WO2009000332A1 - Television channel distribution system - Google Patents

Television channel distribution system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2009000332A1
WO2009000332A1 PCT/EP2007/056522 EP2007056522W WO2009000332A1 WO 2009000332 A1 WO2009000332 A1 WO 2009000332A1 EP 2007056522 W EP2007056522 W EP 2007056522W WO 2009000332 A1 WO2009000332 A1 WO 2009000332A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
channel
content
television channel
distribution system
hosting service
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2007/056522
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Moreno Serrano Carlos
Original Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) filed Critical Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority to PCT/EP2007/056522 priority Critical patent/WO2009000332A1/en
Publication of WO2009000332A1 publication Critical patent/WO2009000332A1/en

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Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L65/00Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication
    • H04L65/60Network streaming of media packets
    • H04L65/75Media network packet handling
    • H04L65/765Media network packet handling intermediate
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L65/00Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication
    • H04L65/60Network streaming of media packets
    • H04L65/61Network streaming of media packets for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
    • H04L65/612Network streaming of media packets for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio for unicast

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a television channel distribution system for receiving multimedia content supplied by a user in order to transmit it as a television channel.
  • it relates to means for receiving multimedia content from a specified source, formatting the content and transmitting the content in real-time via the Internet and/or mobile communication devices, such as mobile telephones.
  • Feedbeat.net or WorldTV.com allows users to compile a "play list" of content from other websites such as YouTube or Google Video, which can then be viewed by entering a specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
  • URL Uniform Resource Locator
  • SplashCast allows a user to create channels that incorporate media in many different formats such as video, audio, text, photographs, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and Portable Document Format (PDF) documents.
  • a channel distribution system comprising a source identifying means adapted to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a content source, a receiving means to obtain multimedia content from the content source having the IP address received by the source identifying means, composition means for formatting said multimedia content to form a television channel and transmission means for transmitting the channel in real-time to a destination device.
  • IP Internet Protocol
  • a user can generate multimedia content for their own customisable television channel, which can be broadcast to a plurality of destination devices.
  • the destination devices may be those of subscribers to the service, for example.
  • a user who wishes to broadcast content is able to generate content and load it onto a user terminal having an IP address.
  • This IP address can then simply be sent to the source identifying means.
  • the content stream is received by the receiving means and the channel composition means then formats the content appropriately.
  • the content can then be sent to one or more destination devices in real-time.
  • the user is therefore able to use the channel composition system to quickly and easily generate a "live" television channel.
  • "in real-time" means that the content from the content source is onwardly transmitted as soon as it is received, taking account of any propagation delays while the data is transferred between components of the system and any processing delays caused by transcoding, for example.
  • the transmission means simultaneously transmits the channel in real-time to at least two destination devices.
  • the destination devices may be mobile telephones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), personal computers that are connected to the Internet, televisions or any combination.
  • PDAs Personal Digital Assistants
  • personal computers that are connected to the Internet, televisions or any combination.
  • the source identifying means receives the IP address of the content source via the Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia
  • MMS Message Service
  • email or a web site or a Wireless Application
  • the source identifying means is adapted it receive additional data such as a channel name, description of the channel, picture or graphic in addition to the IP address.
  • the source identifying means is also adapted to receive a privacy flag which indicates whether or not the television channel should be transmitted to a specified destination device or any destination device. This is advantageous as the distribution system can be used, for example, to monitor a baby or babysitter while the user is away and the channel cannot be viewed by anyone else.
  • the content source may comprise a computer connected to the Internet. However, preferably the content source is a mobile telephone and in particular a mobile telephone having a camera capable of recording video.
  • the composition means includes a database in which it stores details of the streamed content, the database being accessible by the destination devices. This enables an end-user to select a television channel to watch.
  • the database may contain one or more of the following; a preview of the television channel; the channel name; a description of the channel; an identification of the content supplier; and a television channel logo.
  • the television channel distribution system also comprises channel request receiving means, which is adapted to receive from a destination device an identification of a channel the distribution system is hosting, the channel request receiving means being further adapted to pass an instruction to the transmission means to transmit the identified channel to the destination device.
  • the multimedia content may be pre-recorded content or may be live content from a video camera, web cam, mobile telephone camera or the like. It is the content source that determines what multimedia content is sent and when it is sent to the distribution system.
  • the receiving means is adapted to receive the multimedia content encoded in accordance with Session Description Protocol (SDP).
  • SDP Session Description Protocol
  • the content may be encoded in accordance with Microsoft Media Server (MMS) protocol.
  • MMS Microsoft Media Server
  • the television channel distribution system is hosted on a computer server.
  • the receiving means comprises software such as Helix Streaming Server or Ericsson Mobile TV Streaming Server or Sun Streaming Server.
  • the transmission means comprises software such as the Ericsson Content Delivery Solution distributed by Ericsson.
  • a method of operating a television channel distribution system comprising the steps of; receiving at least an IP address of a content source; receiving streaming multimedia content from the content source; transmitting the multimedia content in real-time to a destination device.
  • the method includes the step of simultaneously transmitting the multimedia content in real-time to a plurality of destination devices.
