METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING BROADCAST PROGRAM STREAMS TO MULTIPLE DISPLAY DEVICES
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of electronic display devices, and more particularly it relates to the field of a method and an electronic device for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary display device to one or more secondary display devices.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In the current scenario, each electronic display device requires a tuner card to display broadcast program channels. Further, multiple electronic display devices, for example, television (TV) systems, with respective TV tuner cards may be required to display the broadcast program channels simultaneously on each TV system. The cost for installing the tuner cards in each TV system, and signal strength utilized by the TV tuner cards increases as a result.
[0003] In light of the foregoing discussion there is a need for an efficient technique for a method and a system for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary display device to one or more secondary display devices.
2/18

SUMMARY
[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure described herein provide a method and an electronic device for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary display device to one or more secondary display devices.
[0005] An example of a method for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary display device to one or more secondary display devices includes receiving a multiple program broadcast signal by the primary display device. The method also includes identifying the one or more broadcast program streams in the multiple program broadcast signal by the primary display device. Further, the method includes processing the one or more broadcast program streams by the primary display device. Furthermore, the method includes, transmitting the one or more broadcast program streams from the primary display device to the one or more secondary display devices.
[0006] An example of an electronic device for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams to one or more display devices includes a communication interface in electronic communication with the one or more display devices. The electronic device also includes a tuner card that receives a multiple program broadcast signal and identifies the one or more broadcast program streams in the multiple program broadcast signal by the primary display device. The electronic device further includes a memory for storing information. Furthermore, the electronic device includes a processor responsive to the information to process the one or more broadcast program streams by the primary display device and to transmit the one or more broadcast program streams from the primary display device to the one or more secondary display devices.
3/18

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0007] The accompanying figures, similar reference numerals may refer to identical or functionally similar elements. These reference numerals are used in the detailed description to illustrate various embodiments and to explain various aspects and advantages of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an environment , in accordance with which various embodiments can be implemented;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a primary display device for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams to one or more secondary display devices in accordance with one embodiment; and
[0010] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary display device to one or more secondary display devices in accordance with one embodiment.
[0011] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure.
4/18

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] It should be observed that method steps and system components have been represented by conventional symbols in the figures, showing only specific details that are relevant for an understanding of the present disclosure. Further, details that may be readily apparent to person ordinarily skilled in the art may not have been disclosed. In the present disclosure, relational terms such as primary and secondary, first and second, and the like, may be used to distinguish one entity from another entity, without necessarily implying any actual relationship or order between such entities.
[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure described herein provide a method and a system for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary display device to one or more secondary display devices. A primary display device described herein refers to a device that is capable of receiving a broadcast program stream from a service provider, uses a tuner card, and is also capable of displaying one or more broadcast programs. The secondary display device described herein refers to a device capable of receiving broadcast program stream from the primary display device and is capable of displaying one or more broadcast program streams.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an environment 100, in accordance with which various embodiments can be implemented. A service provider 105 transmits a multiple program broadcast signal. A primary display device 110 receives the multiple program broadcast signal using a tuner card. Examples of the primary display device 110 include, but are not limited to a television, a computer, a laptop, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). The primary display device 110 identifies the one or more broadcast
5/18

programming streams in the multiple program broadcast signal using a tuner card and transmits the one or more broadcast program streams to one or more secondary display devices. Examples of the one or more secondary display devices include, but are not limited to, a television 115a, a computer screen 115b and a laptop 115c. The primary display device 110 and the one or more secondary display devices are connected through one of a wired or a wireless communication means. Examples of the wired or wireless communication means, include but are not limited to, a video graphics array (VGA) cable 120a, a universal serial cable 120b, and a bluetooth 120c.
[0015] In some embodiments, the primary display device 110 scales the broadcast signal stream information corresponding to the one or more broadcast program streams prior to transmitting the broadcast program streams to the one or more secondary display devices. In one embodiment, the primary display device 110 encodes broadcast signal stream. The primary display device 110 transmits the broadcast signal stream to the one or more secondary display devices. The one or more secondary display devices receive the broadcast signal stream. If the received broadcast signal stream is encoded, then the secondary display devices decode the broadcast signal stream received. The broadcast programs are stored in a buffer. The secondary display device uses the information in the buffer for displaying the broadcast programs on a display screen.
[0016] Consider an example of the primary display device 110, for example, a television receiving the broadcast signal stream from the service provider 105. Let the broadcast program streams received be P1, P2, P3, and P4. In order to broadcast program stream P1 in the primary display device 110, broadcast program P2 in a secondary device, for example, a monitor, 115a and broadcast program P3 in another secondary device, for
6/18

