Abstract:
A system and method for scheduling media for consumption via a demand broadcast channel based upon notifications received during user consumption of media. An embodiment of the present invention may employ notifications generated when users select media for consumption, to calculate one or more statistics. The statistics may be calculated and used by a media provider to schedule media into a demand broadcast channel in which the frequency of repetition or time of availability of the media is set according to a ranking of the relative frequency of requests for the media. The statistics may also be shared with a third party, to enable a third party media provider to arrange the scheduling of media availability according to the relative frequency of requests for the media.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE  
       [0001]    This application makes reference to, claims priority to, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/478,552, entitled “Demand Broadcast Channels And Channel Programming Based On User Viewing History, Profiling, And Requests” (Attorney Docket 15038US01 01042P-BP-2848), filed Jun. 13, 2003, U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/432,472, entitled “Personal Inter-Home Media Exchange Network” (Attorney Docket No. 14185US01 01001P-BP-2800), filed Dec. 11, 2002, and U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/443,894, entitled “Personal Access And Control Of Media Peripherals On A Media Exchange Network” (Attorney Docket No. 14274US01 01002P-BP-2801), filed Jan. 30, 2003, the complete subject matter of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.  
         [0002]    In addition, the applicants hereby incorporate the complete subject matter herein by reference, in their entirety, of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/478,286, entitled “Media Processing System Communicating Activity Information To Support User And User Base Profiling And Consumption Feedback” (Attorney Docket No. 15037US01 01041P-BP-2847), filed Jun. 13, 2003, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/448,705, entitled “Media Exchange Network With Media Guide Interface” (Attorney Docket No. 14330US01 01018P-BP-2819), filed Feb. 18, 2003, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/457,179, entitled “Server Architecture Supporting A Personal Media Exchange Network” (Attorney Docket No. 14825US01 01015P-BP-2831), filed Mar. 25, 2003, U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Personal Inter-Home Media Exchange Network” (Attorney Docket No. 14185US02 01001P-BP-2800), filed Sep. 8, 2003, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Personal Access And Control Of Media Peripherals On A Media Exchange Network” (Attorney Docket No. 14274US02 01002P-BP-2801), filed Sep. 11, 2003. 
     
    
     
       FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0003]    [Not Applicable] 
         SEQUENCE LISTING  
         [0004]    [Not Applicable] 
         MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE  
         [0005]    [Not Applicable] 
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    In general, the program schedules of broadcast and cable television channels are planned weeks or months in advance of being put into effect. The selection of program materials and the sequence in which they are broadcast are based upon a number of factors including, for example, the subject matter, the target audience, the length of the program, an estimate of its audience acceptance, and the nature and popularity of programs in competing time slots. Adjustments in day and time of broadcast are sometimes made when the original schedule proves unsuitable, or when other program offerings are better suited for that time period.  
           [0007]    When adjustments in program schedules are made, they are generally made using the same process used to create the original schedule based upon user polls and decisions by programming professionals. This process is slow to respond and is not suited to the rebroadcast of popular program content.  
           [0008]    New subscribers to cable and video-on-demand (pay-per-view) services are normally asked to choose from an assortment of channel or viewing selections. If they are new to the cable service or programming provider, they may be unaware of the nature of the programs and may be unable to effectively choose the channel or program selections that they are most likely to enjoy. The delay in the availability of program ratings made using current processes may provide little support for the selection of program and service options.  
           [0009]    Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    Aspects of the present invention may be found in a method supporting communication of activity information to enable media programming. Such a method may comprise receiving, via a communication network, at least one notification of a user request for consumption of media, and each of the at least one notification may comprise information related to the request. An embodiment of the present invention may comprise calculating at least one statistic using the information related to the request, and identifying media using the at least one statistic. In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may comprise scheduling the identified media according to the at least one statistic for consumption via the communication network, and updating a user interface with the scheduled identified media. The information related to the request may comprise at least one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an electronic serial number (ESN), a title, a subject, a time period, a genre, an artist, a media channel type, a mode, a language, and a user identifier. The communication network may comprise at least one of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure, and the communication network may be the Internet.  
           [0011]    In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the media may comprise at least one of audio, a still image, video, real time video, and data, and consumption may comprise at least one of playing audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and displaying data. At least one of the calculating, identifying, scheduling, and updating may be performed on a periodic basis, and the at least one statistic may be a ranking of the relative frequency of consumption of media.  
           [0012]    Additional aspects of the present invention may be seen in a method supporting communication of activity information to enable media programming. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention may comprise receiving, via a communication network, at least one notification of a user request for consumption of media. Each of the at least one notification may comprise information related to the request. Such a method may also comprise calculating at least one statistic using the information related to the request, identifying media using the at least one statistic, and communicating at least one of the identified media and the at least one statistic to a provider of the media, via the communication network. The information related to the request may comprise at least one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an electronic serial number (ESN), a title, a subject, a time period, a genre, an artist, a media channel type, a mode, a language, and a user identifier.  
