In an age where live events are increasingly presented digitally, a Chinese tech giant, Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited, just made a significant game-changer move. The company recently filed a patent numbered US20230336792A1, bringing forth a novel technique that streamlines the watching of live-streamed events.
Many of us get frustrated when we're engrossed in a live event online - like a sports match, a concert, or a conference - and a thrilling moment happens that we would like to rewatch. Currently, we must exit the live stream to replay those moments and return to the live event, which can disturb our flow and lead to missing out on other action-packed live ongoing moments. Tencent's new patent solves this hurdle elegantly.
To address this issue of clumsy switch between live events and highlights, Tencent's patent details about a split-screen system integrated with a playback control for specific 'target segments' or highlights. These highlights can be projected on the screen simultaneously in a split-view format alongside the ongoing live stream. The viewers can thus enjoy the live event while also replaying awesome moments in real-time without having to disrupt their watching rhythm.
The patent accurately explains how it can avoid any misoperation, specially for users with smaller screen devices by maintaining a set distance between the playback controls. It further enhances user experience by incorporating bullet screen comments, where viewers can spot the target segments easily without their watching experience being hindered.
Furthermore, the implementation of this patent would transform how we interact with live digital events. Imagine watching a live music concert and being able to replay the end-note of a spectacular guitar solo, all while not missing any beat of the ongoing show. Or, picture viewing a global business conference where you can go back to a speaker's key insights without missing ongoing discussions. The scope and utility of this groundbreaking technology are profoundly wide-ranging.
However, it is crucial to keep in mind that this is merely a patent for now. There's no guarantee when or indeed if Tencent will incorporate this patented technique within their digital platform, Tencent Video. The world of patents is often tricky, some get readily transformed into reality, while others fall to the wayside and never see the light of day.
P.S. The sketches accompanying the patent details provide a graphical guide on how the new system could be implemented, from the display apparatus for event live-streaming to the gesture operations. Again, it's important to remember that obtaining a patent doesn't necessarily mean the idea will come to fruition commercially.