GB2491842A - Storing content related to programmes - Google Patents

Storing content related to programmes Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2491842A
GB2491842A GB1109881.1A GB201109881A GB2491842A GB 2491842 A GB2491842 A GB 2491842A GB 201109881 A GB201109881 A GB 201109881A GB 2491842 A GB2491842 A GB 2491842A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
content item
programme
content
information
content items
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB1109881.1A
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GB2491842B (en
GB201109881D0 (en
Inventor
Thomas Jean Patrice Bernard
Chris Alder
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
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Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
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Publication date
Application filed by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd filed Critical Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority to GB1109881.1A priority Critical patent/GB2491842B/en
Publication of GB201109881D0 publication Critical patent/GB201109881D0/en
Priority to KR1020120061087A priority patent/KR20120138654A/en
Priority to US13/495,617 priority patent/US20120317600A1/en
Priority to EP12171836.5A priority patent/EP2536165A3/en
Publication of GB2491842A publication Critical patent/GB2491842A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2491842B publication Critical patent/GB2491842B/en
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/27—Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/431—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/68—Systems specially adapted for using specific information, e.g. geographical or meteorological information
    • H04H60/73—Systems specially adapted for using specific information, e.g. geographical or meteorological information using meta-information
    • H04H60/74—Systems specially adapted for using specific information, e.g. geographical or meteorological information using meta-information using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H04N21/4331—Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H04N21/4334—Recording operations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/472—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47202—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/472—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47214—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/83—Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
    • H04N21/835—Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates
    • H04N21/8352—Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/83—Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
    • H04N21/84—Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/85—Assembly of content; Generation of multimedia applications
    • H04N21/854—Content authoring
    • H04N21/8549—Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
    • H04N5/44—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
    • H04N5/445—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for displaying additional information

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Finance (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)

Abstract

An apparatus and method is provided for receiving a broadcast stream and for storing a plurality of content items, each content item being associated with a programme available in the broadcast stream. Content item information is also received for each content item, including a programme identifier for identifying the programme to which the content item corresponds, and at least one group identifier for identifying at least one group to which the content item corresponds. The group identifier and/or programme identifier may be used to determine whether to store the content item. A plurality of content items may be displayed as a virtual channel, and one or more content items may be displayed when the corresponding programme is selected. The content items may be trailers, teasers, images or webpages and have different formats. The content item information may be in the form of a CRID.

Description

Storing Content Corresponding to Programmes
Description
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for receiving a broadcast stream. In particular, the present invention relates to storing content items corresponding to programmes available in the broadcast stream, and receiving content item information for each content item, the content item information including a programme identifier and at least one group identifier.
In a conventional television broadcast system, a receiver is configured to receive programmes through a broadcast stream which includes a plurality of channels. The receiver tunes to one of the channels to receive a programme currently being transmitted on that channel.
In recent years, television on-demand systems have been developed to enable a user to access certain programmes at a time of their choosing. An example of such a system is TV-Anytime, developed by the global TV-Anytime Forum. In an on-demand system, a receiver is provided with a storage module that has sufficient capacity to store a large number of programmes. The receiver also receives metadata relating to each programme, which can be used by a broadcaster to signal content that may be of interest to a user.
For example, in the UK, the technical specification for digital terrestrial television broadcasts is published in the "D-Book". The D-Book defines a Broadcast Record Lists feature which allows a user to subscribe to one or more Record List groups, in which programmes may be grouped according to genre. Examples of possible Record List groups include "Classic Films", "News", or "Best Comedy of the Last Week". When the metadata indicates that a programme in the broadcast stream belongs to a Record List group to which the user has subscribed, the programme is automatically stored by the receiver. A user can select a stored programme to be viewed at a later stage.
However, in existing broadcast systems, promotional content such as trailers and teasers are only broadcast in linear fashion through the broadcast stream. A trailer can only be viewed by a user if the receiver happens to be tuned to the appropriate channel during a time when the trailer is being broadcast.
According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream, the apparatus comprising a storage module for storing a plurality of content items, each content item corresponding to a programme available in the broadcast stream, xvherein the apparatus is configured to receive content item information for each content item and store the content item information, the content item information including a programme identifier and at least one group identifier associated with the content item, and wherein the programme identifier identifies the programme to which the content item corresponds and the at least one group identifier identifies at least one content item group to which the content item belongs.
The apparatus may be configured to select a content item to be stored in the storage module based on the at least one group identifier associated with the content item.
In response to a command selecting one of the programmes, the apparatus may be configured to display at least one related content item corresponding to the selected programme on a display, the related content item being a content item associated with the same programme identifier as the selected programme.
The apparatus may be configured to select a plurality of content items from the plurality of stored content items, and display the plurality of selected content items on a display, wherein the apparatus may be configured to display the selected content items consecutively as a virtual channel.
The apparatus may be configured to receive virtual channel information defining a virtual channel, and select the plurality of content items based on the virtual channel information.
The apparatus may be configured to select the plurality of content items based on at least one of the group identifier associated \vith each content item, a time at which the corresponding programme for each content item will be available in the broadcast stream, and a channel on which the corresponding programme for each content item will be broadcast.
The apparatus may be a DVB-compliant receiver, and the programme identifier and group identifier may be Content Reference Identifiers CRIDs included in a PushDownloadProgram data fragment received through the broadcast stream.