           [0013]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the communication network may comprise at least one of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure, and the communication network may be the Internet. The media may comprise at least one of audio, a still image, video, real time video, and data, and consumption may comprise at least one of playing audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and displaying data. In addition, at least one of the calculating, identifying, and communicating may be performed on a periodic basis, and the at least one statistic may be a ranking of the relative frequency of consumption of media.  
           [0014]    Yet other aspects of the present invention may be observed in a system supporting communication of activity information to enable media programming. Such a system may comprise a television display, a storage for storing media, a user interface accessible via the television display, and set top box circuitry communicatively coupling the storage to a communication network to support consumption of the selected media. The storage may have an associated network address and the user interface may support the selection of media for consumption. An embodiment of the present invention may comprise server software that receives, via the communication network, a notification comprising at least one of the associated network address and information related to the media selected for consumption. The server software may respond by calculating at least one statistic.  
           [0015]    The media in an embodiment of the present invention may comprise at least one of audio, a still image, video, real time video, and data, and consumption may comprise at least one of playing audio, displaying a still image, displaying video, and displaying data. In various embodiments of the present invention, the associated network address may be one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, and an electronic serial number (ESN). The communication network may comprise at least one of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure. In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the information related to media selected for consumption may comprise at least one of a title, a subject, a time period, a genre, an artist, a media channel type, a mode, a language, and a user identifier. The at least one statistic may be a ranking of the relative frequency of consumption of media.  
           [0016]    An embodiment of the present invention may comprise server software that schedules the availability of media, based upon the at least one statistic, and the server software may perform the scheduling the availability of media on a periodic basis. Another embodiment of the present invention may comprise server software that shares, with a third party, the at least one statistic.  
           [0017]    These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a media exchange network in which an embodiment of the present invention may be practiced.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a media exchange network supporting demand broadcast channels and channel programming based on user viewing history, profiling, and requests, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary media guide interface (a.k.a., “channel view”), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1D is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a media guide interface similar to the media guide interface of FIG. 1C, but to which has been added two demand broadcast channels, “Demand Broadcast Channel #1” and “Demand Broadcast Channel #2”, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of providing a demand broadcast channel in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a first exemplary media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of performing personal media exchange over a second exemplary media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of performing third-party media exchange over a third exemplary media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 is an exemplary illustration of a media guide user interface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 7 is an exemplary illustration of several instantiations of a media guide user interface of FIG. 4 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 8 is an exemplary illustration of a media guide user interface showing several options of a pushed media in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 9A is a schematic block diagram of a media processing system (MPS) interfacing to media capture peripherals in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processing system (MPS) in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a PC and an MPS interfacing to a server on a media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a PC interfacing to personal media capture devices and remote media storage on a media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0033]    Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to the monitoring of television viewer behavior and the scheduling of entertainment programming choices. In particular, certain embodiments of the present invention employ user activity information to enable the creation, scheduling, and distribution of demand broadcast channels based upon user viewing history, profiling, and requests.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a media exchange network  100  in which an embodiment of the present invention may be practiced. The media exchange network  100  is a communication network comprising a MPS (media processing system)  102  at a 1 st  subscriber  101 , a MPS  107  at a 2 nd  subscriber  106 , and a PC  117  at a third subscriber  116 . The MPS  102  is connected to broadband access headend  108  which connects to WAN infrastructure  111 . Likewise, the MPS  107  is connected to broadband access headend  110  which provides connectivity to WAN infrastructure  111 . The media exchange network  100  further comprises a 3 rd  party service provider  112 , a 3 rd  party sales provider  113 , a 3 rd  party media provider  114 , and a broadcast channel provider  109 . Wide-area network (WAN) infrastructure  111  provides connectivity between the MPS&#39;s  102  and  107 , and the PC  117 , and permits access to 3 rd  party service provider  112 , 3 rd  party sales provider  113 , 3 rd  party media provider  114 , and broadcast channel provider  109 . The WAN infrastructure  111  may comprise, for example, cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure, or any combination of the above. The fact that illustration of FIG. 1A shows two MPS&#39;s  102  and  107 , and a single PC  117  is not intended to represent a limitation of the present invention. The media exchange network  100  may comprise any number of MPS&#39;s and PC&#39;s without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of the entities within the media exchange network  100  may be identified using a network or protocol address such as, for example, an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, and an electronic serial number (ESN).  
