AU2016253573A1 - Content management system - Google Patents

Abstract

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM A method of creating an electronic program guide 501 for making post-broadcast content available to a content playing device upon request by a user of the content playing device, the method comprising the steps of: i) receiving a set of rights management rules 109 associated with the availability of the post-broadcast content; ii) determining whether broadcast content is to be made available post-broadcast based on the received set of rights management rules 109; iii) receiving one or more schedules of broadcast content that is to be broadcast; and iv) creating an electronic program guide 501 based on the received schedule and the determination step to identify, within the created electronic program guide 501, the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast as being available post-broadcast

Description

ι 2016253573 02 Nov 2016

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Australian Patent Application No. 2014200496, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Field [0002] The present invention relates to a content management system. In particular, the present invention relates to methods and systems for the creation of assets from broadcast content, the provision of assets to content playing devices, the creation of an electronic program guide for accessing assets, and a content playing device for accessing assets.

Background [0003] Television broadcasters have traditionally provided content to users or subscribers using different transmission mechanisms, such as byway of analogue transmissions and now more generally by way of digital transmissions. Further, different transmission mediums could be used to transfer the content to users and subscribers, such as cable, satellite or over-the-air (OTA) transmission mediums using fixed aerials.

[0004] Broadcasters generally make users or subscribers aware of programmed content by providing an electronic program guide (EPG) which shows content that is available for viewing or recording both now and in the future on a number of channels over a defined time period. However, there is limited accessibility and availability of content that has already been broadcast.

[0005] Some broadcasting entities make content available to subscribers after the content has already been broadcast to the subscriber’s set top box, such as a DVR. This enables the subscriber to watch the content on a computing device such as a smart phone, tablet device, personal computer or the like. This content may be accessed via a dedicated website, or by downloading an associated application or program for use on the computing device. However, accessibility and availability of content after it has already been broadcast direct to a set top box is limited. Further, (11947402 1): 2 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 broadcasting entities generally need to create a further instance of the already broadcast content to make it available for viewing on the computing device.

[0006] The present invention aims to overcome, or at least alleviate, one or more disadvantages of existing arrangements.

[0007] Further advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the preferred embodiment of the invention without placing limitations thereon.

[0008] The background discussion (including any potential prior art) is not to be taken as an admission of the common general knowledge in the art in any country. Any references discussed state the assertions of the author of those references and not the assertions of the applicant of this application. As such, the applicant reserves the right to challenge the accuracy and relevance of the references discussed.

Summary of Invention [0009] It is acknowledged that the terms "comprise", "comprises" and "comprising" may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, these terms are intended to have an inclusive meaning - i.e. they will be taken to mean an inclusion of the listed components that the use directly references, but optionally also the inclusion of other non-specified components or elements. It will be understood that this intended meaning also similarly applies to the terms mentioned when used to define steps in a method or process.

[00010] It will be understood that, when describing various integers, such as modules, components, elements etc., any integer may be constituted by a single integer or multiple integers.

[00011] According to one aspect, there is provided a method of creating an electronic program guide for making post-broadcast content available to a content playing device upon request by a user of the content playing device, the method comprising the steps (11947402 1): 3 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 of: i) receiving a set of rights management rules associated with the availability of the post-broadcast content; ii) determining whether broadcast content is to be made available post-broadcast based on the received set of rights management rules; iii) receiving one or more schedules of broadcast content that is to be broadcast; and iv) creating an electronic program guide based on the received schedule and the determination step to identify, within the created electronic program guide, the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast as being available post-broadcast.

[00012] According to a further aspect, there is provided a system for creating an electronic program guide for making post-broadcast content available to a content playing device upon request, the system comprising an electronic program guide creation module adapted to: i) receive a set of rights management rules associated with the availability of the post-broadcast content; ii) determine whether broadcast content is to be made available post-broadcast based on the received set of rights management rules; iii) receive one or more schedules of broadcast content that is to be broadcast; and iv) create an electronic program guide based on the received schedule and the determination step to identify, within the created electronic program guide, the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast as being available post-broadcast.

[00013] According to yet a further aspect, there is provided a method of creating an asset for playing on demand at a content playing device, the method comprising the steps of: i) receiving a) a broadcast schedule comprising content to be broadcast, wherein the content comprises on-demand content that is available post-broadcast, b) one or more unique content IDs and c) asset creation trigger data; ii) receiving a data stream of currently broadcast content; iii) encoding the data stream; and iv) creating the asset from the encoded data stream based on the broadcast schedule, the one or more unique content IDs and the trigger data.

[00014] According to yet a further aspect, there is provided a system for creating an asset for transmitting on demand to a content playing device, the system comprising: i) a rules engine adapted to receive a) a broadcast schedule comprising content to be broadcast, wherein the content comprises on-demand content that is available postbroadcast, b) one or more unique content IDs and c) asset creation trigger data; ii) an encoder adapted to receive a data stream of currently broadcast content; iii) the (11947402 1): 4 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 encoder further adapted to encode the data stream; and iv) an asset creation module adapted to create the asset from the encoded data stream based on the broadcast schedule, the one or more unique content IDs and the trigger data.

[00015] According to yet a further aspect, there is provided a method of providing postbroadcast on-demand content to a content display device, wherein the post-broadcast on-demand content is created during live broadcast of the content, the method comprising the steps of: i) receiving an electronic program guide indicating the availability of post-broadcast on-demand content; ii) receiving one or more unique IDs associated with instances of post-broadcast on-demand content; ii) outputting the electronic program guide for display; iii) detecting selection of available post-broadcast on-demand content from the electronic program guide; iv) based on the selected content, sending from the content display device to an asset retrieval system an asset request message including at least one of the received one or more unique IDs associated with the selected content; and v) receiving the post-broadcast on-demand content from the asset retrieval system.

