System and method for optimizing storage and transcoding costs in network DVR

• US 9,591,363 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bjordammen, David M, Du Breuil, Thomas L
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERORAZIO, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US14/210,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 725/92
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

A method includes: storing, via a network storage device, information related to the playback history of a content playing device; receiving, via a network digital video recorder scheduler, a request to record requested content; receiving, via a network digital video recorder, the requested content in a first format and the requested content in a second format; and storing, via the network digital video recorder, only one of the requested content in the first format or the requested content in a second format based on the information related to the playback history.

Claims

1. A method for storing selected formats of a requested content in a network digital video recorder system having a network storage device, network digital video recorder scheduler, and a network digital video recorder, the network digital video recorder system for storing unique copies of the requested content for requesting accounts, each copy in at least one format selected for the respective requesting account, the method comprising:

storing, via the network storage device, information related to a playback history for each of a plurality of accounts, wherein each account is associated with at least one content playing device;

receiving, via the network digital video recorder scheduler, a request to record requested content;

receiving the requested content in a plurality of formats, wherein the network digital video recorder system couples the network storage device with the network digital video recorder to base a determination of which of the one or more of the received plurality of formats to store the requested content for each account on the playback history stored for each account;

determining, for each account, which of the one or more plurality of formats to store by;

comparing the requested content to the playback history of the at least one content playing device associated with the respective account;

selecting which of the received plurality of formats of the requested content to store for the respective account based on the comparison of the requested content to the playback history of the at least one content playing device associated with the account; and

storing uniquely for the respective account the requested content in the format(s) selected within the received plurality of formats, discarding for that respective account any unselected formats of the requested content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a period of time after which a probability of playback of the requested content in the selected format is unlikely; and

discarding a stored format of the requested content after the period of time has lapsed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a probability of playback of a recorded content may be determined over multiple configurable periods of time, and the discard of the stored format is discarded in one of the multiple configurable periods of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a playback history for no more than a first period of time is used for the comparison to the requested content to make an initial decision whether to store the requested content in at least one of the plurality of formats.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating existing recordings stored to determine whether the uniquely stored formats should be maintained or deleted based on expected future viewing probabilities.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the playback history associated with the account when an additional content playing device is added to the account.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising on-demand transcoding a requested content for a requesting content playing device where the requested content in the requested format is not stored for the account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing an on-demand transcoding cost to a storage cost, and

storing the requested content in at least one of the plurality of formats if the on-demand transcoding cost to transcode the recorded content in the at least one of the plurality of formats is greater than the cost to store the requested content in the at least one of the plurality of formats.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein storing information related to a playback history of a content device comprises storing an array of program playback metadata.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the requested content to the playback history of the content playback history comprises quantifying a match between similar prior playback operations and the requested content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback metadata includes a title of a content, a description of the content, a genre of the content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback history includes information related to at least one of a content playing device capabilities, previous content requested, a time or date of session start, or a trick play usage.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein no more than a single format in the plurality of formats is selected for storage of the requested content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the single format selected is the highest available format.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the requested content in a first format, storing the requested content in a second format, and subsequently deleting the content in one of the first format or the second format after a predetermined period of time.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a device is associated with an account if the content playing device is registered with the content provider.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback history includes characteristics of a delivery network used to fulfill the playback request.

18. A network digital video recorder system for storing unique copies of requested content for selected formats of a requested content for requesting accounts, each copy in at least one format selected for the respective requesting account, the network digital video recorder system comprising:

a storage component for storing information related to a playback history of a plurality of accounts, wherein each account is associated with at least one content playing device;

a network digital video recorder scheduler for receiving a request to record requested content;

a network digital video recorder for receiving the requested content in a plurality of formats, wherein the network digital video recorder system couples the storage component with the network digital video recorder to couple the stored playback history for each account with a determination of which of the one or more of the received plurality of formats to store the requested content for each account; and

a processor for determining, for each account, which of the one or more plurality of formats to store by;

comparing the requested content to the playback history of the at least one content playing device associated with the account;

selecting which of the plurality of formats of the requested content to store based on the comparison of the requested content to the playback history of the at least one content playing device associated with the account; and

storing uniquely for the respective account the requested content in the selected format(s), discarding for that respective account any unselected formats of the requested content.