         [0035]    The MPS&#39;s ( 102  and  107 ) may be, for example, enhanced set-top-boxes. The MPS&#39;s ( 102  and  107 ) may each include a TV screen such as the TV screen  103  of the MPS  102  for viewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, and services that are available on the media exchange network  100  using, for example, a remote control such as the remote control  104  associated with the MPS  102 . The PC  117  may include a PC monitor for viewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, and services that are available on the media exchange network using, for example, a keyboard and mouse. The MPS&#39;s ( 102  and  107 ), and the PC  117  include functional software to support interaction with the various elements of the media exchange network  100 , in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0036]    In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a MPS may comprise a set-top-box (STB), a PC, or a TV with a media management system (MMS). A MMS is also known herein as a media exchange software (MES) platform.  
         [0037]    A MMS comprises a software platform operating on at least one processor to provide certain functionality including user interface functionality, distributed storage functionality, and networking functionality. For example, a MMS may provide control of media peripheral devices, status monitoring of media peripheral devices, and inter-home MPS routing selection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0038]    For example, the MPS&#39;s ( 102  and  107 ) and the PC  117  comprise a media exchange software (MES) platform  105 . Further details of a media exchange software platform are provided below with respect to FIG. 3. The MES platform  105  on the MPS  102 , and similarly the MES platforms on MPS  107  and PC  117 , support personalized views of media channels and the set up of new media channels on the media exchange network  100 . For example, the MES platform  105  provides a format, displayed on a monitor of the MPS  102 , comprising a media guide user interface, or “channel view”, to allow a user to set up a personalized view of the media guide user interface using a remote control  104 . An example media guide user interface is described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/448,705, entitled “Media Exchange Network With Media Guide Interface” (Attorney Docket No. 14330US01 01018P-BP-2819), filed Feb. 18, , the complete subject matter of which is hereby incorporate herein by reference, in its entirety. The MES platform  105  also provides the functionality for a user of the MPS  102  to set up one or more media channels in his personalized view.  
         [0039]    In general, the MPS&#39;s ( 102  and  107 ) and the PC  117  each include a media exchange software (MES) platform and a networking component for connectivity. The MES platform provides multiple capabilities including media “push” capability, media “access” capability, media channel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voice overlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection, authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home media experience, billing service, and an integrated media guide interface with a TV channel guide look-and-feel.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a media exchange network  130  supporting demand broadcast channels and channel programming based on user viewing history, profiling, and requests, in accordance with the present invention. Similar to the media exchange network  100  of FIG. 1A, the media exchange network  130  of FIG. 1B comprises a MPS  132  at a 1st subscriber  131 , a MPS  134  at a 2 nd  subscriber  133 , and a PC  144  at a 3 rd  subscriber  143 . The media exchange network  130  further comprises a 3 rd  party service provider  139 , a 3 rd  party sales provider  140 , a 3 rd  party media provider  141 , and a broadcast channel provider  136 . The wide-area network (WAN) infrastructure  138  provides connectivity between the MPS&#39;s  132 ,  134  and the PC  139 , and permits access to 3 rd  party service provider  139 , 3 rd  party sales provider  140 , and 3 rd  party media provider  141 . As is the case for WAN infrastructure  111 , above, the WAN infrastructure  138  may comprise, for example, cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure, or any combination of the above. Although the illustration of FIG. 1B shows a particular complement of MPS&#39;s and PC&#39;s, the present invention is not limited in this regard.  
         [0041]    As in the exemplary media exchange network of FIG. 1A, the MPS&#39;s ( 132  and  134 ) of FIG. 1B may be, for example, enhanced set-top-boxes and may each include a TV screen and a remote control, such as the TV screen  102  and remote control  104  of the MPS  102  in FIG. 1A. The PC  144  may include a PC monitor, a keyboard, and mouse. The MPS&#39;s  132  and  134 , and the PC  144  include functional software to support interaction with the various elements of the media exchange network  130 , in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0042]    In addition to the elements described above, the media exchange network of FIG. 1B comprises a 3 rd  party monitoring service  142 . The 3 rd  party monitoring service  142  is connected to the WAN infrastructure  138 , which provides connectivity to the MPS&#39;s  132 ,  134  of the 1 st  and 2 nd  subscribers  131 ,  133 , respectively, the PC  144  of the 3 rd  subscriber  143 , and the 3 rd  party service provider  139 , the 3 rd  party sales provider  140 , and the 3 rd  party media provider  141 . An example of a 3 rd  party monitoring service such as 3 rd  party monitoring service  142  may be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/478,286, entitled “Media Processing System Communicating Activity Information To Support User And User Base Profiling And Consumption Feedback” (Attorney Docket No. 15037US01 01041P-BP-2847), filed Jun. 13, 2003, the complete subject matter of which is hereby incorporate herein, in its entirety.  