[00016] According to yet a further aspect, there is provided a system for providing postbroadcast on-demand content to a content display device, wherein the post-broadcast on-demand content is created during live broadcast of the content, the system comprising a content display device adapted to: i) receive an electronic program guide indicating the availability of post-broadcast on-demand content; ii) receive one or more unique IDs associated with one or more instances of post-broadcast on-demand content; ii) output the electronic program guide for display; iii) detect selection of available post-broadcast on-demand content from the electronic program guide; iv) based on the selected content, send from the content display device to an asset retrieval system an asset request message including at least one of the received one or more unique IDs; and v) receive the post-broadcast on-demand content from the asset retrieval system.

[00017] According to yet a further aspect, there is provided a method of providing postbroadcast on-demand content to a content display device, the method comprising the steps of: i) creating post-broadcast content available on-demand during live broadcast of the content; ii) receiving a request for post-broadcast on-demand content; and iii) (11947402 1): 5 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 after receiving the request, providing the post-broadcast content after creating the postbroadcast on-demand content.

[00018] According to yet a further aspect, there is provided a system for the provision of post-broadcast on-demand content to a content display device, the system comprising: i) an asset management system for creating, during live broadcast of the content, assets that are available on-demand post-broadcast; and ii) an asset retrieval system for a) receiving a request for post-broadcast on-demand content and b) after receiving the request, providing the post-broadcast content after the asset management system has created the post-broadcast on-demand content.

Brief Description of Drawings [00019] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [00020] Figure 1 shows a first partial view of a content management system according to the present disclosure; [00021] Figure 2 shows a second partial view of a content management system according to the present disclosure; [00022] Figure 3 shows a third partial view of a content management system according to the present disclosure; [00023] Figures 4A - 4D show screen shots of an electronic programme guide according to the present disclosure.

Description of Embodiments [00024] Where reference is made in any one or more of the accompanying drawings to steps and/or features, which have the same reference numerals, those steps and/or features have for the purposes of this description the same function(s) or operation(s), unless the contrary intention appears. (11947402 1): 6 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00025] According to herein described embodiments, live broadcast content is made available for on-demand viewing after the content has been broadcast. This on-demand content is termed “on-demand post-broadcast content”.

[00026] The on-demand post-broadcast content may be made available to users via, what is termed, an historic or reverse EPG (REPG). The REPG displays both currently scheduled content (as currently available via broadcast from the service provider) as well as instances of content that have previously been broadcast within a defined time period. The on-demand post-broadcast content may be made available for viewing by users of an on-demand service and may be viewed by receiving the content at a set top box (STB) over an IP based communication mechanism, for example.

[00027] References to users herein is also intended to include subscribers that may or may not be required to pay a fee to access or use the on-demand service.

[00028] Further, the on-demand post-broadcast content may be made available to users via other non-EPG user interfaces such as on-demand post-broadcast content delivered via Internet and Push VOD (Video On Demand) where the content is delivered via a broadcast mechanism.

[00029] The on-demand post-broadcast content available via the REPG or Push VOD is created by capturing the live broadcast stream at the time of broadcast (i.e. in real time) and converting that live broadcast stream into a number of assets for later transmission to a user’s device using IP communication protocols, for example. For example, an asset may be captured and processed ready for transmission to a user’s device within 5 to 15 minutes. Each asset may be, for example, an instance of content such as a movie, television program, news program, sporting event etc.

[00030] In the case of Internet delivered feeds of live broadcast content, the content may be captured, encrypted and securely transferred to a user’s device using IP protocols, for example.

[00031] A specific embodiment is now described with reference to figures 1 and 2. Referring to figure 1, broadcast content 101 is provided to (in the case of third party content), or created within, a broadcast centre 103 for transmission by a satellite 105 (11947402 1): 7 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 via a satellite feed to users’ devices 107. This broadcast content may be stored for later transmission, or transmitted live in the case of live events, such as sports events or news networks for example.

[00032] Various components of the system shown in figures 1 and 2 enable an EPG to be created for making post broadcast content available to (or accessible by) a content playing device upon request by a user of the content playing device.

[00033] The terms “live broadcast” or “broadcast live” are defined herein as the broadcasting of content at its scheduled time, whereas “transmitted live” is defined as transmitting events that are occurring at effectively the same time (give or take a small time window) as the live broadcast.

[00034] Rights management information 109 in the form of a set of rules (rights management rules) is provided to and received by a REPG scheduler 111 from a rights management system 113. The REPG scheduler is an electronic program guide creation module that is adapted to create the REPG by performing various steps as described herein. The REPG is used to display to the user all scheduled content as well as providing details of content that has previously been broadcast, where that content is currently available via an on-demand service.

[00035] Content is made available for on-demand viewing via the REPG dependent on a number of factors as defined in the set of rights management rules provided by the rights management system. That is, the set of rights management rules are associated with the availability of the post broadcast content. The set of rights management rules may contain a number of rules as follows.

[00036] For example, the time period during which the already broadcast content can be viewed may be determined by the content right’s owner or broadcaster.

[00037] Further, different rights may be provided depending on the device receiving the content, e.g. the STB, a tablet device, a gaming device etc. Each of these devices may have the same or different rights associated with a particular instance of content. (11947402 1): 8 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00038] The rights may also vary depending on a defined time period, i.e. certain postbroadcast content may only be available for the user to request within a defined time period following the initial live broadcast of that content. Further, post-broadcast content that has already been transferred to the STB may have a life expiry time/date associated with it, where upon reaching that time/date the content file is automatically deleted.