The content item information may include location information for identifying a source from which the content item can be obtained.
The apparatus may be arranged to receive the plurality of content items through the broadcast stream, wherein the location information identifies a location of the content item in the broadcast stream.
The apparatus may be a DVB-compliant receiver, \vherein the location information defines an Event Information Table EIT event in the broadcast stream.
The apparatus may be a DYB-compliant receiver arranged to receive the plurality of content items through a Digital Storage Media Command and Control DSM-CC carousel, wherein the location information identifies a location of the content item in the DSM-CC carousel.
The content item information may further include information about a format in which the content item is provided.
The format may be one of a video file format, a still image file format, and a hypertext markup language HTML file format.
The apparatus may be configured to determine an amount of available space in the storage module, and if the amount of available space is less than a predetermined threshold amount, to only store content items which are provided in one of a predetermined plurality of formats.
The apparatus may be configured to determine, for each stored content item, whether the programme to which the content item corresponds is still available through the broadcast stream, and is further configured to delete the content item from the storage module if it is determined that the corresponding programme is no longer available.
The content item information may further include deletion information for indicating that a content item should not be deleted, wherein the apparatus may be configured to not delete the content item when the corresponding programme is no longer available, if the deletion information indicates that the content item should not be deleted.
If the deletion information for a stored content item indicates that the content item should not be deleted, the apparatus may be configured to delete the content item after a predetermined time period.
The apparatus may be configured to receive the content item information through the broadcast stream.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for use in an apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream, the method comprising storing a plurality of content items, each content item corresponding to a programme available in the broadcast stream, receiving content item information for each content item, and storing the content item information, the content item information including a programme identifier and at least one group identifier associated with the content item, wherein the programme identifier identifies the programme to which said stored content item corresponds and the at least one group identifier identifies at least one content item group to which the content item belongs.
The method may further comprise selecting a content item to be stored based on the at least one group identifier associated with the content item.
The method may further comprise receiving a command selecting one of the programmes, and displaying at least one related content item corresponding to the selected programme on a display, the related content item being a content item associated with the same programme identifier as the selected programme.
The method may further comprise selecting a plurality of content items from the plurality of stored content items, and displaying the selected plurality of content items on a display, by displaying the selected content items consecutively as a virtual channel.
The method may further comprise receiving virtual channel information defining a virtual channel, wherein selecting the plurality of content items comprises selecting the plurality of content items based on the virtual channel information.
The plurality of content items may be selected based on at least one of the group identifier associated with each content item, a time at which the corresponding programme for each content item \vill be available in the broadcast stream, and a channel on which the corresponding programme for each content item will be broadcast.
The method may further comprise receiving the plurality of content items through the broadcast stream.
The method may further comprise receiving the plurality of content items through a Digital Storage Media Command and Control DSM-CC carousel.
According to the present invention, there is further provided a computerreadable storage medium storing a computer program which when executed on a processor causes the processor to perform the method.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying dra\vings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates an apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream, according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates a structure of the content item information, according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 illustrates elements of the Grouplnformation data fragment of Fig. 2; Figure 4 illustrates elements of the PushDo'cvnloadlProgram data fragment of Fig. 2; Figure 5 illustrates elements of the Programlnformation data fragment of Fig. 2; Figure 6 illustrates a user interface for displaying a plurality of different types of content items corresponding to a selected programme, according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 illustrates a user interface for displaying a content item corresponding to a selected programme, according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 illustrates a user interface for displaying a content item corresponding to a programme currently being viewed, according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 illustrates a user interface for displaying information about a selected virtual trailer channel; Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for use in an apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing stored content items, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring now to Fig. 1, an apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream is illustrated according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 110 is coupled to a display 120, and is configured to receive audio-visual (A/V) data 131 of a plurality of programmes through a broadcast stream 130. The plurality of programmes are transmitted on a plurality of channels in the broadcast stream 130.
In the present embodiment, the apparatus 110 includes a processing module 111 which receives the broadcast stream 130, tunes to a selected channel in the broadcast stream and decodes the A/V data 131 of a programme currently being broadcast on that channel. The processing module 111 sends the decoded A/V data to the display 120 to be presented to a user. In Fig. I the processing module 111 is illustrated as a single unit for clarity, but the functionality of the processing module 111 may be distributed across a plurality of separate modules. For example, separate tuner and decoder modules may be provided for tuning to, and decoding, the broadcast stream 130.
The apparatus 110 further includes a storage module 112 for storing content items 133 corresponding to programmes that are available in the broadcast stream 130, Here, the term "content item" may refer to promotional material including trailers, teasers, still images and webpages. A trailer \vill typically be between 60 and 90 seconds long, whilst a teaser will typically be between 15 and 30 seconds. The plurality of content items may have different formats. Teasers and trailers may be provided in a suitable video file format, such as a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) file format, a still image may be provided in a still image file format such as a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) or Bitmap (BMP) file format, and a webp age may be provided in a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or Extensible Markup Language XML) file format. The storage module 112 may, for example, be a hard disk drive or another form of non-volatile memory such as a flash memory drive. As well as storing a plurality of content items, the storage module 112 may also be used to store A/V data of programmes received through the broadcast stream 130, so that selected programmes can be recorded by the apparatus 110.
