Unified recording and pause buffer format
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- storing in memory, together within a unified virtual stream, (1) one or more recorded programs and (2) a pause buffer containing recently received content;
enabling a user to pause and resume play of the content in the pause buffer; and
enabling the user to playback the one or more recorded programs from the virtual stream.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A unified recording format allows both recorded programs and paused buffered broadcasts to be stored in memory as a common virtual stream. As content is received on a channel, it is placed into the virtual stream with newer content at the start of the stream and progressively aging content migrating farther downstream. A front section of the stream effectively operates as a pause buffer, as the currently tuned broadcast program is recorded in this section and is responsive to pause/resume commands. Recorded programs are also stored as part of the same virtual stream. Pointers are used to identify the boundaries of the pause buffer, as well as the beginning and end of each recorded program in the virtual stream.
56 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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storing in memory, together within a unified virtual stream, (1) one or more recorded programs and (2) a pause buffer containing recently received content;
enabling a user to pause and resume play of the content in the pause buffer; and
enabling the user to playback the one or more recorded programs from the virtual stream. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A digital video recording system comprising:
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a memory; and
a stream manager to manage a virtual stream of content that is stored in the memory, the virtual stream defining a pause buffer and storing at least one recorded program. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, direct a digital video recording system to perform acts comprising:
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receiving broadcast programs from one or more broadcast channels;
storing a current broadcast program in a first section of an arbitrary-length virtual stream; and
maintaining one or more previous broadcast programs in a second section of the virtual stream, wherein the previous broadcast programs maintained in the second section of the virtual stream are recorded temporally before the current broadcast programs being stored in the first section of the virtual stream. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification