Over the top media integration with over the air broadcast media

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10616640-B2
Application number	US-201715856705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2017
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

Various arrangements for providing bimodal digital video recording are presented. A plurality of over-the-air (OTA) television programs received via an antenna input port may be recorded to a local processor-readable storage medium. Record instructions may be transmitted to a cloud-based television programming service provider server system to remotely record and store scheduled streaming television programs to storage of the cloud-based television programming service provider server system. OTA television programs received via the antenna input port and recorded to the local processor-readable storage medium may be determined. Indications of television programs stored by the cloud-based television programming service provider server system may be received. Data may be output to a display device to present the bimodal DVR interface having a unified interface that simultaneously comprises indications of the recorded OTA television programs and indications of the scheduled streaming television programming.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing bimodal digital video recording, the method comprising:
performing, by a bimodal digital video recorder device, an over-the-air (OTA) set up process during which a determination that each OTA television of a plurality of OTA television channels are received each having at least a threshold signal strength via an antenna input port of the bimodal digital video recorder device;
recording, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, a plurality of OTA television programs of the plurality of OTA television channels received via the antenna input port of the bimodal digital video recorder device to a local processor-readable storage medium, wherein the plurality of OTA television channels were identified by performing the OTA set up process;
transmitting, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, a plurality of record instructions to a cloud-based television programming service provider server system to remotely record and store a plurality of scheduled streaming television programs to storage of the cloud-based television programming service provider server system;
receiving, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, user input requesting a bimodal digital video recorder (DVR) interface;
determining, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, the plurality of OTA television programs received via the antenna input port and recorded to the local processor-readable storage medium;
receiving, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, an indication of a first amount of storage space available at the cloud-based television programming service provider server system linked with a user account that is also linked with the bimodal digital video recorder device;
determining, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, a second amount of storage space available locally on the local processor-readable storage medium for storage of OTA television programs; and
receiving, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, indications of the plurality of scheduled streaming television programs stored by the cloud-based television programming service provider server system; and
outputting, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, data to a display device to present the bimodal DVR interface having a unified interface that simultaneously comprises:
indications of the plurality of recorded OTA television programs stored by the bimodal digital video recorder device;
indications of the plurality of scheduled streaming television programming stored by the cloud-based television programming service provider system that are mixed with the indications of the plurality of record OTA television programs;
a first graphical indicator indicative of the first amount of storage space available for recording scheduled streaming television programs at the cloud-based television programming service provider server system; and
a second graphical indicator indicative of the second amount of storage space available for recording OTA television programs at the bimodal digital video recorder device.

2. The method for providing bimodal digital video recording of claim 1 , further comprising:
organizing, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, the plurality of recorded OTA television programs and the plurality of scheduled streaming television programs according to a characteristic other than storage location or recording source, wherein at least some of the plurality of recorded OTA television programs are intermingled with at least some of the plurality of scheduled streaming television programs.

3. The method for providing bimodal digital video recording of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
executing, by an end user display device, an application that communicates, via a wireless interface, with the bimodal digital video recorder device;
receiving, by the end user display device and the executed application, the data that indicates the plurality of recorded OTA television programs stored by the bimodal digital video recorder device and the plurality of scheduled streaming television programming stored by the cloud-based television programming service provider system; and
presenting, by the executed application on a display of the end user display device, based on the received data, a second unified interface that simultaneously presents indications of the plurality of recorded OTA television programs stored by the bimodal digital video recorder device and indications of the plurality of scheduled streaming television programming stored by the cloud-based television programming service provider system.

4. The method for providing bimodal digital video recording of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving, by the application executed by the end user display device, a request to view a television program selected from the unified interface;
determining, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, that the television program indicated by the request is part of the plurality of OTA television programs stored to the local processor-readable storage medium; and
streaming, by the bimodal digital video recorder device, the television program to the end user display device.

5. The method for providing bimodal digital video recording of claim 1 wherein the antenna input port wirelessly receives television programming from a wireless antenna transmitted device connected with an antenna.

6. The method for providing bimodal digital video recording of claim 1 wherein the antenna input port is a coaxial port that is connected with an over-the-air antenna via a coaxial cable.

7. The method for providing bimodal digital video recording of claim 1 wherein the antenna input port is an universal serial bus (USB) port that connects with a USB device having an integrated antenna.

8. A bimodal digital video recorder (DVR) system, comprising:
a cloud-based television programming service provider system that remotely records television programming for users linked with a plurality of user accounts; and
a bimodal digital video recorder device, comprising:
an antenna input port that connects with an over-the-air antenna that receives television programming in VHF and/or UHF frequency bands;
a network interface that communicates with a cloud-based television programming service provider server system;
one or more processor-readable storage mediums having at least a portion of storage allocated for recording television programming; and
one or more processors communicatively coupled with the one or more processor-readable storage mediums and the network interface, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored by the one or more processor-readable storage mediums that cause the one or more processors to:
perform an over-the-air (OTA) set up process during which a determination that each OTA television of a plurality of OTA television channels are received each having at least a threshold signal strength via the antenna input port of the bimodal digital video recorder device;
record OTA television programming of the plurality of OTA television channels received via the antenna input port to the one or more processor-readable storage mediums, wherein the plurality of OTA television channels were identified by performing the OTA set up process;
cause an instruction to be transmitted to the cloud-based television programming service provider server system to remotely record and store scheduled streaming television programming to a storage device of the cloud-based television programming service provider server system;
calculate a first amount of storage space available at the one or more processor-readable storage mediums of the bimodal DVR device for recording television programming;
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Assignees

• Sling Tv L L C

Inventors

• Chaudhari Jimshade
• Puccio Joseph
• O'Brien Iv James Burke
• London David
• Badger Trent A
• Kim James

Classifications

• H04N21/4334 Primary

  Recording operations (recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27) · CPC title

• H04N21/2747

  Remote storage of video programmes received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server · CPC title

• H04N21/42209

  for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic programme guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel · CPC title

• H04N21/4147

  PVR [Personal Video Recorder] (H04N5/76 takes precedence {; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40}) · CPC title

• H04N21/4622

  Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859) · CPC title