In this embodiment the content items are not delivered to the receiver as a conventional linear broadcast. Instead, the apparatus is configured to automatically record the content items, as well as additional metadata for each stored content item. This additional metadata enables multiple content items of different types to be linked to one or more programmes available in the broadcast stream.
Continuing with reference to Fig. 1, the processing module 111 is also configured to receive metadata 132 for each content item. The metadata 132 may be referred to as content item information, i.e. information relating to a content item. The metadata 132 for each content item includes a programme identifier and at least one group identifier associated with the content item. The processing module 111 can use the programme identifier to identify the programme to which the content item corresponds, and can use the at least one group identifier to identify at least one content item group to which the content item belongs.
The processing module 111 may be configured to store all received content items in the storage module 112, or may select certain content items to be stored according to the programme identifiers and/or group identifiers associated with the content items. For example, if a programme has been recorded in the storage module 112, or in any other storage of the apparatus 110, the apparatus 110 may be configured to automatically store content items associated with the same programme identifier as the stored programme. Also, the apparatus 110 may be configured to automatically store content items belonging to a selected group, i.e. content items that are associated with the group identifier of the selected group. By using the programme identifier and/or group identifier to determine whether to store a particular content item, the apparatus 110 can automatically select content items to be stored without user input.
In the present embodiment, the metadata 132 and content items 133 are received by the apparatus 110 through the broadcast stream 130. However, in other embodiments, the metadata and/or the content items may be received from a different source. For example, the apparatus 110 may include means for connecting to the internet, for example a networking module, and the apparatus 110 may download some or all of the content items from the internet.
Referring now to Fig. 2, a structure of the content item information is schematically illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the content item information structure is based on a Broadcast Record List defined in the D-Book, version 6.2. The content item information 210 shown in Fig. 2 may collectively be referred to as a "Content Record List", by analogy to a Broadcast Record List. However, unlike a conventional Broadcast Record List, the Content Record List of Fig. 2 enables multiple content items that are not included in an event information table (EIT) to be grouped together, and linked to a corresponding programme or programmes. That is, unlike the programmes that are grouped together by a Broadcast Record List, the content items grouped by the Content Record List are never part of the television schedule. Accordingly, there are a number of differences between the Content Record List and a Broadcast Record List, as will be explained below.
Continuing with reference to Fig. 2, in the present embodiment the Content Record List 210 includes a PushDownloadProgram data fragment 211, a Grouplnformation data fragment 212, and a Programlnformation data fragment 213. The Content Record List 210, i.e. the content item information, includes the information required to automatically record a collection of content items to the storage module and present them to a user, \vithout the user's input.
As shown in Fig. 2, the PushDownloadProgram fragment 211 is linked to the Grouplnformation fragment 212 by a group identifier. In the present embodiment the group identifier is formatted as a content reference identifier (CRID), and so may be referred to as a "Group CRID". The PushDownloadProgram fragment 211 also includes a locator which specifies the location of a content item 220, enabling a receiver to locate and receive the content item 220. In the present embodiment, the content item information 210 is configured for use with a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) compliant receiver, and accordingly the locator is formatted as a DVB locator. Additionally, the PushDo\vnloadProgram fragment 211 includes a programme identifier which allows a receiver to identify the programme 230 to which the content item 220 corresponds. Like the group identifier, the programme identifier is also formatted as a CRID. Finally, the PushDownloadProgram fragment 211 includes a content item identifier, in the present embodiment a content item CRID, for linking the PushDownloadProgram fragment 211 to the Programlnformation fragment 213. The Programlnformation fragment 213 may contain information about the content item 220.
In the present embodiment, the programme 230 to which the content item 220 corresponds is available in the broadcast stream as an FIT event. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. In other embodiments, the content -10 -item 220 may correspond to a programme which is not broadcast as an BIT event, but is instead downloaded to the receiver in advance, for example as part of a TV-Anytime service.
The Content Record List of the present embodiment includes additional information in comparison to a Broadcast Record List, enabling content items of multiple types to be linked to a corresponding programme or programmes. The Content Record List can also be used to specify how the content item should be displayed. The differences between the data fragments of the Content Record List and the Broadcast Record List will now be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5.
Certain elements of the data fragments are similar to those of a conventional Broadcast Record List, and as such a detailed description of these elements will be omitted to maintain brevity.
Referring now to Fig. 3, elements of the Grouplnformation fragment 212 of Fig. 2 are illustrated. As shown in Fig. 3, the Grouplnformation fragment includes fragmentId, fragmentVersion, @lang, @grouplD, @metadataOriginlDRef, ordered, GroupType, BasicDescription, Title, Synopsis, Genre, MemberOf and @index elements. In some embodiments, other elements may be present in addition to those shown in Fig. 3.
The @fragmentld and fragmentVersion elements are both required. The @ fragmentld element may have a value represented by a hex string between Ox00000I and OxFFFFFF, and the @fragmentVersion element may have a value represented as a Pvo character hex string, OxFF. The @fragmentVersion value can be incremented whenever the fragment is updated.
