HK1111030B - Process and apparatus for playing alternate content to a user during playing of commercials - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for playing alternate content to a user during the playing of an advertisement

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the storage and viewing of television program material in a computer environment. More particularly, the present invention relates to playing alternate content during high speed playback of advertisements.

Background

The introduction of Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) has revolutionized the television recording industry. DVRs store program material on storage media that are easily accessible, reusable, and the recording does not degrade over time as with videotapes.

DVRs give viewers unprecedented control over the way they watch live and recorded television programs. One of the effects of DVRs is that viewers have an intention to skip commercial breaks (commercialbeaks) when they watch television programs stored on the DVR storage medium.

Television broadcasters and advertisers have an objection to the advent of DVRs. The perception is that DVRs are breaking some of the goals of advertising on broadcast media. Since the viewer is not dependent on the broadcaster's schedule, the prime time (Primetime) no longer exists. DVRs allow a viewer to easily store all of his desired programming for later viewing.

Broadcasters generate their revenue by the value of commercial spots. Advertisers feel that they are losing the "eye" of their potential audience. If the advertisers do not believe that the prime spot break is of any value, the broadcasters lose a large portion of their revenue.

On the other hand, DVR service providers also generate revenue through advertising. Specialized advertising that is broadcast directly to targeted viewers is a very large potential market. DVRs have the ability to assess viewer viewing preferences and make inferences about the viewer's lifestyle. Based on this personal information, the DVR service provider can directly target the correct audience for the advertiser.

It would be advantageous to provide a system for modifying commercials for high speed playback that allows content providers to preserve and improve the value of particular portions of a television commercial break. It would be further advantageous to provide a system for modifying advertisements for high speed playback that allows a service provider to play advertisements to a viewer in advertisement intervals that would normally be skipped by the viewer.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a system for altering advertisements for multi-speed playback. The system allows a content provider or advertiser to maintain and improve the value of a particular segment of a television commercial break. In addition, the present invention provides a system that allows a service provider to play advertisements to a viewer in advertisement intervals that would normally be skipped by the viewer.

The present invention detects when a commercial break begins in a broadcast program content stream. If the viewer selects the fast forward playback mode during the commercial break, the system selects the appropriate alternate content to play to the viewer. The alternative content may include image, video, and/or audio content.

The system may use a playlist that identifies the channel and time of the affected advertisement and the alternate content to be played. The system may automatically detect the appropriate advertisement by the presence of an alternate content set for the particular advertisement or by some advanced method (e.g., pattern recognition).

Configuration information is provided to the system by the service provider or broadcaster to determine what alternative content will be played, when it will be played, and any additional processing tasks required. The information may also include commercial data that determines whether the system is authorized to play the alternate content.

The system may be provided with more than one set of alternative content for a particular advertisement or commercial break. The system may select which group to display based on a variety of factors such as user characteristics, time or date of play, or random selection.

The system may collect data relating to the playing of alternate content for billing purposes. The service provider can charge an advertiser or content provider a fee based on the data.

When the system detects that the commercial break has ended, it returns the viewer to the program material.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of an embodiment of a digital video recording system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a screenshot of a user interface menu listing recorded programs in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary remote input device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a screenshot of a program playback mode according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a viewer's reaction to a commercial break in a program in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating important portions of an ad break according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating important portions of an advertisement according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention illustrating a bookend concept according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematic of a high level task perspective of an embodiment of the present invention for performing bookend functions in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a block schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention showing the concept of playing alternative material during high speed playback of a commercial break in accordance with the present invention; and

fig. 11 is a block schematic diagram of a high level task perspective of an embodiment of the present invention of playing alternative material during high speed playback of an ad break in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description

The invention is embodied in a system for altering advertisements for multi-speed playback. The system according to the present invention allows a content provider or advertiser to maintain and improve the value of a particular segment of a television commercial break. In addition, the present invention provides a system that allows a service provider to play advertisements to a viewer in advertisement intervals that would normally be skipped by the viewer.

Referring to fig. 1, a time-shifting device, or DVR, inputs television broadcast signals from a plurality of signal sources. Such a method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,389 entitled "multimedia time Warping System" owned by the applicant. The input section 101 selects an input source and sends a signal to the digital encoder 102. If the signal source is analog, the digital encoder 102 converts the analog signal to a digital form, such as MPEG 2. For digital signals, such as those broadcast by digital satellites, the digital encoder 102 may store the digital signals directly or convert the digital signals to a different sampling rate.

The digital signals are stored on a persistent storage device 103, such as a magnetic hard disk, optical disk, or RAM device. A plurality of programs are stored on the storage device 103 and are readily accessible to the viewer. The viewer selects the desired program stored on the storage device 103 through the viewer interface 104. Live programming that the viewer tunes to is cached on the storage device 103 as the programming is played. The viewer selects a program via the electronic program guide through the viewer interface 104.

The selected program is accessed on storage device 103 and decoded by decoding module 105 into analog or digital form for display on a television or monitor. For example, if the display is a digital monitor, the decoding module 105 converts the stored program into a suitable digital format. The output module 106 will display the output of the decoding module 105 in an acceptable signal format (analog or digital) on the viewer's television or monitor.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, an embodiment of the present invention displays a list 201 of programs stored on a storage device to a viewer. The viewer highlights the desired program using the remote input device 301. The program is then selected when the viewer presses the select button 302. Each program is randomly accessible; programs can be viewed and deleted regardless of their recording order. This is in contrast to video cassettes, which do not give the viewer the convenience of easily accessing a particular recorded program on tape or inserting a new recording in a stuffed (populated) tape.

In addition, broadcast or live programming is cached on the storage device while the programming is being broadcast to the viewer. Programs may be selected by simply selecting a channel using the remote input device 301 keypad, or by other methods such as an electronic program guide screen. In this case, the entire program or a portion of the program may be recorded and viewable by the viewer.

Referring to fig. 4, the DVR allows the viewer to perform a number of trick play functions 401 on the program being viewed. By using a remote input device as shown in fig. 3, the viewer can fast forward and rewind, pause, single step, slow play, etc. at various speeds in the program material. The viewer uses the play 303, rewind 304, pause 305, fast forward 306, and frame step 307 buttons to perform trick play functions. If the viewer is using a portable DVR or PC-based DVR, the viewer may use these functions through a keyboard or user interface.

The invention of a time-shifting apparatus for television programming has also created an opportunity for television viewers to fast-forward through commercials if the viewer is watching a recorded program or a live, cached program if the current viewing position is delayed from the current real-time television broadcast.

Because viewing advertisements in these situations is economically unattractive to viewers, the value of the time period available for advertising drops dramatically. However, in surveying the behaviour of the viewer, it is clear that new valuable advertisement slots have been created at the beginning and end of the commercial break.

Referring to fig. 5, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for increasing the audience population for television commercials on a DVR by taking into account the viewer's interaction with the inherent operation of the DVR. The visual fast forward (TiVo) technique or the fixed time (e.g., 30 seconds) skip function (ReplayTV) technique is delayed from the time the viewer realizes 502 that the program material has ended and that the advertisement has started 501 and the time the viewer starts skipping the advertisement 503 using the remote input device. The reaction time of the viewer includes several factors. The viewer must first realize 502 that the program material has ended 501. Once the viewer realizes that the event has occurred he must then press the button 503 on the remote input device.

Typically, the time interval 507 from the end of the program 501 to the time when the viewer presses the button 503 is several tens of seconds long. Thus, the first few seconds of any commercial break becomes very valuable as an opportunity for the viewer not to skip the commercial break. The advertiser will pay an additional fee for the opportunity to occupy the slot in the ad break.

Similarly, when fast-forwarding or skipping, the viewer will typically not be able to skip precisely to the beginning 505 of the program material. When investigating viewer behavior, most viewers will jump forward 506 and then back up 504 to the preceding commercial break for a few seconds to view the entire program material from the moment it started 505. Thus, the last few seconds 508 of the commercial break becomes very valuable because it is an opportunity to induce the viewer to rewind into the commercial break and watch the commercial.

Referring to fig. 6, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method in which a first few seconds 601 or a last few seconds 602 are carefully authored to provide a "teaser" to entice a viewer to view multiple advertisements during a break 603. The preferential advertisement may be a set of images or logos that show the advertisement associated with the current advertiser or a menu or short piece of animation designed to draw the viewer's attention and persuade him to watch the commercial break.

