Internet Has ‘Potential’ for More Than ‘Vanilla Playback’ of Content, Says Roku

Roku landed publication Thursday of a U.S. patent application describing an “example apparatus” for skipping portions of content on a streaming device that are “of little or no interest to the user,” using metadata stored in the device’s database for triggering a “skip command.” On-demand availability of content “is commonplace,” but the “electronic and computerized storage and delivery of content offers the potential for far more than just the availability and vanilla playback of content,” said the application (2018/0152489) filed in November 2016, listing CEO Anthony Wood and Vice President-Intellectual Property Joseph Hollinger as inventors. “It is possible to generate content recommendations that are tailored for individual users, as well as to customize the viewing experience to each user's personal preferences.” Existing devices and services “fall short in many areas” in that regard, it said. Many force users to experience content in a “linear manner, requiring them to view portions of content having little or no interest,” it said. “Too often, media systems and services fail to leverage the immense knowledge base of the Internet and other sources when presenting content to users.” Though streaming content may be readily available on an on-demand basis, “related information is not, at least not in an easily accessible manner,” it said.