With technological advances, entertainment systems are becoming more sophisticated. For example, watching television originated as a passive activity, where a television set was simply tuned into a particular channel and the viewer watched whatever program was currently being broadcast. Now, with digital television, interactive and/or personalized services can be accessed via a television as well. For example, a television advertisement may include a link that can be selected to launch an application (e.g., a Web site, a digital video recorder scheduling application, etc.).
Personalized services provide another level of sophistication that can be implemented within an entertainment system. A favorite channel list is one example of such a personalized service. Some entertainment systems, such as a television with a digital cable television receiver that is configured to also provide Internet access may also provide access to Internet-based personalized services. Personalized services are common via the Internet, examples of which may include my.msn.com, my.yahoo.com, etc., but may also be provided, for example, by a cable television operator. Personalized services are typically associated with a particular user, which corresponds to an individual's Internet account. Such accounts are typically not shared among multiple individuals, so personalizing services based on an individual Internet account works well.
Enabling access to such personalized services via a television based system, however, poses a problem. Televisions are typically shared by several people within a household. Because television systems typically don't require a user to login to an account, it is more difficult to access personalized services via a shared television system.
One solution may be to require that a television viewer login so that a specific television viewer can be determined. Login on a personal computer is easy with a keyboard, and inputs can be easily masked to provide a level of security. Login via a television remote control device is much more difficult because of the limited number of available input buttons. Furthermore, masking the input is more difficult than via a computer-based user interface. Schemes for entering alphabetic characters and symbols such as on-screen keyboards and triple-tap typing involve showing the characters on screen so that the user can choose which character to add, which prevents effective character masking and allows others watching the television display to see the characters being entered. If logging into a television-based personal account is difficult, viewers will be much less likely to utilize personalized services that may be available through television viewing.
Accordingly, a need exists for an easier, secure way to authenticate a single user of an entertainment system so that personalized data can be presented via the entertainment system.