  • the method includes the step of storing details of the streaming multimedia content in a database and allowing a destination device to access the database.
  • a third aspect of the invention we provide a method of operation for a television channel hosting service wherein the hosting service; creates an account on instruction from a content provider; receives arrangements for payment from the content provider to host a television channel for a predetermined length of time; receives streaming multimedia content from the content provider; and transmits in real-time for the predetermined length of time the multimedia content from the content provider to at least one destination device.
  • the content provider may be required to submit payment prior to the television channel being hosted by the hosting service.
  • the hosting service may agree a credit agreement with the content provider and may therefore send the content provider an invoice at predetermined time intervals, such as each month.
  • the predetermined length of time the television channel is hosted for may be measured from when the content provider first opens the account. Alternatively it may be from when content is first streamed to the hosting service. Although preferably, the predetermined length of time is the time that content is actually being streamed to the hosting service.
  • the content provider is able to purchase a specific amount of transmission time in which to broadcast the content and can start then stop and restart transmission at will, while only paying for the time that the content is streamed to the hosting service and thus the television channel is being hosted and available for access by end-users.
  • the hosting service notifies the content provider and further arrangements for payment are made if required.
  • the hosting service is the television channel distribution system described in relation to the first aspect of the invention.
  • a fourth aspect of the invention we provide a method of operation for a television channel hosting service adapted to receive streaming multimedia content from at least one content source and host said content as a television channel, the method comprising the steps of; the channel hosting service receiving a request from an end-user to view a particular channel; receiving arrangements for payment from the end-user; transmitting the requested content received from the content provider in real-time to the end-user for a predetermined time.
  • the television channel may be transmitted to a mobile telephone of the end-user.
  • payment for viewing the television channel may be billed to the mobile telephone service provider for forwarding to the end-user.
  • This is convenient as the hosting service can easily obtain payment and the end-user does not have to enter any payment details as payment can be made along with any call charges or standing charges the end-user would usually pay.
  • the predetermined time is the time that a particular television channel has been viewed for.
  • it may be the time that any of the channels hosted by the hosting service are viewed by the end-user. It may be a period of time over which the end-user is allowed access to the television channels.
  • viewing of the television channels may be charged per minute, per hour or alternatively on a subscription basis for unlimited viewing over a time interval such as a number of days or months for example.
  • a fifth aspect of the invention we provide a method of operation for a television channel hosting service wherein; the hosting service creates an account on instruction from a content provider; the hosting service receives arrangements for payment from the content provider to host a television channel for a predetermined hosting period; the hosting service receives streaming multimedia content from the content provider; the hosting service receives a request from an end-user to view a particular channel; the hosting service receives arrangements for payment from the end- user for viewing the television channel or channels hosted by the service for a predetermined viewing period; the hosting service transmits in real-time for the shorter of the hosting period or the viewing period the television channel formed from the multimedia content supplied by the content provider to the end-user.
  • Figure 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the television channel distribution system of the invention
  • Figure 2 shows a flow chart showing the steps involved in the operation of the system of Figures 1 ;
  • Figure 3 shows a flow chart illustrating the method of the third and fourth aspects of the invention.
  • the present invention relates to a means for receiving multimedia content and transmitting the content to others.
  • the system of the invention allows a user to generate their own multimedia content, arrange for it to be sent to the distribution means of the invention and then transmitted to one or more end-users in real-time. Therefore the user can create a live television channel and has complete control over its output. Further, the distribution system is able to obtain the multimedia content and transmit it to destination device of end-users, which may include mobile telephones, PDAs, television sets or personal computers.
  • the television channel distribution system 1 comprises a source identifying means 2 adapted to receive details of a source of multimedia content 3.
  • the system 1 further comprises a receiving means 4 for receiving content from the source 3, a composition means 5 for processing the content to form a television channel and transmission means 6 for transmitting the channel to a destination device 7, 8, 9.
  • the system 1 also includes a security server 18 which includes a storage means 19.
  • the source of multimedia content is stored on a personal computer 3 having a connection to the Internet 10.
  • the source 3 is shown as a personal computer it will be appreciated that it may be a mobile telephone having an integrated camera capable of capturing video, for example.
  • the mobile telephone may have software loaded thereon to enable content to be received by the system 1 and may communicate with the system 1 over the UMTS or GPRS/GSM mobile networks, for example.
  • the multimedia content can be created using any appropriate means such as by using a video camera, microphone, digital camera, graphics generation software, media from other web sites accessed via the Internet or the like.
  • multimedia content is shown being received from a web cam 11 and from pre-recorded video files 12 stored on the user's personal computer 3.
  • the user who generated the multimedia content can create the television channel by supplying the source identifying means 2 with details of the channel they wish to create.
  • Figure 2 shows a user interface 20 generated by the source identifying means 2 to receive the data required to create the television channel.
  • This user interface 20 is presented to the user on accessing a web site associated with the television channel distribution system 1.
  • the user interface 20 is also suitable for display on a mobile telephone, which may access it via the Internet.