[00039] Also, the rights management rules may only allow certain content to be available via the on-demand post-broadcast service upon the content first being broadcast or initial repeats within a given time period from the content’s first broadcast. For example, the first broadcast of the content could be on a Monday at 8 p.m., with the second broadcast of the same content being on a Tuesday at 8 p.m. and a third broadcast of the same content being on a Wednesday at 8 p.m. The rights management rule may only allow on-demand post-broadcast content to be made available for access in the REPG within 48 hours of the first broadcast. According to this example, only Monday & Tuesday events are made available for selection by the user in the REPG. Wednesday is blacked out or indicated as unavailable in the REPG as it falls outside the 48 hour window starting from the first broadcast on Monday at 8.p.m.

[00040] The rights management rules may also specify if the content should have its commercial breaks removed, as described in more detail below.

[00041] Also, the rights management rules may specify if the content should be made accessible and available on services other than via the REPG, for example, for access via a dedicated website.

[00042] As a further example, in the case of a series of content items, only the first two or three instances (i.e. episodes) of content may be made available via the REPG.

[00043] Further, rights management rules for viewing content via the REPG may also vary channel to channel. (11947402 1): 9 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00044] It will be understood that the list of rights management rules discussed above is not exhaustive and that other rights management rules are also envisaged and would be understood.

[00045] The rights management system 113 may operate based on the default premise that all post-broadcast content is not made available unless the rights management rules specifically state otherwise.

[00046] Any on-demand post-broadcast content that is not available via this service is indicated as a blacked out or greyed out portion on the REPG grid. Therefore, users viewing the EPG grid on their STB are only able to select post-broadcast on-demand content where the rights management rules permit the on-demand transmission of that content to the user’s device.

[00047] Referring to figure 1, linear EPG schedules are created by receiving schedules from a number of “source” content suppliers. That is, multiple schedules from multiple sources 115 are received by a schedule aggregator 117 and aggregated within a schedule aggregator 117 to create an aggregated linear EPG schedule 119 based on the rights management information 109 and the received schedules.

[00048] Each schedule may include one or more of i) scheduled content identifying data (e.g. the title of the program), ii) metadata associated with the scheduled content, iii) scheduling times and durations, iv) event locator information, v) global and operator specific content identifiers, vi) cast & crew details associated with the scheduled content, vii) play out media used for triggering integration, viii) content protection rules as well as other relevant information associated with the scheduled content.

[00049] According to this embodiment, the rules defining whether the on-demand postbroadcast content is available for selection on the REPG are added during the process when the separate disparate schedules are aggregated together. Further, other services may also be added as part of the schedule aggregation process. Examples of these services include “Catchup TV” (i.e. an alternative presentation of available post broadcast content than the REPG), mobility services provided to devices such as tablets and phones, and Over the Top (OTT) services such as Connected TV’s, Game Consoles and IP enabled media players. (11947402 1): ίο 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00050] Catchup TV is an option whereby assets that have been created by the herein described system may be made available to content playing devices through a means other than by selecting the content via the REPG. For example, content may be selected for download over the Internet to a content playing device, such as a PC, tablet etc., where the content is an asset as herein described.

[00051] Alternatively, the rules defining whether the on-demand post-broadcast content is available for selection on the REPG may be added into the individual schedules as part of the schedule creation process at each of the schedule sources. Further, other services may also be added as part of the schedule creation process.

[00052] Based on the rules that define whether content is to be made available, appropriate instructions or flags (i.e. rendering data) are inserted within the schedule defining whether program guide information associated with the content is to be rendered in the REPG by the STB. For example, a flag may be attached to each instance of content to indicate whether a) program guide information for the content is to be displayed after it has been broadcast (i.e. to indicate that the on-demand postbroadcast content is available) or b) program guide information for the content is not to be displayed after it has been broadcast (i.e. to indicate that the content is not available as on-demand post-broadcast content). The flag is detected by the STB for each instance of content and the STB renders the REPG according to that detected flag.

That is, the REPG scheduler 111 determines whether broadcast content is to be made available post-broadcast based on the received set of rights management rules. It then receives one or more schedules (from sources 115) of broadcast content that is to be broadcast. It creates an electronic program guide based on the received schedule(s) and the determination step to identify, within the created electronic program guide, the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast as being available post-broadcast. Conversely, it creates an electronic program guide based on the received schedule(s) and the determination step to identify, within the created electronic program guide, the broadcast content that is not available post-broadcast as not being available postbroadcast. (11947402 1): 11 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00053] The flag may be detected and used when determining whether the broadcast content is to be captured and converted into an asset, as described in more detail below.

[00054] How the content is rendered in the REPG is controlled by the STB. The STB includes a rendering module that renders the REPG based on instructions received from a processor within the STB. The instructions are controlled by a combination of software and hardware, where the rendering module renders the REPG based on the software. The software determines whether a flag (or instructions) are provided within the REPG sent from the headend and operates accordingly dependent upon that determination.

[00055] Therefore, according to one example, the STB may have typical components associated with a STB including one or more tuner receivers, a demodulator, a demultiplexer, a decryptor/descrambler, a decoder, a modulator/output interface, a media storage device, local memory, a microprocessor, a power supply and a remote control.

[00056] An example of how the STB may render the REPG is now provided. Where content is available for viewing on-demand after it has been broadcast, program guide information associated with the content (e.g. the content’s title) may be rendered by the STB to display the REPG in a predefined shade or colour to indicate the availability of that instance of content. According to this embodiment, the defined shade or colour is applied to content information in the REPG after the content has finished being broadcast. For example, where content becomes available, content information associated with the available content may be shown in the same shade or colour as content information that has not yet been broadcast. Where content is not available, content information associated with the unavailable content may be blacked out or greyed out, for example, to indicate that the content is not available on-demand after it has been broadcast.

