Methods and systems for operating a video recorder with a remote control unit

• US 20060045462A1
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Poslinski, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/926,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045462A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

A remote control unit for a video recorder includes a transceiver for communicating with the video recorder; and a display device for displaying video programming. In some embodiments, the remote control unit receives a preview clip of a video program stored on the video recorder and displays that preview clip for a user of the remote control unit.

Claims

1. A remote control unit for a video recorder comprising:

a transceiver for communicating with said video recorder; and

a display device for displaying video programming.

2. The remote control unit of claim 1, further comprising

a user interface, portions of which are displayed on said display device,

wherein said user interface comprises is configured to receive a listing of programs recorded and stored on said video recorder and display said listing on said display device.

3. The remote control unit of claim 2, wherein said user interface comprises controls for indicating a particular program in said listing.

4. The remote control unit of claim 3, wherein said user interface comprises a description of a program indicated in said listing of programs.

5. The remote control unit of claim 3, wherein said user interface comprises controls for deleting a particular program in said listing from said video recorder.

6. The remote control unit of claim 3, wherein said user interface comprises controls for viewing a preview clip from a particular program in said listing, wherein said clip is received from said video recorder and displayed on said display device.

7. The remote control unit of claim 6, further comprising a speaker for outputting an audio signal associated with said clip received from said video recorder.

8. The remote control unit of claim 6, further comprising a decompression engine to decompress a signal bearing said clip received from said video recorder before said clip is displayed on said display device.

9. The remote control unit of claim 6, wherein said user interface comprises controls for controlling display of said preview clip so as to pause, fast-forward or rewind/reverse said preview clip.

10. The remote control unit of claim 6, wherein said user interface comprises controls for discontinuing display of said preview clip.

11. The remote control unit of claim 3, wherein said user interface further comprises controls for selecting said particular program indicated in said listing to cause said video recorder to playback said particular program.

12. The remote control unit of claim 2, wherein said listing of programs further comprising a scroll bar for indicating a total length of said listing and a portion of said listing being displayed within said total length of said listing.

13. The remote control unit of claim 1, further comprising a user interface on said remote control unit with controls for deleting a particular recorded program stored on said video recorder.

14. The remote control unit of claim 1, wherein said display device displays a preview clip taken from a particular video program stored on said video recorder, wherein said clip is received from said video recorder and displayed on said display device.

15. The remote control unit of claim 14, further comprising a speaker for outputting an audio signal associated with said clip received from said video recorder.

16. The remote control unit of claim 14, further comprising a decompression engine to decompress a signal bearing said preview clip received from said video recorder before said clip is displayed on said display device.

17. The remote control unit of claim 14, wherein remote control unit further comprises a user interface that includes controls for controlling display of said preview clip so as to pause, fast-forward or rewind/reverse said preview clip.

18. The remote control unit of claim 14, wherein said preview clip is displayed on said remote control unit with interrupting video programming or other service being output by said video recorder to a television set.

19. A method of controlling a video recorder using a remote control unit comprising:

receiving a transmission of a video program from said video recorder; and

displaying said video program on a display device of said remote control unit.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising

receiving a listing of video programs recorded and stored on said video recorder;

and

display said listing on said display device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising indicating a particular program in said listing.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying a description of a program indicated in said listing of programs on said display device.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising deleting a particular program in said listing from said video recorder using said remote control unit.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a preview clip taken from a particular video program stored on said video recorder; and

displaying said preview clip on said display device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising outputting an audio signal associated with said preview clip with a speaker of said remote control unit.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising decompressing a signal bearing said preview clip received from said video recorder before said clip is displayed on said display device.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising decompressing a signal bearing said video program before said video program is displayed on said display device.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising controlling display of said preview clip so as to pause, fast-forward or rewind/reverse said preview clip.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising discontinuing display of said preview clip.

30. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying a listing of programs stored on said video recorder on said display device of said remote control unit; and

selecting a particular program indicated in said listing to cause said video recorder to playback said particular program.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein said video program is displayed on said remote control unit with interrupting video programming or other service being output by said video recorder to a television set.

32. A video recorder comprising:

a data storage unit for storing recorded video programming;

a processor for controlling operation of said video recorder;

a remote control unit; and

a first transceiver for communicating with said remote control unit;

wherein said remote control unit comprises

a second transceiver for communicating with said video recorder; and

a display device for displaying video programming received wirelessly from said video recorder.

33. The video recorder of claim 32, wherein said remote control unit further comprises:

a user interface, portions of which are displayed on said display device,

wherein said user interface comprises is configured to receive a listing of programs recorded and stored on said video recorder and display said listing on said display device.

34. The video recorder of claim 32, further comprising a user interface on said remote control unit with controls for deleting a particular recorded program stored on said video recorder.

35. The video recorder of claim 32, wherein said video recorder is configured to transmit to said remote control unit a preview clip taken from a particular video program stored on said video recorder, wherein said clip is received from said video recorder and displayed on said display device of said remote control unit.

36. The video recorder of claim 35, wherein said video recorder compresses said preview clip prior to transmission to said remote control unit.

37. The video recorder of claim 36, wherein said video recorder compresses said preview clip according to the MPEG-4 standard.

38. The video recorder of claim 36, wherein said remote control unit further comprising a decompression engine to decompress a signal bearing said preview clip received from said video recorder before said clip is displayed on said display device.

39. The video recorder of claim 35, wherein remote control unit further comprises a user interface that includes controls for controlling display of said preview clip so as to pause, fast-forward or rewind/reverse said preview clip.

40. The video recorder of claim 35, wherein said preview clip is displayed on said remote control unit with interrupting video programming or other service being output by said video recorder to a television set.

41. A remote control unit for controlling a video recorder, said remote control unit comprising:

means for receiving a transmission of a video program from said video recorder; and

means for displaying said video program on a display device of said remote control unit.