Live and time-shifted content delivery for dynamic broadcast: Terminal aspects

In Dynamic Broadcast it is assumed that user terminals provide an interface to both a broadcast network and a broadband network. In addition, they are expected to be equipped with a storage device. The user terminals are capable of composing linear TV services of individual content items, which are either being received live via the broadcast or the broadband network or which are played back from a local storage device if they have been received before. Multiple content delivery mechanisms are supported, including live- and pre-transmission of TV programs. Inside the user terminals, a combined usage of one or more broadcast tuners, the broadband interface, and the local storage device is therefore required. In this paper, we discuss how the interaction of these devices can be managed in order to allow for the live and time-shifted delivery of TV content via dynamically changing distribution channels. Further, a demonstrator of a user terminal is presented, which allows the interruption-free presentation of TV services in a Dynamic Broadcast environment, where live as well as time-shifted content delivery mechanisms are in use.