[00057] It will be understood that, alternatively, the defined shade or colour may be applied while the content is being broadcast or prior to it being broadcast. Also, it will be understood that alternative methods of indicating which content is available on-(11947402 1): 12 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 demand after broadcast may be used. For example, a predefined symbol may be associated with the content.

[00058] Referring to figure 1, the REPG scheduler (EPG creation module) is adapted to communicate the REPG to the broadcast centre 103. The broadcast centre receives the REPG and subsequently transmits to STBs the EPG and one or more unique content IDs that identify the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast.

[00059] Within a data aggregator 121, the aggregated linear EPG schedule 119 has DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) Event ID’s 123 assigned to each instance of content (e.g. a specific program) by an ID assignment module 125 as well as Access Control Entitlements (ACE) 127 to ensure only authorised users may view the content. That is, the data aggregator 121 sends the aggregated schedules with the conditional access data (ACMs) 129 to the ID assignment module 125. The ID assignment module 125 assigns DVB Event IDs to the individual instances of content. The data aggregator 121 extracts the DVB Event IDs 123 from the ID assignment module 125. Pricing information 131 may also be provided if the instance of content is of a transactional nature, such as a pay movie or sporting event for example. Therefore, the data aggregator is adapted to receive ACE data and insert that data into the REPG.

[00060] As an alternative, the rules defining whether the on-demand post-broadcast content is available for selection on the REPG may be added by the data aggregator 121.

[00061] A DVB Event ID is a unique identification provided to identify specific instances of content for transmission over a satellite link. For example, each satellite transmission of an instance of content has a separate unique DVB Event ID associated with it. In the STB, EPG Event IDs are used to identify each instance of content in the EPG, whether it is a repeat of the same program or not. Therefore, if a program is repeated, the repeated instance of content has a different EPG Event ID to the original instance of content. Further, program IDs are used to identify instances of content related to a specific program. For example, each movie is provided with a unique ID (program ID) to identify that particular movie. It will be understood that EPG Event IDs and DVB Event IDS are considered to be unique content IDs. (11947402 1): 13 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00062] As an alternative, DVB Event IDs may be replaced with EPG Event IDs throughout the system. That is, the whole process is driven by a single form of unique content ID, the EPG Event ID.

[00063] The created REPG along with the DVB Event IDs is transmitted 133 to the user’s STB 107 via the satellite 105. Further, the REPG and DVB Event IDs are communicated 135 to a rules engine 137, which is described further below. The STB is adapted to receive the REPG and the Event IDs from the broadcast centre. This received REPG is subsequently displayed on a display device in communication with the STB. The displayed REPG indicates both broadcast content that is currently being or will be broadcast alongside content that has already been broadcast. The STB is also adapted to detect selection of post-broadcast content that is available postbroadcast, determine one or more unique content IDs associated with the postbroadcast content, and transmit the one or more unique content IDs in a request for the post-broadcast content.

[00064] A feed 139 from the live broadcast signal 141 is sent to an IP delivery encoder 143. That is, a data stream of currently broadcast content is received by the encoder 143. This encoder 143 encodes the data stream to create an encoded linear data content stream of the live broadcast content that may be transmitted over an IP based communication system (see Figure 2). The encoder 143 produces encoded fragments or segments of data which contain approximately 2-3 seconds of content therein.

These fragments or segments of data are stored temporarily by the encoder in cache storage 145.

[00065] An asset creation module 147 creates assets from the encoded data stream. That is, it combines the data segments within the temporary cache storage 145 to create single assets based on a set of rules within the rules engine 137 which rely upon the broadcast schedule, the one or more unique content IDs and trigger data. The full unencrypted asset files are then stored in an asset store 149. These asset files represent individual post-broadcast instances of content that may be transmitted to a STB on-demand. The files are subsequently transferred to a headend (see figure 2) where they are encrypted so that they may be requested by a user for viewing on their STB. The asset creation module 147 operates in conjunction with the rules engine137, (11947402 1): 14 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 which has access to the REPG and Event IDs 135, including DVB Event IDs and EPG Event IDs.

[00066] The rules engine 137 uses the schedule in the REPG along with local rules stored within itself to provide instructions (such as asset creation trigger data) to the asset creation module 147 on how to group the segments of encoded data according to either real-time playout triggers 151 or the time of day (TOD) that the content was broadcast live.

[00067] Therefore, the broadcast centre is adapted to transmit to a rules engine the REPG and one or more unique content IDs that identify the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast. The rules engine is adapted to instruct the creation of the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast based on the received REPG and one or more unique content IDs.

[00068] According to a first example, real time playout triggers 151 are sent from the broadcast centre 103 to the rules engine 137 to enable the rules engine 137 to correctly instruct the asset creation module 147 when to start and finish creating the asset. For example, the real time playout triggers may consist of one or more of media ID’s used to represent the type of programme material being played out (e.g. shows, commercials etc.), list of multiple media ID’s that will be played out shortly (e.g. within the next 30-60 minutes), singular media ID that will be played out in the next few seconds (pre-roll), singular media ID that has just played out, singular media ID that has just failed to playout successfully, and a list of multiple media IDs and their success / failed status (“as-run”). The trigger data may consist of a broadcast start time of the content and/or the broadcast end time of the content.

