WO2016151050A1

WO2016151050A1 - Method for providing content, content providing server, communication device, system and computer program

Info

Publication number: WO2016151050A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/056456
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bostjan KOSAK
Original assignee: Kosak Bostjan
Priority date: 2015-03-26
Filing date: 2016-03-23
Publication date: 2016-09-29
Also published as: EP3275200A1

Abstract

A method for providing content comprises receiving a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items comprising at a least a first content item and a second content item, receiving a content reproduction instruction to reproduce the first content item, and starting providing of the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position. When an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item is received, providing of the first content item is finished and providing of the second content item is started, and a first reproduction position is shifted, while the second content item is provided, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which providing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received.

Description

METHOD FOR PROVIDING CONTENT, CONTENT PROVIDING SERVER, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, users have been consuming linearly distributed content, e.g. by watching TV as a live broadcasted content on different channels. In recent years, non-linearly distributed content such as content on-demand has become more popular.

Video content selection on TV and other linear video distribution systems is typically performed by user zapping over live broadcasted content on different channels (e.g. selecting channels by changing them) until a content or channel is satisfactory for the user and is selected. The content is delivered in a linear way and the selection of proposed content is usually not personalized in any way. The user experience is satisfactory because the implementation of zapping is simple, intuitive and commonly known to all types of population (elder persons, small kids).

TV watching is typically a passive activity opposed to, for example, actively selecting content in the internet by browsing over the internet or using an online social network. Therefore, channel zapping is preferred by users over seeking for content via EPG systems on linear distribution systems and other content selection methods used on non-linear IPTV and digital TV systems.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for providing on- demand content in a manner which enhances the user's television experience. Further, it is an object to provide a content providing server, a communication device, and a system which enhance the user's television experience.

According to the present invention, the above objects are achieved by the claimed matter according to the independent claims. Further developments are defined in the dependent claims. Those skilled in the art will recognize additional features and advantages upon reading the following detailed description and on viewing the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles. Other embodiments of the invention and many of the intended advantages will be readily appreciated, as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numbers designate corresponding similar parts.

Figs. 1A to 1 C show various time charts of reproduced content items. Figs. 2A and 2B summarize methods according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 shows a further time chart of reproduced content items according to an embodiment.

Figs. 4A and 4B summarize further methods according to embodiments.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example of a system including a communication device.

Fig. 6 shows a further system including a server.

Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment.

Figs. 8A and 8B shows example of recommendation lists.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and in which are illustrated by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology such as "top", "bottom", "front", "back", "leading", "trailing" etc. is used with reference to the orientation of the Figures being described. Since components of embodiments of the invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope defined by the claims.

The description of the embodiments is not limiting. In particular, elements of the embodiments described hereinafter may be combined with elements of different embodiments.

As used herein, the terms "having", "containing", "including", "comprising" and the like are open ended terms that indicate the presence of stated elements or features, but do not preclude additional elements or features. The articles "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural as well as the singular, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Within the context of the present disclosure, the term "content" is intended to refer to all types of multimedia content, including but not limited to television, radio, internet and previously recorded content. Previously recorded content may comprise content received from a VOD server or a "catch-up TV" server. Further examples comprise content stored on a storage device, e.g. a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), a memory, e.g. a flash memory, a memory stick and others. According to embodiments, the term "content" may not refer to any live content or content which is currently broadcasted by a broadcast station. Rather, the term "content" is meant to define content which may be reproduced at any time, e.g. on-demand. According to a further interpretation, the term "content" as used within the present disclosure is meant to refer to any kind of non-linearly distributed content. A content item may be received from a variety of content sources such as a video-on-demand (VOD) content source or a server implementing an online archive such as the "ARD-Mediathek" or the "ZDF- Mediathek". Further examples comprise YouTube and related content sources. The term "communication device" refers to all types of devices that may be connected via the internet to a server, e.g. a content providing server to reproduce content. Examples comprise smartphones, tablets, mobile computers, notebook computers, desktop computers etc. , set-top boxes and television sets. The communication device may comprise a display. According to further embodiments, the communication device may deliver content to a display such as a beamer which may reproduce the content.

