HYBRID TUNER CONTROL

• US 20120131605A1
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Shigeru, Osaki, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,984,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• 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 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A hybrid tuner, comprising multiple individual tuners having differing capabilities of receiving programs or channels of broadcast audio or video content, can be controlled by periodically determining the capabilities of each individual tuner to receive broadcast channels, storing such information into a guide database and then utilizing such information to select appropriate individual tuners to tune in desired programs. If the tuners that can receive a desired program are already in use, the program they are currently receiving can be switched to a different tuner to free up the tuner that can receive the desired program without interrupting the consumption of the program currently being received. When determining the capabilities of an individual tuner to receive a particular channel, one or more tokens associated with such a channel, and utilized to prevent unauthorized access to such a channel, can be obtained from the guide database and provided to the tuner.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for controlling a hybrid tuner comprising a first tuner and a second tuner, the first and second tuners having differing capabilities to tune in channels of broadcast content, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:

periodically checking a capability of the first tuner and the second tuner to tune in the channels of broadcast content; and

storing, in a guide database, on a per-channel basis, the tuning capability of the first tuner and the second tuner as determined by the most recent periodic check.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions for periodically checking comprising computer-executable instructions for providing, to at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner, one or more tokens associated with the channels of broadcast content, the one or more tokens enabling the at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner to tune in the channels of broadcast content;

wherein the channels of broadcast content comprise protected channels.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 2, comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

obtaining the one or more tokens from one or more broadcast signals received by the at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner; and

storing, in the guide database, on the per-channel basis, the one or more tokens.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 1, comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

receiving an indication of a desired program of broadcast content;

identifying, with reference to the tuning capability stored in the guide database, at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner that is capable of tuning in a channel of broadcast content on which the desired program of broadcast content is being broadcast; and

utilizing the identified at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner to receive the desired program of broadcast content.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 4, comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

determining that the identified tuner is currently being utilized to tune in a different program from the desired program;

determining whether a tuner different from the identified tuner is capable of tuning in a channel on which the different program is being broadcast; and

, if the tuner different from the identified tuner is capable, continuing to receive the different program while simultaneously receiving the desired program by instructing the tuner different from the identified tuner to tune in the different program and instructing the identified tuner to tune in the desired program.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 5, comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

notifying a user of a conflict between the desired program and the different program if the tuner different from the identified tuner is not capable of tuning in the channel on which the different program is being broadcast.

7. A method of controlling a hybrid tuner comprising a first tuner and a second tuner, the first and second tuners having differing capabilities to tune in channels of broadcast content, the method comprising the steps of:

periodically checking a capability of the first tuner and the second tuner to tune in the channels of broadcast content; and

modifying a guide database by storing, in the guide database, on a per-channel basis, the tuning capability of the first tuner and the second tuner as determined by the most recent periodic check.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of periodically checking comprises the steps of:

providing, to at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner, one or more tokens associated with the channels of broadcast content, the one or more tokens enabling the at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner to tune in the channels of broadcast content;

wherein the channels of broadcast content comprise protected channels.

9. The computer-readable media of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining the one or more tokens from one or more broadcast signals received by the at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner; and

storing, in the guide database, on the per-channel basis, the one or more tokens.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication of a desired program of broadcast content;

identifying, with reference to the tuning capability stored in the guide database, at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner that is capable of tuning in a channel of broadcast content on which the desired program of broadcast content is being broadcast; and

utilizing the identified at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner to receive the desired program of broadcast content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

determining that the identified tuner is currently being utilized to tune in a different program from the desired program;

determining whether a tuner different from the identified tuner is capable of tuning in a channel on which the different program is being broadcast; and

, if the tuner different from the identified tuner is capable, continuing to receive the different program while simultaneously receiving the desired program by instructing the tuner different from the identified tuner to tune in the different program and instructing the identified tuner to tune in the desired program.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

notifying a user of a conflict between the desired program and the different program if the tuner different from the identified tuner is not capable of tuning in the channel on which the different program is being broadcast.

13. A computing device providing broadcast content to a user, the computing device comprising:

a hybrid tuner for receiving the broadcast content, the hybrid tuner comprising;

a first tuner and a second tuner, the first and second tuners having differing capabilities to tune in channels of broadcast content; and

one or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising;

periodically checking a capability of the first tuner and the second tuner to tune in the channels of broadcast content; and

storing, in a guide database, on a per-channel basis, the tuning capability of the first tuner and the second tuner as determined by the most recent periodic check.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions for periodically checking comprising computer-executable instructions for providing, to at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner, one or more tokens associated with the channels of broadcast content, the one or more tokens enabling the at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner to tune in the channels of broadcast content;

wherein the channels of broadcast content comprise protected channels.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise further computer-executable instructions for:

obtaining the one or more tokens from one or more broadcast signals received by the at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner; and

storing, in the guide database, on the per-channel basis, the one or more tokens.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise further computer-executable instructions for:

receiving an indication of a desired program of broadcast content;

identifying, with reference to the tuning capability stored in the guide database, at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner that is capable of tuning in a channel of broadcast content on which the desired program of broadcast content is being broadcast; and

utilizing the identified at least one of the first tuner and the second tuner to receive the desired program of broadcast content.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise further computer-executable instructions for:

determining that the identified tuner is currently being utilized to tune in a different program from the desired program;

determining whether a tuner different from the identified tuner is capable of tuning in a channel on which the different program is being broadcast; and

, if the tuner different from the identified tuner is capable, continuing to receive the different program while simultaneously receiving the desired program by instructing the tuner different from the identified tuner to tune in the different program and instructing the identified tuner to tune in the desired program.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise further computer-executable instructions for:

notifying a user of a conflict between the desired program and the different program if the tuner different from the identified tuner is not capable of tuning in the channel on which the different program is being broadcast.

19. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the first and second tuners have the differing capabilities to tune in the channels of broadcast content because the first tuner is communicationally coupled to a different broadcast content delivery mechanism than the second tuner.

20. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the first and second tuners and both communicationally coupled to a same broadcast content delivery mechanism, and wherein further the first tuner comprises a sub-card providing the first tuner with the different capabilities to tune in the channels of broadcast content from the second tuner.