[00069] According to a second example, the rules engine 137 utilises the time of day (TOD), as provided by an internal clock mechanism, along with information within the program schedule of the REPG to send instructions to the asset creation module 147 to enable the asset creation module to start and finish creating an asset based on the broadcasting start and end times provided in the REPG. It will be understood that the internal clock mechanism may be located within the rules engine 137 and/or the asset creation module 147. This internal clock is synchronised to the same external clock as (11947402 1): 15 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 the playout (and other systems). The external clock data may be distributed via NTP (network time protocol) or a direct clock connection. In both cases the external clock is synchronised to time acquired by GPS (global positioning system).

[00070] The timing information for creating the asset based on the TOD may be adjusted to provide a guard band. For example, a time period of one to several minutes may be used to start the asset creation algorithm prior to the official broadcast start time of the content. Further, a time period of one to several minutes may be used to extend the asset creation algorithm beyond the official broadcast end time of the content. It will be understood that the guard band at the beginning and end of the broadcast may be different or the same. Further, it will be understood that the guard band may be automatically adjusted by the broadcast centre 103 by sending instructions to the rules engine 137.

[00071] According to this embodiment, the assets are created with all advertising that was shown during the original broadcast during the capture of the asset. However, according to an alternative embodiment, the asset creation module may create the asset by removing the original advertising material. For example, start and end triggers may indicate the start and end periods of transmission of advertising material as part of the live broadcast feed. The start and end triggers may be passed onto the IP delivery encoder 143, which then uses these triggers to ensure the data fragment or segment frame accurately aligns to the start/end of programme/advertising material,. In this way, the asset processor is configured to ensure advertising material is not encoded into a completed asset.

[00072] The local rules used by the rules engine 137 may include (but are not limited to) those outlined below and can be set globally or on a channel by channel basis. These rules are performed in the asset creation module using a local configuration.

[00073] Rule 1: Create a Standard Definition asset from the High Definition version of the channel. This eliminates the need for additional live IP encoders. This is achieved by the IP delivery encoder 143 creating a multi-rendition (i.e. version) stream of data fragments for storage in the cache 145. The asset creation module 147 selects the SD or HD rendition fragments of data where appropriate. That is, the IP delivery encoder (11947402 1): 16 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 143 always creates a SD version of an HD instance of content where it is required. It will be understood that in some cases, it is not necessary to automatically create an SD version from the HD version as a separate SD version for that particular program already exists or will be broadcast.

[00074] Rule 2: Create secondary delayed version of the asset for time-shifted channels. This eliminates the need for additional live IP encoders. The asset creation module uses TOD to delay publishing the asset to downstream systems by a configurable period of time, where that period of time is associated with the required time shift, e.g. 2 hours or 1 hour for example.

[00075] Rule 3: Indicating whether the asset is to be created based on real-time playout data or TOD.

[00076] Rule 4: Indicating how much guard time is to be included before and after the official broadcast time when using TOD to instruct the asset creation.

[00077] Rule 5: Indicating an alternate period for how long the asset is to be made available to users (e.g. 24 hours, 7 days).

[00078] Rule 6: Indicating an alternate set of ACM’s. For example, indicating whether the asset is to be sold differently than the broadcast event from which it was sourced.

[00079] Rule 7: Indicating when the physical asset should be purged and/or removed from the system. For example, a defined period after the expiry period for viewing the asset.

[00080] Rule 8: Indicating whether, for each destination product or platform, every event instance of the content should be captured or just captured once within each availability period. It will be understood that platforms are discrete infrastructure that are arranged to present content to customers. Products are customer experiences that are created on that platform. For example, one type of STB could use one infrastructure and another type of STB could use a different infrastructure. REPG and Catchup TV are both products. (11947402 1): 17 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00081] Using the information contained in the REPG, the rules engine 137 sends instructions in the form of a data file to the asset creation module 147 identifying which of the fragments or segments of data should be aggregated to create a single asset. This data file contains various data (including DVB Events IDs) to allow an asset manager (see figure 2) to encrypt those assets as explained in more detail below, as well as to enable the STB to locate the REPG assets.

[00082] The data (including DVB Event IDs) is transferred to the receiving STB 107 by way of the satellite communication system. Further, the EPG Event ID is transferred as part of a set of metadata from the rules engine 137 to the progressive download headend within an XML data file using Asset Data Interface (ADI) messages to enable an asset manager to identify the appropriate asset. It will be understood that, as an alternative, other suitable type of data format may be used. For example, the EPG Event ID may be transferred using other forms of XML other than ADI. The asset creation module assigns an ID to the asset based on the EPG Event ID. The asset creation manager also indicates which directory in a main server an asset manager (described below) should deposit the asset. The asset creation manager may determine the storage location of the asset in the main server based on rules applied to the EPG data such as channel ID and genre, for example.

[00083] Referring to figure 2 as well as figure 1, an ADI message 201 is sent to an asset manager 203 in order to provide an indication that the asset creation module 147 has finished creating an asset. The ADI message includes a set of metadata associated with the created asset. It will be understood that, as an alternative, multiple asset managers may be used, where each is used for different STB platforms.

[00084] The metadata within the ADI message (or other suitable data format) also includes the event title, start date & time, short synopsis, long synopsis, parental rating, ACM, how long the asset is to be available to the user for, and unique identifiers for the title, TV Series and Show (that are used to identify repeats). Using this metadata, the headend 205 is able to retrieve the asset files 207 from the asset store149 for encryption. (11947402 1): 18 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00085] As discussed above, the assets are stored in an asset store 149 prior to encryption. The assets are encrypted by an encryption module 209 in conjunction with a key manager 211 and the asset manager 203. The asset manager 203 receives, from the rules engine 137, the metadata associated with each of the assets that have been created by the asset creation module 147. Assets are retrieved from the asset store 149 by uniquely identifying the asset using the EPG Event ID and providing this identification in the metadata. Each asset is stored in the asset store 149 in a unique storage area that has a unique storage address in association with a base address. According to this embodiment, the base address of the asset store 149 is known to the encryption module 209, which then retrieves the asset upon receiving an indication from the asset manager 203 that the asset is ready along with the unique identification of the asset.