The term "zap" or "zapping" refers to an action of changing or switching content items. The content may be delivered from a server to the communication device over IP and the customer's broadband connection (e.g. ADSL, VDSL, public Ethernet, etc.). Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the zapping over non-linearly (on-demand) distributed content as a method of content recommendation.

The term "predetermined position" or "predetermined reproduction position" is used to define a position that may be predetermined by the system, e.g. a communication device or a server. Alternatively, the position may be selected in advance by the user and appropriately stored, e.g. in a user profile. In more detail, the term "predetermined position" refers to a position which is not selected on a case-by-case basis but may be set as a default value.

Fig. 1A illustrates a time chart for reproducing three content items using zapping. For example, content item 1 , content item 2, and content item 3 may be selected from a list when starting reproduction. At t = tO, the user selects content item 1. The reproduction of content item 1 starts at a first random position or may start at a first predetermined position. For example, the first predetermined position may be the start position (beginning) of content item 1 (e.g. the position at which content item 1 "starts" or begins). According to a further implementation, the first predetermined position may correspond to a position after a fixed time after the starting position, e.g. the position immediately after the title sequence of a film. For example, the first predetermined position may correspond to the position at which the story line of the film starts. According to a further embodiment, the first predetermined position may correspond to the start of a key scene. For example, a set of predetermined positions may be defined for every film so that the system (e.g. the communication device or content providing server) selects the first predetermined position from these predetermined positions. Alternatively, the first content item may simply be started from a first random position. As is clearly to be understood, starting at a predetermined position is different from selecting a specific chapter, as is e.g. known from movies on DVD's.

When the user starts reproduction of content item 1 , a reproduction time may be equally started for content item 1 , content item 2 and content item 3. According to an embodiment, when the first predetermined reproduction position at tO corresponds to 2 minutes (offset) after the starting point of content item 1 , the second reproduction position and the third reproduction position are shifted by 2 minutes with respect to their starting points. Further, the second reproduction position and the third reproduction position are shifted with time during reproduction of content item 1. In other words, a global reproduction time is tracked that is equal to the sum of the offset, i.e. the time corresponding to the first random position or the first predetermined position and the duration of time which the first content item has been provided. At time t = tl , the user switches reproduction to the second content item. At this time, providing of the first content item 1 finished and providing of the second content item is started. Providing the second content item may be started from a reproduction position that corresponds to (offset + tl ). While the user is consuming content item 2, the first reproduction position is shifted. E.g. when at time t = t2, the user switches again to content item 1 , reproduction is resumed from the shifted position and not from the position at which reproduction of the first content item stopped at t = tl . The user watches content item 1 until t = t3. At t = t3, reproduction is switched to a third content item and reproduction of the first content item is finished. Providing the third content item is started from a reproduction position which corresponds to (offset + t3). While the third content item is provided, the first and the second reproduction positions are shifted. Accordingly, at t = t4, when reproduction is switched from the third content item to the second content item, reproduction is resumed from a position that has been shifted with respect to the reproduction position of content item 2 at t = t2. Then, content item 2 is reproduced from the shifted reproduction position. At the same time, the first reproduction position and the third reproduction position of the third content item are shifted. At t = t5, reproduction is switched from the second content item to the first content item. Reproduction of the first content item is resumed from a position that is shifted with respect to the first reproduction position at t = t3.

According to the embodiment of Fig. 1A, a global reproduction time (corresponding to a time on the time axis shown in Fig. 1A) may be recorded when switching from one content item to the reproduction of the next content item is started according to the global time. As a result, for a user having selected e.g. three content items, only one global reproduction time may be recorded or may be taken into account, resulting in a reduced storage effort. For example, the global reproduction time may be stored in the communication device or in the content providing server. Fig. IB illustrates a further time chart of reproduced content items. According to the embodiment of Fig. IB, the reproduction position is tracked for every single content item. E.g. a reproduction position 1 is tracked for content item 1 , a reproduction position 2 is tracked for content item 2, and a reproduction position 3 is tracked for content item 3. Accordingly, for any of the content items, a dedicated reproduction position is recorded, e.g. by the content providing server or the communication device. After the user has selected a set of content items, a content reproduction instruction is received to reproduce the first content item. Starting providing of the first content item may be started at a first random position or at a first predetermined position.

