Ip tv queuing time/channel change operation

Abstract

An Internet based television program delivery server, coupled to a plurality of television source devices and a plurality of recipient devices, that receives a plurality of Internet protocol television programs, buffers them, converts recipient device selected Internet protocol television programs to preview Internet television programs and transmits the preview Internet protocol television programs to the recipient device, until full scale Internet protocol television programs become available for viewing on the recipient device. A video conversion circuitry built into the Internet based television program delivery server performs the conversion of some of the television video content to preview television video content, to compensate for delay in full scale television program delivery. The conversion itself includes reductions in frame rate, color and pixel resolutions, screen size and aspect ratio such that it produces lower bandwidth Internet protocol television program packets, during channel changing.

1 . An Internet television recipient device comprising:
 a channel surfing engine to display a scrollable channel list for channel selection; and   a channel guide engine to request a preview of a selected channel from the scrollable channel list by requesting low bandwidth television program content until a full scale television program content is made available when channel changing, in which the low bandwidth television program content having reduced aspect ratio, reduced pixel resolution, reduced color resolution, and reduced screen size than the full scale television program content.   
     
     
         2 . The Internet television recipient device of  claim 1 , wherein the channel surfing engine and channel guide engine to communicate with a channel support surfing server to obtain the channel list and low bandwidth television program content. 
     
     
         3 . The Internet television recipient device of  claim 1 , wherein the scrollable channel list for channel selection includes a still image for the selected channel. 
     
     
         4 . The Internet television recipient device of  claim 1 , wherein the scrollable channel list for channel selection includes a still image for the selected channel and information related to the selected channel. 
     
     
         5 . The Internet television recipient device of  claim 1 , wherein the scrollable channel list for channel selection includes a still image for the selected channel, information related to the selected channel and a program guide for the selected channel. 
     
     
         6 . The Internet television recipient device of  claim 1 , wherein the scrollable channel list that is displayed for channel selection includes an icon for the selected channel, in which when the icon is selected, the low bandwidth television program content is displayed until the full scale television content for the selected channel is made available. 
     
     
         7 . The Internet television recipient device of  claim 1 , wherein the scrollable channel list that is displayed for channel selection includes an icon for the selected channel, in which when a cursor placed over the icon is clicked, the low bandwidth television program content is displayed until the full scale television program content for the selected channel is made available. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus comprising:
 a channel surfing engine to display a scrollable channel list for television channel selection, preview still image and preview television program content; and   a channel guide engine to request content for a selected channel from the scrollable channel list, wherein the preview still image and preview television program content for the selected channel is downloaded and made available for display by the channel surfing engine prior to a full scale television program content is made available for display for the selected channel, in which the preview television program content is a low bandwidth program content having reduced aspect ratio, reduced pixel resolution, reduced color resolution, and reduced screen size than the full scale television program content.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the channel list to list Internet television channels. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the channel surfing engine and the channel guide engine to communicate with a channel support surfing server to obtain the channel list, preview still image and preview television program content. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the scrollable channel list for channel selection includes information related to the selected channel. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the scrollable channel list for channel selection includes information related to the selected channel and a program guide for the selected channel. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the scrollable channel list that is displayed for channel selection includes an icon for the selected channel, in which when the icon is selected, the preview television program content is displayed until the full scale television program content for the selected channel is made available. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the scrollable channel list that is displayed for channel selection includes an icon for the selected channel, in which when a cursor is placed over the icon, the preview still image is displayed. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the scrollable channel list that is displayed for channel selection includes an icon for the selected channel, in which when a cursor is placed over the icon, the preview still image is displayed and when the cursor placed over the icon is clicked, the preview television program content is displayed until the full scale television content for the selected channel is made available. 
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 displaying a scrollable channel list for television channel selection on a display;   selecting a channel from the channel list;   requesting full scale television program content for the selected channel;   downloading preview television program content for the selected channel, wherein the preview television program content is a low bandwidth program content that is available prior to the full scale television program content, in which the low bandwidth program content having reduced aspect ratio, reduced pixel resolution, reduced color resolution, and reduced screen size than the full scale television program content; and   displaying the preview television program content until the full scale television program content is made available for display for the selected channel.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further including downloading a preview still image for the selected channel when downloading the preview television program content. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising communicating with a server to obtain the channel list, preview still image and preview television program content. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising placing a cursor over an icon displayed with the selected channel, in which placing the cursor over the icon causes the preview still image to be displayed. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising clicking on the cursor placed over the icon for the selected channel, in which clicking on the icon causes the preview television program content to be displayed until the full scale television content for the selected channel is made available.