The @lang element is optional, and may be included to indicate the language used in any textual descriptions contained in the Grouplnformation fragment. If slang io is present, it shall override a language set by a TVAMain fragment. The groupID element is required, and is a unique identifier for the present Content Record List, in the form of a CRID. This is the Group CRID shown in Fig. 2. The @metadataOriginlDRef is optional, and holds an identifier for resolving the -11 -originator of the present Content Record List. The @ordered element is also optional, and will be set to true if child groups shall be ordered.
Regarding the GroupType element, in the present embodiment several new group types are defined in comparison to a conventional Broadcast Record List. In general, a Content Record list may have the group types "automaticAcquisitionThemed" or "automaticAcquisitionNonThemed". The GroupType element can include information about the content item type, for example whether content items included in the group are trailers, teasers, images or \vebpages. A receiver can be configured to use the GroupType element to determine a type of the content items included in the group, and to only subscribe to the group if the content item type is supported. For example, if the receiver does not have an internet connection, the receiver may not subscribe to groups of content items which have to be received over the internet.
In the present embodiment, the GroupType element may have one of a predetermined number of values. For example, if GroupType is set to "automaticAcquisitionTrailer", this indicates that content items belonging to the group are off-schedule trailers in the form of video/audio clips that should be recorded from the broadcast stream. If GroupType is set to "automaticAcquisitionTitleSequence", this indicates that the video clips are not updated by the broadcaster as often, so can be treated differently by the receiver. If GroupType is set to "carouselAcquisitionHtmlMetadata", this indicates that content items belonging to the group contain additional metadata, such as HTML pages, cvhich are available from a DSM-CC carousel. In this case, the carousel location can be defined in the PushDownloadProgram fragment, and the receiver can be configured to open each content item separately and determine its type automatically. If GroupType is set to "carouselAcquisitionlmageMetadata", this is similar to carouselAcquisitionHtmlMetadata but indicates that the group contains still images.
The BasicDescription elements include Title, Synopsis and Genre elements. The Title element holds a title of the Content Record List, which may have a -12 -predetermined maximum length, for example 40 characters. The Synopsis element holds a short description of the Content Record List's content. As \vith a conventional Broadcast Record List, the synopsis of the Content Record List Grouplnformation fragment may have a length as defined in TS 102 822-3-1. That is, a synopsis with the length attribute "medium" having a maximum 210 characters, should always be present. Additional synopses with "short" or "long" length values may also be included. The Genre element is optional, and if present may contain a term ID from ContentCS TS 102 822-3-2 Appendix A.8) for defining one or more genre types.
Finally, the MemberOf element allows the creation of Content Record List hierarchies by holding a reference to a more general, i.e. higher level, recording list.
Therefore group IDs can be used to organise multiple Content Record Lists in a hierarchical tree structure, where the root of the group ID may take the form crid://<authority>/defaultl. If a hierarchical group structure is used, MemberOf is required for all groups apart from the root group. The @index element is optional, and can be used to determine ordering if the parent group indicates ordering on child groups.
Referring now to Fig. 4, elements of the PushDownloadProgram fragment of Fig. 2 are illustrated. As shown in Fig. 4, the PushDownloadProgram fragment includes fragmentId, fragmentVersion, Program, @RelatedCRlD, @CRID, DYB Locator, MemberOf, Otherldentifier, PublishedDuration, ContentVersion, ExpiryTime, ActivationTime, and TrailerExpirySupported elements. In some embodiments, other elements may be present in addition to those shown in Fig. 4.
To maintain brevity, only those elements which differ from the PushDownloadProgram fragment of a conventional Broadcast Record List are described below.
The @RelatedCRlD element is used to provide the information required to link a content item to a corresponding programme. This element holds the CRID of the programme to which the content item corresponds. The content item in question is -13 -identified by the next element, @CRID, vhich holds the GRID of the content item itself.
As described above with reference to Fig. 1, a receiver may receive content items through the broadcast stream or from another source such as a DSM-CC carousel or the internet. A location of the content item is specified by the DVB Locator element of the PushDo\vnloadProgram fragment. This element is required because content items are not included in the EIT, since the content items are not part of the television schedule.
In more detail, in the case of a trailer the DVB locator may point to an EIT event.
For example, the DYB locator may take the form: dvb: / / <original_network_id>. [<transport_stream>]. [service_id> ;<eventjd> [-tim e_duration] Alternatively, the DYB locator may link to a DSM-CG carousel, to allow the receiver to acquire content items of different types, including still pictures and html pages. In this case it can take the form: dvb:/ / <original_network_id>. [<transport_stream_id>]. < service_id>$ <carousel_id > /path_segments The above forms of the DVB locator are merely exemplary, and in other embodiments other formats may be used depending on a source from which the content item is available.
Continuing with reference to Fig. 4, the MemberOf element contains at least one group identifier, in the form of a GRID, for identifying the group or groups to which the present PushDownloadProgram fragment belongs. That is, a single PushDownloadProgram fragment relating to a particular content item may belong to multiple groups, i.e. multiple Content Record Lists.
