Managing synchronization of media programs to portable devices

• US 8,594,481 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cirrincione, Cory Jon, McClanahan, Joseph, Schwesinger, Mark, Abraham, Jeffrey Christopher, Wahlin, Chad Wesley, McCullough, Luke Wabaunsee
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELMORE, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US12/056,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20090245756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 386/83, 386200-201, 386/248, 386/262
• US Class Current: 386/83
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• 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 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• 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 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/56 Synchronising systems therefor

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed herein for managing the transfer of digital media that is recorded on a source device (e.g., personal video recorder) to a target device (e.g., portable media player). In one aspect, a user interface is provided for scheduling recording of digital media content on a source device and for inputting user preferences for transferring digital media content to be recorded on the source device to a target device. A user request is received in the user interface to schedule recording of digital media on the source device. User preferences for transferring digital media from the source device to the target device are also received in the user interface. The digital media is recorded on the source device per the user'"'"'s request. Synchronization of the recorded digital media from the source device to the target device is managed based on the user preferences.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method comprising:

providing a user interface for scheduling recording of digital media on a first device and for inputting synchronization rules that define which digital media that were requested to be recorded on the first device should be synchronized from the first device to a second device, the user interface simultaneously displays a selection of digital media for recording on the first device and a selection of a portion of the digital media that was selected for recording on the first device for synchronization to the second device;

receiving, via the user interface, a user request to schedule recording of digital media on the first device;

receiving, via the user interface, synchronization rules for synchronizing digital media that a user requested to be recorded on the first device from the first device to the second device;

recording, on the first device, the digital media that the user requested to be recorded on the first device;

determining whether to pre-transcode digital media that was requested to be recorded on the first device based on the synchronization rules for synchronizing digital media, including determining whether the digital media meets the synchronization rules;

automatically pre-transcoding the digital media that meets the synchronization rules on the first device so that it is suitable to present on the second device, the pre-transcoding is performed prior to the second device being available for synchronization; and

synchronizing at least some of the pre-transcoded digital media from the first device to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the second device that indicates a portion of the recorded digital media that was played on the second device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

playing digital media on the first device based on the information that indicates what portion of the recorded digital media was played on the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing at least some of the pre-transcoded digital media from the first device to the second device includes:

selecting at least a portion of the pre-transcoded digital media to transfer to the second device based on what portions of the recorded digital media the user has viewed on the first device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

removing digital media from the second device based on the synchronization rules input via the user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a change to the synchronization rules, the determining which portions of the recorded digital media to pre-transcode is performed in response to receiving the change in synchronization rules.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transcoding is performed while the digital media that meets the synchronization rules is being recorded on the first device.

7. A computer storage device having stored thereon instructions, which when executed on a processor, cause the processor to:

provide a user interface for scheduling recording of media programs on a personal video recorder and for inputting synchronization rules for synchronizing media programs that were requested to be recorded on the personal video recorder to a portable media player, the user interface simultaneously displays a selection of digital media for recording on the personal video recorder and a selection of a portion of the digital media that was selected for recording on the personal video recorder for synchronization to the portable media player;

receive, in the user interface, scheduling requests to record media programs on the personal video recorder and synchronization rules for determining which of the media programs to synchronize from the personal video recorder to the portable media player;

record the scheduled media programs on the personal video recorder;

determine which of the media programs that were requested to be recorded on the personal video recorder to pre-transcode on the personal video recorder for playing on the portable media player, the determining which of the media programs to pre-transcode includes determining which of the media programs requested to be recorded meet the synchronization rules that were received in the user interface;

pre-transcode the media programs that meet the synchronization rules to form transcoded programs suitable to play on the portable media player, the pre-transcoding is performed on the personal video recorder at a time when the portable media player does not have a communication link to the personal video recorder for transferring media programs;

select one or more of the pre-transcoded programs for transfer to the portable media player based on the synchronization rules;

synchronize the selected pre-transcoded programs from the personal video recorder to the portable media player via the communication link; and

receive status at the personal video recorder from the portable media player, the status describes what portions of the selected pre-transcoded programs were played on the portable media player.

9. The computer storage device of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

track what portions of the pre-transcoded programs were played on the personal video recorder; and

wherein the selecting one or more of the pre-transcoded programs is further based on what portions of the pre-transcoded programs were played on the personal video recorder.

10. The computer storage device of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine which media programs that were previously synchronized to the portable media player should be removed from the portable media player to allow transfer of the selected pre-transcoded programs by selecting which programs of the pre-transcoded programs and the media programs that were previously synchronized to the portab1e media player are preferred by a user based on the synchronization rules.

11. The computer storage device of claim 7, wherein the instructions, which when executed on a processor, cause the processor to receive status at the personal video recorder from the portable media player cause the processor to:

receive a bookmark that defines where a user stopped playing a first pre-transcoded program of the pre-transcoded programs that were transferred to the portable media player.

12. The computer storage device of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive a selection that is based on the status from the portable media player; and

play a first of the media programs on the personal video recorder based on the selection that is based on the status.

13. The computer storage device of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine implicit synchronization rules for transferring media programs from the personal video recorder to the portable media player based on user viewing behavior; and

wherein the processor selects one or more of the pre-transcoded programs for transfer to the portable media player is further based on the implicit synchronization rules.

14. The computer storage device of claim 13, wherein the instructions that cause the processor to determine implicit synchronization rules include instructions that cause the processor to:

determine the implicit synchronization rules based on the status received at the personal video recorder.

15. A computer system for managing digital media, wherein the system comprises:

a display screen;

computer readable storage having instructions stored therein; and

a processor coupled to the computer readable storage and to the display screen, the instructions cause the processor to implement;

a tuning module that captures broadcast media programs;

a management module that provides a single user interface on the display screen that allows both scheduling recordings of the captured broadcast media programs on the computer readable storage and inputting synchronization rules for synchronizing recorded media programs to a portable media player, the single user interface simultaneously displays a selection of broadcast media programs for recording on the computer readable storage and a selection of which episodes of a broadcast media program that was selected for recording on the computer readable storage for synchronization to the portable media player;

the user interface receives a request to schedule recordings of media programs and receives synchronization rules for synchronizing media programs that were requested to be recorded from the computer system to the portable media player;

a transcoder module that transcodes media programs on the computer system from a first format to a second format that is suitable for the portable media player;

a synchronization module that synchronizes transcoded media programs from the computer system to the portable media player;

wherein the management module;

determines to pre-transcode media programs at a time when the media programs are recorded on the computer readable storage, media programs that meet the synchronization rules are pre-transcoded, media programs that do not meet the synchronization rules are not pre-transcoded;

instructs the transcoder module to pre-transcode the determined media programs on the computer system to a format suitable for the portable media player in advance of the portable media player being available for transfer; and

determines which of the pre-transcoded programs to synchronize from the computer system to the portable media player when the portable media player is available for synchronization, the pre-transcoded programs to synchronize are determined based on the synchronization rules received in the user interface.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the management module selects media programs to pre-transcode based on whether a user has viewed the media programs on the computer system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the management module determines which media programs to remove from the portable media player based on the synchronization rules.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the management module receives information from the portable media player that indicates what portions of the media programs were played on the portable media player.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the management module:

receives a change to the synchronization rules; and

instructs the transcoder module to pre-transcode media programs that have already been recorded but have not yet been pre-transcoded and that the changed synchronization rules indicate should be synchronized.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the management module tracks whether the recorded programs were viewed and determines which of the media programs to transfer based, at least in part, on whether the programs were unviewed, viewed, or partially viewed.