Media content delivery systems and methods

• US 8,843,977 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruffini, Michael P., Bassali, Harpal S., Trimper, John K, Stettner, Armando P
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parra, Omar S
• Application Number:
  US12/478,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20100313233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/93
• 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 21/4334 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An exemplary method includes receiving, by a media content delivery subsystem from an end-user media content processing device via a network, a request to record a live transmission of a media content instance, recording, by the media content delivery subsystem, the live transmission of the media content instance, and transmitting, by the media content delivery subsystem, data representative of the recorded live transmission of the media content instance to the end-user media content processing device via the network for local storage by the end-user media content processing device. In certain embodiments, the recording includes generating at least one media data file containing the data representative of the recorded live transmission of the media content instance, and the transmitting includes transferring the at least one media data file from the media content delivery subsystem to the end-user media content processing device via the network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a media content delivery subsystem from an end-user media content processing device via a network, a request to record a live transmission of a media content instance;

recording, by said media content delivery subsystem, said live transmission of said media content instance, said recording comprising generating at least one media data file containing data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance;

determining, by said media content delivery subsystem, that a current operating status of said end-user content processing device matches a predefined operating status;

transmitting, by said media content delivery subsystem in response to said determining that said current operating status of said end-user media content processing device matches said predefined operating status, said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said end-user media content processing device via said network for local storage by said end-user media content processing device, said transmitting comprising transferring said at least one media data file from said media content delivery subsystem to said end-user media content processing device via said network, said transferring of said at least one media data file performed in a manner that enables said end-user media content processing device to play back at least a portion of said at least one media data file only after all of said at least one media data file is transferred to said end-user media content processing device;

dynamically adjusting a rate of said transferring of said at least one media data file from said media content delivery subsystem to said end-user media content processing device via said network based on available network bandwidth; and

maintaining, by said media content delivery subsystem while dynamically adjusting said rate of said transferring of said at least one media data file, a substantially unchanging level of quality of said recorded live transmission across said transfer of said at least one media data file from said media content delivery subsystem to said end-user media content processing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting of said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said end-user media content processing device utilizes less resources of said network than said live transmission of said media content instance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said resources comprise a bandwidth of said network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting comprises automatically initiating a transfer of said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance from said media content delivery subsystem to said end-user media content processing device via said network at a non-peak network usage time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said request comprises data representative of at least a portion of a recording schedule associated with said end-user media content processing device; and

said recording comprises initiating said recording at a scheduled time of said live transmission based on said data representative of said at least a portion of said recording schedule.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said recording comprises storing said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to a network storage facility, the method further comprising:

automatically removing, by said media content delivery subsystem, said recorded live transmission of said media content instance from said network storage facility after said transmitting of said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said end-user media content processing device via said network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said end-user media content processing device, said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance;

storing, by said end-user media content processing device, said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to a local storage device; and

utilizing said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance in said local storage device to play back at least a portion of said media content instance for experiencing by a user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said live transmission of said media content instance comprises at least one of a broadcast and a multicast of said media content instance over said network by said media content delivery subsystem.

9. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said current operating status of said end-user media content processing device comprises a state in which said end-user media content processing device is currently powered off.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said current operating status of said end-user media content processing device comprises a state in which said end-user media content processing device is currently in a stand-by mode.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said current operating status of said end-user media content processing device comprises a state in which said end-user media content processing device is currently not recording any live transmission of media content.

13. A method comprising:

transmitting, by an end-user media content processing device to a media content delivery subsystem via a network, a request to record a live transmission of a media content instance over said network;

communicating, by said end-user media content processing device to said media content delivery subsystem via said network, an indication of a current operating status of said end-user media content processing device;

receiving, by said end-user media content processing device in response to said request and a determination that said current operating status of said end-user media content processing device matches a predefined operating status, data representative of a network-recorded live transmission of said media content instance, wherein said receiving is

performed at a receiving rate that is dynamically adjusted based on available network bandwidth;

performed in a manner that facilitates maintaining a substantially unchanging level of quality of said network-recorded live transmission while said receiving rate is dynamically adjusted based on said available network bandwidth; and

