Multimedia stream processing system

• US 8,965,173 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2010
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James M., Kao, Jean Swey, Chow, Ching Tong, McInnis, Roderick James, Goodman, Andrew Martin, Moskowitz, Alan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US12/783,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20100226627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 386/235, 386/236, 386/237, 386/323, 386/322, 386/353
• US Class Current: 386/235
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7925 : for more than one standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 : Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

A multimedia signal processing system allows a user to store selected programs while simultaneously watching or reviewing another. The system includes an input section and an output section. Across all configurations, the output section remains substantially the same, while the input section varies according to the signal type and the source. The system receives a digital stream and simultaneously processes the digital stream for display and stores the digital stream on at least one storage device. The system further simultaneously processes a previously recorded digital stream for display while processing the digital stream for display.

Claims

1. A method for the simultaneous storage and retrieval of multimedia information, comprising:

receiving a digital stream at a multimedia recording device;

as the digital stream is being received, placing a portion of the digital stream into a buffer;

simultaneously;

     1) sending the portion of the digital stream in the buffer for processing by the multimedia recording device for display and

     2) storing the same portion of the digital stream in the buffer in at least one storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step receives the digital stream from an input device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the input device receives digital signals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the simultaneously step further comprises:

sending the digital stream to a decoder; and

wherein the decoder decodes the digital stream for output to a display device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital stream is an MPEG stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the simultaneously step further comprises:

processing a previously recorded digital stream stored on the at least one storage device for display simultaneous with the processing of the digital stream for display.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the processing step processes the previously recorded digital stream using identifying information associated with the previously recorded digital stream.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage device contains a plurality of previously recorded digital streams.

9. A method for the simultaneous storage and retrieval of multimedia information, comprising:

processing a digital stream in a multimedia recording device;

simultaneously;

     1) sending a portion of the processed digital stream to a decoder in the multimedia device for processing of the digital stream and

     2) storing the same portion of the processed digital stream in at least one storage device, the decoder decodes the digital stream for display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the processing step receives the digital stream from an input device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the input device receives digital signals.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital stream is an MPEG stream.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the simultaneously step further comprises:

sending a previously recorded digital stream stored on the at least one storage device to a second decoder simultaneous with the sending the digital stream to the decoder.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second decoder decodes the previously recorded digital stream for display.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one storage device contains a plurality of previously recorded digital streams.

16. An apparatus for the simultaneous storage and retrieval of multimedia information, comprising:

a receiver subsystem in a multimedia recording device that receives a digital stream;

a buffering subsystem in the multimedia recording device that, as the digital stream is being received by the receiver subsystem, places a portion of the digital stream into a buffer;

at least one storage device;

a distribution subsystem that simultaneously;

     1) sends the portion of the digital stream in the buffer to a processing subsystem in the multimedia recording device that processes the digital stream for display and

     2) sends the same portion of the digital stream in the buffer to a storage subsystem that writes the digital stream onto the at least one storage device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the receiving subsystem receives the digital stream from an input subsystem.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the input subsystem receives digital signals.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a decoder;

wherein the processing subsystem is the decoder; and

wherein the decoder decodes the digital stream for output to a display device.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the digital stream is an MPEG stream.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a second decoder;

wherein the distribution subsystem sends a previously recorded digital stream stored on the at least one storage device to the second decoder simultaneous with sending the digital stream to the decoder.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the distribution subsystem processes the previously recorded digital stream using identifying information associated with the previously recorded digital stream.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one storage device contains a plurality of previously recorded digital streams.

24. An apparatus for the simultaneous storage and retrieval of multimedia information, comprising:

a receiver subsystem in a multimedia recording device that processes a digital stream;

a decoder in the multimedia device;

at least one storage device;

a distribution subsystem that simultaneously;

     1) sends a portion of the processed digital stream to the decoder for processing of the digital stream and

     2) sends the same portion of the processed digital stream to a storage subsystem that writes the digital stream onto the at least one storage device, the decoder decodes the digital stream for display.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the receiver subsystem receives the digital stream from an input subsystem.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the input subsystem receives digital signals.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the digital stream is an MPEG stream.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

a second decoder;

wherein the distribution subsystem sends a previously recorded digital stream stored on the at least one storage device to the second decoder simultaneous with sending the digital stream to the decoder; and

wherein the second decoder decodes the previously recorded digital stream for display.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one storage device contains a plurality of previously recorded digital streams.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for the simultaneous storage and retrieval of multimedia information, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving a digital stream at a multimedia recording device;

as the digital stream is being received, placing a portion of the digital stream into a buffer;

simultaneously;

     1) sending the portion of the digital stream in the buffer for processing by the multimedia recording device for display and

     2) storing the same portion of the digital stream in the buffer in at least one storage device.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the receiving step receives the digital stream from an input device.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the input device receives digital signals.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the simultaneously step further comprises:

sending the digital stream to a decoder; and

wherein the decoder decodes the digital stream for output to a display device.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the digital stream is an MPEG stream.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the simultaneously step further comprises:

processing a previously recorded digital stream stored on the at least one storage device for display simultaneous with the processing of the digital stream for display.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the processing step processes the previously recorded digital stream using identifying information associated with the previously recorded digital stream.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the at least one storage device contains a plurality of previously recorded digital streams.

38. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for the simultaneous storage and retrieval of multimedia information, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

processing a digital stream in a multimedia recording device;

simultaneously;

     1) sending a portion of the processed digital stream to a decoder in the multimedia device for processing of the digital stream and

     2) storing the same portion of the processed digital stream in at least one storage device, the decoder decodes the digital stream for display.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the processing step receives the digital stream from an input device.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the input device receives digital signals.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the digital stream is an MPEG stream.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the simultaneously step further comprises:

sending a previously recorded digital stream stored on the at least one storage device to a second decoder simultaneous with the sending the digital stream to the decoder.

43. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the second decoder decodes the previously recorded digital stream for display.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the at least one storage device contains a plurality of previously recorded digital streams.