Systems and methods for storing a plurality of video streams on re-writable random-access media and time- and channel-based retrieval thereof

• US 7,925,141 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SynchView Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: TM SF Media Holdings LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Geer, James L., Darius, Ivan H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hasan; Syed Y
• Application Number:
  US10/933,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20050025469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,412 Days
• Field of Search: 386/125, 386/46, 386/95, 386/124, 386/39, 386/112, 386/E5.003, 386/E5.013, 386/E5.043, 386/E7.07, 386/E5.071, 386/83, 386/E9.04, 345/555, 348/560, 348/565, 348/581, 348/738, 348/E5.105, 348/E5.108, 348/E5.112, 348/389.1, 348/E11.003, 360/134, 375/E7.198, 711/122, 715/704, 715/716, 715/810, 715/811, 725/46, 725/139, 725/141
• US Class Current: 386/341
• 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 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A digital video recorder (DVR) and a method of operating the same. In one embodiment, the DVR includes: (1) a mass data storage unit that concurrently and continuously receives and digitally stores a plurality of channels and (2) a channel viewer, coupled to the mass data storage unit, that retrieves a portion of one of the plurality of channels from the mass data storage unit based on a received command and presents the portion on a video display device.

Claims

1. A method for the storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

receiving a selection of a first television program;

delivering first output signals corresponding to the first television program starting at a start time to a display;

accepting a control command requesting a second television program, wherein the first television program was recorded from a first television channel at a first time and the second television program was recorded from a second television channel at the first time, wherein the second television channel is different from the first television channel;

computing a time relative to a beginning of the second television program at which to start the second television program wherein the computed time is based at least on an amount of time that has elapsed since a beginning of the first television program when the control command was issued; and

delivering second output signals corresponding to the second television program to the display, wherein the second television program is started at the computed time relative to the beginning of the second television program.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a television programs via a satellite dish.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a television programs via cable television signals.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a compressed digital data stream corresponding to a television programs on a random access storage device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein storing the compressed digital data stream on a random access storage device comprises storing the compressed digital data stream on a RAID.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the compressed digital data stream comprises a Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) formatted stream.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising simultaneously tuning television signals to multiple specific channels.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising storing signals received via each of the multiple specific channels in one or more compressed digital data streams on a random access storage device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising automatically generating a table of contents of the specific channels of the received signals stored on the random access storage device.

10. The method of claim 9 and further comprising providing information related to the table of contents for display to a user, wherein the received signals correspond to one or more television programs and the information includes, for each television program stored on the random access storage device, a title of the television program, a date the television program was recorded, and a channel upon which the television program was originally broadcast.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the programs is marked so that the marked program will not be automatically overwritten.

12. The method of claim 11 and further comprising providing a television guide for display to the user, wherein tuning the television signals to a specific channel comprises tuning the television signals to a specific channel that is selected by the user based upon the television guide.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein providing a television guide comprises receiving program information from the same medium as the television signals.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the television signals and the program information are both received via a satellite dish.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the specific channel is selected by the user using a keyword.

16. A system for storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

means for storing a compressed digital data stream and guide information corresponding to the compressed digital data stream on a random access storage device;

means for reading the compressed digital data stream from the random access storage device;

means for converting the compressed digital data stream into output signals corresponding to a television program;

means for outputting a first portion of the output signals corresponding to the television program while concurrently converting and storing a second portion of the television program wherein the second portion is different from the first portion; and

means for accepting control commands from a user, wherein the control commands request that the output signals change from a first television program that was originally received on a first channel at a first time to a second television program that was originally received on a second channel at the first time, the second channel being different than the first channel, so that the second television program can be started at a computed time wherein the computed time is approximately equal, relative to a beginning of the second television program, to a time at which the change was requested relative to a beginning of the first television program.

17. A system for presenting a television program, comprising:

a reception component configured to receive a television signal associated with a television program;

a conversion component configured to convert the received television signal to digital data;

a storage component configured to store the digital data;

a data transfer component configured to transfer a portion of the stored digital data to a display component while the reception component concurrently receives a television signal associated with a different portion of the same television program and the conversion component concurrently converts the different portion; and

a component configured to accept control commands from a user, wherein the control commands request that output signals change from a first television program that was originally received on a first channel at a first time to a second television program that was originally received on a second channel at the first time, the second channel being different than the first channel, so that the second television program can be started at a computed time wherein the computed time is approximately equal, relative to a beginning of the second television program, to a time at which the change was requested relative to a beginning of the first television program, wherein the transferred portion of the stored digital data corresponds to the second television program.

18. A method for presenting a television program to a user, comprising:

receiving television signals associated with a television program;

converting a first portion of the received television signals to digital data while concurrently displaying a second portion of the received television signals wherein the first portion is different from the second portion;

storing the digital data in a storage component;

displaying two or more user selectable presentation modes; and

presenting the television program, wherein presenting the television program includes;

transferring the received television signals to a display component for presentation of the television program upon receiving user selection of a first presentation mode associated with a live presentation of the television program; and

transferring the stored digital data to the display component for presentation of the television program upon receiving a selection of a second presentation mode associated with a delayed presentation of the television program, wherein the television program is started at a computed time relative to a beginning of the television program, the computed time based at least on an amount of time that has elapsed since a beginning of a different television program that was previously displayed.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein storing the digital data includes automatically storing the digital data upon conversion of the television signals to the digital data.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein storing the digital data includes receiving a selection to store the television program.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein storing the digital data includes receiving a selection of a keyword associated with the television program.

22. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method for storing and playing back multimedia data, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a first television program;

delivering first output signals corresponding to the first television program starting at a start time;

accepting a control command requesting a second television program, wherein the first television program was recorded from a first television channel at a first time and the second television program was recorded from a second television channel at approximately the first time, wherein the second television channel is different from the first television channel;

computing a time relative to a beginning of the second television program at which to start the second television program wherein the computed time is based at least on an amount of time that has elapsed since a beginning of the first television program when the control command was accepted; and

delivering second output signals corresponding to the second television program, wherein the second television program is started at the computed time relative to the beginning of the second television program.