115 results about "Pay-per-view" patented technology

An interactive television program guide for supporting programming blackouts is provided. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may unschedule the reminding and recording of blacked-out programs that have been scheduled by a user for reminding or recording. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may prevent a user from scheduling blacked-out programs for reminding and recording. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may prevent a user from ordering blacked-out pay-per-view programs. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may provide blackout information in information displays. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may provide replacement media for blacked-out programs.

A TV music broadcasting program is distributed from a distribution apparatus through a ground station and a satellite, and a musical-piece program is also distributed through a plurality of audio channels. A subscriber looks for the desired musical piece from a musical-piece list displayed on the screen of a TV receiver and downloads it into a storage device. A pay-per-view method is employed in which accounting is performed in units of musical pieces. At downloading, a purchase record is stored in an IC card placed in a receiving apparatus and it is periodically sent to a customer management center. The customer management center calculates the viewing fee and issues a bill to the subscriber. A copyright management apparatus in the distribution apparatus obtains the purchase record of a musical piece from the customer management center to calculate a copyright fee to be paid to the copyright holder.

A television message system is provided that allows users at user television equipment devices that are connected to a television distribution facility to transmit messages to each other relating to a television program or other suitable subject. The television message system permits users to participate in evaluations, contests, promotions, and surveys related to a television program while watching that television program. The television message system also permits users to compose and send a message to a television program entity. Users can send messages through the television message system to users at personal computers who are connected to the user's television distribution facility through a communications network. The television message system also allows a user to purchase a gift related to television programming for a recipient. The gift may be an electronic gift certificate for pay-per-view programming. The television message system may be based on an interactive television program guide or a set-top box application implemented on a set-top box.

In accordance with the present invention, commercials are provided to a subscriber at the start of or during their use of an interactive television application. Further in accordance with the invention, a subscriber may select to pay for use of the interactive television application by watching a specified amount of commercials in connection with use of the application. The subscriber can thereby reduce or avoid any additional payment for such services. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the subscriber is prompted to determine the payment method preferred by the subscriber payment method includes receiving commercials as an option in lieu of or in addition to traditional payment methods such as pay-per-view, pay-per-use pay-per-play and subscription based.

Gaming systems and methods of operation thereof are disclosed. Such gaming systems and methods allow a player of a gaming device, such as a slot machine or an arcade video game, to access entertainment services, such as broadcast television programming, web sites, pay-per-view services and shared-revenue telephone services, such as 900 or 976 services, for enhanced player retention. In accordance with one or more embodiments, when play is initiated, a predefined establishment-specific criteria is evaluated to determine whether the player should be provided with access to entertainment services. A player entitled to access such services may be presented with a list of available entertainment services. Upon receipt of the player's selection, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a connection may be established between the gaming device and the provider of the selected entertainment service. In accordance with one embodiment, the content that is the entertainment service is store in the memory of the gaming device or a peripheral device and output to the player. The player's level of play may be monitored to ensure that the establishment-specific criteria for maintaining access to such entertainment services is being met.

Methods and systems that provide enhanced personal video recorder (“PVR”) and interactive television program guide (“IPG”) functionality are provided. An interactive television application (“application”) may be implemented to provide such functionality. The application may be used to display a list of PVR recordings, to schedule recordings to a PVR, to configure recordings, to view a list of scheduled recordings, to configure recording settings, or to select delete priority settings for recordings. The application may integrate pay-per-view and PVR functionality. The application may send user notifications for changes that are to be made to the recording content of a PVR. Live programming may be buffered by the application using a straight buffers that are created for each new program. Parallel buffers for concurrent programs may be implemented using multiple tuners. Straight buffers may be used in managing or controlling the flow of programming. Television content may be automatically paused when a user is engaged in using the application. Multiple IPGs for different users of a PVR may be implemented. Other PVR related features are also provided.

A method and apparatus for enabling background caching of encrypted programming data on a storage medium for later playback in a digital video recorder (DVR) system. A set-top box (STB) equipped with a DVR searches a program guide for upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) events. When the PPV event begins, the STB tunes an appropriate transponder and begins receiving programming data packets containing audio, video, system time and conditional access data packets associated with the event, which are stored for playback on a storage medium. When the user turns the STB on and selects an option to playback a previously-recorded PPV event, the appropriate programming data is retrieved from the storage medium, and the STB recreates the original transmission timing of the data, to be displayed on a display device of the user.

An interactive television program guide for supporting programming blackouts is provided. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may unschedule the reminding and recording of blacked-out programs that have been scheduled by a user for reminding or recording. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may prevent a user from scheduling blacked-out programs for reminding and recording. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may prevent a user from ordering blacked-out pay-per-view programs. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may provide blackout information in information displays. In some embodiments, the interactive television program guide may provide replacement media for blacked-out programs.