According to the embodiment of Fig. IB, the first predetermined position may correspond to the starting point of the film. According to further embodiments, the first predetermined position may be determined as has been explained above with reference to Fig. 1A. At t = tO, the user starts reproduction of the first content item. A t = tl , the user switches from the first content item to the second content item. At t = tl , reproduction of the content item 2 starts from a second predetermined position which may correspond to the starting point of the second content item. According to further embodiments, the second predetermined position may be selected as has been explained with reference to the first predetermined position of the embodiment of Fig. 1A. While reproducing the second content item, the first reproduction position is shifted.

At t = t2, reproduction of the second content item is stopped and the user switches to the third content item. Reproduction of the third content item starts from a third predetermined position which may correspond to the starting position of the third content item. According to further embodiments, the second predetermined position may be selected as has been explained with reference to the first predetermined position of the embodiment of Fig. 1A. While the third content item is reproduced, the first reproduction position and the second reproduction position are shifted.

At t = t3, the user finishes reproduction of the third content item and switches to the second content item. Reproduction of the second content item starts from the second reproduction position which, for example, may be (t3 - t2 + the reproduction position at t2). While the second content item is reproduced, the first and third reproduction positions are shifted. At t = t4, the user finishes reproduction of the second content item and switches to the first content item. The first content item is reproduced from the first reproduction position which has been shifted with respect to the reproduction position at t = tl . The first reproduction position at t = t4 may correspond to the (t4 - tl + reproduction position at t = tl ). Then, the first content item is reproduced and at the same time, the second and the third reproduction positions are shifted. At t = t5, reproduction is switched to the second content item and at t = t6, reproduction is switched to the third content item.

According to these embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1A and IB, the content items are "steadily" or continuously reproduced. To be more specific, the reproduction position 1 at t4 corresponds to reproduction positionl at tl + (t4 - tl ). In other words, there are no jumps of the reproduction position. According to the embodiment, the reproduction positions are stored for each of the content items. For example, the reproduction positions may be stored by the communication device or the content providing server.

According to the embodiment of Fig. 1C, there may be, for example, predetermined resume positions that are stored for any of the selected content items. For example, these predetermined resume positions may be at specific scenes, e.g. key scenes. According to a further embodiment, the predetermined resume positions may be after the end of an advertisement break. Fig. 1 C shows time charts of three reproduced content items. The time axis below indicates different times T₀, Ti , ... T₉ corresponding to a global time during which the user watches the different content items. The individual reproduction position 1 , reproduction position 2 and reproduction position 3 correspond to the reproduction positions for each of the three content items, respectively.

For example, a user starts watching the first content item 1 from a first random position or a first predetermined position. At time t = Ti , the user switches to the second content item, and reproduction of the second content item 2 starts from a second random position or a second predetermined position. At the same time, the first reproduction position is shifted as the second content item is provided. However, as can be seen, the first reproduction position is not constantly shifted with time. To be more specific at t = pi , a predetermined resume position is reached and shifting of the first reproduction position stops. At t = T₂, reproduction is switched from the second content item to the third content item. Reproduction of the third content item starts from a third random position or a third predetermined position. At the same time, the second reproduction position is shifted. At t = T₃, reproduction is switched from the third content item to the first content item. Reproduction of the first content item is resumed from the predetermined resume position p_x . While reproducing the first content item, the second reproduction position is shifted. At a reproduction position p2, a predetermined resume position is reached and shifting of the reproduction position is stopped. At t = T₄, reproduction is switched to the second content item. Reproduction of the second content item is resumed from the second reproduction position which corresponds to p2. At t = T₅, reproduction is switched from the second content item to the third content item. The reproduction position 3 has shifted in a linear manner between T5 and T3. The third content item is reproduced. At the same time, the first reproduction position is shifted. Further, the second reproduction position is shifted. At p3, a further predetermined resume position is reached and the linear shift of the second reproduction position stops. At t = T6, reproduction is switched from the third content item to the second content item. As is illustrated in Fig. 1 C, the respective reproduction positions may be linearly or non-linearly shifted. For example, the reproduction position may be linearly shifted as long as no predetermined resume position has been reached. For example, such a predetermined resume position may correspond to the end of an advertisement break or to a specific key scene of the film. According to the embodiment of Fig. lc, a predetermined resume position is stored for each of the content items. Further, the individual reproduction positions are stored for each of the content items, e.g. in the content providing server or the communication device. Figs. 1A to 1 C have explained basic principles of performing zapping non-linear content. The method may, for example, be performed on a content providing server. For example, the server may deliver a selected content by streaming.