The TrailerhxpirySupported element is optional, and can be used to indicate if the trailer can be considered expired when the content it references is no longer available in the EPG or recorded browser. This enables a broadcaster to determine whether a content item is automatically deleted when the corresponding programme is no longer available. Alternatively, this element may be omitted, and the receiver itself may be configured to determine whether or not a stored content item should be deleted when the corresponding programme is no longer available, Referring now to Fig. 5, elements of the Programlnformation data fragment of Fig. 2 are illustrated. As sho\vn in Fig. 5, the Programlnformation fragment includes the (äjfragmentld, fragmentVersion, @lang, BasicDescription, Title, Synopsis, PatentalGuidance, mpeg7:FarentalGuidance, and ExplanatoryText elements. The IProgramlnformation fragment of a Content Record List differs from the Programlnformation fragment of a conventional Broadcast Record List in that the Title and Synopsis elements are optional. That is, when the Programlnformation fragment relates to a content item instead of an EIT event, i.e. a programme, the Title and Synopsis elements may be omitted. Alternatively, these elements can be used to hold information specific to the content item itself, As described above, the content item information enables a receiver to link any particular content item to its corresponding programme through the programme identifier, which in the present embodiment is a CRID included in the @RelatedCRID element of the PushDownloadProgram fragment for the content item. In other embodiments, the content item information may be transmitted in a different format. The content item information also enables the receiver to identify certain content items as belonging to a particular group or groups, based on at least one group identifier included in the MemberOf element of the PushDownloadProgram fragment for the content item. The receiver can therefore be arranged to only store content items belonging to a selected group or groups.
Furthermore, because the required information is transmitted to the receiver, embodiments of the present invention are suitable for use in a unidirectional environment, where the receiver is not able to transmit information back to a -15 -source of the broadcast stream. Instead, all content items can be transmitted to the receiver, which can be configured to determine whether or not to store a content item when it is received.
Methods of displaying the stored content items wiil now be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.
Referring now to Fig. 6, a user interface for displaying a plurality of different types of content items is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The user interface may be implemented in an apparatus such as that sho\vn in Fig. 1. In Fig. 6, a user interface 600 is illustrated which includes a title bar 610 indicating that the display is currently set to an additional content display mode, which in the present embodiment is referred to as a "trailer view" mode. In other embodiments, the title bar 610 may be omitted. A user may select to enter the trailer view mode by inputting a display mode change command, for example when selecting a programme in an electronic program guide (EPG) or in a navigation menu of a personal video recorder (PVR. When the trailer view mode is entered, the apparatus nay retrieve a plurality of stored content items that correspond to the selected programme, and display the content items differently according to their individual format.
In more detail, the user interface 600 includes a video display region 620, in which a selected video file such as a trailer or teaser can be displayed The user interface 600 further includes an additional information region 630, in which additional content items of different types, such as still images and text, can be displayed.
Here, the additional content items displayed in the additional information region 630 are other stored content items which correspond to the same programme as the trailer currently being played in the video display region 620. If a plurality of content items in video file formats corresponding to the same programme are available, for example trailers and/or teasers, a content item selection region 640 is provided to allow a user to select a different content item to be displayed. The selected content item is then reproduced in the video display region 620. -16-
If there is only a single stored content item corresponding to the selected programme in a video file format, that content item may automatically be displayed in the video display region 620 and the content item selection region 640 may be omitted.
Referring now to Fig. 7, a user interface for displaying a content item corresponding to a selected programme is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Like the user interface of Fig. 6, the user interface of Fig. 7 may be implemented in an apparatus such as that shown in Fig. 1. The user interface shown in Fig. 7 is a modified electronic program guide (EPG) screen, which may be displayed when a user presses a "guide" button on a remote control. As shown in Fig. 7, the user interface 700 includes a title bar 710 for indicating that the apparatus is currently in a "guide" mode. The title bar 710 may also display the current date and time. In other embodiments, the title bar 710 may be omitted.
The user interface 700 further includes a programme selection grid 720, a programme information display region 730, and a content item display region 740.
The programme selection grid 720 displays a list of programmes that are available in the broadcast stream, for example as defined by the EIT information in the broadcast stream. Trademarks shown in Fig. 7, for example "Rocks & Go", "Ideal Extra", "BBC HD", "ITV1 HD", "Channel 4 HD" etc., are provided for illustrative purposes only, and remain the property of their respective owners. A user may select one of the programmes in a conventional manner, for example by manipulating buttons on a remote control. When a programme selection command is received, the selected programme may be highlighted in the programme selection grid 720. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the programme "BBC HD Preview" is currently selected, and is highlighted in the grid 720.
In addition, when a programme selection command is received, additional information about the selected programme may be displayed in the programme information display region 730. For example, the additional information may be included in metadata associated with the selected programme. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when a programme selection command is received the -17 -apparatus is configured to retrieve a stored content item corresponding to the selected programme. The stored content item may then be displayed automatically in the content item display region 740, or alternatively may be displayed in response to a command input by a user.
The stored content item displayed in the content item display region 740 may be a video file such as a trailer or teaser, or may be a different type of content item. For example, the apparatus may be configured to select a stored trailer or teaser to be played in the content item display region 740. If a plurality of video files corresponding to the selected programme exist in the storage module, the apparatus may be configured to reproduce the plurality of video files consecutively in the content item display region 740. Alternatively, the apparatus may select one or more of the available video files randomly, or according to a predetermined criterion, and display the selected video file or files consecutively. If no trailer or teaser corresponding to the selected programme exists in the storage module, the apparatus may select a different stored content item corresponding to the selected programme, for example an image or \vebpage, and display this content item in the content item display region 740. In other embodiments, the user interface 700 may include other display regions for displaying a plurality of content items, in a similar manner to the user interface of Fig. 6.
