Methods for enabling near video-on-demand and video-on-request services using digital video recorders

• US 20050086696A1
• Filed: 10/21/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1993
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Daniels, John J.
• Application Number:
  US10/970,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086696A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/88
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/91 Helical scan format, wherein tracks are slightly tilted with respect to tape direction, e.g. VHS, DAT, DVC, AIT or exabyte
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/026 on discs G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 : for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 : the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A near video-on-demand (VOD) service enabled using a digital video recorder (DVR) for the simultaneous storage and playback of multimedia data. A DVR is connected over a network to a multimedia network source. A VOD selection is requested by the DVR from the network source. A multimedia data signal is received by the DVR from the network source. The data signal contains the requested VOD selection. A first received portion of the received data signal is stored on the DVR. The first received segment is played by the DVR for display on a display device. Simultaneously during the playing of the first received segment, a second received segment of the received data signal is received from the network source and stored on the DVR while the first received segment is played the display device. Thus, the requested VOD selection begins playing on the display device prior to the reception of the entire compressed multimedia data signal so that a requested VOD selection can begin being displayed nearly instantaneously after the request for it is made. A video-on-request (VOR) service is also enabled using a DVR. VOR selection data is received by a centralized database device, such as a network server, from a plurality of users. Each VOR selection data includes at least one requested video selection and video recorder identifying information for identifying each particular video recorder. A transmission priority of requested video selections is determined dependent on the frequency of requests ¹received from the plurality of users. A transmission channel and time is determined based on the transmission priority. DVR control signals are transmitted to automatically tune in the determined transmission channel at the determined transmission time and record the particular video selection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving VOR selection data from a plurality of VOR users, each VOR selection data including at least one requested video selection and video recorder identifying information for identifying a particular video recorder of each of said plurality of users;

storing the received VOR selection data;

performing a statistical analysis of the stored VOR selection data;

determining using the statistical analysis transmission times for each said at least one requested video selection;

transmitting personal video recorder control signals to personal video recorders depending on the received VOR selection data and the transmission time of each video selection requested by each VOR user, whereby if the received VOR selection data from a user includes a request for a particular video selection the user'"'"'s particular video recorder is automatically controlled record the particular video selection;

transmitting an encrypted version of the particular video selection receivable by all of the video recorders so that each particular video recorder can be automatically controlled to record the encrypted particular video selection;

receiving a request for an encryption key for the recorded encrypted particular video selection; and

transmitting an encryption key to enable playback of the encrypted version of the particular video selection upon request from a user, whereby the video recorder is controlled to automatically record the particular video selections requested by a particular user and playback of the recorded particular video selections is enabled upon request from the user.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmission time is also dependent on a length of time a requested video selection has been pending, so that even video selections that would fail to be transmitted due to a low number of requests can be transmitted to the subscribers.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the personal video recorder control signals are transmitted via the Internet.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the statistical analysis is performed after a predetermined period of time.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the statistical analysis is performed after a predetermined number of video selection requests are received.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the statistical analysis is based on a frequency with which requests for a particular video selection are received.

7. A system comprising:

a network interface for receiving VOR selection data;

a data repository for maintaining the VOR selection data;

a processor configured to perform statistical analysis of the VOR selection data, the statistical analysis based on a frequency of requests for particular video selections;

a control signal transmitter configured to transmit a control signal that directs a digital video recorder to automatically tune to a particular transmission pathway at a particular transmission time to record a video selection that was requested; and

a video transmitter configured to transmit the video selection that was requested via the particular transmission pathway at the particular transmission time.

8. A system as recited in claim 7, wherein the control signal transmitter is configured to transmit the control signal via the Internet.

9. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to:

receive VOR selection data from a plurality of VOR users, each VOR selection data including at least one request for a video selection and data that identifies a particular video recorder;

perform a statistical analysis based on the VOR selection data that is received;

determine based on the statistical analysis, a transmission time for the video selection;

transmit a control signal to the video recorder identified in VOR selection data that includes a request for the video selection, the control signal causing the video recorder to automatically record the video selection; and

transmit the video selection at the determined transmission time.

10. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to store the received VOR selection data.

11. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing system to:

transmit the video selection as an encrypted video file;

receive a request for an encryption key associated with the encrypted video file; and

transmit an encryption key to enable playback of the encrypted video file.