         [0043]    In the exemplary media exchange network  130  of FIG. 1B, each activity by a media exchange network  130  user entity that results in the consumption of media channel content, such as the media channels exposed by 3 rd  party service provider  139 , 3 rd  party sales provider  140 , or 3 rd  party media provider  141 , or broadcast channel provider  136 , initiates the transmission of activity information to the 3 rd  party monitoring service  142 . It is a function of 3 rd  party monitoring service  142  to process the activity information from subscriber terminals such as, for example, the MPS&#39;s  132 ,  134  or the PC  144  of FIG. 1B, for later use by those organizations that may have interest in media channel access and consumption. In the example of FIG. 1B, the user activity information is transmitted to broadcast channel provider  136 , to support the creation of one or more demand broadcast channels. Additional details of the nature of demand broadcast channels will be provided below, with relation to FIGS. 1C and 1D.  
         [0044]    The following example illustrates a process by which user activity information is generated and collected, with reference to FIG. 1B. In FIG. 1B, the 1 st  subscriber  131  selects one of the media channels listed on their personal media guide user interface, as displayed on the TV screen  123  of the MPS  132 . This selection may be performed using, for example, a remote control such as the remote control  104  of FIG. 1A. For the purposes of this example, let us assume that the selected media channel was exposed by the broadcast media provider  136 , and that broadcast media provider  136  is the designated information recipient of any activity information related to media channel(s) exposed by broadcast media provider  136 . The designation of an information recipient of activity information may be made through an activity monitor parameters screen (not shown) displayed on the TV screen  123  of the MPS  132 . An example of one embodiment of an activity monitor parameters screen is shown and described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/478,286, entitled “Media Processing System Communicating Activity Information To Support User And User Base Profiling And Consumption Feedback” (Attorney Docket No. 15037US01 01041P-BP-2847), filed Jun. 13, 2003, the complete substance of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.  
         [0045]    In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the act of selecting a media channel for consumption may cause the MPS  132  to examine the characteristics of the selected media channel, to determine whether activity information about the selected media channel access should be transmitted to, for example, the 3 rd  party monitoring service  142 . If the characteristics of the selected media channel and other factors such as, for example, the time-of-day or date, are determined to be appropriate, the MPS  132  transmits the activity information  145   a  to the designated information recipient via media exchange network  130 . In this example, the information recipient for the MPS&#39;s  132 ,  134 , and the PC  144  is 3 rd  party monitoring service  142 . The activity information  145   a  from  1 St subscriber  131 , along with, for example, the activity information  146   a  from the 2 nd  subscriber  133 , and the activity information  147   a  from the 3 rd  subscriber  143 , are delivered via WAN infrastructure  138  to the 3 rd  party monitoring service  142  as part of activity information stream  148 . The 3 rd  party monitoring service  142  processes the incoming activity information stream  148 , and transmits the processed activity information  149   a  to the WAN infrastructure  138 , which delivers it to broadcast media provider  136  as processed activity information  149   b.    
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary media guide interface  160  (a.k.a., “channel view”), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The illustration of FIG. 1C shows a media guide interface  160  in a tabular format comprising rows representing media channels, and columns containing program schedule information  161 . The media guide interface  160  is suitable for display on a TV screen or PC monitor, such as TV screen  172 . Included in media guide interface  160  are three “Personal” media channels  162 , two “Friend&#39;s and Family&#39;s” media channels  163 , and four “3 rd  Party Broadcast” media channels  164 . The media guide interface  160  also comprises a time period indication  165  of the “month”, “day”, and “year” for which the media guide screen  160  is defined. Note that media guide interface  160  may be defined in units other than that shown, for example, “week” and “year”, “month” and “day”, “week” and “day of week”, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 1C, media guide interface  160  encompasses the time period from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM on the date indicated by time period indication  165 .  
         [0047]    As described above, the media guide interface  160  of FIG. 1C includes 3 rd  party broadcast media channels  164  comprising broadcast media channels “Life and Medicine”  173 , “The History Channel”  174 , “FOX”  175 , and “NBC”  176 . Each of these broadcast media channels have their own broadcast schedules. For example, the broadcast media channel “Life and Medicine”  173  has “Program C”  166  scheduled for broadcast at 6:00 PM, and “The History Channel”  174  has “Program D”  169  scheduled for broadcast at 10:00 PM. The broadcast media channel “FOX”  175  has “Program A”  167 ” scheduled for broadcast at 6:00 PM, while “NBC”  176  has “Program B”  168  scheduled for broadcast at 7:00 PM and “Program E”  170  scheduled for broadcast at 11:00 PM.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 1D is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a media guide interface  180  similar to the media guide interface  160  of FIG. 1C, but to which has been added two demand broadcast channels, “Demand Broadcast Channel #1”  193  and “Demand Broadcast Channel #2”  194 , in accordance with the present invention. The illustration of FIG. 1D shows a media guide interface  180  in a tabular format comprising rows representing media channels, and columns containing program schedule information  181 . The media guide interface  180  is suitable for display on a TV screen or PC monitor, such as TV screen  172  of FIG. 1C. Included in media guide interface  180  are three “Personal” media channels  183 , two “Friend&#39;s and Family&#39;s” media channels  184 , and four “3 rd  Party Broadcast” media channels  185 . The media guide interface  180  also comprises a time period indication  186  of the “month”, “day”, and “year” for which the media guide screen  180  is defined. Note that media guide interface  180  may be defined in units other than that shown, for example, “week” and “year”, “month” and “day”, “week” and “day of week”, without departing from the spirit of the invention. As in the example of FIG. 1C, media guide interface  180  encompasses the time period from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM on the date indicated by time period indication  186 .  