[00086] The encryption process above may be repeated for each product or platform that the rights and rules engine 137 has determined the asset is to be available on. It will be understood that, depending on the product or platforms it may not be necessary to repeat the encryption process as the same encryption requirements may be suitable for more than one product and/or platform.

[00087] The encrypted assets are then stored in a main server 213. A database 215 is updated to indicate that the asset is available. The key manager 211 ensures that the correct encryption key has been provided by the STB when the asset is requested.

[00088] The asset storage process above may be repeated for each product or platform that the rights and rules engine has determined the asset is to be available on. It will be understood that, depending on the product or platforms it may not be necessary to repeat the asset storage process.

[00089] On products or platforms where the asset creation module 147 has failed to create an asset, the asset creation module 147 will attempt to capture subsequent event instances (repeats) using the unique program ID. For example, the asset creation module 147 may fail to create an asset because one of the encoders in the IP delivery encoder may have failed along with transfer of the process to a backup (11947402 1): 19 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 encoder. The asset creation module captures subsequent event instances by detecting the unique program ID associated with the particular program.

[00090] The STB may receive the schedule information via the satellite link from the broadcast centre. By storing the schedule information in a local database, the STB only needs to update information in the REPG if it has changed since the last reception of schedule information. In this way, the display of schedule information is processed quickly so the user does not need to wait several seconds before seeing the available content.

[00091] When a user requests an asset from their STB 107 using the REPG, a catalogue request, including one or more DVB Event IDs associated with one or more requested assets selected in the REPG, is sent via router 217 from the STB 107 through a firewall 219 to the headend 205. It will be understood that, as an alternative, the case where EPG Event IDs are used instead of DVB Event IDs, the catalogue request includes one or more EPG Event IDs associated with one or more requested assets selected via the REPG.

[00092] An on-demand content guide module 221 receives the catalogue request message. This guide module 221 accesses the database 215 to see if the DVB Event ID is within the database 215, which would indicate that the asset is available for retrieval from a server. It will be understood that, as an alternative, the system may include multiple guide modules 221, where each guide module is associated with a type of STB platform.

[00093] An ACM is sent to the user’s STB 107 which determines via the key manager 211 whether the user has access rights to the requested content. If access is allowed, the correct key for decryption of the requested content is sent back to the STB 107.

[00094] If the asset is available, a content acknowledgement message is sent back to the user’s STB 107. This message includes data that identifies the location of a server 223 on the content delivery network. The content delivery network may include a number of different servers in different locations, where each server is able to communicate with the main server 213. (11947402 1): 20 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [00095] The STB sends an asset request message to the server 223. The server 223 determines whether that asset is stored in its local cache. If it is, the asset is transferred to the STB. If the asset is not stored in the local cache of the server 223, the server 223 retrieves the asset from the main server 213 and stores a copy in its local cache for later use if required.

[00096] The STB 107 receives the asset over the IP network by way of a progressive download and enables the user to view the asset.

[00097] A progressive download enables the content to be delivered via transfer of a single asset file, where the content may be played by the receiving device as soon as the receiving device receives (i.e. has buffered) enough of the asset file.

[00098] The asset remains accessible for either the availability duration specified as part of the EPG schedule or rules engine, or until an operator manually sends an “Emergency Delete” message or instruction 153 from the scheduler 111 which removes the asset from the database 215, asset server 213 and content delivery network servers 223. After the availability duration has expired, the content may be deleted automatically by the asset manager 203 from the database 215, asset server 213 and content delivery network servers 223.

[00099] Referring to figure 3, a further embodiment is described showing how the assets created may be delivered to a STB via a push VOD delivery system 301. As shown in figure 3, the headend 205 includes the same components of an asset manager 203, encryption module 209, key manager 211, database 215, guide module 221 and firewall 219 as described above in relation to figure 2.

[000100] According to this embodiment, upon a user requesting push VOD content that was previously broadcast using the appropriate push VOD selection menu on their STB 107, a push VOD content request message is sent from the STB 107 via the router 217 to the headend 205 via the firewall 219. If firstly the guide module 221 determines that the content is available in the database 215 as described above and secondly the correct encryption key has been provided by the STB, the encryption module 209 instructs the push VOD system 301 to deliver the content by the satellite communication system 105 to the STB. The encryption module 209 pushes the (11947402 1): 21 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 encrypted file to the push VOD system 301 after the asset has finished being encrypted. The Push VOD system then processes the encrypted asset file into data fragments suitable for satellite delivery.

[000101] A STB that may be used in conjunction with any of the herein described embodiments may contain the following components, including a CPU or processor for instructing and controlling other components within the STB, an I/O data port for receiving and sending communication messages, a transmitting and receiving module for processing data for transmission and for processing received data, a satellite or cable signal input port and signal processing module for processing received signals (which may include content, metadata associated with the content, EPG, REPG, DVB Event IDs and other communications sent from the broadcast centre), a modulator, a demodulator, an encryptor module, a decryptor module, one or more tuner modules, a smart card module for use with a smart card, audio and video output ports (such as HDMI for example), a power supply module for converting and modulating power received from a power source, one or more local memory storage devices (such as RAM and/or Flash memory) for use with the processor, a hard disc drive or any other suitable storage device for storing content and metadata associated with the content, a clock device, a rendering module for rendering information and user interface screens including EPGs and REPGs, a router module for routing IP based communication messages, a local database for storing schedule information as it is received and a remote control message receiving device for receiving and processing messages sent from a remote control device. Software may be loaded into the local memory storage device to instruct and control the various components and the processor. Various software drivers are also provided.