performed in a manner that enables said end-user media content processing device to play back at least a portion of said media content instance only after all of said data representative of said network-recorded live transmission is received by said end-user media content processing device;

storing, by said end-user media content processing device, said data representative of said network-recorded live transmission of said media content instance to a local storage device; and

utilizing said data representative of said network-recorded live transmission of said media content instance in said local storage device to play back said at least a portion of said media content instance for experiencing by said a user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, by said end-user media content processing device, a separate live transmission of another media content instance;

wherein said live transmission of said media content instance and said separate live transmission of said another media content instance are available via said network during overlapping time slots.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving of said data representative of said network-recorded live transmission of said media content instance by said end-user media content processing device utilizes less resources than said receiving of said separate live transmission of said another media content instance by said end-user media content processing device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein:

said storing comprises storing a download of a complete media data file including said data representative of said network-recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said local storage device; and

said storing of said download of said complete media data file is completed before said playback of said at least a portion of said media content instance.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said end-user media content processing device comprises a set-top box configured to access at least one of a broadcast television service, a multicast television service, and a narrowcast television service over said network.

18. A method comprising:

maintaining, by an end-user media content processing device, a recording schedule indicating a plurality of live transmissions of media content to be recorded, said plurality of live transmissions of media content including a first live transmission of a first media content instance and a second live transmission of a second media content instance scheduled for live transmission during overlapping time slots;

locally recording, by said end-user media content processing device, said first live transmission of said first media content instance;

transmitting, by said end-user media content processing device to a media content delivery subsystem via said network, a request to record said second live transmission of said second media content instance;

communicating, by said end-user media content processing device to said media content delivery subsystem via said network, an indication of a current operating status of said end-user media content processing device;

receiving, by said end-user media content processing device in response to said request and a determination that said current operating status of said end-user media content processing device matches a predefined operating status, data representative of a network recording of said second live transmission of said second media content instance, wherein said receiving is

performed at a receiving rate that is dynamically adjusted based on available network bandwidth;

performed in a manner that facilitates maintaining a substantially unchanging level of quality of said network-recorded live transmission while said receiving rate is dynamically adjusted based on said available network bandwidth; and

performed in a manner that enables said end-user media content processing device to play back at least a portion of said second media content instance only after all of said data representative of said network recording of said second live transmission is received by said end-user media content processing device;

storing, by said end-user media content processing device, said data representative of said network recording of said second live transmission of said second media content instance to a local storage device; and

utilizing said data representative of said network recording of said second live transmission of said second media content instance in said local storage device to play back said at least a portion of said second media content instance for experiencing by said a user.

19. A system comprising:

a media content live transmission facility configured to transmit a live transmission of a media content instance to at least one end-user media content processing device via a network in accordance with a live transmission format;

a network media content recording facility configured to

receive a request from said at least one end-user media content processing device to record said live transmission of said media content instance, and

record said live transmission of said media content instance in response to said request, including storing data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to a network storage facility; and

a media content delivery facility configured to

determine that a current operating status of said end-user content processing device matches a predefined operating status;

transmit, in response to said determination that said current operating status of said end-user media content processing device matches said predefined operating status, data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said at least one end-user media content processing device via said network in accordance with a non-live transmission format by transferring said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance in a manner that enables said at least one end-user media content processing device to play back at least a portion of said media content instance only after all of said data representative of said recorded live transmission is transferred to said at least one end-user media content processing device,

dynamically adjust a rate of said transferring of said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said at least one end-user media content processing device via said network based on available network bandwidth, and

maintain a substantially unchanging level of quality of said recorded live transmission across said transfer of said data representative of said recorded live transmission said data representative of said recorded live transmission while dynamically adjusting said rate of said transferring of said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said media content delivery facility is configured to transmit said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said at least one end-user media content processing device via said network by transfer of at least one media data file including said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance from said network storage facility to said at least one end-user media content processing device via said network.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said media content delivery facility is configured to automatically initiate said transmitting of said data representative of said recorded live transmission of said media content instance to said at least one end-user media content processing device via said network at a non-peak network usage time.