2.9 Interactive News

2.9.1 Enhanced Video

During a news video, additional headline text scrolls from right to left (for roman languages) on the bottom of the screen. The selectable headlines scroll until the viewer starts browsing them using the remote control. When browsing is active the browsing of the viewer controls scrolling. During the browsing the main video and related data continues to display uninterrupted. If the viewer does not browse within several seconds, browsing is deactivated and autoscrolling resumes. On a selection of a headline, the display switches immediately to view the selected story, as if it was a channel selection (see Figure 2.19).

Figure 2.19. Sample news application courtesy of Alticast (www.alticast.com).

To enable this scenario, an updated list of selectable headlines needs to be transmitted and displayed. Selection of a headline triggers an event that is captured by an interoperable downloadable application, which displays the referenced program; that program may be either live in some channel or stored in the receiver.

2.9.2 Interactive Weather Report

In these scenarios viewers typically switch to a dedicated weather channel. The video of a reporter is presented (typically transitions) in the top-right corner of the screen. The broadcast contains a downloadable weather application and weather data. The application enables the viewer to display desired weather information and maps.

Figures 2.20 and 2.21 present sample graphic layouts of the weather reporting applications. The three key components are: (1) the weather data panel containing a table and an animation, (2) a small video panel, and (3) the information selector. Each one of these panels may be a different application and may be customized according to the viewer's profile. For example, video may be accompanied by Spanish audio and the temperature may be reported in degrees Celsius.

Figure 2.20. Sample weather service applications courtesy of Alticast (www.alticast.com).

Figure 2.21. Sample weather service application courtesy of TVC Multimedia [TVC].

2.9.3 Enhanced Emergency Alert System

During a regular TV show, the program is abruptly interrupted to report on a new storm developing in the area, or an imminent terrorist attack. The emergency alert is accompanied by maps and detailed interactive guides that enable each viewer to extract the specific details applicable to him/her.

2.9.4 News Pages

During a news video, a flashing More Information selection appears on the screen, typically at the bottom. On selection of this option, the display switches to display text pages, which are similar to today's news Web pages. Some of these pages have instant response, but others may require access through a return channel. The operation of these pages is similar to today's Web browsing, with one exception: A hot-key on the remote control enables switching the display back to the video news channel.

In this scenario, news is delivered using markup content pages; this may require some transcoding from a news Web site. Font and other graphic resolution issues are resolved either by the transcoding process or by the receiver. The content pages not pushed in the broadcast are pulled through a return channel. If a return channel is not available, links to pages not accessible to the receiver can be automatically removed.

The viewer selects pages and scrolls down and up using the remote control. Video clips embedded within the page could be selected and displayed either in full screen, or in the full size of the video (in case it is smaller than the screen); during the display of the clip no other video or text is visible.