By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco for The Register
This article has been reproduced from The Register, with
permission.
And so ends a 12-year battle. Incredibly, Microsoft originally
filed for the patent in March 1993, and the language reflects its
age: "The Internet has recently exploded in popularity," we learn,
and that, "a computer user with a modem can get on-line."
In its current form, this archaic patent appears not be of
immediate use to Microsoft. Patent #6,973,669 describes an
invention which uses the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of analog
broadcasts, a technology for which Intel once had high hopes.
Intercasting delivered data at around 10kbit/s. As modern digital
TV streams at 19Mbit/s per channel, there's little shortage of
bandwidth.
But read on, and it's apparent that it's the "pause" that
Microsoft seeks to exploit.
Describing how a broadcast could add features to a sports game
broadcast, the applicant writes:
"Hyper-links to Internet sport pages or chat
rooms can be included and the information displayed in a split
screen along with the game, or the viewing of the game can be
paused at the viewer's discretion for any length of time. Even with
these arbitrary pauses the present invention(s) permits the viewer
to watch the entire game, no matter when and how many viewing
pauses are taken."
In another possible embodiment, Microsoft suggests learning
videos with embedded URLs.
The patent covers 35 claims in all.
Last year Bill Gates predicted that the revenue model for
traditional broadcast TV would wither, and offered broadcasters his
own, predictably attention-deficient vision of the future: a split
screen with one side containing nothing but Google-style text
advertisements.
Despite scepticism over its response times, and suggestions that
its offering is six times more expensive than its rivals, Microsoft
has snagged BT, SBC and Swisscom as customers for its interactive
TV offering. (See
MS's IPTV strategy in tatters for details and MS IPTV is
lovely, says MS IPTV chap for a robust defense.)
Thanks to TheoDP for the tip and have a gander at it
here.
© The Register
2005
