Unified recording and pause buffer format

• US 9,241,125 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Potrebic, Peter J., McEnroe, Elizabeth Rose, Barrett, Peter T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNTER, MISHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US12/960,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20110075985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 386/291, 386/295, 386/329, 725/37, 725/38, 725/61, 725139-142, 725/25, 725/88, 725/134, 725/46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• 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 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• 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 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A unified recording format allows both recorded programs and paused buffered broadcasts to be stored in memory as a common virtual stream. As content is received on a channel, it is placed into the virtual stream with newer content at the start of the stream and progressively aging content migrating farther downstream. A front section of the stream effectively operates as a pause buffer, as the currently tuned broadcast program is recorded in this section and is responsive to pause/resume commands. Recorded programs are also stored as part of the same virtual stream. Pointers are used to identify the boundaries of the pause buffer, as well as the beginning and end of each recorded program in the virtual stream.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing in memory as a single virtual stream, a plurality of recorded programs together with content from a currently tuned broadcast program, the content from the currently tuned broadcast program stored in a front section of the single virtual stream, the front section of the single virtual stream effectively operable as a pause buffer, wherein references to an ending point of a first recorded program of the plurality of recorded programs and a starting point of a second recorded program of the plurality of recorded programs overlap within the single virtual stream to accommodate a portion of the first recorded program that was broadcast during a time period for the second recorded program;

enabling a user to pause and resume play of the content in the pause buffer; and

enabling the user to playback at least one of the first recorded program or the second recorded program from the single virtual stream, wherein the first recorded program and the second recorded program are recordings of different program content.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first recorded program and the second recorded program are initially stored in the single virtual stream as part of the pause buffer.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying the first recorded program and the second recorded program within the single virtual stream via references to starting and ending points of each of the first recorded program and the second recorded program.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying content in the single virtual stream that is not part of the plurality of recorded programs and is not part of the pause buffer and reclaiming any storage space associated with the content.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a channel change from a channel, maintaining the recently received content in the single virtual stream; and

upon return to the channel, enabling the user to play back a portion of the recently received content that was stored in the single virtual stream prior to the channel change.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising presenting, during play back of the recently received content, a user interface that explains why part of the recently received content may not be played back as a result of the channel change.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first recorded program and second recorded program are recorded from a single channel.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the second recorded program overlaps at least a portion of the pause buffer within the single virtual stream.

9. A digital video recording system comprising:

a memory; and

a stream manager stored in the memory, the stream manager being configured to;

manage a virtual stream to capture recorded programs and broadcast programs in a single stream, the broadcast programs captured in a pause buffer portion of the virtual stream,

omit a portion of a first broadcast program while recording a second broadcast program, the second broadcast program being automatically recorded responsive to a channel change from a channel broadcasting the first broadcast program to a channel broadcasting the second broadcast program, and

present, during play back of the first broadcast program, a user interface that explains why part of the first broadcast program cannot be played back as a result of the channel change.

10. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, wherein the virtual stream has an arbitrary length and defines a history of stored content including live broadcast programs currently captured in the pause buffer portion as well as previously recorded programs.

11. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, wherein the virtual stream comprises:

a first section to define the pause buffer portion for holding currently captured content so that, when a user pauses the program and subsequently resumes play, the content held in the pause buffer portion is played back to the user; and

a second section outside of the pause buffer portion to hold one or more recorded programs.

12. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, wherein the stream manager maintains references to identify start and end points of each of the recorded programs in the virtual stream.

13. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, wherein first and second recorded programs, which are fully recorded, overlap one another in the virtual stream.

14. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, wherein content captured in the pause buffer portion is maintained persistently as a recorded program.

15. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, further comprising logic configured to present, during playback of the first broadcast program or second broadcast program, a user interface that explains that the omitted portion was not recorded and cannot be played back due to the channel change.

16. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, embodied as one of a television-based entertainment system or a computing device.

17. A digital video recording system as recited in claim 9, wherein the stream manager is further configured to:

omit a portion of a first broadcast program responsive to an unexpected power loss, a loss of a distribution network, or technical difficulties at a content provider; and

present, during the play back of the first broadcast program, the user interface that explains why part of the first broadcast program cannot be played back as a result of the unexpected power loss, the loss of the distribution network, or the technical difficulties at the content provider.

18. A computer storage device comprising computer-executable instructions stored on the computer storage medium that, when executed by a processor, direct a digital video recording system to perform operations including:

receiving broadcast programs from one or more broadcast channels;

storing a current broadcast program in a first section of a single virtual stream;

maintaining a plurality of previous broadcast programs in a second section of the single virtual stream that overlaps with the first section of the single virtual stream, wherein the plurality of previous broadcast programs maintained in the second section of the single virtual stream are recorded temporally before the current broadcast program being stored in the first section of the single virtual stream; and

enabling a user to move through the current broadcast program and one of the previous broadcast programs during playback, wherein the current broadcast program and the previous broadcast program include different program content.

19. A computer storage device as recited in claim 18, wherein the first section forms a pause buffer and one of the previous broadcast programs is partially contained in the pause buffer and partially maintained in the second section of the single virtual stream.

20. A computer storage device as recited in claim 18, wherein the operations further include:

enabling the user to pause and resume play of content stored in the first section of the single virtual stream; and

enabling playback of one or more previous broadcast programs maintained in the second section of the single virtual stream.