A system for the efficient distribution of live and stored audio / video streams to multiple subscribers without degrading normal data delivery services. The system segments one or more frequency bands into sub-bands, or channels, each of which is capable of carrying encoded audio, video, and other data streams, to a plurality of subscribers. Each channel transmitted in the system provides full-duplex operation so that each subscriber may indicate what specific services are desired, such as audio / video broadcast, two-way data transfer, video library access, pay-per-view video, interactive video, and audio file transfer. A transmission headend facility (‘hub’) broadcasts multiple channels of video / audio data (e.g., Internet data) in unicast mode via a shared media transmission facility to multiple subscribers. Simultaneously, selected video / audio / data is transmitted in Internet Protocol multicast mode over one or more channels of the segmented frequency band. The subscriber is provided a device which simultaneously and dynamically demodulates 2 or more channels and interleaves the information over a single ethernet interface connected to one or more IP enabled devices. Each subscriber thus has the capability of, for example, receiving a video stream concurrent with many other subscribers while simultaneously interacting uniquely with the Internet or other data network.

Disclosed is a method for monitoring usage of a programmable video recording device that records television program segments selected by on-screen graphics. In the method, an on-screen graphic associated with selecting a television program segment is intercepted. The selected television program segment is recognized using the intercepted on-screen graphic, and record usage information associated with the selected television program segment is generated. The record usage information may be included in a database for analysis. Other similar television usage may be monitored such as recorded program playback, game play, pay-per-view, and video-on-demand viewing.

An Internet television program guide system is provided that allows a user at a multimedia system to access information related to television programs over an Internet communications link. The user can view television program guide listings and related video stills and video clips. The user can perform database searches on the program guide listings (e.g., to search for a particular type of television program). If desired, the user can select an option that directs the multimedia system to tune directly to a television channel for a selected program or to a related television program guide or movie guide service on a television channel. The user can order pay-per-view events using the system.

An audio / video processing system combines a locally generated audio signal with pre-recorded audio / video programming to produce combined audio / video output. The audio / video system allows users to generate sound locally, mix them with the audio content of a pre-recorded audio / video program, and allows combined output to be presented by home audio / video system video displays and the speakers. The audio / video system provides independent sound characteristic control capability, such as volume control settings and voice and tone alterations settings and the equalization settings, for the various sound components produced in the process of mixing locally generated sounds. The sound components produced in the process of mixing include locally generated sound components, such as the voice sound component, the musical instrument sound components, and the sound components of the pre-recorded audio program such as voice, musical instrument and the background sound components. The pre-recorded audio / video programs may be obtained on the pay-per-view basis.

System, methods and apparatus are applicable to enable owners and vendors of software to protect their intellectual property and other rights in that software. The system also enables vendors or distributors of software to charge per-use for an instance of software. The system produces a unique, unforgeable, tag for every vendor supplied instance (copy) of specific software. Each user device is equipped with a supervising program that ensures, by use of the tag and other information, that no software instance will be used on the device in a manner infringing on the vendor, distributor, or software owner's rights. When installing or using a vendor-supplied software instance, the supervising program verifies the associated tag and stores the tag. When installing or using untagged software, the supervising program fingerprints selected portions of the software and stores the fingerprints. Software is used on a user's device through the supervising program which ensures proper use of the software. A vendor can submit a copy of infringing software to a guardian center which fingerprints appropriate portions of the infringing software. A user device's (104) supervising program periodically calls up, or can be called up, by the guardian center. During call-up, the supervising program can securely sends to the guardian center information about the use of the software instances associated with tags and fingerprints. The guardian center detects unauthorized use of software by comparison of current call-up data with records of past call-ups involving the same tags, and / or by comparing call-up supplied fingerprints with fingerprints of infringing software stored by the guardian center. The guardian center completes the call-up by enabling continued use of properly used software instances and generating appropriate punitive actions upon detection of improperly used software instances on the calling user's device. The data supplied by a supervising program during call-up is also employed by the guardian center to prepare data on usage by a user's device of vendor or distributor supplied software instances, for pay-per-use or pay-per-view billing.

A method and apparatus for group billing purchasers of transmitted programming events is provided. In one embodiment, a subscriber group includes two or more individual subscribers who receive programming from a programming provider. The individual subscribers periodically elect to view a program provided via the program provider. The program is provided on a pay-per-view basis, meaning that the program provider requires a sum of money to be paid in order to view the program. The sum of money is determined according to the number of viewers in a single subscriber group. In one embodiment, the subscribers interact during a program via a network connection.