Digital Video Recording System

• US 20140056572A1
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James M., Moskowitz, Alan, Goodman, Andrew Martin, Otala, Tapani, Vannier, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/072,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20140056572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/235
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• 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 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• 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: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3054 Vertical Interval Time code [VITC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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 21/42204 : User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 : Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42615 : involving specific demultiplexing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 : involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 : of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 : Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/4341 : Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 : Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 : Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 : by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/4884 : for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 : involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• 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 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8081 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A digital video recorder (DVR) system processes digital streams and associates stream information with segments of video and audio components. Segments of video and audio components from memory are sent to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the segments of video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices. The decoder converts the video and audio components into output signals.

Claims

1. A method for the simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

receiving a digital stream that includes video and audio components;

buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components in a memory;

associating stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components;

storing by the media switch the buffered video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;

sending by the media switch a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;

decoding the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals with the one or more decoders;

receiving a control command;

processing with at least a CPU the received control command and stream information associated with the previously stored video and audio components to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders; and

mediating, by the media switch, between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory, the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating the video and audio components for storage and play back.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated stream information includes any of:

location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting television signals from analog signals to digital streams and formatting the digital streams in accordance with an MPEG standard.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising parsing at least the video components to generate associated stream information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the parsing is performed by the media switch.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step receives television signals via a tuner.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step receives digital streams via an input device.

9. A method for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

accepting multimedia data including video and audio data from an input device;

requesting, by a source object, a buffer and filling, by the source object, the buffer with the video and audio data;

transferring, by a transform object, the video and audio data from the buffer to a storage device, the storage device is separate from the buffer;

storing the video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;

controlling automatically, by the transform object, flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;

placing, by the transform object, a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;

requesting, by a sink object to the transform object, for the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;

supplying, by the transform object to the sink object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;

outputting the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers to a decoder by the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;

converting with the decoder the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;

sending the display signals for display;

receiving control commands with a control object; and

sending by the control object, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising analyzing the video and audio data to generate stream information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the stream information includes any of:

location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the source object obtains the buffer from the transform object.

13. An apparatus for the simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

a stream receiver that receives a digital stream that includes video and audio components;

a stream information associate that associates stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components;

a memory for buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components;

one or more storage devices where the media switch stores the buffered video and audio components from the memory and which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;

one or more decoders that receive a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory from the media switch essentially simultaneously with the media switch storing the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;

wherein the one or more decoders decode the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals;

a control command receiver that receives a control command;

a CPU that processes the received control command and stream information associated with the previously stored video and audio components to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders; and

wherein the media switch mediates between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory and wherein the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a video and audio component separator that separates the video and audio components for storage and play back.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the associated stream information includes any of:

location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a stream converter that converts television signals from analog signals to digital streams and formats the digital streams in accordance with an MPEG standard.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a parser that parses at least the video components to generate associated stream information.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the parser is a component of the media switch.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stream receiver comprises a tuner that receives television signals.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stream receiver comprises an input device that accepts the digital streams.

21. An apparatus for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

at least one input device that accepts multimedia data including video and audio data;

a buffer granted upon a request by a source object and filled with the video and audio data by the source object;

a storage device that is separate from the buffer and receives from a transform object the video and audio data from the buffer;

wherein the transform object automatically controls flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;

wherein the storage device stores the video and audio data from the buffer;

wherein the transform object places a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storage device storing the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer;

a sink object that requests and receives from the transform object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;

a decoder that receives the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers from the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;

wherein the decoder converts the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;

wherein the display signals are sent for display;

a control object that receives control commands; and

wherein the control object sends, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the transform object analyzes the video and audio data to generate stream information.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the stream information includes any of:

location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the source object obtains the buffer from the transform object.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

accepting multimedia data including video and audio data from an at least one input device;

requesting, by a source object, a buffer and filling, by the source object, the buffer with the video and audio data;

transferring, by a transform object, the video and audio data from the buffer to a storage device, the storage device is separate from the buffer;

controlling automatically, by the transform object, flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;

storing the video and audio data from the buffer in the storage device;

placing, by the transform object, a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;

supplying, by the transform object to a sink object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;

requesting, by a sink object to the transform object, for the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;

outputting the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers to a decoder by the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;

converting with the decoder the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;

sending the display signals for display;

receiving control commands with a control object; and

sending by the control object, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising analyzing the video and audio data to generate stream information.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the stream information includes any of:

location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the source object obtains the buffer from the transform object.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving a digital stream that includes video and audio components;

buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components in a memory;

associating stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components

storing by the media switch the buffered video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;

sending by the media switch a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;

decoding the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals with the one or more decoders;

receiving a control command;

processing with at least a CPU the received control command and stream information associated with the previously stored video and audio components to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders; and

mediating, by the media switch, between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory, the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising separating the video and audio components for storage and play back.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the associated stream information includes any of:

location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising converting television signals from analog signals to digital streams and formatting the digital streams in accordance with an MPEG standard.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising parsing at least the video components to generate associated stream information.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the parsing is performed by the media switch.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the receiving step receives television signals via a tuner.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the receiving step receives digital streams via an input device.