TELEVISION BROADCAST DYNAMIC RECORDING CALIBRATION

• US 20170264956A1
• Filed: 03/11/2016
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Gerhards, Keith, Minnick, Danny J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,405,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide various techniques for dynamically calibrating digital video recordings of television broadcasts based on analyses of changes to time data and channel data associated with live television broadcasts. In various embodiments, television receivers may transmit sets of recording schedule data to television broadcast monitor devices, which may receive time data corresponding to live broadcast television programs from various data sources, such as satellite or cable television service providers, social media servers, user devices, and other data sources. Television broadcast monitor devices and/or television receivers may receive and analyze the live television broadcast time data and channel data, and may determine updated recording schedule data which may be used to dynamically reprogram the digital video recorders associated with one or more television receivers.

Claims

1. A television broadcast recording system, comprising:

a television receiver, comprising;

one or more tuners;

a digital video recorder;

one or more processors; and

memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the television receiver to;

receive data from a controller device identifying one or more television programs to record from a television broadcast;

in response to receiving the data from the user controller device, program the digital video recorder to record the identified television programs;

transmit recording schedule data to a television broadcast monitor device, the recording schedule data corresponding to the television programs identified to record on the digital video recorder;

receive updated recording schedule data from the television broadcast monitor device, the updated recording schedule data comprising at least one of an updated start time, an updated end time, or an updated broadcast channel for the one or more identified television programs; and

in response to receiving the updated recording schedule data from the television broadcast monitor device, reprogram the digital video recorder to record the identified television programs, in accordance with the at least one of the updated start time, updated end time, or updated broadcast channel for the identified television programs; and

a television broadcast monitor device, comprising;

one or more processors; and

memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the television broadcast monitor device to;

receive the recording schedule data from the television receiver;

identify one or more television programs within a live television broadcast associated with the received recording schedule data, each of the live broadcast television programs having a scheduled start time and a scheduled end time;

receive time data corresponding to the live television broadcast, the time data indicating a change to at least one start time or end time of at least one of the identified television programs within the live television broadcast;

determine the updated recording schedule data based on the time data corresponding to the live television broadcast; and

transmit the updated recording schedule data to the television receiver.

2. The television broadcast recording system of claim 1, wherein receiving time data corresponding to the live television broadcast comprises:

receiving the time data, by the television broadcast monitor device, from at least one of a satellite television service provider, a cable television service provider, or a social media server.

3. The television broadcast recording system of claim 1, wherein the time data received by the television broadcast monitor device comprises data indicating an updated end time for a first live television program, the updated end time different from the scheduled end time of the first live television program.

4. The television broadcast recording system of claim 3, wherein determining the updated recording schedule data comprises:

determining an updated start time for a second television program scheduled for broadcast after the first live television program, based on the received updated end time for the first live television program.

5. The television broadcast recording system of claim 3, wherein the received updated end time for the first live television program is later than the scheduled end time of the first live television program, and

wherein determining the updated recording schedule data comprises determining a new broadcast channel for a second television program scheduled for broadcast after the first live television program.

6. The television broadcast recording system of claim 5, the memory of the television receiver having stored therein further processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the television receiver to:

determine whether the television receiver is authorized to receive the new broadcast channel for the second television program; and

upon determining that television receiver is not authorized to receive the new broadcast channel for the second television program, transmit a notification from the television receiver to a mobile device associated with the television receiver, the notification identifying the new broadcast channel for the second television program.

7. The television broadcast recording system of claim 1, wherein transmitting the recording schedule data to the television broadcast monitor device comprises:

transmitting, by the television receiver, one or more television program schedule records, each television program schedule record identifying at least a start time, an end time, and a broadcast channel.

8. The television broadcast recording system of claim 1, the memory of the television receiver having stored therein further processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the television receiver to:

determine, based on the updated recording schedule data, whether the digital video recorder of the television receiver is capable of recording the identified television programs; and

upon determining that television receiver is not capable of recording the identified television programs in accordance with the updated recording schedule data, transmit a notification to a mobile device associated with the television receiver.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a television receiver device, data identifying one or more television programs to record from a television broadcast;

programming, by the television receiver device, a digital video recorder associated with the television receiver device to record the identified television programs, in response to receiving the data;

transmitting, by the television receiver device, recording schedule data to a television broadcast monitor device, the recording schedule data corresponding to the television programs identified for recording by the digital video recorder;

receiving, by the television receiver device, a television broadcast signal from a television service provider, the television broadcast signal including the one or more live broadcast television programs;

receiving, by the television receiver device, updated recording schedule data comprising at least one of an updated start time, an updated end time, or an updated broadcast channel for the one or more identified television programs; and

in response to receiving the updated recording schedule data, reprogramming, by the television receiver device, the digital video recorder to record the identified television programs, using the at least one of the updated start time, updated end time, or updated broadcast channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the television receiver comprises one or more tuners configured to receive the television broadcast signal from at least one of a satellite television service provider device or a cable television service provider device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the television receiver comprises one or more network interfaces configured to receive the television broadcast signal via at least one of a wide area computer network or a wireless telecommunications network.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the television broadcast monitor device comprises a mobile device associated with the television receiver, and

wherein receiving the updated recording schedule data from the television broadcast monitor device comprises receiving data input by a user via the mobile device indicating at least one of an updated start time or updated end time for a first live television program.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the television broadcast monitor device comprises at least one of a device associated a satellite television service provider, a device associated a cable television service provider, or a device associated with a social media service provider.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving the updated recording schedule data comprises:

receiving and decoding one or more metadata tags embedded into the television broadcast signal, the embedded metadata tags identifying at least one of a starting point or ending point of a first live television program.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the received time data comprises data indicating an updated end time for a first live television program, the updated end time different from a previously scheduled end time of the first live television program.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein reprogramming the digital video recorder comprises:

determining an updated start time for a second television program scheduled for broadcast after the first live television program, based on the received updated end time for the first live television program.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the received updated end time for the first live television program is later than the scheduled end time of the first live television program, and wherein reprogramming the digital video recorder comprises:

determining a new broadcast channel for a second television program scheduled for broadcast after the first live television program.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the television receiver device is authorized to receive the new broadcast channel for the second television program; and

upon determining that television receiver device is not authorized to receive the new broadcast channel for the second television program, transmit a notification to a mobile device associated with the television receiver device, the notification identifying the new broadcast channel for the second television program.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, by a television broadcast monitor device, recording schedule data from one or more television receiver devices, the recording schedule data comprising at least one of a start time, an end time, or a broadcast channel for one or more television programs;

receiving, by the broadcast monitor device, a television broadcast signal from a television service provider, the television broadcast signal including one or more live broadcast television programs;

identifying, by the television broadcast monitor device and based on the received recording schedule data, a first live broadcast television program within the television broadcast signal, the first live broadcast television program having a scheduled start time and a scheduled end time;

receiving, by the television broadcast monitor device, time data indicating a change to at least one of the scheduled start time or the scheduled end time of the first live broadcast television program;

determining, by the television broadcast monitor device, updated recording schedule data based on the received time data; and

transmitting, by the television broadcast monitor device, the updated recording schedule data to the one or more television receiver devices.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the received time data indicates an updated end time for the first live broadcast television program, wherein the updated end time is later than the scheduled end time of the first broadcast live television program, and wherein determining the updated recording schedule data comprises:

determining a new broadcast channel for a second television program scheduled for broadcast after the first live broadcast television program.