Method and apparatus for improving performance and user experience of a mobile broadcast receiver

Abstract

Various techniques for receiving broadcast at a mobile broadcast receiver are described. In an aspect, the broadcast receiver provides user notification and/or automatically launches an application based on user preferences. In another aspect, the broadcast receiver improves channel switching time by predicting future channel selection based on real-time monitoring of user inputs. In another aspect, the broadcast receiver supports drag-and-drop user interface. In another aspect, the broadcast receiver provides additional information associated with a selected broadcast stream. In another aspect, the broadcast receiver processes a broadcast stream and sends output data to an external device for further processing and/or display. In another aspect, the broadcast receiver simultaneously displays live content and stored content. In another aspect, the broadcast receiver simultaneously receives multiple broadcast streams for displayed on one or more display units. In another aspect, the broadcast receiver collects user statistics and sends the statistics to a network entity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of receiving broadcast information, comprising:
 processing a broadcast stream at a mobile broadcast receiver to obtain output data; and   sending the output data to a first external device for additional processing or display, wherein the output data comprises content from the broadcast stream and the first external device displays the content.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein processing the broadcast stream at the mobile broadcast receiver comprises:
 demodulating and decoding the broadcast stream to obtain the output data, and wherein the first external device decompresses the output data to obtain the content from the broadcast stream.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending the output data to a second external device for additional processing or display.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the output data is sent simultaneously to the first and second external devices via multicast transmission. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the output data is sent separately to the first and second external devices via point-to-point transmission. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving multiple broadcast streams at the mobile broadcast receiver; and   displaying at least one of the multiple broadcast streams on at least one display unit at the mobile broadcast receiver.   
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for a mobile broadcast receiver, the apparatus comprising:
 at least one processor configured to process a broadcast stream to obtain output data; and   a communication unit configured to send the output data to a first external device for additional processing or display,   wherein the output data comprises content from the broadcast stream and the first external device displays the content.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
 demodulate and decode the broadcast stream to obtain the output data,   wherein the first external device decompresses the output data to obtain the content from the broadcast stream.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the communication unit is configured to send the output data to a second external device for additional processing or display. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the output data is sent simultaneously to the first and second external devices via multicast transmission. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the output data is sent separately to the first and second external devices via point-to-point transmission. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 receive multiple broadcast streams at the mobile broadcast receiver, and   provide at least one of the multiple broadcast streams for display on at least one display unit at the mobile broadcast receiver.   
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for receiving broadcast information, the apparatus comprising:
 means for processing a broadcast stream at a mobile broadcast receiver to obtain output data; and   means for sending the output data to a first external device for additional processing or display,   wherein the output data comprises content from the broadcast stream and the first external device displays the content.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the means for processing the broadcast stream at the mobile broadcast receiver comprises:
 means for demodulating and decoding the broadcast stream to obtain the output data, and   wherein the first external device decompresses the output data to obtain the content from the broadcast stream.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 means for sending the output data to a second external device for additional processing or display.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the output data is sent simultaneously to the first and second external devices via multicast transmission. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the output data is sent separately to the first and second external devices via point-to-point transmission. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 means for receiving multiple broadcast streams at the mobile broadcast receiver; and   means for displaying at least one of the multiple broadcast streams on at least one display unit at the mobile broadcast receiver.   
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for receiving broadcast information, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:
 process a broadcast stream at a mobile broadcast receiver to obtain output data; and   send the output data to a first external device for additional processing or display,   wherein the output data comprises content from the broadcast stream and the first external device displays the content.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to process the broadcast stream at the mobile broadcast receiver are configured to cause the processor to:
 demodulate and decode the broadcast stream to obtain the output data, and   wherein the first external device decompresses the output data to obtain the content from the broadcast stream.   
     
     
         21 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , the medium comprising instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:
 send the output data to a second external device for additional processing or display.   
     
     
         22 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the output data is sent simultaneously to the first and second external devices via multicast transmission. 
     
     
         23 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , wherein the output data is sent separately to the first and second external devices via point-to-point transmission. 
     
     
         24 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , the medium further comprising instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:
 receive multiple broadcast streams at the mobile broadcast receiver; and   display at least one of the multiple broadcast streams on at least one display unit at the mobile broadcast receiver.