  • the user interface 20 comprises a form into which the user should enter registration information comprising a title 21 for the television channel they wish to create; a description 22 of the type of multimedia content the television channel will show; the IP address of the source 3 from which the streaming content will be obtained; and the location 24 of a picture, such as a channel logo, that is associated with the channel.
  • the source identifying means 2 Once this information has been received it is stored by the source identifying means 2.
  • the user can then use a mobile telephone 13 to communicate with the source identifying means 2 via the mobile telephone service provider 14 and the Internet 10. Communication with the source identifying means 2 is done via SMS, wherein the user sends the means 2 the Internet Protocol address or other registration information to tell the receiving means 4 to begin obtaining the streamed content from the computer 3. Alternatively, the user may send an instruction to make the multimedia content available for access by the destination devices 7, 8, 9.
  • the source identifying means 2 passes the IP address communicated to it to the receiving means 4 so that it can obtain streaming multimedia content from the identified computer 3.
  • the receiving means 4 comprises software and in particular Ericsson Mobile TV Streaming Server software to receive multimedia content that is streamed from the computer 3 to the receiving means 4.
  • the computer 3 has Helix Mobile Producer software loaded thereon.
  • the computer 3 therefore arranges the multimedia content into files that conform to the Session Descriptor Protocol (SDP).
  • SDP Session Descriptor Protocol
  • the receiving means 4 and the computer 3 are able to establish a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) streaming session to transfer the multimedia content 11 , 12 to the receiving means 4.
  • RTP Real-time Transport Protocol
  • the content received by the receiving means 4 is passed to the composition means 5, where it prepared for transmission to destination devices 7, 8, 9.
  • the composition means 5 may carry out transcoding of the multimedia content so that it can be successfully received by the destination devices 7, 8, 9.
  • the composition means may transcode the multimedia content using the 3G-324M protocols so that it can be received by the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UTMS) mobile telephone 9.
  • UTMS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
  • the composition means 5 compiles the stream from the receiving means 4, the channel name, description and picture from the source identifying means 2 into a database 15.
  • the destination devices 7, 8, 9, can access the database 15 so that end-users can select which television channel, hosted by the television channel distribution means 1 , they wish to view.
  • the composition means 5 therefore also acts as a channel request receiving means.
  • the composition means 5 instructs the transmission means 6 to transmit the multimedia content received by the receiving means 4 to the appropriate destination device 7, 8, 9 in real-time.
  • the transmission means 6 can simultaneously transmit the "live" multimedia content to one or more destination devices 7, 8, 9.
  • the transmission means 6 may send the television channel via the Internet 10 to a personal computer 7, which can then be viewed using an appropriate media player.
  • the television channel distribution means 1 may be accessible via a website which present the information in database 15 to an end-user. The end-user can then select a television channel to view and arrange for payment to view said channel. Once the request has been made and confirmation that the arrangements for payment are valid, the transmission means 6 begins transmitting the content in real-time to the computer 7 using conventional media streaming techniques commonly employed over Internet communications.
  • the television channels distributed by the system 1 may also be accessed using a conventional television 8 with cable television decoder 16.
  • the television channel sent by the transmission means 6 is relayed over the Internet 10 to the end-user by a cable television operator (not shown).
  • the cable television decoder 16 then decodes the signal for viewing on the television.
  • the request to view the channel may be sent by the end-user using the cable television decoder 16, via the cable television operator (not shown).
  • the cable television provider may alternatively arrange to receive all of the channels hosted by the television channel distribution means 1 and may then resell them to its customers. It will be appreciated that a satellite based television system could operate in a similar manner as well as an Internet Television provider.
  • the television channels hosted by the system 1 can also be accessed using a mobile telephone 9, via the mobile telephone service provider 17.
  • the end-user of the telephone 9 may request the channels and arrange for payment for the service by accessing a web site or WAP site.
  • the service provider 17 may integrate the service offered by the television channel distribution system 1 into the mobile telephone 9 such that the user can access the system 1 using an interface in the telephone 9.
  • Use of the system 1 may be charged by requesting payment from the service provider 17, who, in turn, applies the charges to the end-user usual mobile telephone bill.
  • the security server 18 is connected to the remaining parts 2, 4, 5, 6 of the television channel distribution means 1 and provides means for users to report inappropriate content that is transmitted as a television channel.
  • Inappropriate content may comprise content that breaches the term and conditions imposed on users of the system 1 or copyright material that is streamed to the system 1 without the necessary legal consent and then transmitted to a destination device 7, 8, 9. If an end-user discovers such content while watching a television channel on their destination device 7, 8, 9 they will have the option to report the channel as inappropriate. To report such inappropriate content, the user selects can select an option which initialises a connection 42 to the security server 18.
  • the destination device 7, 8, 9 sends identification of itself and of the content that is inappropriate.
  • the security server 18 then requests the content from the transmission means 6 and records the streamed content in its storage means 19.
  • the security server 18 also instructs the receiving means 4 to stop receiving the stream from the computer 3 and instructs the composition means 5 to no longer host the channel, therefore preventing any further transmission to destination devices 7, 8, 9.
  • the security server 18 stores details of streams and television channels that are inappropriate and can ban a user or IP address that provides the inappropriate content.