Referring to fig. 7, advertisers may also place more important content in the first 702 or last 703 seconds of their advertisement 701. The content will make it possible for the viewer to receive the desired message in that few seconds. Given this model, content providers can charge advertisers a higher fee to place their advertisements at the beginning or end of an ad break.

Furthermore, it is contemplated that the CC tagging technique described in application No. 09/665,921 entitled "Closed caption tagging System" owned by the applicant, or a similar technique, such as ATVEF or Wink, may be used to automatically pause a program being viewed immediately after the beginning (or end) of an ad break, with the displayed frame including the menu of ads in the ad break. The viewer may simply jump forward or use an on-screen display (OSD) to select a particular advertisement through a menu-like overlay over the broadcast image.

Another method used is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,526 entitled Analog video tagging and encoding System, filed 11/6/1998, owned by the applicant. The network content provider authors an invisible marker at the beginning of the "pod" (advertisement utility sequence) that tells the decoder (e.g., TiVo's timing warping System) what all advertisements are in the pod, thus allowing the decoder to display an instant menu of advertisements.

In addition, the "auto-pause" function may be generated using CC marking technology, or similar technology. For example, instead of displaying a menu, a short "favourite" image or multi-frame video may introduce an advertisement, which is then automatically paused. The viewer can click on "play" to watch the advertisement or fast forward to skip to the next advertisement, which can show a similar promotional advertisement and then pause. By pressing the button only a few times, the viewer can skip the commercial break and start the program, or watch one or more commercials in the break.

Another method of detecting commercial breaks includes some signaling with a program stream that the DVR can detect. For example, data is included in the video line 21 (for analog and digital television broadcasting) or digital data is added to the digital stream.

Extending the ability to detect the beginning and end of a commercial break, another embodiment of the present invention detects when a viewer fast-forwards through a commercial break. The system plays the alternate content as the viewer fast forwards through the commercial break. The system may play several types of alternate content to the viewer. Some examples are:

the image is fixed. Which may be used for display during an advertisement or commercial break. Fixing the image is an effective means of communication (e.g., billboards and printed advertisements).

A slide show. More than one fixed image may be displayed if there is sufficient time during the commercial break.

Shortened video. For example, if the DVR is designed for 3 times speed playback during fast forward, a 10 second commercial may replace a 30 second commercial.

Any of the above options may be supplemented with alternative audio. Alternatively, the audio may be played in a fast-forwarded commercial or commercial break. This gives DVR providers an alternative approach to advertiser revenue and increased viewership via audio. The viewer must turn down the volume to avoid the alternate track.

Any combination of the above options may be used, for example, a short video may be played after a fixed image or alternate audio may be played while a fixed image is displayed. Even more interesting is that the alternative audio can be selected and played during short videos depending on the demographics of the viewer. This would allow advertisers to target viewers with the same video but different narratives.

The above options may be selected by the system based on the playback speed used by the viewer. For example, if the viewer is fast-forwarding in playback at 60 times speed, a fixed picture is displayed since the commercial break will be skipped for a very short time, but if fast-forwarding in playback at 3 times speed, a short video may be displayed.

The alternative content may be sent to the DVR or automatically generated. As described above, the DVR may automatically display the first frame of the video in the advertisement. This has the advantage that no additional data is required.

Content that is sent with the video stream but not displayed may be played by the DVR. For example, an MPEG stream may include additional video, audio, and/or data streams. The DVR can also play content that has been separately sent by any means available for communicating with the DVR. Broadcasters may include alternate content in their program streams and DVRs may play the alternate content according to configuration parameters.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that while fast forward playback is discussed above, the system may apply alternative content playback to slow motion or single step playback modes.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the present invention is not limited to DVRs, but may also be applied to video content delivered using other mechanisms (e.g., streaming video on a computer) or to audio content delivery systems (e.g., DVR-like devices for broadcasting).

Additionally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, although commercial breaks are referred to throughout, the available marking methods allow the present invention to replace any portion of program material with alternative content. For example, a broadcast or television show may have a certain portion of a program that does not fit in a certain portion of a country, and that portion of the program may be marked, so that the present invention may play alternate content in place of the marked portion. When the program material is cached in the DVR, if the alternate content is longer than the marked portion, the system may actually delay the program material until the alternate content is played.