example, laptop screen 115b the primary display device scales the broadcast program streams P1, P2, P3, and P4 respectively. The scaled broadcast program streams are then transmitted to the respective secondary display devices. P1 is displayed in the primary display device 110, P2 is displayed in the television 115a, and P3 is displayed on the computer screen 115b.
[0017] In some embodiments, the primary display device 110 can receive an input associated with the one or more visual portions of a broadcast program stream displayed on the primary electronic device 110. The primary display device 110 identifies the one or more portions of the broadcast program stream associated with the one or more visual portions. The one or more visual portions are captured by using a feature. An option can be provided to a user for selecting the visual portions through one of a communication means, for example, a touch sensing means and a remote control means. The portions of the broadcast program stream are then transmitted to the one or more secondary display devices. The one or more secondary display devices receive the broadcast program stream and the broadcast program stream is stored in a buffer. The secondary display device uses the information in the buffer for displaying the broadcast programs on a display screen.
[0018] Consider an example of a user selecting a visual portion 125 of the broadcast program displayed on the primary display device in order to display the portion on the laptop 115c. The primary display device 110 receives an input associated with the desired visual portion 125 and identifies the desired portions of the stream. The portion of stream identified is then captured, stored in a buffer, and transmitted to secondary display device. The laptop 115c then displays the visual portion 125 as shown in the FIG.1.
7/18

[0019] In some embodiments, the primary display device 110 and the secondary display devices display similar broadcast program streams. In other embodiments, the primary display device 110 and the one or more secondary display devices display dissimilar broadcast program streams. For example, if a broadcast program P1 is displayed on the primary display device 110 then, the same broadcast program P1 can be displayed in the television 115a, the computer screen 115b and the laptop 115c.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a primary display device 110 for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams to one or more secondary display devices in accordance with one embodiment. An example of the primary display device 110 includes, but is not limited to a television, a computer, a laptop, and a mobile phone.
[0021] The primary display device 110 includes a bus 205 or other communication mechanism for communicating information. The primary display device 110 includes a processor 210 coupled with the bus 205. The processor 210 can include an integrated electronic circuit for processing and controlling functionalities of the primary display device 110. The primary display device 110 also includes a memory 215, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the bus 205 for storing information which can be used by the processor 210. The memory 215 can be used for storing any temporary information required. The primary display device 110 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 220 or other static storage device coupled to the bus 205 for storing static information for the processor 210. A storage unit 225, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to the bus 205 for storing information. The storage unit 225 is used for storing the broadcast program stream information.
8/18

[0022] The primary display device 110 can be coupled via the bus 205 to a display 230, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) display, for displaying information. An input device 235, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to the bus 205 for communicating an input to the processor 210. The input device 235 can be included in the primary display device 110. Another type of user input device is a cursor control 240, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating the input to the processor 210 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 230. The input device 235 can also be included in the display 230, for example a touch screen.
[0023] Various embodiments are related to the use of the primary display device 110 for implementing the techniques described herein. In one embodiment, the techniques are performed by the processor 210 using information included in the memory 215. The information can be read into the memory 215 from another machine-readable medium, such as the storage unit 225.
[0024] The term “machine-readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. In an embodiment implemented using the primary display device 110, various machine-readable medium are involved, for example, in providing information to the processor 210. The machine-readable medium can be a storage media. Storage media includes both non¬volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as the storage unit 225. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as the memory 215. All such media must be tangible to enable the information carried
9/18

by the media to be detected by a physical mechanism that reads the information into a machine.
[0025] Common forms of machine-readable medium include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punchcards, papertape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge.
[0026] In another embodiment, the machine-readable medium can be a transmission media including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that include the bus 205. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.
[0027] The primary display device 110 also includes a communication interface 245 coupled to the bus 205. The communication interface 245 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network 250. For example, the communication interface 245 can be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links can also be implemented. In any such implementation, the communication interface 245 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information. The communication interface 245 can be a universal serial bus port.
[0028] In some embodiments, the primary display device 110 can be connected to the storage device 255 for storing or fetching information. Examples of the storage device 255
10/18

includes, but are not limited to, a flash drive, a pen drive, a hard disk or any other storage media.
[0029] In some embodiments, the communication interface 245 in electronic communication with the one or more display devices. A tuner card 260 receives a multiple program broadcast signal and identifies the one or more broadcast program streams in the multiple program broadcast signal by the primary display device 110. The processor 210 also processes the broadcast program streams. The processor 210 further transmits the broadcast program streams from the primary display device 110 to the one or more secondary display devices. For example, a broadcast program stream P1 is identified and the display 230 displays P1 on the primary display device 110. Similarly broadcast programs P2 and P3 are identified to be transmitted to respective secondary display devices. The memory 215 stores information associated with the broadcast program streams.
[0030] In some embodiments, the processor 210 can include or be connected to one or more processing units, to perform one or more operations.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary display device to one or more secondary display devices in accordance with one embodiment. The method for displaying broadcast programs starts at step 305.
[0032] At step 310, a primary display device receives a multiple program broadcast signal from a broadcast service provider. For example, in a satellite television system, a TV
11/18

