For example: when the program of a certain channel that the audience wants to watch has not started (advertising or other programs before it), the audience may watch other channels or do other things first, and may miss the channel they want to watch in many cases The exact start time of the show. In order to be able to watch in time, the viewer may frequently switch to the target channel to check to determine whether the favorite program starts. That is to say, the current smart TV can only switch channels passively according to the user's operation, but cannot actively and intelligently present program content, and cannot automatically switch to the corresponding channel when the user's favorite program starts.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, and provide a system for automatically jumping TV channels, so that it can automatically jump to the program when the user's favorite program starts according to the user's setting.

The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

On the one hand, the present invention provides a system for automatically jumping TV channels, including a playback device, an input device and a video monitoring module, wherein:

The input device is used to input the user's channel hopping reservation request;

The video monitoring module is used to monitor the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time and instruct the playback device to perform channel jump according to the received channel jump reservation request;

The playback device is used for receiving and displaying TV programs and performing channel jumping according to instructions from the video monitoring module.

In the above system, the type of the channel jump reservation request is a jump request, a jump back request or a recommendation request, and the jump request represents an instruction to jump to the channel when the specified program of the specified channel starts, and the The jump back request means an instruction to jump back to the channel at the end of the current channel advertisement, and the recommendation request means an instruction to automatically jump to the corresponding channel when some programs that the user may like appear.

In the above system, the channel hopping reservation request includes a playback device identifier, a reservation request identifier, a type identifier of the channel hopping reservation request and/or a specified channel and program.

In the above system, when the type of channel jump reservation request is a jump request or a jump back request, the video monitoring module monitors the content of the specified channel in real time and instructs to play when the specified program starts or the advertisement ends in the specified channel. The device performs channel hopping.

In the above system, when the type of the channel jump reservation request is a recommendation request, the video monitoring module monitors the content of all TV channels in real time, detects the beginning of each channel program, and determines whether the program of this channel should be recommended to the user, and In response to determining that the recommendation should be made to the user, the playback device is instructed to jump to the channel.

In the above system, the video monitoring module may be located inside the playback device, or may be an independent device connected to the playback device through a network.

In the above system, the input device can directly provide the channel hopping reservation request input by the user to the video monitoring module.

In the above system, the input device may input a channel jump reservation request to the playback device, and the playback device forwards the request to the video monitoring module.

In the above system, the video monitoring module can also be used to cancel the monitoring operation associated with the playback device specified in the instruction according to the received user's channel jump reservation cancellation instruction.

On the other hand, the present invention provides a method for automatically jumping television channels based on the above system, including:

Step 1) The video monitoring module monitors the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time and instructs the playback device to perform channel jumping according to the received user's channel jump reservation request;

Step 2) The playback device performs channel jumping according to the instructions from the video monitoring module.

In the embodiment of the present invention, by performing real-time video monitoring on TV programs according to the user's settings, the playback device can automatically jump to the program when the user's favorite program starts, not only realizing the intelligent playback of TV programs, but also And enhance the viewing experience of users.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a system block diagram of automatic jumping of TV channels according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a system block diagram of automatic TV channel jumping according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a system block diagram of TV channel jumping automatically according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of reserved channel jumping according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a data structure of a linked list stored on a server side according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the object, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only used to explain the present invention, not to limit the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system for automatically jumping TV channels according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a playback device, an input device and a video monitoring module. Among them, the playback device is a TV, a personal computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a mobile TV, a set-top box, and other terminal devices that can receive and play TV programs, and is used for receiving and displaying TV programs, receiving user requests, and jumping channels. The input device is used to input commands to the playback device, such as remote controller, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, somatosensory interaction device, voice input device, etc. The input device can communicate with the playback device through protocols such as WiFi, infrared, and Bluetooth. The video monitoring module is used to monitor the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time and instruct the playback device to perform channel jumping. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the video monitoring module can be located inside various playback devices capable of receiving and playing TV programs, such as televisions, personal computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, mobile TVs, and set-top boxes. In yet another embodiment, the video monitoring module can also be an independent device separated from the playback device or be located on it. For example, as shown in FIG. Internet) to connect to the playback device. The video monitoring module can also be called the server side, and the playback device can also be called the client side. The video monitoring module can support multiple playback devices at the same time. The system is described in more detail below.