As described above, the present invention stores program material on a storage medium. The viewer accesses the program through a user menu. The viewer selects the desired program by highlighting the appropriate program and pressing a select button. Viewers can also select program material by tuning to a given channel (virtual or physical) and viewing live or delayed (cached) content. The program, once selected, is then displayed.

Referring to fig. 8, "bookending" relates to the display of program material 802. Programs 802 are indexed and retrieved from storage 801. Before displaying the program 802, the advertisement 803 is first displayed before playing the program. Another advertisement 804 is then played after the program ends. The bookend of the present invention allows any advertising material loaded onto the system to be displayed before and/or after any program material. The advertisements and program material 805 are displayed to the viewer 806.

The advertisements are stored on the storage 801, indexed, and optionally stored with characteristics of each advertisement. The selection depends on the DVR system or provider as to whether the advertisement is played before, after, or both before and after any program material.

Referring to fig. 9, an embodiment of the present invention stores program material and advertisements on storage 903. Viewer interface module 901 displays a list of stored or currently televised programs to the viewer and receives the viewer program selection. The playback program module 902 finds and extracts the selected program in the storage 903. For a currently television broadcast program, the playback program module 902 switches the DVR tuner to the appropriate channel, and the television broadcast program is then stored to the storage device 903 while being retrieved from the storage device 903 by the playback program module 902.

The bookend advertisement is selected by the bookend program module 904. The bookend program module 904 determines whether to display an advertisement (which may be configured by the DVR service provider) before and/or after the program material. Each advertisement is selected from storage 903 by bookend program module 904.

The playback program module 902 makes a request to the bookend program module 904 for an advertisement to be displayed. The requests are made before and after the playback program module 902 displays the program material. If the advertisements are passed to the playback program module 902 through the bookend program module 904, the advertisements are displayed. Otherwise, the playback program module 902 continues and no advertisements are displayed.

Since the DVR system knows the viewer's programming preferences (e.g., science fiction, police dramas) and possibly the viewer's personal information (e.g., male, age 27, likes photography), advertisements can be selected by the bookend programming module 904 based on this information. The bookend program module 904 selects advertisements that target a particular viewer of which the viewer is a part. This allows the DVR service provider to charge advertisers for targeted advertising, which is more valuable than shotgun (shotgun) advertising that exists in ordinary television commercial breaks.

Downloaded to the storage device 903 via a modem, ethernet, recorded at a predetermined time from an input source or the like by the download advertisement module 905. The DVR may request advertisements from a central server or record certain groups of advertisements for the viewer's target audience.

Fig. 10 shows a system for playing alternative material during high-speed playback of a commercial break. Program material is retrieved from storage 1001 and played to viewer 1006. The program material may be any multimedia program material. When the viewer 1006 views the program material 1002, the viewer believes that the commercial break 1003 has begun and fast-forwards through the commercial break. The system detects the start of the commercial break 1003 and also detects that the viewer 1006 has switched to fast forward mode.

The system retrieves the alternate image, video, and/or audio 1005 from the storage device 1001 and plays the alternate image, video, and/or audio 1005 to the viewer 1006. The system may play an expanded or print ad version displaying alternate images, video, and/or audio 1005 according to the viewer's requirements. When the system detects the end of the commercial break 1003, the system interrupts playback of the alternate image, video, and/or audio 1005 and causes the viewer to switch back to the program material 1004.

Referring to fig. 11, an embodiment of the present invention stores alternate images, video, and/or audio on the storage device 1103. The viewer interface module 1101 displays a list of stored or currently televised programs (or multimedia programs) to the viewer and accepts viewer program selections. The playback program module 1102 finds and extracts the selected program from the storage device 1103. For a currently television broadcast program, the playback program module 1102 switches the DVR tuner to the appropriate channel, and the television broadcast program is then stored to the storage device 1103 while being retrieved by the playback program module 1102 in the storage device 1103.

The playback program module 1102 detects when a commercial break begins and if the viewer selects the fast forward playback mode during the commercial break, the playback program module 1102 requests alternate content from the playback alternate content module 1104.