         [0049]    The media guide interface  180  of FIG. 1D includes 3 rd  party broadcast media channels  185  comprising broadcast media channels “Life and Medicine”  195 , “The History Channel”  196 , “FOX”  197 , and “NBC”  198 . Each of these broadcast media channels have their own broadcast schedules. For example, the broadcast media channel “Life and Medicine”  195  has “Program C”  187  scheduled for broadcast at 6:00 PM, and “The History Channel”  196  has “Program D”  191  scheduled for broadcast at 10:00 PM. The broadcast media channel “FOX”  197  has “Program A”  188  scheduled for broadcast at 6:00 PM, while “NBC”  198  has “Program B”  189  scheduled for broadcast at 7:00 PM and “Program E”  192  scheduled for broadcast at 11:00 PM.  
         [0050]    Let us assume that the activity information received and processed by a 3 rd  party monitoring service such as the 3 rd  party monitoring service  142  of FIG. 1B indicates that the most popular program carried by 3 rd  party broadcast channels  195 ,  196 ,  197 , and  198  of FIG. 1D is “Program D”  191 , followed in decreasing order of popularity by “Program A”  188 , “Program C”  187 , “Program E”  192 , and “Program B”  189 . In one embodiment of the present invention, a broadcast channel provider such as broadcast channel provider  136  of FIG. 1B may employ such processed activity information to create demand broadcast channels, such as “Demand Broadcast Channel #1”  193  and “Demand Broadcast Channel #2”  194 . The demand broadcast channels  193 ,  194  may each comprise a sequence of program materials selected from the 3 rd  party broadcast channels  185 , according to the popularity of the program materials as determined from user activity information.  
         [0051]    For example, in the illustration of FIG. 1D, the demand broadcast channel “Demand Broadcast Channel #1”  193  comprises a sequence of program materials starting with the most popular program, “Program D” at 7:00 PM, followed by the next most popular program, “Program A” at 8:00 PM, followed by the next most popular program, “Program C” at 9:00 PM and so on. In the illustration, the demand broadcast channel “Demand Broadcast Channel #1”  193  comprises five program selections, which are repeated beginning at 12:00 AM. While the demand broadcast channel ”Demand Broadcast Channel #1”  193  in the example of FIG. 1D comprises the five most popular broadcast media channel program selections, the number or ordering is not a limitation of the present invention. In another embodiment, a demand broadcast channel such as, for example, “Demand Broadcast Channel #2”  194 , may be offered using a repeating presentation of the single most popular program, in this case “Program D”. In such an embodiment, the most popular program from the 3 rd  party broadcast media channels  185  may be selected periodically (e.g., every 4 hours) and repeatedly broadcast until the next assessment of program popularity is made. In another embodiment of the present invention, a demand broadcast channel such as the demand broadcast channels  193 ,  194  of FIG. 1D may be created based upon direct viewer feedback or requests. This information may be conveyed to the provider of the demand broadcast channel, such as broadcast channel provider  136 , through a media exchange network or through other means, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of providing a demand broadcast channel in accordance with the present invention. The method illustrated in FIG. 2 is enabled when the users of a media exchange network such as media exchange network  130  of FIG. 1B, consume programming from one or more broadcast media channels provided by a broadcast channel provider such as broadcast channel provider  136  of FIG. 1B (block  201 ). Consuming the broadcast media channel content causes the user&#39;s media processing system or PC to send activity information identifying the consumed broadcast media channel content to the broadcast channel provider (block  202 ). Upon receiving the user activity information, the broadcast channel provider processes the activity information to determine user demand for broadcast media channel content (block  203 ).  
         [0053]    The broadcast channel provider then creates one or more demand broadcast channels from the program content of the broadcast media channels based upon the processed activity information (block  204 ). The demand broadcast channels are then distributed to those users that have subscribed to them (block  205 ).  