In Fig. 7, the user interface 700 is shown as a modified EPG screen, in which a grid is displayed showing programmes that are currently available in the broadcast stream or will be available in the near future. In other embodiments, a similar user interface may be implemented in apparatus such as a personal video recorder (PVR.
In such embodiments, the grid may be replaced \vith a list of recorded programmes, to allow a user to select one of the recorded programmes to be viewed. The PVR may then be configured to retrieve a stored content item corresponding to the selected recorded programme, and display the content item in a content item display region such as that shown in Fig. 7.
Referring now to Fig. 8, a user interface for displaying a content item corresponding to a programme currently being viewed is illustrated, according to an embodiment -18 -of the present invention. Trademarks shown in Fig. 8 are provided for illustrative purposes only, and remain the property of their respective owners. Like the user interfaces of Figs. 6 and 7, the user interface of Fig. 8 may be implemented in an apparatus such as that shown in Fig. 1. The user interface 800 includes a programme display region 810, in which a programme currently being viewed is reproduced. The user interface 800 further includes a programme information region 820 and a content item display region 830, both of which are overlain on the programme display region 810. The programme information region 820 and content item display region 830 may be displayed in response to a user input when a programme is being viewed, for example \vhen a user presses an "info" button on a remote control. The user may subsequently input a further command to close the information window, in which case both the programme information region 820 and content item display region 810 may be removed.
The programme information region 820 is similar to a conventional channel banner that may be displayed on top of a programme currently being viewed. However, unlike a conventional channel banner, the user interface 800 of the present embodiment further includes the content item display region 810 for displaying a stored content item corresponding to the currently selected programme, i.e. the programme currently being viewed. When the user interface is displayed 800, the apparatus may retrieve a stored content item corresponding to the currently selected programme, such as a trailer or teaser, in a manner similar to that described above with reference to Fig. 7. The content item may then be displayed in the content item display region 830. In the embodiment of Fig. 8, the displayed content item is a video file comprising a trailer for the currently selected programme, but in other embodiments the content item may be a different type, for example a still image.
Referring now to Fig. 9, a user interface for displaying information about a selected virtual trailer channel is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Like the user interfaces of Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the user interface of Fig. 9 may be implemented in an apparatus such as the one sho\vn in Fig. 1. Trademarks shown in Fig. 9 are provided for illustrative purposes only, and remain the property of their respective owners. One or more virtual trailer channels may be included in -19 -a grid for selecting one of a plurality of channels to be viewed, for example using a user interface similar to the one of Fig. 7. A user may select to view the virtual trailer channel in a manner similar to selecting any other channel to be viewed.
However, unlike other channels in the grid, a virtual trailer channel is not included in the EIT of the broadcast stream, as it does not include a plurality of EIT events but instead is created locally on the apparatus. Instead of tuning to a currently selected channel and displaying a programme currently being broadcast on that channel, when the virtual trailer channel is selected the apparatus retrieves a plurality of stored content items, for example trailers and/or teasers, and plays back the stored content items in a loop. In a virtual trailer channel the trailers may be grouped according to criteria such as genre, period, channel and so on.
In the present embodiment, when a virtual trailer channel is selected, the user interface 900 of Fig. 9 is displayed to provide a user with information about the selected trailer channel. For example, a user may input a first command to select a virtual trailer channel, and may input a second command to being viewing the selected virtual trailer channel. The user interface 900 includes a channel information region 910 for displaying information about the selected virtual trailer channel, for example a title and synopsis included in a Grouplnformation fragment corresponding to the selected channel. The user interface 900 further includes a trailer information region 920 for displaying a list of the trailers that are included on the currently selected channel.
Figure 9 illustrates an example in \Vhich a user has selected a virtual trailer channel named "Next week drama", which may be a virtual trailer channel for playing back to back trailers for episodes of drama programmes which \vill be broadcast during the coming week. The trailers may relate to programmes which are not yet part of the television schedule. A further example of a virtual trailer channel could be a channel named "Tonight's movies", for playing trailers for movies across all channels for the current evening. A user may input a programme selection command when a trailer is being viewed, in order to book the corresponding programme to be recorded, or to set a reminder.
-20 -The apparatus may use various methods to construct the virtual trailer channel. For instance, the apparatus may be configured to select stored content items to be included in a particular virtual trailer channel, according to such criteria as genre, broadcast time, broadcast channel and so on. As an example, when the virtual trailer channel titled "Next week drama" is selected, the apparatus may examine the metadata stored with each stored content item, and select a content item to be included in the channel when the metadata indicates that the genre of the content item is "drama", a broadcast time of the corresponding programme is a tine occurring in the next week, and the broadcast channel is a channel to which the user is subscribed, However, in another method, a virtual trailer channel may be defined remotely by a service provided. For example, a Content Record List may be defined for the virtual trailer channel, using one or more Grouplnformation and PushDownloadProgram fragments to define the particular content items that are to be included in the channel. In this case, the Content Record List title may be used as the channel name, and the Content Record List synopsis may be used as a
description of the channel.
Referring now to Fig. 10, a method for use in an apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method may be implemented in an apparatus such as the one shown in Fig. 1.
