Multi-DVR node communication

• US 7,721,313 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barrett, Peter T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US11/428,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 725/88, 725/89, 725/92, 725/94, 725114-115
• US Class Current: 725/89
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

Multi-DVR node communication is described. In an embodiment, television-based client devices are each a node of a multi-DVR system where the nodes are implemented for communication with each other. A node status can be communicated from a node of the multi-DVR system to the television-based client devices at the respective nodes of the multi-DVR system. A node status can include a media content identifier of media content being rendered at the node of the multi-DVR system. Additionally, node status updates can be received from each of the television-based client devices at the respective nodes of the multi-DVR system such that one or more of the television-based client devices can request to playback the media content identified in a node status update.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

communicating a node status from television-based client devices that are each nodes of a multi-DVR system to other television-based client devices that are each nodes of the multi-DVR system, wherein;

each node of the multi-DVR system is configured to communicate its node status to all other nodes of the multi-DVR system,

node status comprises at least a media content identifier of media content being rendered at a television-based client device, each of the television-based client devices comprises recording capabilities for recording media content,

each node of the multi-DVR system is configured to make decisions on behalf of other nodes of the multi-DVR system based on the node statuses which have been received from the other nodes, and a recording node generates a content reference and a virtual content reference in a content map for the multi-DVR system, wherein the content reference references media content recorded for a first television-based client device, and a virtual content reference references the same media content recorded for the first television-based client device responsive to a record request received from a second television-based client device; and

receiving node status updates from each of the television-based client devices that are the nodes of the multi-DVR system such that the second television-based client device requests to playback the media content.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising recording a pause buffer for the first television-based client device at the recording node of the multi-DVR system such that one or more of the television-based client devices can request to playback the media content from the pause buffer.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the recording node of the multi-DVR system records the pause buffer for the first television-based client device at the recording node of the multi-DVR system while the television-based client device is tuned to receive the media content.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the recording node is a network based service that records the media content for one or more of the television-based client devices at the respective nodes of the multi-DVR system.

5. A method, comprising:

receiving a record request to record media content from a television-based client device in a multi-DVR system of television-based client devices that are each a node of the multi-DVR system and that are each capable of recording media content;

communicating a node status from each of the television-based client devices that are each nodes of the multi-DVR system to other television-based client devices that are each nodes of the multi-DVR system, wherein;

each node of the multi-DVR system is configured to communicate its node status to all other nodes of the multi-DVR system,

each node of the multi-DVR system is configured to make decisions on behalf of other nodes based on the node statuses which have been received from the other nodes, and

each node of the multi-DVR system is configured to generate a content reference and a virtual content reference in a content map for the multi-DVR system, wherein content reference references media content recorded at the television-based client device corresponding to each node, and the virtual content reference references the same media content recorded at the television-based client device corresponding to each node responsive to a record request received from an additional television-based client device corresponding to an additional node;

determining whether the multi-DVR system has available resources to record the media content for the television-based client device, wherein the determining comprises each node of the multi-DVR system communicating with each of the other nodes of the multi-DVR system; and

in an event the multi-DVR system has the available resources;

recording the media content at the television-based client device; and

generating a content reference in the content map such that the television-based client device can access and render the recorded media content.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the record request received from the television-based client device includes a media content identifier of the media content, a record start time, and a record stop time.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising receiving a playback request from the additional television-based client device at a node of the multi DVR system to receive the recorded media content such that the recorded media content is rendered at both the television-based client device and at the additional television-based client device.

8. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising receiving a node status update from each of the television-based client devices that are the nodes of the multi-DVR system.

9. A multi-DVR system, comprising:

television-based client devices that are each a node of the multi-DVR system and are each configured to communicate a node status to each other to make decisions on behalf of other nodes of the multi-DVR system based on the node statuses which have been received from the other nodes of the multi-DVR system and to generate a plurality of content references in a content map for the multi-DVR system, wherein a content reference references recording media of one or more of the television-based client devices;

a first television-based client device configured to initiate a first record request to record media content;

a second television-based client device configured to initiate a second record request to record the same media content; and

a recording node of the multi-DVR system configured to;

receive the first record request and record the media content and generate a first content reference such that the first television-based client device can access and render the recorded media content from the recording node; and

receive the second record request and generate a second content reference such that the second television-based client device can access and render the recorded media content from the recording node.

10. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, wherein the first and second record requests from the first and second television-based client devices each include a media content identifier of the media content, a record start time, and a record stop time.

11. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of the television-based client devices is the recording node of the multi-DVR system configured to record the media content for one or more of the television-based client devices.

12. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, wherein the recording node is a network based service configured to record the media content for one or more of the television-based client devices.

13. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, wherein the nodes of the multi-DVR system are each configured to receive a node status update from each of the television-based client devices that are the nodes of the multi-DVR system.

14. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, wherein a node status communicated from a television-based client device includes at least one of:

a media content identifier of the media content;

a service bit rate;

a multicast indication;

a unicast indication.

15. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, configured to implement media stream transitions based on the content map to thereby allow a television-based client device at a node of the multi-DVR system to be transitioned from receiving media content via a broadcast content stream to receiving the media content from recording media of one of the one or more television-based client devices.

16. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 15, configured to implement media stream transitions in response to a play command that follows a pause command.

17. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 16, configured to, in response to the pause command, record the broadcast content to one of the one or more of television-based client devices.

18. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 17, further configured to, in response to the pause command, generate a content reference in the content map that references the recording media of the of the one or more television-based client devices.

19. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, wherein the first content reference and the second content reference comprise overlapping memory segments.

20. A multi-DVR system as recited in claim 9, wherein the second content reference comprises a virtual reference.