         [0054]    A major challenge is to be able to transfer and share many different types of digital media, data, and services between one device/location and another with ease while being able to index, manage, and store the digital media and data.  
         [0055]    For example, it is desirable to be able to distribute and store many types of digital media in a PC and/or television environment in a user-friendly manner without requiring many different types of software applications and/or unique and dedicated interfaces. Any networking issues or other technical issues should be transparent to the users. It is also desirable to take advantage of existing hardware infrastructure, as much as possible, when providing such capability.  
         [0056]    In an embodiment of the present invention, a media exchange network is provided that enables many types of digital media, data, and/or services to be stored, indexed, viewed, searched for, pushed from one user to another, and requested by users, using a media guide user interface. The media exchange network also allows a user to construct personal media channels that comprise his personal digital media (e.g., captured digital pictures, digital video, digital audio, etc.), request that third-party media channels be constructed from third-party digital media, and access the media channels pushed to him by other users on the media exchange network.  
         [0057]    PC&#39;s may be used but are not required to interface to the media exchange network for the purpose of exchanging digital media, data, and services. Instead, set-top-boxes or integrated MPS&#39;s (media processing systems) may be used with the media exchange network to perform all of the previously described media exchange functions using a remote control with a television screen.  
         [0058]    Current set-top-boxes may be software enhanced to create a MPS that provides full media exchange network interfacing and functionality via a TV screen with a TV guide look-and-feel. PC&#39;s may be software enhanced as well and provide the same TV guide look-and-feel. Therefore, the media exchange network supports both PC&#39;s and MPS&#39;s in a similar manner. Alternatively, a fully integrated MPS may be designed from the ground up, having full MPS capability.  
         [0059]    In the case of an MPS configuration, the user takes advantage of his remote control and TV screen to use the media exchange network. In the case of a PC configuration, the user takes advantage of his keyboard and/or mouse to use the media exchange network.  
         [0060]    An MPS or enhanced PC is effectively a storage and distribution platform for the exchange of personal and third party digital media, data, and services as well as for bringing the conventional television channels to a user&#39;s home. An MPS and/or PC connects to the media exchange network via an existing communication infrastructure which may include cable, DSL, satellite, etc. The connection to the communication infrastructure may be hard-wired or wireless.  
         [0061]    The media exchange network allows users to effectively become their own broadcasters from their own homes by creating their own media channels and pushing those media channels to other authorized users on the media exchange network, such as friends and family members.  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 3 comprises a media exchange network  300  for exchanging and sharing digital media, data, and services in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The media exchange network  300  is a secure, closed network environment that is only accessible to pre-defined users and service providers. The media exchange network of FIG. 3 comprises a first PC  301  and a first media processing system (MPS)  302  at a user&#39;s home  303 , a communication infrastructure  304 , external processing hardware support  305 , remote media storage  306 , a second PC  307  at a remote location  308  such as an office, and a second MPS  309  at a parent&#39;s home  310 .  
         [0063]    The PC&#39;s  301  and  307  and the MPS&#39;s  302  and  309  each include a media exchange software (MES) platform  311  and a networking component  312  for connectivity. The MES platform  311  provides multiple capabilities including media “push” capability, media “access” capability, media channel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voice overlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection, authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home media experience, billing service, and an integrated media guide interface providing a TV channel guide look-and-feel.  
         [0064]    The external processing hardware support  305  comprises at least one server such as a centralized internet server, a peer-to-peer server, or cable head end. The server may alternatively be distributed over various hosts or remote PC&#39;s. The MES platform  311  may also reside on the external processing hardware support server  305 . The remote media storage  306  may comprise user media storage and distribution systems  313  and/or third party media storage and distribution systems  314 .  
         [0065]    The communication infrastructure  304  may comprise at least one of internet infrastructure, satellite infrastructure, cable infrastructure, dial-up infrastructure, cellular infrastructure, xDSL infrastructure, optical infrastructure, or some other infrastructure. The communication infrastructure  304  links the user&#39;s home  303 , parent&#39;s home  310 , remote media storage  306 , and remote location office  308  to each other (i.e., the communication infrastructure  304  links all users and service providers of the media exchange network  300 ).  
         [0066]    The various functions  315  of the media exchange network  300  comprise generating personal network associations, personal storage management, media capture device support, security/authentication/authorization support, authorship tracking and billing and address registration and maintenance. These media exchange management functions  315  may be distributed over various parts of the media exchange network  300 . For example, the personal network associations and personal storage management functions may be integrated in the PC  301  at the user&#39;s home  303 .  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 4 illustrates an example of personal media exchange over a media exchange network  400  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step  1 , the media exchange software (MES) platform  401  is used to construct personal media channels on a PC  402  by a user at “my house”  403 . For example, with various media stored on the PC  402  such as digital pictures  404 , videos  405 , and music  406 , the MES platform  401  allows the digital media to be organized by a user into several channels having a media guide user interface  407  on the PC  402 .  
