Patent ID: 6496981
Filing Date: 2002-12-17
Classification: G11B,H04N

Abstract:
A system for allowing existing media content to be converted and used as an interactive media program comprising:(a) existing media content in the form of media data representing a series of successive image display frames indexed in a time sequence which have objects appearing visually in one or more of the image display frames; (b) object mapping data specifying display locations of the objects appearing in the image display frames of the existing media content which are to be rendered interactive; (c) linkages provided through an associated object interactivity program for linking the objects specified by the object mapping data to respective interactive functions to be performed upon user selection of the objects by pointing to the display locations of the objects appearing in a display of the existing media content; and (d) a user system for operating the object interactivity program in conjunction with the display of the existing media content, said user system including a display device for receiving the media data and displaying the series of image display frames represented by the media data, an object interactivity device for receiving the object mapping data and the object interactivity program and performing the respective interactivity functions when objects appearing in the display of image display frames are selected by the user, and a pointing device for enabling the user to point to the display locations of objects appearing in the display of the media content, the user thereby being enabled to interactively select an object appearing in one or more image display frames by using said object mapping data specifying its display location in the image display frames and performing the interactive function linked by the corresponding linkage of the object interactivity program thereto, wherein the existing media content is an existing TV program transmitted to a viewer's TV set top box, the object mapping data correspond to the display locations of interactive objects appearing in the TV program and are transmitted to the viewer's set top box along with the object interactivity program and the viewer's set-top box is coupled to a television display and to a set top box remote control which is adapted as a pointer device.