Apple has filed for a patent (quantity US 20230247264 A1) for a “common browse and watch record.” It describes future options for the Apple TV app and Apple TV set-top field that would cut back the headache of discovering media on a a plethora of streaming providers.
Within the patent submitting, Apple notes that many trendy computing gadgets present options that permit person to eat streaming media. For instance, a smartphone, laptop computer, or set high field will be configured with purposes from numerous content material suppliers {that a} person can invoke to view content material supplied by a respective content material supplier server.
When the person needs to view a selected content material merchandise (e.g., film, tv present, and so on.), the person can invoke every content material supplier software, search or browse for the content material merchandise, and watch the content material merchandise, if supplied by the content material supplier. For instance, the person can invoke content material supplier’s software to see what the person beforehand watched, get suggestions for brand new content material, resume viewing content material that the person partially watched, or resume a collection of content material (e.g., the subsequent episode in a TV collection).
Nevertheless, as Apple factors out, the method of discovering the content material merchandise by invoking a number of completely different content material supplier purposes will be” time consuming, burdensome, and dear to the person if the person doesn’t know that the content material merchandise is supplied totally free on one service and for a payment on one other service.”
What’s extra. the person might overlook that the person accessed a content material merchandise from one supplier and never one other and waste time making an attempt to proceed watching the content material merchandise by looking for the content material merchandise by a content material supplier that doesn’t have the specified content material merchandise. Apple says that what’s wanted is an improved mechanism for permitting a person to go looking, browse, and/or proceed watching content material objects from numerous content material suppliers is required.
Apple’s concepts is for a common browse and watch record that may present a centralized person interface for presenting just lately watched, really useful, and proceed watching content material objects supplied by completely different content material suppliers. For instance, a media system can embody a number of content material supplier purposes for viewing media objects on the media system.
When a content material supplier software presents a media merchandise, the content material supplier software can ship playback standing knowledge to a content material aggregator software on the media system. The content material aggregator software can present the playback standing knowledge to a content material aggregator server. The content material aggregator software can work together with a content material aggregator server to find out which content material suppliers can present the performed media merchandise or associated media objects. The content material aggregator software can present a centralized person interface that permits the person to provoke playback of media objects supplied by the assorted content material suppliers.
What’s extra, an Apple TV set-top field person can choose media content material merchandise for playback in a single software no matter content material supply. As well as, the content material performed by the media system doesn’t have to come back from the identical content material supply or vendor that beforehand supplied the content material merchandise. The set-top will be configured to find out one of the best media content material supplier with one of the best content material merchandise (e.g., the best high quality, no commercial, and the most affordable, and so on.) for playback from the corresponding supply and invoke the corresponding media content material supplier purposes with out further enter from the person.