set receives satellite broadcast streams. The satellite broadcast streams include, but not limited to, multiple program channels to be displayed.
[0033] At step 315, the primary display device identifies the one or more broadcast program streams in the multiple program broadcast signal using a tuner card. Examples of the primary display device include, but are not limited to a television, a computer, a laptop, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA)
[0034] At step 320, the primary display device processes the one or more broadcast program streams. The one or more secondary display devices assigned corresponding to the one or more broadcast program streams are determined.
[0035] At step 325, the primary display device transmits the one or more broadcast program streams to the one or more secondary display devices. Examples of the one or more secondary display devices include, but are not limited to a television, a computer, a laptop, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). The one or more secondary display devices interprets the one or more broadcast program streams received form the primary display device. The one or more broadcast program streams are then displayed on the primary display device and the one or more secondary display devices.
[0036] In one embodiment, the primary display device encodes broadcast signal stream. The primary display device then transmits the broadcast signal stream to the one or more secondary display devices. The one or more secondary display devices interprets the one or more broadcast program streams received form the primary display device and decodes the broadcast signal stream received. The broadcast programs are stored in a buffer. The
12/18

secondary display device uses the information in the buffer for displaying the broadcast programs on a display screen.
[0037] At step 330, the one or more broadcast program streams are displayed in the primary display device and the one or more secondary display devices. In some embodiments, the primary display device and the secondary display devices display similar broadcast program streams. In other embodiments, the primary display device and the one or more secondary display devices display dissimilar broadcast program streams.
[0038] The method for displaying broadcast program streams stops at step 335.
[0039] In one embodiment for a broadcast program stream displayed on the primary display device. Examples of the primary display device include, but are not limited to a television, a computer, a laptop, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). The primary display device receives an input associated with one or more visual portions of the broadcast program stream. The primary display device identifies portions of the broadcast program stream associated with the one or more visual portions in response to the received input. The primary display device then transmits the portions of the broadcast program stream to the one or more secondary display devices. Examples of the secondary display devices include, but are not limited to a television, a computer, a laptop, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). The one or more secondary display devices then displays the portions of the broadcast program stream.
[0040] In the preceding specification, the present disclosure and its advantages have been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, it will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and changes can be made,
13/18

without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded as illustrative examples of the present disclosure, rather than in restrictive sense. All such possible modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present disclosure.
14/18

I/We claim:
1. A method for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams from a primary
display device to one or more secondary display devices, the method comprising:
receiving a multiple program broadcast signal by the primary display device;
identifying the one or more broadcast program streams in the multiple program broadcast signal by the primary display device;
processing the one or more broadcast program streams by the primary display device; and
transmitting the one or more broadcast program streams from the primary display device to the one or more secondary display devices.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
interpreting the one or more broadcast program streams received from the primary display device by the one or more secondary display devices.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying the one or more broadcast program streams on the primary display device and the one or more secondary display devices.
4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
receiving an input associated with one or more visual portions displayed on the primary display device corresponding to a broadcast program stream;
15/18

identifying portions of the broadcast program stream associated with the one or more visual portions in response to the input; and
transmitting the portions of the broadcast program stream to the one or more secondary display devices.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
displaying the portions on the one or more secondary display devices.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing comprises:
assigning the one or more broadcast program streams to the one or more secondary display devices.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one of:
displaying similar broadcast program streams on the primary display device and the one or more secondary display devices simultaneously; and
displaying dissimilar broadcast program streams on the primary display device and the one or more secondary display devices.
8. The method of claim 1 and claim 2, wherein the primary display device uses a tuner card to receive the multiple program broadcast signal.
9. The method of claim 1 and claim 2, wherein the multiple program broadcast signal comprises multimedia content.
16/18

10.An electronic device for transmitting one or more broadcast program streams to one or more display devices, the electronic device comprising;
a communication interface in electronic communication with the one or more display devices;
a tuner card that receives a multiple program broadcast signal and identifies the one or more broadcast program streams in the multiple program broadcast signal by the primary display device;
a memory for storing information; and
a processor responsive to the information to
process the one or more broadcast program streams by the primary display device; and
transmit the one or more broadcast program streams from the primary display device to the one or more secondary display devices.