  • the source identifying means 2 may check any IP address that it obtains against the record stored in the security server 18 before it submits it to the composition means 5 for hosting as a television channel. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, the source identifying means may receive an updated record of banned users or IP addresses from the security server 18, which it stores locally for reference.
  • the stored content may be investigated by an administrator of the system 1 , for example, to determine of the content was in fact inappropriate. If the content of the television channel was confirmed as being inappropriate, the identification supplied by the end-user device may be used to reward the person reporting the inappropriate material. The reward may include refund of any subscription that they paid to the system 1 or alternatively their account may be credited with a period of time of free usage of the system 1.
  • Step 30 involves the television channel distribution system 1 requesting registration details from the content provider.
  • This step 30 involves presenting the content provider with a form via a web site to obtain the required information.
  • the content provider can then supply details 31 such as the name and description of the channel and the IP address from which content will be sent.
  • the content provider may also be required to arrange a method of payment to the system 1 for hosting the television channel. This may be submitted via a secure server using https protocol or via PayPal or the like.
  • the system 1 may not charge to host the television channel and instead charge people who view the television channels.
  • This registration information is stored and the IP address given is forwarded to the source identifying means 2 at step 32.
  • the source identifying means may verify that the IP address is valid and that the system 1 can communicate with the content provider's computer 3.
  • the payment details given at step 31 are verified and payment is requested.
  • the system 1 either passes the IP address to the receiving means 4 to receive multimedia content or it waits for further instructions in the form of an SMS message 35 from the content provider that confirms that the multimedia content should be received and the television channel hosted.
  • the receiving means 4 establishes a streaming session using RTP with the source computer 3 and receives the multimedia content generated at the computer 3.
  • the composition means 5 compiles the information about the television channel such as the name and description and streamed content into the database 15. It then makes the television channel available for selection by an end-user.
  • the system 1 can receive requests to view a particular television channel at step 38 as well as payment details from the end-user. Any payment details are validated and payment is taken at step 39.
  • the request 38 once validated, is referenced against the database 15 and details of the requested channel and destination device are passed by the composition means 5 to the transmission means 6 at step 40.
  • the channel composition means 5 may perform transcoding of the streamed multimedia content if required before passing it to the transmission means 6.
  • the transmission means 6 transmits the requested television channel to the destination device using the information received at step 38.
  • the television channel can then be viewed on the destination device 7, 8, 9 at step 41.
  • Further content providers can be added to the television channel distribution service 1 by submitting the information at 31. Further end- users can request to view the channels hosted by the service by submitting requests at step 38.

Abstract

A channel distribution system (1) comprising a source identifying means (2) adapted to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a content source (3), a receiving means (4) to obtain multimedia content from the content source having the IP address received by the source identifying means, composition means (15) for formatting said multimedia content to form a television channel and transmission means (6) for transmitting the channel in real-time to a destination device (7).

Description

TELEVISION CHANNEL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
This invention relates to a television channel distribution system for receiving multimedia content supplied by a user in order to transmit it as a television channel. In particular, it relates to means for receiving multimedia content from a specified source, formatting the content and transmitting the content in real-time via the Internet and/or mobile communication devices, such as mobile telephones.
Services that allow users to compile a list of content from video sharing websites that can then be viewed are known. Feedbeat.net or WorldTV.com allows users to compile a "play list" of content from other websites such as YouTube or Google Video, which can then be viewed by entering a specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Further, services such as SplashCast allows a user to create channels that incorporate media in many different formats such as video, audio, text, photographs, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and Portable Document Format (PDF) documents.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, we provide a channel distribution system comprising a source identifying means adapted to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a content source, a receiving means to obtain multimedia content from the content source having the IP address received by the source identifying means, composition means for formatting said multimedia content to form a television channel and transmission means for transmitting the channel in real-time to a destination device.
This is advantageous as a user can generate multimedia content for their own customisable television channel, which can be broadcast to a plurality of destination devices. The destination devices may be those of subscribers to the service, for example. Thus, a user who wishes to broadcast content is able to generate content and load it onto a user terminal having an IP address. This IP address can then simply be sent to the source identifying means. The content stream is received by the receiving means and the channel composition means then formats the content appropriately. The content can then be sent to one or more destination devices in real-time. The user is therefore able to use the channel composition system to quickly and easily generate a "live" television channel. It will be appreciated that "in real-time" means that the content from the content source is onwardly transmitted as soon as it is received, taking account of any propagation delays while the data is transferred between components of the system and any processing delays caused by transcoding, for example.
Preferably, the transmission means simultaneously transmits the channel in real-time to at least two destination devices. The destination devices may be mobile telephones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), personal computers that are connected to the Internet, televisions or any combination.
Preferably, the source identifying means receives the IP address of the content source via the Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia
Message Service (MMS) or email or a web site or a Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP) site. Preferably, the source identifying means is adapted it receive additional data such as a channel name, description of the channel, picture or graphic in addition to the IP address. Preferably the source identifying means is also adapted to receive a privacy flag which indicates whether or not the television channel should be transmitted to a specified destination device or any destination device. This is advantageous as the distribution system can be used, for example, to monitor a baby or babysitter while the user is away and the channel cannot be viewed by anyone else. The content source may comprise a computer connected to the Internet. However, preferably the content source is a mobile telephone and in particular a mobile telephone having a camera capable of recording video.
