SET-TOP BOX CONNECTABLE TO A DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER VIA AN AUXILIARY INTERFACE AND SELECTS BETWEEN A RECORDED VIDEO SIGNAL RECEIVED FROM THE DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER AND A REAL-TIME VIDEO SIGNAL TO PROVIDE VIDEO DATA STREAM TO A DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 6,751,402 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KEEN Personal Technologies Incorporated, Keen Personal Media, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KEEN Personal Technologies Incorporated, Keen Personal Media, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Elliott, Timothy J., Boyle, William B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/605,623
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.591, H04/N.585, H04/N.7173, 386/83, 386/46, 386/1, 386/124, 386/125, 386/45, 386/40, 386/126, 386/94, 386/35, 725/131, 725/133, 725/139, 725/141, 725/151, 725/153, 348/569
• US Class Current: 386/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42669 the medium being removable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

A set-top box is connectable to a digital video recorder that includes at least one recorder interface that supports connection of the digital video recorder to the set-top box, and a disk that stores a selected video segment. The digital video recorder has a video data stream manager that, in response to a real-time video signal, provides a first video stream to store the selected video segment on the disk, and that, in response to a command from the set-top box that initiates a playback interval, receives a second video stream based on the selected video segment stored on the disk to generate a recorded video signal. The digital video recorder is configured to (a) continuously receive the real-time video signal from the set-top box, and (b) provide the recorded video signal to the set-top box during the playback interval. The set-top box includes a video input interface that receives a broadcast signal to generate the real-time video signal, and a video output interface that provides an output video data stream to a display device. The set-top box further includes a microprocessor that recognizes connection of the digital video recorder to the set-top box, and that, in response to user input, generates the command that initiates the playback interval. The set-top box further includes at least one auxiliary interface that supports connection of the set-top box to the recorder interface of the digital video recorder, the auxiliary interface continuously providing the real-time video signal to the digital video recorder subsequent to the microprocessor recognizing connection of the digital video recorder to the set-top box. The set-top box further includes a multiplexer, coupled to the video output interface and the microprocessor. The multiplexer selects the real-time video signal during a real-time interval and selects the recorded video signal during the playback interval to generate the output video data stream that is provided to the display device.

Claims

1. A set-top box connectable to a digital video recorder that includes at least one recorder interface that supports connection of the digital video recorder to the set-top box, a disk that stores a selected video segment, and a video data stream manager that, in response to a real-time video signal, provides a first video stream to store the selected video segment on the disk, and that, in response to a command from the set-top box that initiates a playback interval, receives a second video stream based on the selected video segment stored on the disk to generate a recorded video signal, the digital video recorder being configured to use the at least one recorder interface to (a) continuously receive the real-time video signal from the set-top box, and (b) provide the recorded video signal to the set-top box during the playback interval, the set-top box comprising:

a video input interface that receives a broadcast signal to generate the real-time video signal;

a video output interface that provides an output video data stream to a display device;

a microprocessor that recognizes connection of the digital video recorder to the set-top box, and that, in response to user input, generates the command that initiates the playback interval;

at least one auxiliary interface that supports connection of the set-top box to the at least one recorder interface of the digital video recorder, the at least one auxiliary interface continuously providing the real-time video signal to the digital video recorder subsequent to the microprocessor recognizing connection of the digital video recorder to the set-top box; and

a multiplexer coupled to the video output interface and the microprocessor, wherein the multiplexer selects the real-time video signal during a real-time interval and selects the recorded video signal during the playback interval to generate the output video data stream that is provided to the display device.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the broadcast signal carries video programming in analog form.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the broadcast signal carries video programming in digital form.

4. The set-top box of claim 3, wherein the video programming is compressed under a selected compression standard.

5. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the video input interface comprises a video tuner, a quadrature amplitude modulation demodulator, and a conditional access module.

6. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the video output interface comprises:

a transport demultiplexer/decoder;

an on-screen display module that comprises a display multiplexer; and

an encoder.

7. The set-top box of claim 6, wherein the encoder is compatible with a selected composite video format.

8. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary interface supports isochronous communication with the at least one recorder interface of the digital video recorder.

9. The set-top box of claim 8, wherein the at least one auxiliary interface also supports asynchronous communication with the at least one recorder interface of the digital video recorder.

10. The set-top box of claim 8, wherein the at least one auxiliary interface also supports synchronous communication with the at least one recorder interface of the digital video recorder.

11. The set-top box of claim 8, wherein the at least one auxiliary interface is compatible with DTLA copy protection.

12. The set-top box of claim 8, wherein the at least one auxiliary interface is capable of encrypting and decrypting video signals.

13. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the digital video recorder further comprises a disk drive that is connected to the video data stream manager, the disk drive including the disk.

14. The set-top box of claim 13, wherein the disk drive supports isochronous communication.

15. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the digital video recorder further comprises a disk drive including the disk and the video data stream manager.

16. The set-top box of claim 15, wherein the disk drive supports isochronous communication.

17. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the video input interface comprises a video tuner.

18. The set-top box of claim 17, wherein the video input interface further comprises an analog descrambler.

19. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the set-top box further comprises a video digitizer coupled to the video input interface and the on-screen display module.

20. The set-top box of claim 19, wherein:

the video input interface transmits a baseband composite video signal to the video digitizer; and

the video digitizer transmits a real-time video signal in response to the baseband composite video signal to the on-screen display module.

21. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary interface comprises an analog auxiliary interface and a digital auxiliary interface.

22. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the at least one recorder interface comprises an analog recorder interface and a digital recorder interface.

23. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the digital video recorder further comprises an encoder coupled to the at least one recorder interface and the video data stream manager.