Fig. 2A summarizes an embodiment of a method which may be performed by a server. The method comprises receiving (SI 00) a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items comprising at least a first content item and a second content item. The method further comprises receiving (SI 10) a content reproduction instruction to a reproduce the first content item. The method further comprises providing (SI 20) of the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position. When receiving (SI 30) an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item, providing of the first content item is finished (S 140) and providing of the second item is started (S150). The method further comprises shifting a first reproduction position (SI 60) while the second content item is provided, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which providing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received.

According to an embodiment, reproduction of the second content item may start from a second random position or a second predetermined position. According to a further embodiment, reproduction of the second content item may start from a global reproduction position corresponding to a global reproduction time that is equal to the sum of the time corresponding to the first random position or the first predetermined position and the duration of time which the first content item has been provided.

As has been explained with reference to Figs. 1A and IB, the first reproduction position may be shifted according to the time of reproducing the second content item. According to a further embodiment, as is for example explained in Fig. 1 C, the first reproduction position may be shifted to a predetermined resume position. According to still a further embodiment, as is also illustrated in Figs. 1A to 1 C, the second reproduction position is shifted while any other content item is provided (e.g. a third content item). The second reproduction position corresponds to the position at which providing the second content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item is received.

According to an embodiment, receiving a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items may be accomplished by receiving a content recommendation. In more detail, the server may e.g. comprise a content recommendation device which may generate the selection instruction including a content recommendation. For example, the selection instruction may be based on data from a database. In more detail, the content recommendation may be based on data from a database.

According to a further embodiment, the method may be locally implemented, e.g. on a communication device, for example, a set-top box. According to this embodiment, as is illustrated in Fig. 2B, the method comprises receiving and storing (S200) a set of content items comprising at least a first content item and a second content item and receiving a content reproduction instruction (S210) of reproducing the content item. The method further comprises starting reproducing the first content item (S220) at a first random position or at a first predetermined position. When receiving an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item (S230) reproducing the first content item is finishing (S240) and reproducing the second content item is started (S250). The method further comprises shifting (S260) a first reproduction position while the second content item is reproduced, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which reproducing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received. According to this embodiment, the content to be reproduced is stored and the shifted reproduction position is stored, e . g. in the same memory as the content items. The method may be modified in the manner as has been explained above with reference to Fig. 2A.

A further embodiment relates to a computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform the steps illustrated with reference to Figs . 2A and 2B , when the program is run on a computer.

Fig. 3 illustrates a further implementation of zapping. According to this embodiment, providing of a first content item is started at a first random position p i or at a first predetermined position. The random position or the first predetermined position may be determined in a manner as has been explained above with reference to Figs . 1A to 1 C . If a predetermined position is determined, this is accomplished by the system, e .g. the content providing server or the communication device . Alternatively, the user may set a default position which does not depend on the specific content to be consumed. However , in contrast to the embodiments explained with reference to Figs . 1A to 1 C, the first predetermined position may not be the starting point of the first content item. In other words , reproduction of the first content item starts at t = TO at a first random position or at a first predetermined position which is not the starting point (beginning) of the first content item. At t = Ti , reproduction may be switched to a further content item. For example , the further content item may be reproduced starting from the beginning of the further content item.

Figs . 4A and 4B summarize the method according to the time chart illustrated in Fig. 3. For example , the method may be implemented by a content providing server . As is illustrated in Fig. 4A, the method comprises receiving a selection instruction for selecting at least the first content item (S300) . Thereafter , a content reproduction instruction of reproducing the first content item is received (S310) , and providing of the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position is started (S320) . The first random position or the first predetermined position is different from the starting point of the first content item.

