METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OVERLAY-BASED ENHANCED TV SERVICE TO 3G WIRELESS HANDSETS

摘要

The present invention is directed to a new approach to enhance existing TV service on mobile phones. In addition to the video streams for TV programs carried over multicast or broadcast channel, a unicast channel is setup for each user to provide content that is interactive and less bandwidth intensive than the video stream for the TV program. Such interactive content could include TV guide, bios for cast members and vote casting for popular TV shows such as 'American Idol'. The invention includes a method of providing enhanced content information to a mobile device capable of receiving TV programming, the mobile device having a GUI included therein for displaying the enhanced content information and transmitting information from said mobile device related to the enhanced content. The method comprises the steps of providing a unicast channel to said mobile device and transmitting the enhanced content via said unicast channel, the enhanced content related to a TV program being viewed on said mobile device. A mobile apparatus for providing enhanced content information related to TV programming being received thereon is also disclosed. The apparatus includes a processor for providing capability to process the TV programming being received and a GUI for displaying the enhanced content information and enabling transmitting information from the mobile apparatus related to said enhanced content, wherein the enhanced content information is provided via a unicast channel to the mobile apparatus and the TV programming is provided by a broadcast channel.