         [0068]    In step  2 , the user at “my house”  403  pushes a media channel  408  (e.g., “Joe&#39;s Music”) to “brother&#39;s house”  409  and pushes two media channels  410  and  411  (e.g., “Vacation Video” and “Kid&#39;s Pictures”) to “Mom&#39;s house”  412  via a peer-to-peer server  413  over the internet-based media exchange network  400 . “Brother&#39;s house”  409  includes a first MPS  414  connected to the media exchange network  400 . “Mom&#39;s house”  41   2  includes a second MPS  415  connected to the media exchange network  400 . The MPS&#39;s  414  and  415  also provide a media guide user interface  407 .  
         [0069]    In step  3 , brother and/or Mom access the pushed media channels via their respective media processing systems (MPS&#39;s)  414  and  415  using their respective MPS TV screens and remote controls.  
         [0070]    [0070]FIG. 5 illustrates an example of third-party media exchange over a media exchange network  500  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step  1 , a PC-initiated third-party request is made by a first party  501  via an internet-based media exchange network  500  using a media guide user interface  502  on a PC  503 . In step  2 , an anonymous delivery of the requested third-party channel  504  is made to a second party  505  via the internet-based media exchange network  500 . In step  3 , the second party  505  accesses the third-party channel  504  using a media guide user interface  506  on a TV screen  507  that is integrated into an MPS  508 .  
         [0071]    Similarly, in step A, an MPS-initiated third-party request is made by a second party  505  via an internet-based media exchange network  500  using a media guide user interface  506  on a TV screen  507  using a remote control  509 . The second party  505  may key in a code, using his remote control  509 , that is correlated to a commercial or some other third party broadcast media. In step B, an anonymous delivery of the requested third-party channel  504  is made to a first party  501  via the internet-based media exchange network  500 . In step C, the first party  501  accesses the third-party channel  504  using a media guide user interface  502  on a PC  503 .  
         [0072]    [0072]FIG. 6 illustrates a media guide user interface  600  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The media guide user interface  600  may be displayed on a TV screen  608  and controlled by a remote control device  609 . Also, the media guide user interface  600  may be displayed on a PC monitor and controlled by a keyboard or mouse.  
         [0073]    The media guide user interface  600  may be configured not only for conventional TV channels but also for personal media channels  601  that are constructed by a user of a media exchange network, friend&#39;s and family&#39;s media channels  602  constructed by friends and family, and third party channels  603  that are constructed by third parties either upon request by a user of a media exchange network or based on a profile of a user.  
         [0074]    The personal media channels  601  may include, for example, a “family vacations channel”, a “kid&#39;s sports channel”, a “my life channel”, a “son&#39;s life channel”, a “my music channel”, and a “kid&#39;s music channel”. The friends and family media channels  602  may include, for example, a “brother&#39;s channel”, a “Mom&#39;s channel”, and a “friend&#39;s channel”. The third party media channels  603  may include, for example, a “Sears Fall sale channel” and a “car commercials channel”.  
         [0075]    Each media channel may correspond to a schedule  604  showing, for example, a week  605  and a year  606 . For example, under the “kid&#39;s sports channel”, Ty&#39;s soccer game could be scheduled to be viewed on Tuesday of the current week  605  and current year  606 . For each media channel, a sub-menu  607  allows for selection of certain control and access functions such as “play”, “send to list”, “send to archive”, “confirm receipt”, “view”, “purchase”, and “profile”.  
         [0076]    [0076]FIG. 7 illustrates possible multiple instantiations of a media guide user interface  700  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The media guide user interface  700  may be viewed with a schedule having formats of, for example, “month, year”, “week#, year”, “day, week#”, or “hour, day”.  
         [0077]    Referring to FIG. 8, a user of a media exchange network may push a media channel (e.g., “Vacation in Alaska Video”) to a friend who is on the same media exchange network. The media guide user interface  800  may give the friend several options  801  for how to accept and download the pushed media in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0078]    For example, a first, most expensive option  803  may be “Express Delivery” which would deliver the pushed media to the friend in 18 minutes using queuing and cost $1.20, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 4 Mbps, for example. Queuing comprises buffering and delivering a previous part of the media and then buffering and delivering a next part of the media. For example, a first six minutes of the “Vacation in Alaska Video” may be buffered and delivered first, then a second six minutes may be buffered and delivered next, and so on until the entire media is delivered.  
         [0079]    A second, less expensive option  802  may be “Normal Delivery” which would deliver the pushed media in 2 hours and 13 minutes without queuing and cost $0.59, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 1.5 Mbps, for example.  