Preferably the composition means includes a database in which it stores details of the streamed content, the database being accessible by the destination devices. This enables an end-user to select a television channel to watch. The database may contain one or more of the following; a preview of the television channel; the channel name; a description of the channel; an identification of the content supplier; and a television channel logo.
Preferably the television channel distribution system also comprises channel request receiving means, which is adapted to receive from a destination device an identification of a channel the distribution system is hosting, the channel request receiving means being further adapted to pass an instruction to the transmission means to transmit the identified channel to the destination device.
The multimedia content may be pre-recorded content or may be live content from a video camera, web cam, mobile telephone camera or the like. It is the content source that determines what multimedia content is sent and when it is sent to the distribution system.
Preferably the receiving means is adapted to receive the multimedia content encoded in accordance with Session Description Protocol (SDP). Alternatively, the content may be encoded in accordance with Microsoft Media Server (MMS) protocol. For example, by using Windows Media Encoder.
Preferably the television channel distribution system is hosted on a computer server. Preferably, the receiving means comprises software such as Helix Streaming Server or Ericsson Mobile TV Streaming Server or Sun Streaming Server. Preferably the transmission means comprises software such as the Ericsson Content Delivery Solution distributed by Ericsson.
According to a second aspect we provide a method of operating a television channel distribution system comprising the steps of; receiving at least an IP address of a content source; receiving streaming multimedia content from the content source; transmitting the multimedia content in real-time to a destination device.
Preferably, the method includes the step of simultaneously transmitting the multimedia content in real-time to a plurality of destination devices. Preferably, the method includes the step of storing details of the streaming multimedia content in a database and allowing a destination device to access the database.
According to a third aspect of the invention we provide a method of operation for a television channel hosting service wherein the hosting service; creates an account on instruction from a content provider; receives arrangements for payment from the content provider to host a television channel for a predetermined length of time; receives streaming multimedia content from the content provider; and transmits in real-time for the predetermined length of time the multimedia content from the content provider to at least one destination device.
This is advantageous as anyone who wishes to create their own television channel can generate their own content and determine when it is sent to the hosting service that then transmit the streamed content live to a destination device.
The content provider may be required to submit payment prior to the television channel being hosted by the hosting service. Alternatively, the hosting service may agree a credit agreement with the content provider and may therefore send the content provider an invoice at predetermined time intervals, such as each month.
The predetermined length of time the television channel is hosted for may be measured from when the content provider first opens the account. Alternatively it may be from when content is first streamed to the hosting service. Although preferably, the predetermined length of time is the time that content is actually being streamed to the hosting service. Thus, the content provider is able to purchase a specific amount of transmission time in which to broadcast the content and can start then stop and restart transmission at will, while only paying for the time that the content is streamed to the hosting service and thus the television channel is being hosted and available for access by end-users.
Preferably, once the predetermined length of time has expired, the hosting service notifies the content provider and further arrangements for payment are made if required.
Preferably the hosting service is the television channel distribution system described in relation to the first aspect of the invention.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention we provide a method of operation for a television channel hosting service adapted to receive streaming multimedia content from at least one content source and host said content as a television channel, the method comprising the steps of; the channel hosting service receiving a request from an end-user to view a particular channel; receiving arrangements for payment from the end-user; transmitting the requested content received from the content provider in real-time to the end-user for a predetermined time.
The television channel may be transmitted to a mobile telephone of the end-user. In this case, payment for viewing the television channel may be billed to the mobile telephone service provider for forwarding to the end- user. This is convenient as the hosting service can easily obtain payment and the end-user does not have to enter any payment details as payment can be made along with any call charges or standing charges the end-user would usually pay.
Preferably the predetermined time is the time that a particular television channel has been viewed for. Alternatively, it may be the time that any of the channels hosted by the hosting service are viewed by the end-user. It may be a period of time over which the end-user is allowed access to the television channels. Thus, viewing of the television channels may be charged per minute, per hour or alternatively on a subscription basis for unlimited viewing over a time interval such as a number of days or months for example.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention we provide a method of operation for a television channel hosting service wherein; the hosting service creates an account on instruction from a content provider; the hosting service receives arrangements for payment from the content provider to host a television channel for a predetermined hosting period; the hosting service receives streaming multimedia content from the content provider; the hosting service receives a request from an end-user to view a particular channel; the hosting service receives arrangements for payment from the end- user for viewing the television channel or channels hosted by the service for a predetermined viewing period; the hosting service transmits in real-time for the shorter of the hosting period or the viewing period the television channel formed from the multimedia content supplied by the content provider to the end-user.
There now follows, by way of example only, a detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;
Figure 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the television channel distribution system of the invention;
Figure 2 shows a flow chart showing the steps involved in the operation of the system of Figures 1 ; and
Figure 3 shows a flow chart illustrating the method of the third and fourth aspects of the invention.