The method may as well be performed locally, e . g. on a communication device , for example , a set-top box. As illustrated in Fig. 4B , the method comprises receiving and storing at least a first content item (S400), and receiving a content reproduction instruction of reproducing the first content item (S410). The method further comprises starting reproducing the first content item (S420) at a first random position or at a first predetermined position, the first random position for the first predetermined position being different from the starting point of the first content item.

A further embodiment relates to a computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform the steps illustrated with reference to Figs. 4A and 4B, when the program is run on a computer.

Generally, the computer program may comprise computer program code means adapted to perform the method according to any embodiment explained herein. While the previous embodiments have mainly explained cases in which after some reproduction time, reproduction is switched to another content item, the user can, after a certain reproduction time, restart reproduction of the content from the beginning, e.g. using a time-shift system, rewind content, pause content and use all other available time-shift functionalities of the system. The user can also continue to consume the content without using any of these functionalities.

Fig. 5 illustrates elements of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment. The system 1 illustrated in Fig. 5 may comprise a communication device 100, and a server, for example, an internet content source 120 or a video- on-demand content source 1 10. Generally, the communication device 1 may simple be connected to the internet and the desired content may be provided without a necessity for the user to specifically know which content source delivers the content. The communication device may comprise a content obtaining module configured to obtain a plurality of content items 101 and a storage module 102 configured to store the content items and to store a reproduction position for each of the content items. Alternatively, the content items and the reproduction position for each of the content items may be stored in an external storage 103. The communication device may further comprise a selection module 104 for selecting one of the content items. The communication device further comprises a reproduction control device 103 that is configured to start reproduction of the selected content item at a random position or at a predetermined position. The switching device 105 is configured to switch reproduction from a first to a second content item. The reproduction control device 103 is configured to finish reproduction of the first content item and to start reproducing the second content item when receiving an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item. The reproduction control device 103 is further configured to shift a first reproduction position while the second content item is reproduced, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which reproducing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received. For example, the communication device 100 may be a set-top box including a storage 102 for recording content according to the users wishes. In this case, various content items are stored in the storage module 102 and the user may zap through the several content items. Alternatively, the user may download content items from a server and store them in the storage 102. The communication device 100 may be configured to perform the method explained in Fig. 2B and 4B. A viewer 130 may control the actions taken by the communication device by means of a remote control 225. The communication device 100 may comprise a display 140, which may be integrated, such as a screen or a touch screen. Alternatively, the communication device may be connected with an external display device 140 such as a beamer. The viewer 130 may watch the reproduced content on the display 140. Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of a communication system that may comprise a communication device 210 including a display which may be external or internal and a content providing server 200. The content providing server may be connected with an external storage 217 which may store the various content items. The content providing server may be, for example, a video-on-demand server or a general internet content source. The content providing server 200 comprises a selection unit 205 that is configured to receive a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items comprising at least a first content item and a second content item. The server further comprises a communication unit 206 comprising an instruction receiving device 209 and a content providing device 207, the instruction receiving device 209 being configured to receive a content reproduction instruction. The content providing device 207 is configured to start providing the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position when the instruction receiving device has received a content reproduction instruction of reproducing the first content item. The content providing device 207 is further configured to finish providing the first content item and to start providing the second content item, when the instruction receiving device 209 has received an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item. The content providing device 207 is further configured to shift a first reproduction position while the second content item is provided, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which providing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received. The content providing server 200 may further comprise a content recommendation device 208. The content recommendation device 208 may be configured to issue a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items comprising at least a first content item and a second content item to the selection unit 205. For example, the content recommendation device 208 may be configured to generate the selection instruction based on data from a database 215. The database 215 may be integrated with the content providing server 200 or may be an external database. For example, the database 215 may store a user profile and further information useful for generating content recommendations.

According to a further embodiment, the content providing device may be configured to start providing the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position, wherein the first random position or the first predetermined position are different from the starting point of the first content item, when the instruction receiving device 209 has received a content reproduction instruction of reproducing the first content item. The first content item and, optionally, the second content item are provided to the communication device 210. The communication device 210 reproduces the content on the display 140, and the viewer 130 may consume or watch the reproduced content. The viewer 130 may control the actions taken by the content providing server 200 via the communication device 210 by means of a remote control 225.