         [0080]    A third, least expensive option  804  may be “Overnight Delivery” which would deliver the pushed media by the next morning and cost only $0.05, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 19 Mbps and stored on a server, for example.  
         [0081]    [0081]FIG. 9A illustrates the detailed elements of a media processing system (MPS)  900  and media capture devices  901  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The media capture devices  901  may comprise audio, video, and image players, such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, and MP3 players, that each include a temporary storage area  902  and a communication interface  903  such as, for example, a USB interface or a wireless interface. The media capture devices  901  have the capability to interface to an MPS and a PC.  
         [0082]    The MPS  900  comprises a media processing unit (MPU)  904 , remote user interface(s)  905 , and a TV screen  918  to provide integrated media processing capability and indirect user interface capability. The remote user interfaces  905  may comprise a voice or keyed remote control  906 , keyboards and pads  907 , a remote PC access interface  908 , and a remote media system access interface  909  (i.e., providing access from another MPS).  
         [0083]    The media processing unit (MPU)  904  comprises TV and radio tuners  910  for image and audio consumption, communications interfaces  911 , channel processing  912  (creating, storing, indexing, viewing), storage  913 , media players  914  (CD, DVD, Tape, PVR, MP3), an integrated user interface  915  (to provide a TV channel guide look-and-feel), networking components  916  to provide client functions such as consumption (billing), authorization (e.g., using digital certificates and digital ID&#39;s), registration, security, and connectivity. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the networking components  916  may include a distributed server element  917  that is part of a distributed server.  
         [0084]    [0084]FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processing system (MPS)  920  in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. The MPS  920  is essentially an enhanced set-top-box for viewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, and services that are available on the media exchange network using, for example, a remote control. The MPS  920  comprises a media peripheral  921 , a MMS (media management system)  922 , and a broadband communication interface  923 .  
         [0085]    The media peripheral  921  may include a TV (television), a PC (personal computer), and media players (e.g., a CD player, a DVD player, a tape player, and a MP3 player) for video, image, and audio consumption of broadcast and/or personal channels. The broadband communication interface  923  may include internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or DSL modem) or other interface devices in order to communicate with, for example, a cable or satellite headend.  
         [0086]    The MMS  922  includes a software platform to provide functionality including media “push” capability, media “access” capability, media channel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voice overlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection, authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home media experience, billing service, and a media guide user interface providing an integrated TV channel guide look-and-feel.  
         [0087]    [0087]FIG. 10 illustrates connectivity between a PC  1000 , an MPS  1001 , and external processing hardware  1002  (e.g., a server) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The PC  1000  and MPS  1001  include networking components  1003  to provide client functions such as consumption (billing), authorization, registration, security, and connectivity. Alternatively, the PC  1000  and MPS  1001  may include a distributed server element  1004  that is part of a distributed server.  
         [0088]    The PC  1000  and MPS  1001  connect to the external processing hardware  1002  via wired or wireless connections. The external processing hardware  1002  comprises a distributed server or peer-to-peer server. The external processing hardware  1002  also comprises communication interfaces  1005  (e.g., cable interfaces, optical interfaces, etc.) and a media exchange software (MES) platform  1006 . The MES platform  1006  in the external processing hardware  1002  allows for communication with the PC  1000  and MPS  1001  which may also use the same MES platform  1006 . The external processing hardware  1002  also includes networking server components  1007  to provide the similar client functions such as consumption (billing), authorization, registration, security, and connectivity at the server side.  
         [0089]    [0089]FIG. 11 illustrates connectivity between a PC  1100 , remote media storage  1101 , and personal media capture devices  1102  when the PC  1100  is used as the primary distributor of digital media such as in the case of PC-to-PC operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The personal media capture devices  1102  and remote media storage  1101  connect to the PC  1100  via a wireless or wired connection.  
         [0090]    The remote media storage  1101  provides user media storage and distribution  1103  as well as third party media storage and distribution  1104 . The personal media capture devices  1102  provide temporary storage  1114  and communication interfaces  1115 .  
         [0091]    Viewing is done using a PC monitor  1105  instead of a television screen. The PC  1100  may include storage  1106 , TV/radio tuners  1107  for media consumption, media players  1108 , and communication interfaces  1109  and user interfaces  1110  similar to those for the MPS of FIG. 9A. The PC  1100  includes a media exchange software (MES) platform  1111  that provides channel construction capability  1112  and networking capability  1113 . The channel construction capability  1112  allows third party and personal media access, sequencing, editing, media overlays and inserts, billing, scheduling, and addressing.  
         [0092]    Various embodiments of the present invention include a system and method that provide demand broadcast channels and channel programming based on user viewing history, profiling, and requests.  
         [0093]    While the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.