There are a variety of methods for the playback alternate content module 1104 to select the appropriate alternate content to be played back. For example, a playlist is sent to the system that identifies channels and times for affected commercials. The playlists may be sent over different channels and stored on the storage device 1103 via telephone lines, the network, or any other method of communicating with the system.

Another example is that the playback alternate content module 1104 can automatically detect the appropriate advertisement by the presence of an alternate content set for a particular advertisement or by some advanced method such as pattern recognition. The playback alternate content module 1104 uses this data to know that it must process the advertisement during high speed playback.

The playback alternate content module 1104 provides configuration information by the DVR service provider or broadcaster to identify what alternate content will be played, when it will be played, and any tasks that require additional processing. The information may also include commercial data identifying whether the system is authorized to play the alternate content.

The information may include the following data:

advertisement recognition.

The advertisement duration. This allows for more accurate calibration of the alternate content and the content that can be played at a particular playback speed.

Alternate content types.

Alternate content locations (which may be found by the system, e.g., as part of the video stream, or previously stored on the DVR).

Alternative content processing.

Rules for playing alternate content times.

Rules for data collection for billing (described below).

This information may also be included in the alternative content data. For example, the data may point to a location on the storage device 1103 where the alternate content exists. The alternative content data may include advertisement duration, type, and processing.

More than one set of alternate content for a particular advertisement or commercial break may be provided to the system. The system may select which one to display based on a variety of factors, such as user characteristics, time or date of play, or random selection. Multiple plays may result in different content each time due to the selection.

The system knows the viewer's programming preferences (e.g., science fiction, police dramas) and possibly the viewer's personal information (e.g., male, age 27, likes photography), and based on this information in combination with any rules included in the information sent by the DVR service provider, alternate content can be selected by the playback alternate content module 1104. This takes into account the content targeted by the particular viewer of which the viewer is a part. This also allows the DVR service provider to charge advertisers for targeted advertisements, which are more valuable than shotgun advertisements that exist in ordinary television commercial breaks. If the alternate content is content other than advertisements, the DVR service provider may charge the content provider for the audience group of the alternate content. Advertisers, content providers, or broadcasters may be charged based on television audience populations, targeted to specific user groups, targeted to demographics, and so forth.

To support more advanced business models, the system may collect data about the playing of alternative content. For example, it may be a simple calculation of how many viewers watched a particular video. This can be used for statistical or billing purposes. More advanced collections can identify the number of times an ad is played and whether the ad is played at full speed. Data valuable for the leader can also be generated.

Once the playback alternate content module 1104 selects the appropriate alternate content from the storage device 1103 or from the program stream, it passes the alternate content to the playback program module 1102. As described above, the playback alternate content module 1104 may retrieve alternate content from the program stream itself. Typically, the alternate content is not displayed in the program stream, but is accessible through the system. The alternate content is extracted from the program stream by the playback alternate content module 1104. The playback program module 1102 plays the alternate content to the viewer.

The viewer may get an extended version of the alternate content by selecting a particular function (e.g., slow motion) on the remote control. The playback program module 1102 notifies the playback alternate content module 1104 to retrieve an extended version of the alternate content. The playback alternate content module 1104 retrieves an extended version of the alternate content in the storage 1103 and passes it to the playback program module 1102. The playback program module 1102 plays the extended alternate content to the viewer.

The viewer may also get a printed advertising version of the alternate content by selecting a particular function (e.g., pause) on the remote control. The print ad version may include all product information, contact information, local stores, etc. The playback program module 1102 notifies the playback alternate content module 1104 to retrieve the print ad version of the alternate content. The playback alternate content module 1104 retrieves the print ad version of the alternate content in the storage 1103 and passes it to the playback program module 1102. The playback program module 1102 displays the print advertisement to the viewer.

When the playback program module 1102 detects that the commercial break has ended, it returns the viewer to the program material.

The collect alternate content material module 1105 receives alternate content from the DVR service provider via a connection such as satellite, cable, WAN, internet, phone line, etc. The collect alternate content material module stores the alternate content on the storage device 1103. Configuration information pertaining to the alternate content is also received and stored on the storage device 1103 by the collect alternate content material module 1105.

The alternate content may also be stored remotely on a network accessible storage device and accessed by the collect alternate content material module 1105 when needed. For example, a DVR may access other networked DVRs that have stored suitable alternative content on their local storage devices.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that although a broadcast network is described above, the system may be applied to other transmission systems, such as point-to-point networks and other network topologies.