Firstly, in step 51001, the apparatus receives a content item corresponding to a programme available in the broadcast stream. Secondly, in step S1002, the apparatus receives content item information for the content item. For example, the content item information may comprise metadata formatted as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The content item information includes a programme identifier and at least one group identifier associated with the content item.
Next, in step S 1003, the apparatus determines based on the content item information whether to store the content item. In more detail, the apparatus may use the programme identifier to identify the programme to which the content item corresponds, and may use the at least one group identifier to identify at least one content item group to which the content item belongs. Various arrangements are possible. The apparatus may be configured to automatically store all content items -21 -that belong to a particular group, for example if the apparatus is configured to record trailers on a virtual trailer channel defined by that group. Also, or alternatively, the apparatus may be configured to automatically record all content items corresponding to programmes having a particular genre, broadcast time or broadcast channel.
Furthermore) in step S1003 the apparatus may determine whether to store the content item based on the amount of storage available, and a format of the content item. For example, a programme may have three corresponding content items having different formats, including a picture, a short teaser and a trailer. The apparatus may determine an amount of available space left in the storage module. If the amount of available space is high, i.e. above a first threshold level, the apparatus may be configured to store content items of any format. If the amount of available space is moderate, i.e. between a second threshold level and the first threshold level, the second threshold being lo\ver than the first threshold, the apparatus may be configured to only store content items of a certain format or formats. For example, only teasers and pictures may be stored, and full trailers may not be stored, If the amount of available space is low, i.e. lower than the second threshold level, the apparatus may only store content items of a certain format or formats. For example, only pictures may be stored. If no space is available, or when space is running no\v, the apparatus may determine whether any existing content items can be deleted. A method of managing stored content items is described later with reference to Fig. 11.
If it is determined that the content item should be stored, the apparatus proceeds to step S1004 and stores both the content item and the content item information. If it is determined that the content item should not be stored, the apparatus proceeds to step S1005 and does not store the content item or the content item information.
Referring now to Fig. 11, a method of managing stored content items is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method may be suitable for use in an apparatus such as the one shown in Fig. 1, in order to periodically determine whether any stored content items can be deleted. This enables the -22 -apparatus to efficiently manage the available space in the storage module, by deleting content items when they are no longer required. In the present embodiment, the method is for use when stored content items are recorded as virtual trailer channels, as described above with reference to Fig. 9.
Firstly, in step Si 101, the apparatus checks each recorded trailer channel to determine which programmes correspond to the stored content items. Then, in step S1102, for each programme corresponding to a stored content item it is checked whether that programme is available in the EPG. If the programme is available, i.e. is yet to be broadcast, it is determined that a corresponding content item is still required. In this case, the apparatus proceeds to step 51108 and does not delete the content item.
Alternatively, if the corresponding programme is not in the EPG, the apparatus proceeds to step 51103 and checks whether the EPG is fully populated. If the EPG is not fully populated, the apparatus proceeds to step 51104 and checks again at a later stage, once the EPG has been populated.
If the EPG is fully populated, it is determined that the corresponding programme has already been broadcast, and the apparatus proceeds to step SIlOS. Here, the storage module is checked to see whether the programme has been recorded, i.e. whether the programme is stored locally. If the programme has been recorded, the apparatus proceeds to step S1108 and does not delete a content item corresponding to the recorded programme.
If the programme has not been recorded, then it is determined that a content item corresponding to the programme is no longer required and may be deleted. In some embodiments, the apparatus may automatically delete the content item at this stage.
However, in the present embodiment, the apparatus is configured to perform another check before deleting the content item. Specifically, in step S 1106 it is determined whether the content item is available for deletion.
In more detail, in the present embodiment a broadcaster can signal that a content item should not be automatically deleted. For example, the TrailerExpirySupported element of the PushDownloadProgram fragment for the content item may indicate that the content item should not be deleted once it has expired. In this case, the apparatus may determine at step S1106 that the content item is not available for deletion. This feature can be used for content items that do not change, for example the title sequence for a news program.
If it is determined at step 51106 that the content item is not available for deletion, the apparatus may be configured to wait for a predetermined time period before deleting the content item. For example, the apparatus may be configured to keep the content item for a period of 13 weeks, and if no corresponding programmes referenced by the content item are received after this time the content item can be deleted.
Finally, if it is determined at step S 1106 that the content item is available for deletion, the apparatus proceeds to step S1107 and deletes the content item from the storage module.
The method of Fig. 11 takes advantage of the fact that content items such as trailers are typically broadcast for future programs. Therefore trailers may have been recorded that reference programs that have already been broadcast, and are no longer present in the EPG. The method of Fig. 11 allows the receiver to automatically delete these expired trailers, to free up space for new trailers. The receiver can be configured to check for expired content items periodically, or when the available space in an internal storage module falls belo\v a predetermined threshold.
Embodiments of the present invention have been described which enable an apparatus, such as a receiver, to automatically record content items such as promotional trailers \vithout user interaction. For example, the apparatus may reserve a portion of storage in an internal storage module for promotional content only. A large number of promotional content items may only require a relatively -24 -small amount of storage. A teaser is typically about 15-30 seconds long, whilst a trailer may be 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds long. By comparison, a single movie may be 2 hours long, and require an amount of storage space equivalent to 80 trailers (80 minutes) and 80 teasers (40 minutes).