In the following, various practical implementations of the communication device and the content providing server may be discussed. As is to be readily understood, various components of the single entities may be used in combination with components of the different embodiments. For example, when a remote control is described in combination with the communication device described in a certain embodiment, it is to be readily understood that this remote control may as well be used with the communication device described in a different embodiment.

Embodiment 1

According to this embodiment, various content items are grouped according to different genres, and the content items of every genre are further divided into sub- genres. For the discussion of the present embodiment, it is irrelevant where exactly the content items are stored. For example, the various content items may be stored on a content providing server or a special storage integrated with the content providing server or external to the content providing server. Alternatively, the various content items may be stored on a storage 102 incorporated in the communication device 100 or may stored in an external storage of the communication device. The method described may be implemented on the content providing server 200 or on the communication device 100.

The left-hand portion of Fig. 8a shows various genres of a film such as comedy, drama, musical, science fiction, crime films. Further, each of the genres may be sub-divided into several sub-genres. For example, the genre "crime films" may be sub-divided into crime comedies, crime thrillers, heist films, legal dramas, mob films.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a process of zapping through the different content items. For example, zapping may be performed by a remote control 225. The remote control may either control the zapping operation in the communication device or in the content providing server. For example, the remote control may comprise a dedicated EXIT button which means that when pressing this EXIT button, the reproduction is changed back to linear content. The remote control may further comprise a dedicated zapping button, for example a colored button, by which the zapping mode is activated. The remote control may further comprise a button Zapping UP/DOWN and a button Arrow UP/DOWN. At step S700, the user may invoke recommendations. For example, the recommendations may be grouped according to the scheme illustrated in Fig. 8A. According to a further embodiment, the recommendations may be the list of general recommendations as illustrated in Fig. 8b. For example, such a list of general recommendations may be a general "to-watch list" of content items which the user has selected from time to time or may a list of recommendations that have been recommended by the content recommendation device 208 of the content providing server. Upon activating a colored button on the remote control or an alternative dedicated button for the zapping mode, (S710), the recommendation begins to play. For example, when reproducing content of the content recommendation list illustrated in Fig. 8B, "Titanic" may be reproduced. Alternatively, after selecting a specific genre and a specific sub-genre, the first content item or a specific content item of a similar list as illustrated in Fig. 8B may be reproduced. The recommendation may be provided or reproduced from a first random position or a first predetermined position. According to a first implementation, the user may activate a button Zapping UP/DOWN (S730). As a result, the next general recommendation is selected (S740). The next general recommendation may play from a second random position or a second predetermined position. For example, in the embodiment of Fig. 8B, "Gone by the wind" will reproduced (S720). Alternatively, the next general recommendation may play from a reproduction position corresponding to the global reproduction time. While the next recommendation is reproduced or provided, the first reproduction position is shifted, wherein the first reproduction position corresponds to the position at which providing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received. Thereafter, the method may proceed further with S730. Alternatively, the user may activate an button Arrow DOWN (S750). Upon activating this button, the next similar recommendation to the current one begins to play (S751 ). For example, this next similar recommendation may be of the same genre but may of a different sub-genre. Thereafter, the user may activate an button arrow UP (S754). Upon activating this button, the processing proceeds to S740 at which the next general recommendation is selected. Alternatively, the user may activate the button arrow DOWN (S753). Upon activating this button, the next identical recommendation to the current one begins to play (S755). For example, the next identical recommendation may have the same genre and the same sub-genre. Then, optionally, the user may activate a button zapping UP/DOWN (S759). Upon activating this button, the procedure proceeds to S760, at which the next recommendation of the same genre and the same sub-genre begins to play. Thereafter, when the user activates a button zapping UP/DOWN (S758), the procedure proceeds to S760 at which the next recommendation of the same genre and the same sub-genre begins to play. Alternatively, the user may activate a button arrow UP (S757), and the procedure proceeds to S751. According to a further embodiment, steps S759 and S760 may be omitted and the procedure may branch at S750 to S757 or S758. Starting from S751 , the user may also click on button zapping UP/DOWN (S752). The procedure proceeds to S756, where the next similar recommendation having the same genre but a different sub-genre begins to play. Then, the procedure proceeds to S750. Generally, as is illustrated in Fig. 7, by the branch comprising the steps S720, S730, and S740, zapping through channel recommendations may be performed by simply activating a button zapping UP /DOWN. Alternatively, as is indicated by the steps S750, S751 , S752, S756, zapping through recommendations of the same genre but different sub-genres is performed. This may be initiated by clicking on the arrow button DOWN (S750). Further, as is indicated by the sequence of S753, S755, S759 (optional), S760 (optional) and S758 zapping through recommendations of the same genre and sub-genre may be performed. As has been explained in the foregoing, a switching between different content items may be performed by activating corresponding buttons on the remote control. As is to be clearly understood, this may also be accomplished by activating dedicated buttons on the communication device itself. In addition to generally used remote controls, any other device configured to implement the functionality of a remote control, such as mobile phones, smart phones, digital personal assistants and others may be used as a remote control.

