Apple wants to beef up the features of its Apple TV app, as evidenced by a new patent filing (number 2020133631) for a “multi-TV user interface.
In the patent filing, Apple notes that for years, broadcast television was the sole provider of video content to viewer’s homes across the globe. As time has passed, and particularly with the advent of the Internet, numerous other sources of video content have arisen.
In addition to broadcast television, cable television and satellite based television providers have begun providing access to video on demand and other audio and video content. In addition, special purpose set-top boxes, such as that provided by the Apple TV set-top box and Roku, have provided a gateway for viewer’s to access other sources of video content not provided by their television service provider.
With such boxes, viewers were able to connect to these other content providers in order to obtain desired video content. Apple says that, currently, there are countless video providers in the marketplace. In addition, music and other audio content is available through various communication channels. Many are subscription based services, and some provide free content.
While the explosion of video content providers in the marketplace may seem a boon for viewer’s, the large number of choices and providers complicates the viewing experience, Apple says. The company wants to provide improved “media content delivery systems, methods, and mechanisms.
Here’s the summary of the patent filing: “A media content provider includes storage for storing and serving video content to subscribers. The media content provider records and or otherwise stores video content from around the world. The system includes display devices configured to identify and tailor content to multiple individual users. Each user may have individual settings which provide for a customized viewing environment and experience.
“The system is configured to identify users of the system in order to tailor the content as appropriate. In addition, identification of users allows for the identification of the subscription content that corresponds to the user. Based upon identification of a user and corresponding subscription, the user’s subscription content may be streamed to any location. In this manner, the users subscribed content may follow the user from home to a friend’s house, or elsewhere.”