The user may input a channel skip reservation request instruction (also referred to as a channel reservation skip reservation request or simply a reservation request) to the playback device through the input device. Channel jump reservation requests can be divided into two categories: designated requests and recommendation requests. The recommendation request means that the user requests the system to automatically jump to the corresponding channel when some important programs that the user may like appear. The specified request can be divided into two types: (1) Jump request: the user requests the system to jump to the specified channel when the specified program starts; (2) Jump back request: the user requests the system to jump to the specified channel at the beginning of the program Jump back to this channel when (i.e. when the ad ends).

The playback device sends a monitoring notification to the video monitoring module when receiving a channel jump reservation request instruction from the user. The content of the monitoring notification may include: the identifier of the playback device, the monitoring notification identifier, the type of channel jump reservation request instruction (for example, a designation request or a recommendation request), and the like. The identifier of the playback device is used to distinguish different playback devices, for example, the system can usually preset the identifier for the playback device. The monitoring notification identifier is used to distinguish different monitoring notifications. When the reservation request type is a specified request, the monitoring notification may also include specified channels and programs.

In response to receiving the monitoring notification from the playback device, the video monitoring module monitors the TV channel content in real time and instructs the playback device to perform channel hopping. More specifically, it mainly includes the following steps:

If the instruction type in the monitoring notification is a specified request, the video monitoring module monitors the content of the specified channel in real time and sends a notification to the playback device to instruct it to perform channel jumping when the specified program starts (or the end of the advertisement) on the specified channel is monitored. For example, for a jump request, monitor whether the specified program on the specified channel starts, and if it starts, send a channel jump notification to the playback device to indicate jumping to the specified channel; for a jump back request, monitor whether the advertisement of the specified channel ends, if After the end, a channel jump notification is sent to the playback device to indicate to jump to the specified channel.

If the instruction type in the monitoring notification is a recommendation request, the contents of all TV channels are monitored in real time, and the start of programs of each channel is detected. Whenever a channel starts a new program, it is determined whether it should be recommended to the user through the recommendation method. The recommendation method can adopt various existing recommendation methods, such as a method based on viewing history, a method based on content, a method based on collaborative filtering, and the like. If it is determined that it should be recommended to the user, a channel jump notification is sent to the playback device, instructing it to jump the channel to the recommended channel.

Among them, the monitoring method can adopt various existing methods, such as one or a combination of the following methods: (1) Automatically analyze the video and audio content of the channel, automatically detect the start of the program, the start of the advertisement and the A state such as the recovery of an interrupted program. For example, automatic advertisement detection technology can be used to detect advertisements in video and audio, and when no advertisements are detected, it is considered that the program starts. (2) Receive data services provided by TV stations, radio and television operators or third-party organizations, and obtain the accurate start time of programs and advertisements; (3) Use an input module for manual input and editing. (4) Use the program timetable obtained from other websites or third parties, and use the corresponding time in the program timetable as the start time of the program.

When the playback device receives the channel jump notification from the video monitoring module, it performs channel jump. For example, the playback device may switch the channel to the channel specified in the notification according to the received channel jump notification.

In addition, the playback device may also receive a user's channel jump reservation cancellation instruction. If the user no longer wants the system to jump to the preset channel, he can input a reservation cancellation instruction through the input device to cancel the preset reservation request instruction. When the playback device receives a reservation cancellation instruction from the user, it sends a cancellation monitoring notification to the video monitoring module. The notification may include: the identifier of the playback device, used to distinguish different playback devices; Cancellation request notification, and appointment cancellation order. After receiving the monitoring cancellation notification, the video monitoring module ends the monitoring operation associated with the playback device identifier and the request notification identifier.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a system for automatically jumping TV channels according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the system includes a playback device, an input device and a video monitoring module. Among them, the playback device is a TV, personal computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, mobile TV, set-top box and other terminal devices that can receive and play TV programs, used to receive and display TV programs, and automatically jump switch channels etc. The user provides a channel jump reservation request instruction to the video monitoring module through the input device. The input device may be a separate computing device, such as a user's personal computer, notebook, smart phone, etc., that communicates with the video surveillance module through various networks. The video monitoring module receives channel hopping reservation request instructions from the input device, monitors the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time, and instructs the playback device to perform channel hopping. As shown in FIG. 3 , the video monitoring module is located on a remote server or server group, and is connected to a playback device and an input device through a network (for example, the Internet). The video monitoring module can also be called the server side, and the playback device can also be called the client side. The video monitoring module can support multiple playback devices at the same time.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , the user directly sends a channel jump reservation request instruction to the video surveillance module through an input device. The reservation request instruction may include: the identifier of the playback device (for distinguishing different playback devices), the reservation request identifier (for distinguishing different reservation requests), the type of the channel jump reservation request instruction (for example, a specified request or Referral request), and/or (when the type of reservation request is a specific request) specified channels and programs. The video monitoring module monitors the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time and instructs the playback device to perform channel hopping according to the received channel hopping reservation request instruction, more specifically, including:

If the channel jump reservation request instruction type is a specified request, the video monitoring module monitors the content of the specified channel in real time and sends a notification to the playback device when the specified program starts (or the end of the advertisement) on the specified channel is monitored, instructing it to perform channel jumping . For example, for a jump request, monitor whether the specified program on the specified channel starts, and if it starts, send a channel jump notification to the playback device to indicate jumping to the specified channel; for a jump back request, monitor whether the advertisement of the specified channel ends, if After the end, a channel jump notification is sent to the playback device to indicate to jump to the specified channel.

If the instruction type of the channel skip reservation request is a recommendation request, the content of all TV channels is monitored in real time, and the start of programs of each channel is detected. Whenever a channel starts a new program, it is determined whether it should be recommended to the user through the recommendation method. The recommendation method can adopt various existing recommendation methods, such as a method based on viewing history, a method based on content, a method based on collaborative filtering, and the like. If it is determined that it should be recommended to the user, a channel jump notification is sent to the playback device, instructing it to jump the channel to the recommended channel.

When the playback device receives the channel jump notification from the video monitoring module, it performs channel jump. For example, the playback device may switch the channel to the channel specified in the notification according to the received channel jump notification.

In addition, the video monitoring module can also receive a user's instruction to cancel a channel jump reservation. If the user no longer wants the system to jump to the preset channel, he can input a reservation cancellation instruction through the input device to cancel the preset reservation request instruction. The channel jump reservation cancellation instruction may include: an identifier of the playback device, a reservation request identifier and a reservation cancellation command. After the video monitoring module receives the channel jump reservation cancellation instruction, it ends the monitoring operation associated with the playback device identifier and the reservation request identifier.

Referring again to the system architecture in which the video surveillance module is located on the playback device shown in FIG. 1, in yet another embodiment, as described above in conjunction with FIG. Go to Appointment Request Instructions. The channel hopping reservation request instruction may include: a reservation request identifier, a type of the channel hopping reservation request instruction, and/or (when the reservation request type is a specified request) a specified channel and program. The video monitoring module monitors the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time and instructs the playback device to perform channel hopping according to the received channel hopping reservation request instruction, more specifically, including:

If the type of the reservation request instruction is a specified request, the video monitoring module monitors the content of the specified channel in real time and instructs the playback device to perform channel jumping when the specified program on the specified channel starts (or the end of the advertisement) is monitored. For example, for a jump request, monitor whether the specified program on the specified channel starts, and if it starts, instruct the playback device to jump to the specified channel; Specify the channel.

If the reservation request instruction type is a recommendation request, then monitor the content of all TV channels in real time, and detect the start of programs on each channel. Whenever a channel starts a new program, it is determined whether it should be recommended to the user through the recommendation method. If it is determined that it should be recommended to the user, the playback device is instructed to jump the channel to the recommended channel.

If the user no longer wants the system to jump to the preset channel, he can send a reservation cancellation instruction to the video monitoring module through the input device to cancel the preset reservation request instruction. The channel jump reservation cancellation instruction may include: a reservation request identifier and a reservation cancellation command. The video monitoring module ends the monitoring operation associated with the reservation request identifier after receiving the channel jump reservation cancellation instruction.

The above-mentioned system will be introduced in more detail below through a specific application scenario example. In the following example, the playback device of the system is a smart TV, the input device is a TV remote control, and the video monitoring module is a remote server group (hereinafter simply referred to as the server side). The smart TV is connected to the server through the Internet. The server side can support multiple smart TV devices at the same time.