[000102] Figure 4A shows a screen shot of a REPG 501. Shown in the top right hand corner of the REPG is the current time 503, which in this case is 4.00pm on Wednesday 15th. The REPG indicates the time 505 of broadcast of content, such as 2.00pm (or just before) for the show Seinfeld 207. The program titles, e.g. Seinfeld, are displayed in solid black text to indicate that those instances of content are available via the REPG on-demand despite the fact that the content has already been broadcast. This is in comparison to other instances of content that are “greyed out”, such as The View 209, which indicates those instances of content are not available on-demand via (11947402 1): 22 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 the REPG after they have been broadcast. A user may operate their STB or remote control to move a cursor or indicator around the REPG to highlight particular programs. In this example, the cursor has been moved to highlight Brother John. As Brother John is not content that is available via the REPG on-demand post-broadcast, the content title “Brother John” 511 is greyed out. Further, an indication 513 is provided or displayed at the bottom of the REPG informing the user that playback is not available for this particular instance of content.

[000103] Figure 4B shows a screen shot of the REPG 501 where a program (e.g. NCIS 515) is highlighted by the cursor. As the content title (NCIS) is shown in white text (when highlighted), this indicates that the program is available via the REPG on-demand post broadcast. That is, if the cursor was not highlighting the program, the program title would be rendered so that it is displayed in solid black text. Therefore, the EPG creation module identifies within the created EPG (REPG) the broadcast content that is available post broadcast. This content is identified as such only after the broadcast content has been broadcast.

[000104] It will be understood that it is not necessary to change the rendering of the content information when the program is highlighted by the cursor as long as it is clear to the user which of the programs is associated with the cursor position. For example, the highlighted text of NCIS may be shown in solid black text rather than white text. Further, an indication 517 is provided or displayed at the bottom of the REPG informing the user that they may select the program to view it (i.e. they may demand that the content is downloaded to the STB). Also, an indication 519 is provided informing the user that they may record this content, in this example by selecting the R button.

[000105] REPG content 521 that is currently being broadcast, i.e. where the start time of the broadcast is before the current time, is indicated in solid black text to show it is currently available. Flowever, unless the STB has buffered the start of the program, the whole of the program from the beginning may not be available for viewing (depending on the viewing rights) until after the content has finished broadcasting and the asset has been created. (11947402_1): 23 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [000106] Figure 4C shows an information window 523 that appears if the user selects the option to view on-demand content as provided in indication 517. The information window informs the user that the program selected is being prepared, i.e. it is being downloaded to the STB. Further, it identifies the program by title (e.g. NCIS) that has been selected as well as other information associated with the program such as its rating, channel of broadcast and size of the asset file. The user has the option to save or record the content. If record is not selected, the STB starts to play the instance of content as soon as the STB has received enough of the progressive download.

[000107] Figure 4D shows a planner screenshot 525 that indicates when a program 527 (e.g. NCIS) is being downloaded to the STB. A symbol (e.g. “D”) identifies the content that is downloading or has been downloaded, and is used to distinguish the downloaded content from content that has been recorded during broadcast.

[000108] Although the above described embodiments describe making assets available to STBs, it will be understood that the on-demand post-broadcast content may also be made available to other content playing devices in a similar manner as described above, including smart phones, tablet devices, personal computers, games consoles, and other suitable devices that are capable of receiving content over an IP based communication system and enabling the display of that content either on an integrated display or other suitable display (such as a television monitor for example).

[000109] The above described embodiments describe the creation of assets at a remote location to the STB where the IP delivery encoder, cache storage, asset creation module and rules engine are located remote from the STB. Flowever, it will be understood that a STB or any other content playing device may create the asset locally, i.e. internally within the content playing device. For example, the content playing device may include an IP delivery encoder, cache storage, asset creation module and rules engine for creating the asset. Further, the content playing device may include an encryption module for encrypting the content prior to it being stored on the content playing device. Other aspects of the above described embodiment may also be implemented on the content playing device, including, but not limited to, the deletion control of the asset, lifetime of the asset, availability of the asset etc. (11947402 1): 24 2016253573 02 Nov 2016 [000110] It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention described herein are by way of example only, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of invention.

[000111] Further, it will be understood that the device intended to play the content is not necessarily required to be the same device that requests the content. For example, the content may be requested via an alternative computing device that is in communication with the content playing device and/or the headend. (11947402 1):

Claims (28)

1. A method of creating an electronic program guide for making post-broadcast content available to a content playing device upon request by a user of the content playing device, the method comprising the steps of: i) receiving a set of rights management rules associated with the availability of the postbroadcast content; ii) determining whether broadcast content is to be made available post-broadcast based on the received set of rights management rules; iii) receiving one or more schedules of broadcast content that is to be broadcast; and iv) creating an electronic program guide based on the received schedule and the determination step to identify, within the created electronic program guide, the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast as being available post-broadcast.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of identifying within the created electronic program guide, after the broadcast content has been broadcast, the broadcast content that is or is not available post broadcast.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting to the content playing device i) the electronic program guide and ii) one or more unique content IDs that identify the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of receiving a plurality of schedules from a plurality of schedule sources and aggregating the plurality of schedules into the electronic program guide.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of receiving access control entitlement data, and inserting the access control entitlement data into the electronic program guide.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting to a rules engine i) the electronic program guide and ii) one or more unique content IDs that identify the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast, to enable the rules engine to perform the step of instructing the creation of the broadcast content that is available postbroadcast based on the received electronic program guide and one or more unique content IDs.