The present invention relates to a means for receiving multimedia content and transmitting the content to others. The system of the invention allows a user to generate their own multimedia content, arrange for it to be sent to the distribution means of the invention and then transmitted to one or more end-users in real-time. Therefore the user can create a live television channel and has complete control over its output. Further, the distribution system is able to obtain the multimedia content and transmit it to destination device of end-users, which may include mobile telephones, PDAs, television sets or personal computers. The television channel distribution system 1 comprises a source identifying means 2 adapted to receive details of a source of multimedia content 3. The system 1 further comprises a receiving means 4 for receiving content from the source 3, a composition means 5 for processing the content to form a television channel and transmission means 6 for transmitting the channel to a destination device 7, 8, 9. The system 1 also includes a security server 18 which includes a storage means 19.
The source of multimedia content is stored on a personal computer 3 having a connection to the Internet 10. Although the source 3 is shown as a personal computer it will be appreciated that it may be a mobile telephone having an integrated camera capable of capturing video, for example. The mobile telephone may have software loaded thereon to enable content to be received by the system 1 and may communicate with the system 1 over the UMTS or GPRS/GSM mobile networks, for example. The multimedia content can be created using any appropriate means such as by using a video camera, microphone, digital camera, graphics generation software, media from other web sites accessed via the Internet or the like. In the present embodiment, multimedia content is shown being received from a web cam 11 and from pre-recorded video files 12 stored on the user's personal computer 3.
The user who generated the multimedia content can create the television channel by supplying the source identifying means 2 with details of the channel they wish to create. Figure 2 shows a user interface 20 generated by the source identifying means 2 to receive the data required to create the television channel. This user interface 20 is presented to the user on accessing a web site associated with the television channel distribution system 1. The user interface 20 is also suitable for display on a mobile telephone, which may access it via the Internet. The user interface 20 comprises a form into which the user should enter registration information comprising a title 21 for the television channel they wish to create; a description 22 of the type of multimedia content the television channel will show; the IP address of the source 3 from which the streaming content will be obtained; and the location 24 of a picture, such as a channel logo, that is associated with the channel. Once this information has been received it is stored by the source identifying means 2. The user can then use a mobile telephone 13 to communicate with the source identifying means 2 via the mobile telephone service provider 14 and the Internet 10. Communication with the source identifying means 2 is done via SMS, wherein the user sends the means 2 the Internet Protocol address or other registration information to tell the receiving means 4 to begin obtaining the streamed content from the computer 3. Alternatively, the user may send an instruction to make the multimedia content available for access by the destination devices 7, 8, 9.
The source identifying means 2 passes the IP address communicated to it to the receiving means 4 so that it can obtain streaming multimedia content from the identified computer 3. The receiving means 4 comprises software and in particular Ericsson Mobile TV Streaming Server software to receive multimedia content that is streamed from the computer 3 to the receiving means 4. To achieve this, the computer 3 has Helix Mobile Producer software loaded thereon. The computer 3 therefore arranges the multimedia content into files that conform to the Session Descriptor Protocol (SDP). Thus, the receiving means 4 and the computer 3 are able to establish a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) streaming session to transfer the multimedia content 11 , 12 to the receiving means 4.
The content received by the receiving means 4 is passed to the composition means 5, where it prepared for transmission to destination devices 7, 8, 9. The composition means 5 may carry out transcoding of the multimedia content so that it can be successfully received by the destination devices 7, 8, 9. For example, the composition means may transcode the multimedia content using the 3G-324M protocols so that it can be received by the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UTMS) mobile telephone 9. Further, the composition means 5 compiles the stream from the receiving means 4, the channel name, description and picture from the source identifying means 2 into a database 15. The destination devices 7, 8, 9, can access the database 15 so that end-users can select which television channel, hosted by the television channel distribution means 1 , they wish to view. The composition means 5 therefore also acts as a channel request receiving means.
On request from a particular destination device 7, 8, 9, the composition means 5 instructs the transmission means 6 to transmit the multimedia content received by the receiving means 4 to the appropriate destination device 7, 8, 9 in real-time.
The transmission means 6 can simultaneously transmit the "live" multimedia content to one or more destination devices 7, 8, 9. The transmission means 6 may send the television channel via the Internet 10 to a personal computer 7, which can then be viewed using an appropriate media player. Thus, the television channel distribution means 1 may be accessible via a website which present the information in database 15 to an end-user. The end-user can then select a television channel to view and arrange for payment to view said channel. Once the request has been made and confirmation that the arrangements for payment are valid, the transmission means 6 begins transmitting the content in real-time to the computer 7 using conventional media streaming techniques commonly employed over Internet communications.
The television channels distributed by the system 1 may also be accessed using a conventional television 8 with cable television decoder 16. Thus, the television channel sent by the transmission means 6 is relayed over the Internet 10 to the end-user by a cable television operator (not shown). The cable television decoder 16 then decodes the signal for viewing on the television. In this case, the request to view the channel may be sent by the end-user using the cable television decoder 16, via the cable television operator (not shown). The cable television provider may alternatively arrange to receive all of the channels hosted by the television channel distribution means 1 and may then resell them to its customers. It will be appreciated that a satellite based television system could operate in a similar manner as well as an Internet Television provider.
