System and method for recording and displaying video programs and mobile hand held devices

• US 20040237104A1
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Cooper, Jeffery Allen, Mac Donald Boyce, Jill
• Application Number:
  US10/494,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20040237104A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/169 characterised by the coding unit, i.e. the structural portion or semantic portion of the video signal being the object or the subject of the adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/56 Motion estimation with initialisation of the vector search, e.g. estimating a good candidate to initiate a search
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/4356 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. to reformat additional data on a handheld device, attached to the STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A television recording and playback system such as a personal video recorder digitally encodes a television program in handheld format and stores it in local memory. The stored handheld format television program can be outputted from the television recording and playback system, using either wired or wireless protocols, to a handheld device such as a personal data assistant for viewing on the handheld device. Alternatively the handheld device can output the television program to a different device such as another handheld device. The selection of programs for recording in large display format, handheld format, or simultaneously in both formats, can be by using a graphical user interface generated by the television recording and playback system or by the handheld device, and preferably with an electronic program guide containing information about programs to be, and being, broadcast.

Claims

1. A television recording and playback system, comprising:

a storage device;

a remote controller;

means for receiving a television program from a broadcast signal source;

means for generating a graphic user interface (GUI) for allowing a user to select, using the remote controller, a television program to be received and stored in the storage device;

means for receiving and storing in the storage device the first selected television program in a first display format, a second display format adapted for display on a handheld device, or the first and second display formats in the storage device in response to a user selection; and

means for transferring, to a handheld display device, the first television program in the second display format in response to user selection.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising

means for receiving electronic program guide (EPG) information having television schedule information;

means for transferring the EPG information to the handheld display device and for accepting programming information indicative of television programs selected for storage from the handheld display device, wherein the receiving and storing means receives and stores the selected television programs in response to the programming information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the programming information included device playback information indicative of designated playback devices associated with the respective selected television programs, the receiving and storing means storing the selected television programs in the first, second, or first and second display formats in response to the device playback information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

the generating means generates a synchronizing menu for allowing a user to selectively transfer programs stored in the storage device to the handheld display device and to selectively transfer programs from the handheld display device to the storage device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein

the synchronizing menu provides a viewed status of programs transferred to handheld display device and allows the user to select to delete the viewed programs from the storage device when the handheld display device is coupled to the system.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein

the synchronizing menu provides a viewed status of programs stored in the storage device and allows the user to select to delete the viewed programs from the handheld display device when the handheld display device is coupled to the system.

7. A method for controlling a television recording and playback system, comprising the steps of:

receiving user selected programming information indicative of television programs to be recorded to a storage device;

receiving and storing the selected television programs in a first display format, a second display format adapted for display on a handheld display device, or the first and second display formats on the storage device, in response to the programming information and a display format selection;

providing a graphic user interface(GUI) for allowing a user to select a stored television program to be transferred to a handheld display device; and

transferring the selected stored television program in the second display format to the handheld display device in response to a user synchronization mode selection.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising

receiving electronic program guide (EPG) information having television schedule information;

and

transferring the EPG information to the handheld display device and for accepting programming information indicative of television programs selected for storage from the handheld display device; and

receiving and storing the selected television programs in response to the programming information.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the programming information comprises providing device playback information indicative of designated playback devices associated with the respective selected television programs;

and

receiving and storing selected television programs in the first, second, or first and second display formats in response to the device playback information.

10. The method of claim 7 further including generating a synchronizing menu for allowing a user to selectively transfer programs stored in the storage device to the handheld display device and to selectively transfer programs from the handheld display device to the storage device.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the synchronizing menu provides a viewed status of programs transferred to handheld display device and allows the user to select to delete the viewed programs from the storage device when the handheld display device is coupled to the television recording and playback system or when the handheld device is next coupled to the television recording and playback system.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the synchronizing menu provides a viewed status of programs stored in the storage device and allows the user to select to delete the viewed programs from the handheld display device when the handheld display device is coupled to the system.

13. A television recording and playback system, comprising:

a storage device;

a remote controller;

means for receiving a television program from a signal source;

means for generating a graphic user interface (GUI) for allowing a user to select, using the remote controller, a first television program to be received and stored in the storage device;

means for receiving and storing in the storage device the first television program in a first display format;

means for storing in the storage device the first television program in a second display format adapted for display on a handheld display device; and

means for transferring, to the handheld display device, the first television program in the second display format in response to user selection of a desired display format.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein

the second display format is adapted for display on a handheld device, and the transferring means includes means for coupling the system to the handheld device for transferring the first television program to the handheld device in response to a user selection.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first display format storing means and the second display format storing means are independently coupled to the television program receiving means, and encode and store the received television program independently of each other.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the second display format storing means is coupled to the first display format storing means, and generates and stores a representation of first television program in the second display format in response to motion vectors received from the first display format storing means.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for receiving television program receives a digital representation of the television program and the second display format storing means includes a decoder for decoding the digital representation of the television program and means for re-encoding the television program in the second display format.

18. A television recording and playback system, comprising:

a storage device;

a remote controller;

means for receiving a television program from a signal source;

means for generating a graphic user interface (GUI) for allowing a user to select, using the remote controller, a first television program to be received and stored in the storage device;

means for receiving and storing in the storage device the first television program in a predetermined display format;

means for transferring, to the handheld display device, the first television program in the predetermined display format in response to user selection.

19. A method for controlling a handheld display device, comprising the steps of:

providing a graphic user interface (GUI) for allowing a user to select a television program stored on a television recording and playback system for transfer to the handheld display device, and generating synchronizing commands in response to the user selection;

transferring the synchronizing commands to the television recording and playback system when the handheld display device is connected to the television recording and playback system;

receiving the selected television program transmitted in response to the synchronizing commands; and

displaying the selected television program in response to user playback commands.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

receiving electronic program guide (EPG) information having television program schedule information;

providing a graphic user interface (GUI) in response to the EPG information for allowing the user to select a television program for recording on the television recording and playback system, wherein the synchronizing commands include programming information indicative of television programs selected for storage in response to user selection.