Whilst certain embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the skilled person will understand that many variations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims (27)

  1. -25 -Claims 1. Apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream, the apparatus comprising: a storage module for storing a plurality of content items, each content item corresponding to a programme available in the broadcast stream, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive content item information for each content item and store the content item information, the content item information including a programme identifier and at least one group identifier associated with the content item, and wherein the programme identifier identifies the programme to which the content item corresponds and the at least one group identifier identifies at least one content item group to \vhich the content item belongs.
  2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to select a content item to be stored in the storage module based on the at least one group identifier associated with the content item.
  3. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein in response to a command selecting one of the programmes, the apparatus is configured to display at least one related content item corresponding to the selected programme on a display, the related content item being a content item associated with the same programme identifier as the selected programme.
  4. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to select a plurality of content items from the plurality of stored content items, and display the plurality of selected content items on a display, wherein the apparatus is configured to display the selected couteut items consecutively as a virtual channel.
  5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive virtual channel information defining a virtual channel, and select the plurality of content items based on the virtual channel information.
    -26 -
  6. 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to select the plurality of content items based on at least one of: the group identifier associated with each content item; a time at \vhich the corresponding programme for each content item will be available in the broadcast stream; and a channel on which the corresponding programme for each content item \vill be broadcast.
  7. 7. The apparatus of claim any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is a DVB-compliant receiver, and wherein the programme identifier and group identifier are Content Reference Identifiers CRIDs included in a PushDownloadProgram data fragment received through the broadcast stream.
  8. 8. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the content item information includes location information for identifying a source from which the content item can be obtained.
  9. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is arranged to receive the plurality of content items through the broadcast stream, and wherein the location information identifies a location of the content item in the broadcast stream.
  10. 10, The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is a DYB-compliant receiver, and wherein the location information defines an Event Information Table EIT event in the broadcast stream.
  11. 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is a DYB-compliant receiver arranged to receive the plurality of content items through a Digital Storage Media Command and Control DSM-CC carousel, and wherein the location information identifies a location of the content item in the DSM-CC carousel. -27 -
  12. 12, The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the content item information further includes information about a format in which the content item is provided.
  13. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the format is one of a video file format, a still image file format, and a hypertext markup language HTML file format.
  14. 14. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine an amount of available space in the storage module, and if the amount of available space is less than a predetermined threshold amount, to only store content items which are provided in one of a predetermined plurality of formats.
  15. 15. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine, for each stored content item, whether the programme to which the content item corresponds is still available through the broadcast stream, and is further configured to delete the content item from the storage module if it is determined that the corresponding programme is no longer available.
  16. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the content item information further includes deletion information for indicating that a content item should not be deleted, and wherein the apparatus is configured to not delete the content item when the corresponding programme is no longer available, if the deletion information indicates that the content item should not be deleted.
  17. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein if the deletion information for a stored content item indicates that the content item should not be deleted, the apparatus is configured to delete the content item after a predetermined time period.
  18. 18. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the content item information through the broadcast stream.
    -28 -
  19. 19. A method for use in an apparatus for receiving a broadcast stream, the method comprising: storing a plurality of content items, each content item corresponding to a programme available in the broadcast stream; receiving content item information for each content item; and storing the content item information, the content item information including a programme identifier and at least one group identifier associated with the content item, wherein the programme identifier identifies the programme to which said stored content item corresponds and the at least one group identifier identifies at least one content item group to which the content item belongs.
  20. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: selecting a content item to be stored based on the at least one group identifier associated with the content item.
  21. 21. The method of claim 19 or 21, further comprising: receiving a command selecting one of the programmes; and displaying at least one related content item corresponding to the selected programme on a display, the related content item being a content item associated \vith the same programme identifier as the selected programme.
  22. 22. The method of claim 19, 20 or 21, further comprising: selecting a plurality of content items from the plurality of stored content items; and displaying the selected plurality of content items on a display, by displaying the selected content items consecutively as a virtual channel.
  23. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: receiving virtual channel information defining a virtual channel, wherein selecting the plurality of content items comprises selecting the plurality of content items based on the virtual channel information.
    -29 -
  24. 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the plurality of content items are selected based on at least one of: the group identifier associated with each content item; a time at which the corresponding programme for each content item will be available in the broadcast stream; and a channel on which the corresponding programme for each content item will be broadcast.
  25. 25. The method of any one of claims 19 to 24, further comprising: receiving the plurality of content items through the broadcast stream.
  26. 26. The method of any one of claims 19 to 24, further comprising: receiving the plurality of content items through a Digital Storage Media Command and Control DSM-CC carousel.
  27. 27. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which when executed on a processor causes the processor to perform a method according to any one of claims 19 to 26.
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US13/495,617 US20120317600A1 (en) 2011-06-13 2012-06-13 Storing content corresponding to programs
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US20060107301A1 (en) * 2002-09-23 2006-05-18 Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. Video recorder unit and method of operation therefor

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JP2009065712A (en) * 2008-12-08 2009-03-26 Nippon Hoso Kyokai <Nhk> Digital broadcast receiver and related information presenting program

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Effective date: 20190613