METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR STORING AND PLAYING BACK TV PROGRAMMES

• US 20090041433A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH & Company KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hielscher, Christoph, Schweickhardt, Harald, Jenzowsky, Stefan, Scheuer, Axel, Stelzl, Rudolf, Coles, Christopher B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,365,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and arrangement (100) for storing and playing back TV programmes, in particular to the improved method and device (100) for operating a PVR, in particular a network PVR (102). The inventive device for storing and playing back the TV programmes comprises means for selecting a storable TV programme, means (102, 108) for recording a TV programme and means (104, 102, 108) for playing back, in a time delayed manner, said recording during a recordable TV programme. Said arrangement also comprises means for determining the beginning time of transmission of the recordable TV programme and means for determining the total advertising duration which passes on the screen during the TV programme transmission. Said invention makes it possible to determine, as soon as possible, a time to start an advertising-free playing back according to the beginning of transmission, the total duration of the advertising and to advise a user thereabout.

Claims

1. An arrangement for storing and playing back TV programs, comprising:

a selecting device for selecting a TV program that is to be recorded;

a recording device for recording the TV program;

a playback device for time-shifted playback of a running recording of the TV program that is to be recorded;

a first time determining device for determining the time of the start of the screening of the TV program that is to be recorded;

a duration determining device for determining the total duration of the advertising content inserted within the TV program during the screening;

a second time determining device for determining a time for the earliest start of a commercial-free playback from the time of the start of the screening and the total duration of the inserted advertising content; and

a time displaying device for displaying the time for the earliest start of a commercial-free playback.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting device includes a user interface and an electronic program guide, the time displaying device configured such that a time included in the electronic program guide for the start of the screening of the TV program that is to be recorded is replaced or supplemented by the determined time for the earliest start of a commercial-free playback of the TV program.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the duration determining device include at least one table, information concerning how much advertising content per unit of time will be transmitted being stored in the table for each TV channel, and the total duration of the advertising content inserted within the TV program during the screening being determined in that the channel screening the TV program is determined and the advertising content per unit of time is totaled over the screening duration of the TV program.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein for each TV channel the table includes statutory guidelines for each hour of a day relating to the maximum number of advertising minutes that are allowed per hour.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duration determining device includes the following:

a second duration determining device for determining a duration of the screening of the TV program;

a nominal duration determining device for determining a nominal duration of the screened content; and

a third duration determining device for the total duration of the inserted advertising content as the difference between the duration of the screening and the duration of the screened content.

6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording and playback devices are configured in the form of a PVR server having a receiving device for receiving a plurality of digitally encoded TV channels, a supply device for supplying a plurality of user terminals and a storing device for recording TV programs to be stored, and further comprising at least one user terminal having a selecting device for selecting TV programs to be stored, a transmitting device for transmitting the selection to the PVR server and a playing device for playing back TV programs recorded by the PVR server.

7. A method for storing and playing back TV programs, comprising:

selecting a TV program that is to be recorded;

recording the TV program, whereby the recording is configured to be played back as a running recording in time-shift mode;

determining the time of the start of the screening of the TV program that is to be recorded;

automatically determining the total duration of the advertising content inserted within the TV program during the screening;

determining a time for the earliest start of a commercial-free playback from the time of the start of the screening and the total duration of the inserted advertising content; and

displaying the time for the earliest start of a commercial-free playback.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a TV program that is to be recorded is selected by a user interface and an electronic program guide, with a time included in the electronic program guide for the start of the screening of the TV program that is to be recorded being replaced or supplemented by the calculated time for the earliest start of a commercial-free playback of said TV program.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the total duration of the advertising content inserted within the TV program during the screening is determined with reference to at least one table, the table including information for each TV channel concerning how much advertising content per unit of time will be transmitted, and wherein the total duration of the advertising content inserted within the TV program during the screening is calculated in that the channel screening the TV program is determined and the advertising content per unit of time is totaled over the duration of the screening of the TV program.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein for each TV channel the table includes statutory guidelines for each hour of a day relating to the maximum number of advertising minutes that are allowed per hour.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the total duration of the advertising content inserted within the TV program during the screening is determined by:

determining a duration of the screening of the TV program;

determining a nominal duration of the screened content; and

determining the total duration of the inserted advertising content as the difference between the duration of the screening and the duration of the screened content.

12. The method as claimed in claim 7, providing a PVR server having a receiving device for receiving a plurality of digitally encoded TV channels, a supplying device for supplying a plurality of user terminals and a recording device for recording TV programs that are to be stored, and at least one user terminal having a selecting device for selecting TV programs that are to be stored, a transmitting device for transmitting the selection to the PVR server and a playback device for playing back TV programs recorded by the PVR server.