Detecting and processing corrupted video recordings

• US 8,917,646 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir S., Boss, Gregory J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): CRUTCHFIELD, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US11/875,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,622 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/64776 for requesting retransmission, e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from server ARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a method that comprises recording broadcasted television content and determining if one or more segments of the content is corrupted. The method can also present a notification if the content is corrupted, where the notification can include indicia such as a pop-up window, an icon or symbol in a program guide screen or program recorded content screen, and/or an indicator on the DVR unit. The method can also acquire uncorrupted content to replace one or more segments of the corrupted content.

Claims

1. A method of recording video content by a digital video recorder (DVR), the method comprising:

the DVR recording the video content provided from a content provider to produce recorded video content;

the DVR computing a checksum corresponding to the recorded video content;

the DVR determining that the recorded video content has been corrupted by a power outage by comparing a recording list of the DVR against a last known time the DVR was operational before a most recent startup of the DVR and by comparing a checksum received from the content provider with the computed checksum;

the DVR determining a region of the recorded video content that is corrupted as occurring at the time period extending from the last known time the DVR was operational to a time at which the DVR resumed recording after the most recent startup of the DVR and by comparing a first rolling checksum computed on the region of the recorded video content to a rolling checksum computed on the region of the recorded video content and received from the content provider; and

the DVR replacing the region of the recorded video content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the DVR replacing the region of the recorded video content comprises the DVR acquiring replacement content from the content provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the DVR, further responsive to determining that the recorded video content has been corrupted, provides an indication that the recorded video content is corrupted to a user of the DVR.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication is a symbol inserted in a program guide generated by the DVR.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication is a pop-up generated by the DVR within a video output generated by the DVR.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication is an audible indication inserted in an audio output generated by the DVR.

7. The program product of claim 1, wherein the replacing the region of the recorded video content comprises the DVR acquiring replacement content from the content provider.

8. The program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to the DVR determining that the recorded video content has been corrupted, the DVR providing an indication that the recorded video content is corrupted to a user of the DVR.

9. The program product of claim 8, wherein the indication is a symbol inserted in a program guide generated by the DVR.

10. The program product of claim 8, wherein the indication is a pop-up generated by the DVR within a video output generated by the DVR.

11. A digital video recorder (DVR), comprising:

hardware for executing program instructions, a machine-readable memory and a machine-readable tangible storage device;

program instructions, stored on the storage device for execution by the hardware via the memory, to record video content provided from a content provider to produce recorded video content;

program instructions, stored on the storage device for execution by the hardware via the memory, to compute a checksum corresponding to the recorded video content;

program instructions, stored on the storage device for execution by the hardware via the memory, to determine that the recorded video content has been corrupted by a power outage by comparing a recording list of the DVR against a last known time the DVR was operational before a most recent startup of the DVR and by comparing a checksum received from the content provider with the computed checksum;

program instructions, stored on the storage device for execution by the hardware via the memory, to determine a region of the recorded video content that is corrupted as occurring at the time period extending from the last known time the DVR was operational to a time at which the DVR resumed recording after the most recent startup of the DVR and by comparing a first rolling checksum computed on the region of the recorded video content to a rolling checksum computed on the region of the recorded video content and received from the content provider determining that the recorded video content has been corrupted by comparing a checksum received from the content provider with the computed checksum; and

program instructions, stored on the storage device for execution by the hardware via the memory, to replace the region of the recorded video content.

12. The DVR of claim 11, wherein the program instructions that replace the region of the recorded video content comprise program instructions to acquire replacement content from the content provider.

13. The DVR of claim 11, further comprising program instructions, stored on the storage device for execution by the hardware via the memory, to, in response to determining that the recorded video content has been corrupted, provide an indication that the recorded video content is corrupted to a user of the DVR.

14. The DVR of claim 11, wherein the indication is a symbol inserted in a program guide generated by the DVR.

15. The DVR of claim 11, wherein the indication is a pop-up generated by the DVR within a video output generated by the DVR.

16. The DVR of claim 11, wherein the indication is an audible indication inserted in an audio output generated by the DVR.

17. A program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable device and machine-readable program instructions stored on the non-transitory machine-readable device for execution by a digital video recorder (DVR) to implement a method of recording video content by the DVR, the method comprising:

the DVR recording the video content provided from a content provider to produce recorded video content;

the DVR computing a checksum corresponding to the recorded video content;

the DVR determining that the recorded video content has been corrupted by a power outage by comparing a recording list of the DVR against a last known time the DVR was operational before a most recent startup of the DVR and by comparing a checksum received from the content provider with the computed checksum;

the DVR determining a region of the recorded video content that is corrupted as occurring at the time period extending from the last known time the DVR was operational to a time at which the DVR resumed recording after the most recent startup of the DVR and by comparing a first rolling checksum computed on the region of the recorded video content to a rolling checksum computed on the region of the recorded video content and received from the content provider; and

the DVR replacing the region of the recorded video content.