System and method for recording and time-shifting programming in a television distribution system with limited content retention
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- recording broadcast programming for at least one television channel for a period of time, wherein the recording is performed upstream from subscribers in a television distribution system;
after the period of time, keeping recorded programming for rebroadcast by request from at least one subscriber, wherein the request occurs prior to a second point in time based in part on requests made by other subscribers;
wherein the request is for at least one television program contained in the recorded programming or for a time window for a particular channel; and
further comprising deleting recorded content after a third period of time, wherein if more than N subscribers have requested the same content of the broadcast, deleting the content after a delay period T, wherein T=C*log(N), and further wherein C is a constant that may be changed to adjust the operation of the system based on subscriber feedback and system parameters including an amount of storage available.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide methods and systems to record broadcast programming for at least one television channel for a period of time, wherein the recording is performed upstream from subscribers in a television distribution system, and further including after the period of time, keeping recorded programming by request from at least one subscriber. And further wherein the request is for at least one television program contained in the recorded programming or for a time window for a particular channel. According to another embodiment a subscriber requests that broadcast programming be saved for the subscriber upstream from the subscriber in a television distribution system, and wherein the subscriber may request the programming be saved for later viewing by the subscriber between the time the programming was broadcast and a later point in time.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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recording broadcast programming for at least one television channel for a period of time, wherein the recording is performed upstream from subscribers in a television distribution system; after the period of time, keeping recorded programming for rebroadcast by request from at least one subscriber, wherein the request occurs prior to a second point in time based in part on requests made by other subscribers; wherein the request is for at least one television program contained in the recorded programming or for a time window for a particular channel; and further comprising deleting recorded content after a third period of time, wherein if more than N subscribers have requested the same content of the broadcast, deleting the content after a delay period T, wherein T=C*log(N), and further wherein C is a constant that may be changed to adjust the operation of the system based on subscriber feedback and system parameters including an amount of storage available. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer instructions for causing a machine to:
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record broadcast programming for at least one television channel for a period of time, wherein the recording is performed upstream from subscribers in a television distribution system; after the period of time, keep recorded programming for rebroadcast by request from at least one subscriber, wherein the request occurs prior to a second point in time based in part on requests made by other subscribers; wherein the request is for at least one television program contained in the recorded programming or for a time window for a particular channel; and further comprising deleting recorded content after a third period of time, wherein if more than N subscribers have requested the same content of the broadcast, deleting the content after a delay period T, wherein T=C*log(N), and further wherein C is a constant that may be changed to adjust the operation of the system based on subscriber feedback and system parameters including an amount of storage available. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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recording broadcast programming for at least one television channel for a period of time, wherein the recording is performed upstream from subscribers in a television distribution system; after the period of time, keeping recorded programming for rebroadcast by request from at least one subscriber, wherein the request occurs prior to a second point in time based in part on requests made by other subscribers, and wherein the request is for at least one television program contained in the recorded programming or for a time window for a particular channel, wherein the broadcast programming is saved on one or more mass storage devices; deleting recorded content after a third period of time, wherein if more than N subscribers have requested the same content of the broadcast, deleting the content after a delay period T, wherein T=C*log(N), wherein C is a constant that may be changed to adjust the operation of the system based on subscriber feedback and system parameters including an amount of storage available; and delivering saved content for display on a television viewing device in response to a subscriber'"'"'s request. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification