Network recorder buffer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10764628-B2
Application number	US-201815957392-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2018
Priority date	Jun 20, 2011
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

A network digital video recording (nDVR) system may take into account the capabilities of a requesting user's local DVR when managing network recordings. The user's local DVR may include a temporary buffer that is normally used to record what the DVR is tuned to, and may be used for local trickplay functionality such as pausing live television. The nDVR features described herein may track the usage of the user's temporary DVR buffer, and use that in determining what to stream in response to a user's playback request. The nDVR system can also determine if the user's local DVR has an unused tuner at a time of a program recording, and can instruct the user's local DVR to also tune to the program.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
receive, from a digital video recorder (DVR), a request to record a future scheduled program; and
based on the request and an occurrence of a scheduled transmission time of the scheduled program:
record, via networked digital video recorder (nDVR) storage, the scheduled program, and
instruct, based on a determination that the DVR has an unused tuner that is unused during transmission of the scheduled program, the DVR to tune the unused tuner of the DVR to the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded via the nDVR storage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded; and
determine, based on the nDVR playback request, whether a start point of the scheduled program is in a temporary buffer of the DVR.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
receive a user request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded;
determine that a first portion of the scheduled program is available in a temporary buffer of the DVR;
cause playback of the first portion of the scheduled program from the temporary buffer;
determine a gap in the scheduled program in the temporary buffer; and
send, to the DVR, a second portion of the scheduled program that begins at a first time corresponding to a beginning of the gap in the scheduled program and ends at a second time corresponding to an end of the gap in the scheduled program.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded;
determine, based on the nDVR playback request, a time difference between a start point of the scheduled program and a live program time;
compare the time difference to a size of a temporary buffer of the DVR; and
instruct, based on a determination that the time difference is smaller than the size of the temporary buffer, the DVR to tune to the scheduled program.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded; and
based on the nDVR playback request:
send, via the nDVR storage, a stream containing the scheduled program, and
cause, based on a determination that a playback time of the scheduled program has reached a temporary buffer start time in the DVR, a playback by the DVR of the scheduled program to switch from the stream to a temporary buffer of the DVR.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program; and
cause, using a first portion of the scheduled program from the nDVR storage and a second portion of the scheduled program from a temporary buffer of the DVR, the playback of the scheduled program.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program; and
based on the nDVR playback request:
determine a limit of a temporary buffer of the DVR, wherein the temporary buffer is configured to automatically record content currently tuned to by the DVR; and
cause, based on the limit being sufficient for the scheduled program, the scheduled program to be sent to the DVR for playback.

8. A system comprising:
a networked digital video recorder (nDVR) comprising storage; and
a digital video recorder (DVR) comprising a tuner,
wherein the nDVR is configured to:
receive, from the DVR, a request to record a future scheduled program; and
based on the request and an occurrence of a scheduled transmission time of the scheduled program:
record, via the storage, the scheduled program; and
send, based on a determination that the tuner of the DVR is unused during transmission of the scheduled program, an instruction to the DVR, and

wherein the DVR is configured to tune, based on the instruction and while the scheduled program is being recorded by the nDVR, the tuner to the scheduled program.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the DVR comprises a temporary buffer configured to record content currently tuned by the DVR, and wherein the DVR is configured to record at least a portion of the scheduled program in the temporary buffer.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the DVR comprises a temporary buffer, and wherein the nDVR is further configured to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded by the nDVR; and
determine, based on the nDVR playback request, whether a start point of the scheduled program is in the temporary buffer.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the DVR comprises a temporary buffer, and wherein the nDVR is further configured to:
receive a user request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded;
determine that a first portion of the scheduled program is available in the temporary buffer;
determine a gap in the scheduled program in the temporary buffer; and
send, to the DVR, a second portion of the scheduled program that begins at a first time corresponding to a beginning of the gap in the scheduled program and ends at a second time corresponding to an end of the gap in the scheduled program, and
wherein the DVR is further configured to:
playback the first portion of the scheduled program from the temporary buffer; and
playback the second portion of the scheduled program received from the nDVR.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the nDVR is further configured to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded;
determine, based on the nDVR playback request, a time difference between a start point of the scheduled program and a live program time;
compare the time difference to a size of a temporary buffer of the DVR; and
send, based on a determination that the time difference is smaller than the size of the temporary buffer, an instruction to the DVR, and
wherein the DVR is configured to tune, based on the instruction, the tuner to the scheduled program.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the nDVR is further configured to:
receive an nDVR playback request to begin playback of the scheduled program while the scheduled program is being recorded; and
send, based on the nDVR playback request and via the storage, a stream containing the scheduled program, and
wherein the DVR is further configured to switch, based on a determination that a playback time of the scheduled program has reached a temporary buffer start time in the DVR, a playback by the DVR of the scheduled program from the stream to a temporary buffer of the DVR.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the DVR comprises a temporary buffer, and wherein the nDVR is further configured to:
receive an nDVR playback reque

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Walker Todd
• Bradley Bruce
• Day Thomas
• Gaydos Robert
• Leddy John
• Mao Weidong

Classifications

• H04N21/274

  Storing end-user {multimedia} data in response to end-user request {, e.g. network recorder} · CPC title

• H04N21/6543

  for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording {(remote booting in general G06F9/4416)} · CPC title

• H04N21/426 Primary

  Internal components of the client {; Characteristics thereof} (H04N5/44 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N21/4263

  involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners · CPC title

• H04N21/4147

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