Application scenario example:

1) Program skipping after commercials: Users watch Jiangsu Satellite TV's "If You Are the One" program on Saturday night. There are a lot of advertisements interspersed between program segments. Users use the remote control to mark the current channel, and then they can switch channels to watch other programs , the server monitors the program data stream of Jiangsu Satellite TV, and when the advertisement ends and the program restarts, it automatically jumps back to the program of Jiangsu Satellite TV from other programs watched by the user.

2) Jump to the program specified by the user: the user can customize and focus on the news broadcast program of CCTV-1 channel at 7:00 p.m. Go to CCTV-1 channel.

3) Recommended channel jumping: Under the premise that the user agrees to collect and analyze data, after using the system for a period of time, the user can choose whether to actively jump to the program of interest. For example, if you watch the Golden Theater of Anhui Satellite TV at 8 o'clock every night, after the user agrees, you can automatically jump to this channel to watch the TV series directly after the commercials that start the program end. The following is a detailed introduction to the implementation process of the above application scenarios:

1) Realization of program jump at the end of advertisement:

Fig. 4 shows the flow chart of realizing jumping to the reservation channel after the advertisement ends. As shown in Figure 4, in the part of the smart TV (client): the user enters an advertisement time while watching a program on a certain channel. If the user wants to watch other channels first but continue to watch the program when the advertisement ends, he can Mark the channel via an input device (such as a remote control) and send an appointment skip back request, then switch channels. The smart TV receives the reservation jump-back request, and sends, for example, a monitoring notification including the following information to the server where the video monitoring module is located through the network connection: smart TV identifier clientId, current channel channelID, current request identifier secureId, reservation request type requireType and whether Interest marked interest. For a specified request, the value of requireType is 1 for the reservation request type. For an appointment jump request instruction, the interest field is true. If the user is no longer interested in the current program after marking the program, he can send a reservation cancellation instruction, and the smart TV sends a cancellation notification to the server, the first four fields of which are the same, and the interest field is false.

In the video monitoring module (server side): After receiving the monitoring notification, query the stored smart TV clientId, and store the smart TV identifier clientId and channel channelId in the "channel-smart TV" linked list data structure as shown in Figure 5, for example. Among them, the server will start the same process as the total number of all channels, each process monitors a channel, if it is found that the current advertisement has ended and returned to the program, then query the IP address of the smart TV according to the clientId of all connected smart TVs of the channel , establish a network connection to send a channel jump notification that the advertisement ends, and the smart TV jumps to the marked channel after receiving the channel jump notification.

Among them, the server-side video monitoring module can detect the advertisements in the video stream in real time using the method of the patent "A Method and System for Advertisement Detection and Recognition" (Patent No.: ZL200810057162.3). The main idea is to extract audio clips and known advertisements library, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

2) For the implementation of user-specified program jump:

Smart TV part: the user can mark the channel and send an appointment jump request through the input device (remote control), and input or select the channel and program to be jumped through the input device, such as "Central 1, News Network". For example, it is stipulated that a key (other functions are not commonly used) of the remote control is a channel reservation key, and the smart TV interprets the corresponding key as a reservation jump command of the system. The smart TV receives the reservation jump request, and sends a notification including the following information to the server where the video monitoring module is located through a network connection: smart TV identifier clientId, current channel channelID, current request identifier secureId, reservation request type requireType, whether to accept Interest mark interest, program name programName. For a specified request, the value of requireType is 1 for the reservation request type. For an appointment jump request instruction, the interest field is true. If the user is no longer interested in the current program after marking the program, he can send a reservation cancellation instruction, and the smart TV sends a cancellation notification to the server, the first four fields of which are the same, and the interest field is false.

Video monitoring module: After receiving the message, monitor the specified channel, such as "Central 1", and if it finds that the specified program (such as news broadcast) starts, then query the IP address of the smart TV according to the clientId of all connected smart TVs of the channel , establish a network connection and send a channel jump notification that the advertisement ends, and the smart TV will switch back to the marked channel after receiving the notification.

Among them, the video monitoring module on the server side can use two methods to detect the start of the program: ①Use the program schedule, such as 19:00 news broadcast; ②Use the patent "A Method and System for Advertising Detection and Recognition" (Patent No.: ZL200810057162. The method of 3) detects the advertisement in the video stream in real time, and sets the end time of the advertisement as the start time of the program. The specific program name can be determined by referring to the program schedule.