The television channels hosted by the system 1 can also be accessed using a mobile telephone 9, via the mobile telephone service provider 17. Thus, the end-user of the telephone 9 may request the channels and arrange for payment for the service by accessing a web site or WAP site. The service provider 17 may integrate the service offered by the television channel distribution system 1 into the mobile telephone 9 such that the user can access the system 1 using an interface in the telephone 9. Use of the system 1 may be charged by requesting payment from the service provider 17, who, in turn, applies the charges to the end-user usual mobile telephone bill.
The security server 18 is connected to the remaining parts 2, 4, 5, 6 of the television channel distribution means 1 and provides means for users to report inappropriate content that is transmitted as a television channel. Inappropriate content may comprise content that breaches the term and conditions imposed on users of the system 1 or copyright material that is streamed to the system 1 without the necessary legal consent and then transmitted to a destination device 7, 8, 9. If an end-user discovers such content while watching a television channel on their destination device 7, 8, 9 they will have the option to report the channel as inappropriate. To report such inappropriate content, the user selects can select an option which initialises a connection 42 to the security server 18. The destination device 7, 8, 9 sends identification of itself and of the content that is inappropriate. The security server 18 then requests the content from the transmission means 6 and records the streamed content in its storage means 19. The security server 18 also instructs the receiving means 4 to stop receiving the stream from the computer 3 and instructs the composition means 5 to no longer host the channel, therefore preventing any further transmission to destination devices 7, 8, 9. The security server 18 stores details of streams and television channels that are inappropriate and can ban a user or IP address that provides the inappropriate content. Thus, the source identifying means 2 may check any IP address that it obtains against the record stored in the security server 18 before it submits it to the composition means 5 for hosting as a television channel. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, the source identifying means may receive an updated record of banned users or IP addresses from the security server 18, which it stores locally for reference.
The stored content may be investigated by an administrator of the system 1 , for example, to determine of the content was in fact inappropriate. If the content of the television channel was confirmed as being inappropriate, the identification supplied by the end-user device may be used to reward the person reporting the inappropriate material. The reward may include refund of any subscription that they paid to the system 1 or alternatively their account may be credited with a period of time of free usage of the system 1.
Figure 3 shows a flowchart illustrating the operation of the system 1 of Figure 1. Step 30 involves the television channel distribution system 1 requesting registration details from the content provider. This step 30 involves presenting the content provider with a form via a web site to obtain the required information. The content provider can then supply details 31 such as the name and description of the channel and the IP address from which content will be sent. Further, the content provider may also be required to arrange a method of payment to the system 1 for hosting the television channel. This may be submitted via a secure server using https protocol or via PayPal or the like. Alternatively, the system 1 may not charge to host the television channel and instead charge people who view the television channels. This registration information is stored and the IP address given is forwarded to the source identifying means 2 at step 32. The source identifying means may verify that the IP address is valid and that the system 1 can communicate with the content provider's computer 3. At step 33 the payment details given at step 31 are verified and payment is requested. At step 34 the system 1 either passes the IP address to the receiving means 4 to receive multimedia content or it waits for further instructions in the form of an SMS message 35 from the content provider that confirms that the multimedia content should be received and the television channel hosted. Thus, at step 36 the receiving means 4 establishes a streaming session using RTP with the source computer 3 and receives the multimedia content generated at the computer 3. Once the content is being received, the composition means 5, at step 37, compiles the information about the television channel such as the name and description and streamed content into the database 15. It then makes the television channel available for selection by an end-user. The system 1 can receive requests to view a particular television channel at step 38 as well as payment details from the end-user. Any payment details are validated and payment is taken at step 39. The request 38, once validated, is referenced against the database 15 and details of the requested channel and destination device are passed by the composition means 5 to the transmission means 6 at step 40. The channel composition means 5 may perform transcoding of the streamed multimedia content if required before passing it to the transmission means 6. The transmission means 6 transmits the requested television channel to the destination device using the information received at step 38. The television channel can then be viewed on the destination device 7, 8, 9 at step 41.
Further content providers can be added to the television channel distribution service 1 by submitting the information at 31. Further end- users can request to view the channels hosted by the service by submitting requests at step 38.

Claims

1. A channel distribution system comprising a source identifying means adapted to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a content source, a receiving means to obtain multimedia content from the content source having the IP address received by the source identifying means, composition means for formatting said multimedia content to form a television channel and transmission means for transmitting the channel in real-time to a destination device.
2. A channel distribution system according to claim 1 , in which the transmission means simultaneously transmits the channel in real-time to at least two destination devices.
3. A channel distribution system according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the source identifying means receives the IP address of the content source via the Short Message Service (SMS).
4. A channel distribution system according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the source identifying means receives the IP address of the content source via the Multimedia Message Service (MMS).
5. A channel distribution system according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the source identifying means receives the IP address of the content source via email.
6. A channel distribution system according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the source identifying means receives the IP address of the content source via a website.
7. A channel distribution system according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the source identifying means receives the IP address of the content source via a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) site.