Although the present invention is described herein with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other applications may be substituted for those described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention should be limited only by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (32)

1. A method for playing alternate content to a user during the playing of an advertisement, comprising:

detecting the start of a commercial break during the playing of a multimedia program to the user;

wherein the advertisement break comprises one or more advertisements;

playing the alternative content to the user if the user changes a play speed through the commercial break, the alternative content being a fixed image and an alternative audio, the alternative content being selected based on the changed play speed;

focusing on an input selecting a specific function when the substitute content is displayed;

in response to: an input selecting a first specific function is received while the alternate content is displayed, and an extended version of the alternate content is retrieved and played.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia program is stored on a local storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative content is selected for each particular advertisement in the ad break.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

returning the user to the multimedia program upon detecting the end of the commercial break.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an alternate content set; and

storing the set of alternate content on a storage device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternate content is included in the multimedia program, and wherein the alternate content is extracted from the multimedia program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider charges an advertiser or content provider a fee based on user viewing of the alternative content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia program is played as it is received.

9. An apparatus for playing alternate content to a user during the playing of an advertisement, comprising:

means for detecting a start of a commercial break during the playing of a multimedia program to the user;

wherein the advertisement break comprises one or more advertisements;

means for playing the alternative content to the user if the user changes a play speed through the commercial break, the alternative content being a fixed image and alternative audio, the alternative content being selected based on the changed play speed;

a module focusing on an input selecting a specific function when the substitute content is displayed;

wherein the means for playing the alternate content is further configured to, in response to: an input selecting a first specific function is received while the alternate content is displayed, and an extended version of the alternate content is retrieved and played.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the multimedia program is stored on a local storage device.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein alternate content is selected for each particular advertisement in the ad break.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

means for returning the user to the multimedia program upon detecting the end of the commercial break.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

means for receiving an alternate content set; and

means for storing the alternate content group on a storage device.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the alternate content is included in the multimedia program, and wherein the alternate content is extracted from the multimedia program.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the service provider charges the advertiser or content provider a fee based on user viewing of the alternative content.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the multimedia program is played as it is received.

17. A method for playing alternate content to a user during playing of marked multimedia programming content, comprising:

detecting a start of a marked portion during playing of a multimedia program to the user;

playing the alternate content in the tagged portion to the user in response to the user changing a play speed through the tagged portion, the alternate content being a fixed image and alternate audio, the alternate content being selected based on the changed play;

focusing on an input selecting a specific function while the substitute content is displayed;

in response to: an input selecting a first specific function is received while the alternate content is displayed, and an extended version of the alternate content is retrieved and played.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the multimedia program is stored on a local storage device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein if the alternate content is longer than the marked portion, the playing of the multimedia program is delayed.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

returning the user to the multimedia program upon detecting the end of the marked portion.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving an alternate content set; and

storing the set of alternate content on a storage device.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the alternate content is included in the multimedia program, and wherein the alternate content is extracted from the multimedia program.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the service provider charges the advertiser or content provider a fee based on user viewing of the alternative content.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the multimedia program is played as it is received.

25. An apparatus for a method of playing alternate content to a user during playing of marked multimedia programming content, comprising:

means for detecting the start of a marked portion during the playing of a multimedia program to the user;

in response to the module playing the alternate content to the user in the tagged portion while the user changes a play speed through the tagged portion, the alternate content being a fixed image and alternate audio, selecting the alternate content based on the changed play speed;

a module focusing on an input selecting a specific function when the substitute content is displayed;

wherein the means for playing the alternate content is further configured to, in response to: receiving the input selecting the specific function while displaying the alternative content, and retrieving and playing an extended version of the alternative content.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the multimedia program is stored on a local storage device.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the playback of the multimedia program is delayed if the alternate content is longer than the marked portion.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for returning the user to the multimedia program upon detecting the end of the marked portion.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for receiving an alternate content set; and

means for storing the set of alternate content on a storage device.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the alternate content is included in the multimedia program, and wherein the alternate content is extracted from the multimedia program.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the service provider charges the advertiser or content provider a fee based on user viewing of the alternative content.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the multimedia program is played as it is received.