3) For the implementation of recommended channel jumping:

Smart TV part: Every time the user switches to a new channel, the smart TV will send the start viewing time of the current channel to the video monitoring module, and the fields are as follows: smart TV clientId, channel channelId, start time startTime; at the same time, the end of the previous channel The time is also sent to the server, and the fields are as follows: smart TV clientId, channel channelId, end time endTime.

When the user sets the recommendation function, a recommendation request may be sent through an input device (such as a remote control). The smart TV receives the recommendation request, and sends, for example, a monitoring notification including the following information to the server where the video monitoring module is located through a network connection: smart TV identifier clientId, current request identifier secureId, reservation request type requireType and interest flag interest. For recommendation requests, the value of requireType is 2. For an appointment jump request instruction, the interest field is true. If you no longer want the system to automatically recommend, you can send a reservation cancellation command, and the smart TV will send a cancellation notification to the server, the first three fields of which are the same, and the interest field is false.

Video monitoring module: Receive the channel information watched by the smart TV user sent by the smart TV, and store it in the historical observation data of each smart TV clientId. Through the analysis method of data mining, the channel that the user often watches can be obtained; combined with the TV program table, The user's favorite programs can be obtained. In this way, the user's personalized recommendation data is obtained, and a recommendation method, such as a history-based method, is used for recommendation. The simplest recommendation method is: if the viewing times of a certain program exceed each set threshold, it can be recommended to the user to watch the program again at a new time (such as 19:00 news broadcast).

When the video monitoring module determines to recommend a certain channel program to a smart TV and detects that the program starts, it will query the IP address of the smart TV according to the clientId of the smart TV, establish a network connection and send a channel jump notification, and the smart TV Jump to the channel of the notification after receiving the notification, or ask the user to get the consent of the same user before jumping.

It should be noted and understood that various modifications and improvements can be made to the invention described in detail above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims. Accordingly, the scope of the claimed technical solution is not limited by any particular exemplary teaching given.

Claims (10)

1. A system for automatically jumping TV channels, comprising a playback device, an input device and a video monitoring module, wherein: The input device is used to input the user's channel hopping reservation request; The video monitoring module is used to monitor the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time and instruct the playback device to perform channel jump according to the received channel jump reservation request; The playback device is used for receiving and displaying TV programs and performing channel jumping according to instructions from the video monitoring module. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the type of the channel skip reservation request is a skip request, a skip back request or a recommendation request, and the skip request indicates that the channel skips at the beginning of a specified program on a specified channel. An instruction to go to the channel, the jump back request means an instruction to jump back to the channel at the end of the current channel advertisement, and the recommendation request means automatically jump to the corresponding channel when some programs that the user may like appear instructions. 3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the channel hopping reservation request includes a playback device identifier, a reservation request identifier, a type identifier of the channel hopping reservation request and/or a specified channel and program. 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein when the type of channel jump reservation request is a jump request or a jump back request, the video monitoring module monitors the content of the specified channel in real time and specifies the program in the specified channel Instructs the playback device to do a channel hop when the ad starts or ends. 5. The system according to claim 3, wherein when the type of channel jump reservation request is a recommendation request, the video monitoring module monitors the content of all TV channels in real time, detects the beginning of each channel program, and determines whether to send The user recommends the program of the channel, and in response to determining that the program should be recommended to the user, instructs the playback device to jump to the channel. 6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the video monitoring module is located inside the playback device, or is an independent device connected to the playback device through a network. 7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the input device directly provides the channel hopping reservation request input by the user to the video monitoring module. 8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the input device inputs a channel jump reservation request to the playback device, and the playback device forwards the request to the video monitoring module. 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the video monitoring module is further configured to cancel the monitoring operation associated with the playback device specified in the instruction according to the received user's channel jump reservation cancellation instruction. 10. A method for automatically jumping television channels based on the system according to one of the preceding claims, comprising: Step 1) The video monitoring module monitors the broadcast content of the TV channel in real time and instructs the playback device to perform channel jumping according to the received user's channel jump reservation request; Step 2) The playback device performs channel jumping according to the instructions from the video monitoring module.

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