Interactive video distribution systems – User-requested video program system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-24
2003-05-13
Williams, Kimberly A. (Department: 2697)
Interactive video distribution systems
User-requested video program system
C725S091000, C725S109000, C725S114000, C348S207110, C348S211990
Reexamination Certificate
active
06564380
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a system for sending live video on the Internet and, more particularly, to a new system for controlling, managing and distributing live video feeds generated from multiple, remote-controlled video cameras installed on-site in locations distributed throughout a region or the world.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Online user interest in digital video and broadband video services is growing currently at an exponential rate. Whether for video downloads, video conferencing, or news video services at work, or broadband video services, video-on-demand, or interactive TV services at home, online users are attracted by the huge qualitative difference in viewing experience and visual interactivity of online video services. Cable operator companies are upgrading their cable distribution facilities to greatly increase the available bandwidth to handle online video services and provide two-way connectivity for interactivity functions for their subscribers. Telephone operating companies are offering T
1
, fractional T
1
, and digital subscriber lines (DSL) that have the high bandwidth capacity to handle online video services. Satellite distribution companies also can provide high bandwidth downloading of online video services which can be combined with a telephone line back channel for two-way connectivity. These high bandwidth distribution systems also have the advantage of being “always on” to the subscriber, thereby making their viewing experience as accessible and familiar as turning on the television. At the same time, Internet webcasting companies are making use of advanced compression technologies to offer acceptable quality video on the public Internet at common PC modem connectivity bit rates.
Cable operating companies currently reach about 70 million of the 110 million households in the U.S., and expect to have high bandwidth cable facilities upgraded to be available to over 80% of their cable customers by end of Year 2000. Industry analysts project that anywhere from 30% to 70% of all cable customers will become subscribers to interactive TV and online broadband services by 2004. Through their upgraded plant, the cable operating companies will change over their analog TV signals to digital TV signals (as mandated by the FCC by 2002), and have the bandwidth capacity to offer in the range of 500 channels of digital TV, as well as broadband Internet connectivity to their subscribers. Similarly, the number of telephone line subscribers (primarily businesses) to T
1
, fractional T
1
, and DSL lines is expected to grow from the current 10 million to over 40 million subscribers by 2004. As the number of online users having access to high bandwidth for digital TV and online video services increases rapidly, thousands of new digital TV and video production companies are expected to be formed to create programming for the hundreds of available new channels in the cable service areas and the millions of Internet sites that can be enabled with online video services, and all of them will need new video content.
The production of TV-quality content is currently very expensive to produce. Typically, a TV or video production entails high costs for staging and taping or filming in a studio. If the production is interspersed with content gathered from the field, camera crews must be dispatched on-site to gather these feeds. If the location of the shoot in the field is in another city or country, large travel and road crew operating costs are incurred. The feeds recorded from the field must be taken back to the studios for editing with the other taped or filmed footage. Large delays in time and waste of personnel time are incurred by the current field-to-studio sourcing of content. Only the large, nationally syndicated TV broadcasting companies can afford to create TV-quality content on a consistent on-going basis. The thousands of new production companies operating on startup or small-company budgets will have a difficult time, if not be precluded from, producing TV-quality content by the current regime of high production costs.
The viewing of live events over TV or on the Internet provides an immediate, emotional impact to the public. As millions of new sources of content are offered on digital TV channels and on Internet sites, content that is live and local will be in high demand to capture viewers' interest. Similarly, video ads and other commercially sponsored content that covers local events and captures familiar faces and places will have a far greater impact on the viewing, purchasing public than generic content. However, the problem of high costs to capture live events by sending camera crews into the field will make it difficult for the new, smaller production companies to obtain live video feeds and employ them for TV or video production.
There have been some recent developments to use video cameras installed at on-site locations to provide video coverage from the field to an off-site location where the video feeds can be viewed or edited. In the security camera industry, software remote controllers are used to control on-site video cameras linked to a control station by dedicated lines. Sensormatic Electronics Corp., of Boca Raton, Fla., is offering security video cameras that can be controlled by software controllers over an Internet TCP/IP connection. Eyecast.com, of Herndon, Va., is offering a service for uploading security camera feeds via Internet connection to a Web server to preserve the feeds from loss or tampering. Perception Robotics, Inc., of Evanston, Ill., offers a system for viewing a live video feed from the field via Internet and remotely controlling the camera through a Web page menu of camera control parameters.
Other recent developments include media management systems that allow an Internet service provider to manage the use of streaming media on the Internet. For example, Microsoft Corp., of Redmond, Wash., offers the Windows Media Management System which tracks the use of streaming media files accessed or distributed from an ISP's Web site. Broadcast.com, of Dallas, Tex., offers the service of hosting streaming media programs for client companies on its Web site. MAX.i.c.Live, of Dallas, Tex., offers the 3600 System that can access multiple live video feed sources simultaneously via Internet for off-site video processing. A video asset management system is offered by a joint venture of Excalibur, a U.K. company, under the tradename Screening Room™, and INTERVU Network, Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., to provide video content owners and creators with video logging, searching, re-purposing, distribution and publishing capabilities. However, these recent developments do not provide a comprehensive solution for managing the accessing, transmission, distribution, and transacting of large numbers of video feeds captured live from on-site video cameras and from other video sources to large numbers of video producers, intermediaries, and end users at dispersed locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an Internet-based network system for controlling, managing, and efficiently administering the commercial distribution of live video feeds from large numbers of on-site video cameras to large numbers of production companies at other locations. The system should also have the capability to handle stored video feeds or pre-recorded video feeds provided from other sources, in addition to the live video feeds from on-site cameras. Another important objective is to create a video feed management system having a facility for authorizing and tracking accesses by different video producers to any of a large number of video feeds from different sources based upon a computerized feed list and pricing table, in order to generate a billing statement for each video producer and a payment statement to each video feed source. A specific object of the invention is to facilitate the remote control of a wide range of installed video camera types from any location via commonly used Inter
Chong Leighton K.
Demicco Matthew R
Pixelworld Networks, Inc.
Williams Kimberly A.
LandOfFree
System and method for sending live video on the internet does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System and method for sending live video on the internet, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System and method for sending live video on the internet will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3037577