As is further illustrated in Fig. 7, by simply activating the EXIT button (S790) reproduction may be switched to linear content (S791 ).

Embodiment 2

According to a further embodiment, the user may have a dedicated recommendation list as illustrated in Fig. 8b, for example. For example, this general recommendation list may be a to-watch list of content items that the user has selected in the past. The general recommendation list may be stored in a user profile, for example. Alternatively, the user may manually select some content items that he wants to watch. Then, the user selects a first content item and reproduction starts from a predetermined resume position, for example the position immediately after the title sequence or introduction. When activating an UP/DOWN button, the next content item from the list starts reproduction from a predetermined reproduction position. This process is repeated and basically corresponds to the sequence illustrated as S720, S730, S740 in Fig. 7. Embodiment 3

The user has stored various (at least two) content items on a communication device 100, such as a set-top box. In more detail, the content items may be stored in a storage 102 as a component of the communication device 100 or in an external storage 107. For example, the stored content items may have advertisement breaks. The user may select a first content item stored in the storage device. Reproduction of the first content item may start at a first predetermined position or a first random position. Thereafter, upon activating a zapping button UP/DOWN, the next content item will be reproduced. For example, the next content item may be reproduced from a position corresponding to the global reproduction time as has been explained above or from a random position or a predetermined position. While the next content item is reproduced, a reproduction position of the first content item is shifted. For example, a user may watch the first content item until an advertisement break, thereafter, the user may switch to the second content item for certain time and thereafter, the user may switch back to the first content item. Due to the shifted reproduction position, reproduction is resumed from a position after the beginning of the advertisement break.

Embodiment 4

Embodiment 4 may be implemented by the server itself or by the communication device 100. The user selects a specific content item, e.g. from a recommendation list or from the online archive and reproduction starts from a first random position or a first predetermined position, wherein the first random position or the first predetermined position is different from 0. Accordingly, providing the content or reproduction may be started from e.g. five minutes after the start of the film or 10 minutes after the start of the film or a randomly selected reproduction position. Alternatively, the reproduction or providing the content may start from a predetermined position such as the first key scene or the most important scene. In this case, the reproduction position is selected by the system, e.g. the content providing server or the communication device 100. Thereafter, the user may restart providing the content or content reproduction from the beginning. For example, when user found the topic of the content interesting, he may simply start from the beginning. Alternatively, he may rewind content, pause content and use all the available timeshift functionalities which are normally available on IPTV-based systems. As is to be clearly understood the user may also simply continue consuming the content without using any of these functionalities.

According to further embodiments, additionally, the typical timeslots or predetermined starting positions may be set in dependence from a user's preferences. For example, the user may by default set that any reproduction should not start from the starting point of the film but after a display of the title set. Further, a feedback for the recommendation device may be employed. For example, if a user selects different content type (e.g. comedy, drama, news) than proposed by the recommendation engine, this information may be provided to the recommendation engine, so that the user profile may be modified. Further, the proposed content may be modified to the desired content type and zapping may be continued based on the selection of this content type recommendations.

As has been described in the foregoing, the method and system improves the usability of the recommendation systems that are selecting content according to a user profile or by other methods of selecting content that should be delivered to a user. As a result, the usability of the system is enhanced. Further, the user's experience when consuming content is increased. While embodiments of the invention have been described above, it is obvious that further embodiments may be implemented. For example, further embodiments may comprise any subcombination of features recited in the claims or any subcombination of elements described in the examples given above. Accordingly, this spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

Claims

1. A method for providing content, comprising

receiving a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items comprising at a least a first content item and a second content item;

receiving a content reproduction instruction to reproduce the first content item;

starting providing of the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position;

when receiving an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item, finishing providing of the first content item and starting providing of the second content item; and

shifting a first reproduction position while the second content item is provided, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which providing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first reproduction position is shifted linearly with the time of reproducing the second content item.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second reproduction position is shifted while any other content item is provided, the second reproduction position corresponding to the position at which providing the second content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item is received.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first reproduction position is shifted to a predetermined resume position.

5. The method according to claim 1 to 3, wherein providing the second content item is started at a second reproduction position corresponding to a global reproduction time that is equal to the sum of the time corresponding to the first random position or the first predetermined position and the duration of time which the first content item has been provided.

6. A method for reproducing content, comprising:

receiving and storing a set of content items comprising at a least a first content item and a second content item; receiving a content reproduction instruction to reproduce the first content item;

starting reproducing the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position;

when receiving an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item, finishing reproducing the first content item and starting reproducing the second content item; and

shifting a first reproduction position while the second content item is reproduced, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which reproducing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received.

7. A method for providing content, comprising:

receiving a selection instruction to select at a least a first content item; receiving a content reproduction instruction to reproduce the first content item; and

starting providing the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position, the first random position or the first predetermined position being different from 0 (or the starting point of the first content item).

8. A method for reproducing content, comprising

receiving and storing at a least a first content item;

receiving a content reproduction instruction to reproduce the first content item; and

starting reproducing the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position, the first random position or the first predetermined position being different from 0 (or the starting point of the first content item).

9. A content providing server (200) comprising:

a selection unit (205) configured to receive a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items comprising at least a first content item and a second content item;

a communication unit (206) comprising an instruction receiving device (209) and a content providing device (207), the instruction receiving device (209) being configured to receive a content reproduction instruction,

wherein the content providing device (207) is configured to start providing the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position when the instruction receiving device (209) has received a content reproduction instruction of reproducing the first content item, the content providing device (207) further being configured to finish providing the first content item and to start providing the second content item, when the instruction receiving device (209) has received an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item,

the content providing device (207) further being configured to shift a first reproduction position while the second content item is provided, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which providing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received.

10. The content providing server (200) according to claim 9, further comprising a content recommendation device,

the content recommendation device being configured to issue a selection instruction for selecting a set of content items comprising at least a first content item and a second content item to the selection unit (205).

1 1. A communication device ( 100) comprising:

a content obtaining module ( 101 ) configured to obtain a plurality of content items;

a selection module ( 104) for selecting one of the content items;

a reproduction control device ( 103) configured to start reproduction of the selected content item at a random position or at a predetermined position;

a switching device ( 105) configured to switch reproduction from a first to a second content item,

wherein the reproduction control device ( 103) is configured to store the content items and to store a reproduction position for each of the content items in a storage module ( 102, 107),

the reproduction control device ( 103) is further configured to finish reproducing the first content item and to starting reproducing the second content item, when receiving an instruction to switch reproduction to the second content item, and

the reproduction control device ( 103) is further configured to shift a first reproduction position while the second content item is reproduced, the first reproduction position corresponding to the position at which reproducing the first content item is to be resumed when an instruction to switch reproduction to the first content item is received.

12. A content providing server (200) comprising: a selection unit (205) configured to receive a selection instruction for selecting at least a first content item;

wherein the content providing device (207) is configured to start providing the first content item at a first random position or at a first predetermined position, the first random position or the first predetermined position being different from the starting point of the first content item, when the instruction receiving device (209) has received a content reproduction instruction of reproducing the first content item.

13. A communication device ( 100) comprising:

a content obtaining module ( 101 ) configured to obtain at least a first content item;

a reproduction control device ( 103) configured to start reproduction of the at least first content item at a random position or at a predetermined position, the first random position or the first predetermined position being different from 0 (or the starting point of the first content item).

14. The communication device ( 100) according to claim 1 1 or 13, further comprising a storage module configured to store the at least first content item.

15. A communication system, comprising the content providing server (200) according to claim 9 or 12.