8. A channel distribution system according to any preceding claim, in which the source identifying means is adapted it receive additional data such as a channel name, description of the channel, picture or graphic in addition to the IP address.
9. A channel distribution system according to claim 8, in which the source identifying means is adapted to receive a privacy flag which indicates whether or not the television channel should be transmitted to a specified destination device or any destination device.
10. A channel distribution system according to any preceding claim, in which the content source comprises a computer connected to the Internet.
11. A channel distribution system according to any of claims 1 to 9, in which the content source is a mobile telephone.
12. A channel distribution system according to any preceding claim, in which the composition means includes a database in which it stores details of the streamed content, the database being accessible by the destination devices.
13. A channel distribution system according to claim 12, in which the database contains one or more of the following; a preview of the television channel; the channel name; a description of the channel; an identification of the content supplier; and a television channel logo.
14. A channel distribution system according to any preceding claim, in which the television channel distribution system also comprises channel request receiving means, which is adapted to receive from a destination device an identification of a channel the distribution system is hosting, the channel request receiving means being further adapted to pass an instruction to the transmission means to transmit the identified channel to the destination device.
15. A channel distribution system according to any preceding claim, in which the receiving means is adapted to receive the multimedia content encoded in accordance with Session Description Protocol (SDP).
16. A channel distribution system according to any of claims 1 to 14, in which the content is encoded in accordance with Microsoft Media Server (MMS) protocol.
17. A channel distribution system according to any preceding claim, in which the television channel distribution system is hosted on a computer server.
18. A channel distribution system according to any preceding claim, in which the receiving means comprises software, the software being based on
Helix Streaming Server.
19. A channel distribution system according to any of claims 1 to 17, in which the receiving means comprises software, the software being based on Ericsson Mobile TV Streaming Server.
20. A channel distribution system according to any of claims 1 to 17, in which the receiving means comprises software, the software being based on Sun Streaming Server.
21. A channel distribution system according to any of claims 1 to 17, in which the transmission means comprises software, the software being based on the Ericsson Content Delivery Solution distributed by Ericsson.
22. A method of operating a television channel distribution system comprising the steps of; receiving at least an IP address of a content source; receiving streaming multimedia content from the content source; transmitting the multimedia content in real-time to a destination device.
23. A method of operating a television channel distribution system according to claim 22, in which the method includes the step of simultaneously transmitting the multimedia content in real-time to a plurality of destination devices.
24. A method of operating a television channel distribution system according to claim 22 or claim 23, in which the method includes the step of storing details of the streaming multimedia content in a database and allowing a destination device to access the database.
25. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service wherein the hosting service; creates an account on instruction from a content provider; receives arrangements for payment from the content provider to host a television channel for a predetermined length of time; receives streaming multimedia content from the content provider; and transmits in real-time for the predetermined length of time the multimedia content from the content provider to at least one destination device.
26. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 25 in which the content provider is required to submit payment prior to the television channel being hosted by the hosting service.
27. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 25, in which the hosting service agrees a credit agreement with the content provider and therefore sends the content provider an invoice at predetermined time intervals.
28. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 25, in which the predetermined length of time the television channel is hosted for is measured from when the content provider first opens the account.
29. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 25, in which the predetermined length of time the television channel is hosted for is measured from when content is first streamed to the hosting service.
30. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 25, in which the predetermined length of time is the time that content is actually being streamed to the hosting service.
31. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 25, in which once the predetermined length of time has expired, the hosting service notifies the content provider and further arrangements for payment are made if required.
32. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 25, in which the hosting service is the television channel distribution system defined in claim 1.
33. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service adapted to receive streaming multimedia content from at least one content source and host said content as a television channel, the method comprising the steps of; the channel hosting service receiving a request from an end-user to view a particular channel; receiving arrangements for payment from the end-user; transmitting the requested content received from the content provider in real-time to the end-user for a predetermined time.
34. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 33, in which the television channel is transmitted to a mobile telephone of the end-user.
35. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 34, in which payment for viewing the television channel is billed to the mobile telephone service provider for forwarding to the end- user.
36. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 33, in which the predetermined time is the time that a particular television channel has been viewed for.
37. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 33, in which the predetermined time is the time that any of the channels hosted by the hosting service are viewed by the end-user.
38. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service according to claim 33, in which the predetermined time is a period of time over which the end-user is allowed access to the television channels hosted by the service.
39. A method of operation for a television channel hosting service wherein the hosting service; creates an account on instruction from a content provider; receives arrangements for payment from the content provider to host a television channel for a predetermined hosting period; receives streaming multimedia content from the content provider; receives a request from an end-user to view a particular channel; receives arrangements for payment from the end-user for viewing the television channel or channels hosted by the service for a predetermined viewing period; transmits in real-time for the shorter of the hosting period or the viewing period the television channel formed from the multimedia content supplied by the content provider to the end-user.
40. A television channel distribution system as substantially described herein and as illustrated in the accompanying Figure 1.
PCT/EP2007/056522 2007-06-28 2007-06-28 Television channel distribution system WO2009000332A1 (en)

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