Centralized digital video recording and playback system accessible to multiple reproduction and control units via a home area network

• US 8,116,612 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ucentric Systems, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasilevsky, Alexander, Sparrell, Carlton J., Parise, Sergio, Watlington, John, Kaczowka, Peter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ATALA, JAMIE JO
• Application Number:
  US10/017,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20030068155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,713 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/95, 386/96, 386125-126, 725/112, 725/38, 725/39, 725/40, 725 68- 70, 725 86- 88
• US Class Current: 386/293
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• 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 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• 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 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A centralized Digital Video Recording (DVR) and reproduction system links several reproduction and control units (such as television receivers, etc.) and a centralized server via a home area network. This allows programming to be distributed throughout the premises, and novelly allows live-pause recording and playback to be effected from more than one reproduction and control unit in a seamless manner. For example, during a live-pause episode, a viewer can pause a program from one control and reproduction unit, and resume viewing the program from the same pause point at another control and reproduction unit on the premises. The present invention also allows a viewer to view multiple programs from the server on the same monitor using a multiple picture-in-picture display.

Claims

1. A method of digital video program reproduction within defined premises, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of electronic audio-visual programs;

storing said programs in a centralized memory;

providing a first program reproduction device and a second reproduction device adapted to reproduce programs for viewers/users;

networking said centralized memory and said first and second program reproduction devices together;

selecting a program as a selected program;

distributing the ability to control reproduction of said selected program among the first and second reproduction devices so that, at the selection of a viewer, said reproduction of said selected program is seamless between said reproduction devices such that the first reproduction device may live-pause the reproduction of the selected program and the second reproduction device may resume reproduction of the selected program;

designating as part of a hierarchy, a control ranking to each of said first and second reproduction devices; and

during control conflicts, allowing the reproduction device attempting to control playback having the highest control ranking, to control the reproduction of said selected program.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein first and second reproduction devices contemporaneously display said selected program.

3. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

designating the first reproduction device as a master device;

designating the second reproduction device as a slave device; and

during control conflicts involving the master device and the slave device, allowing the master reproduction device to control playback of said selected program.

4. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

viewing a selected program via a first reproduction device;

establishing a pause point;

pausing the playback of said selected program via said first reproduction device; and

resuming the playback of said selected program via the second reproduction device from said pause point.

5. The method in claim 1 wherein the first and second reproduction devices are capable of reproducing a selected program independently.

6. A system for digital video program reproduction within defined premises, said system comprising:

a program receiver adapted to receive a plurality of electronic audio-visual programs;

a central memory adapted to store said programs;

a first program reproduction device and a second program reproduction device each adapted to reproduce programs for viewers/users; and

a network adapted to network said central memory and said first and second program reproduction devices;

wherein the ability to control live-pause reproduction of a selected program among the first and second reproduction devices is distributed so that, at the selection of a viewer, said live-pause reproduction of said selected program is seamless between said first and second reproduction devices,

wherein each of said first and second reproduction devices are designated to have, as part of a hierarchy, a control ranking, and during control conflicts, the reproduction device attempting to control playback having the highest control ranking, controls the reproduction of said selected program.

7. The system in claim 6, wherein said central memory is part of a server.

8. The system in claim 6, wherein said first and second reproduction devices contemporaneously display said selected program.

9. The system in claim 6, wherein the first reproduction device is designated as a “

master device,” and

the second reproduction device is designated as “

slave devices,” and

during control conflicts involving the master device and slave devices, the master reproduction device controls playback of said selected program.

10. The system in claim 6, wherein said system is adapted to allow viewing a selected program via the first reproduction device, establish a pause point, pause the playback of said selected program via said first reproduction device, and resume the playback of said selected program via the second reproduction device from said pause point.

11. The system in claim 6 wherein the first and second reproduction devices are adapted to reproduce a selected program independently.