7. A system for creating an electronic program guide for making post-broadcast content available to a content playing device upon request, the system comprising an electronic program guide creation module adapted to: i) receive a set of rights management rules associated with the availability of the postbroadcast content; ii) determine whether broadcast content is to be made available post-broadcast based on the received set of rights management rules; iii) receive one or more schedules of broadcast content that is to be broadcast; and iv) create an electronic program guide based on the received schedule and the determination step to identify, within the created electronic program guide, the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast as being available post-broadcast.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the electronic program guide creation module is further adapted to identify within the created electronic program guide, after the broadcast content has been broadcast, the broadcast content that is or is not available post broadcast.

9. The system of claim 7 further comprising a broadcast centre, wherein the electronic program guide creation module is further adapted to communicate the electronic program guide to the broadcast centre and the broadcast centre is adapted to receive the electronic program guide and subsequently transmit the i) the electronic program guide and ii) one or more unique content IDs that identify the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast.

10. The system of claim 7 further comprising a schedule aggregator adapted to receive two or more schedules from two or more schedule sources and aggregate the two or more schedules into the electronic program guide.

11. The system of claim 7 further comprising a data aggregator adapted to receive access control entitlement data, and insert the access control entitlement data into the electronic program guide.

12. The system of claim 7 further comprising a broadcast centre adapted to transmit to a rules engine i) the electronic program guide and ii) one or more unique content IDs that identify the broadcast content that is available post-broadcast, wherein the rules engine is adapted to instruct the creation of the broadcast content that is available postbroadcast based on the received electronic program guide and one or more unique content IDs.

13. A method of creating an asset for playing on demand at a content playing device, the method comprising the steps of: i) receiving a) a broadcast schedule comprising content to be broadcast, wherein the content comprises on-demand content that is available post-broadcast, b) one or more unique content IDs and c) asset creation trigger data; ii) receiving a data stream of currently broadcast content; iii) encoding the data stream; and iv) creating the asset from the encoded data stream based on the broadcast schedule, the one or more unique content IDs and the trigger data.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the steps i) through to iv) are performed internally within the content playing device.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the steps i) through to iv) are performed remote from the content playing device.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of encoding the data stream into a plurality of data segments for each asset, temporarily storing the encoded data segments and creating the asset by combining the data segments.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the asset creation trigger data comprises one or more of a broadcast start time of the on-demand content and broadcast end time of the on-demand content.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of encrypting the asset and storing the encrypted asset in a server.

19. A system for creating an asset for transmission on demand to a content playing device, the system comprising: i) a rules engine adapted to receive a) a broadcast schedule comprising content to be broadcast, wherein the content comprises on-demand content that is available postbroadcast, b) one or more unique content IDs and c) asset creation trigger data; ii) an encoder adapted to receive a data stream of currently broadcast content; iii) the encoder further adapted to encode the data stream; and iv) an asset creation module adapted to create the asset from the encoded data stream based on the broadcast schedule, the one or more unique content IDs and the trigger data.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the rules engine, encoder and asset creation module are located internally within the content playing device.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the rules engine, encoder and asset creation module are located remote from the content playing device.

22. The system of claim 19 further comprising a temporary storage module, wherein the encoder is further adapted to temporarily store the encoded data segments within the temporary storage module, and the asset creation module is further adapted to combine the data segments to create the asset.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the asset creation trigger data comprises one or more of a broadcast start time of the on-demand content and broadcast end time of the on-demand content.

24. The system of claim 19 further comprising an encryption module adapted to encrypt the asset and a server adapted to store the encrypted asset.

25. A method of providing post-broadcast on-demand content to a content display device, wherein the post-broadcast on-demand content is created during live broadcast of the content, the method comprising the steps of: i) receiving an electronic program guide indicating the availability of post-broadcast on-demand content; ii) receiving one or more unique IDs associated with instances of post-broadcast on-demand content; ii) outputting the electronic program guide for display; iii) detecting selection of available post-broadcast on-demand content from the electronic program guide; iv) based on the selected content, sending from the content display device to an asset retrieval system an asset request message including at least one of the one or more received unique ID associated with the selected content; and v) receiving the post-broadcast on-demand content from the asset retrieval system.

26. A system for providing post-broadcast on-demand content to a content display device, wherein the post-broadcast on-demand content is created during live broadcast of the content, the system comprising a content display device adapted to: i) receive an electronic program guide indicating the availability of post-broadcast on-demand content; ii) receive one or more unique IDs associated with one or more instances of postbroadcast on-demand content; ii) output the electronic program guide for display; iii) detect selection of available post-broadcast on-demand content from the electronic program guide; iv) based on the selected content, send from the content display device to an asset retrieval system an asset request message including at least one of the received one or more unique IDs; and v) receive the post-broadcast on-demand content from the asset retrieval system.

27. A method of providing post-broadcast on-demand content to a content display device, the method comprising the steps of: i) creating post-broadcast content available on-demand during live broadcast of the content; ii) receiving a request for post-broadcast on-demand content; and iii) after receiving the request, providing the post-broadcast content after creating the post-broadcast on-demand content.

28. A system for the provision of post-broadcast on-demand content to a content display device, the system comprising: i) an asset management system for creating, during live broadcast of the content, assets that are available on-demand post-broadcast; and ii) an asset retrieval system for a) receiving a request for post-broadcast on-demand content and b) after receiving the request, providing the post-broadcast content after the asset management system has created the post-broadcast on-demand content.