Broadcast schedule synchronized digital video recorder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9807441-B2
Application number	US-201615269146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2015
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A disclosed example may accurately start and stop a recording of an event based on accurate event scheduling information from a channel broadcaster. A start time and stop time for a recording of the event may be scheduled according to EPG data. In response to determining that the channel is a controlled channel, which includes accurate event scheduling information provided by a channel broadcaster, a recording may be initially scheduled for the event according to the EPG data with an extended duration of a predetermined time value. The digitally encoded transport stream may be continuously monitored to detect a new event and the detected new event may then be mapped to the event. As a result, the recording time of the event may be accurately updated by extracting a set of parameters from the accurate event schedule information of the new event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to record an event, the method comprising:
starting, by a processor, a recording of the event on a channel according to a recording start time and stop time for the event determined from electronic programming guide (EPG) data;
extracting, by the processor, event scheduling information from a digitally encoded transport stream, wherein the event schedule information includes at least one of a start time and a stop time;
setting, by the processor, at least one of a start bookmark and a stop bookmark in recording metadata for the event based on the event schedule information extracted from the digitally encoded transport stream,
wherein if the start bookmark is set in the recording metadata, the start bookmark setting comprises determining that the recording of the event will be in progress prior to the event scheduling information being extracted from the digitally encoded transport stream, and
wherein if the stop bookmark is set in the recording metadata, the stop bookmark setting comprises determining that the event will be completed prior to the event scheduling information being extracted from the digitally encoded transport stream; and

trimming or extending, by the processor, the recording of the event based on at least one of the start bookmark and the stop bookmark.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising reading a channel configuration file, wherein the channel configuration file includes tuning information for channels provided by a video service delivery platform, the channel configuration file providing a mapping between a channel identifier (ID) in the event schedule information extracted from the digitally encoded transport stream, and a channel ID in the EPG data.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
monitoring the digitally encoded transport stream for a channel that includes the event schedule information; and
adding the channel to a controlled channels log in response to determining the digitally encoded transport stream includes event schedule information for the channel.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
detecting a new event on the digitally encoded transport stream of the channel in the controlled channel log;
determining, from the event schedule information of the new event, whether the new event has a start time within a predetermined tolerance to the recording start time for the event according to the EPG data;
determining, from the event schedule information of the new event, whether the new event has a same title as a title of the event according to the EPG data; and
linking the new event to the event in response to determining that the new event has a start time within a predetermined tolerance to the recording start time for the event and that the new event has the same title as the title of the event.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event schedule information is information included in an event information table (EIT) that is transmitted as service information (SI) embedded in the digitally encoded transport stream, wherein the EIT includes a duration, and a short event descriptor for an event.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
extracting a duration from the event schedule information of the new event; and
modifying a recording duration for the event based on the extracted duration, wherein the modifying includes at least one of:
stopping the recording of the event if the extracted duration indicates that the event has already ended; and
changing the stop time of the recording of the event if the extracted duration indicates that the event stop time is still in the future.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
receiving, by the controller, a record request for the event.

8. A system for recording of an event, the system comprising:
a processor to:
start a recording of the event on a channel according to a recording start time and stop time for the event according to electronic programming guide (EPG) data;
extract event scheduling information from a digitally encoded transport stream, wherein the event schedule information includes at least one of a start time and a stop time;
set at least one of a start bookmark and a stop bookmark in recording metadata for the event based on the start and stop time from the event schedule information of the event extracted from the digitally encoded transport stream, wherein
setting the start bookmark includes determining that the recording of the event will be in progress prior to the event scheduling information being extracted from the digitally encoded transport stream, and
setting the stop bookmark includes determining that the event will be completed prior to the event scheduling information being extracted from the digitally encoded transport stream; and

trim the recording based on at least one of the start bookmark and the stop bookmark.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein to extract event scheduling information from the digitally encoded transport stream, the processor is to:
monitor the digitally encoded transport stream for a channel that includes event schedule information; and
add the channel to a controlled channels log.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is to:
determine whether the channel is a controlled channel that is included in a controlled channels log, and
in response to determining that the channel is the controlled channel, schedules the recording for the event according to the EPG data with an extended duration of a predetermined time value.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is to:
generate the controlled channels log, wherein the controlled channels log includes a set of channels, wherein each channel of the set includes event scheduling information in the digitally encoded transport stream.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein to extract event scheduling information from the digitally encoded transport stream, the processor is to:
detect a new event on the digitally encoded transport stream of the controlled channel; and
map the new event to the event.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein to map the new event to the event, the processor is to:
determine, from the event schedule information of the new event, whether the new event has a start time within a predetermined tolerance to the recording start time for the event according to the EPG data;
determine, from the event schedule information of the new event, whether the new event has a same title as a title of the event according to the EPG data; and
link the new event to the event in response to determining that the new event has a start time within a predetermined tolerance to the recording start time for the event and that the new event has a same title as a title of the event.

14. A method to record an event, the method comprising:
setting, by a processor, a recording start time and stop time for the event on a channel according to electronic programming guide (EPG) data;
detecting, by the processor, a new event on a digitally encoded transport stream of the channel;
extracting, by the processor, event scheduling information of the new event from the digitally encoded transport stream, wherein extracting event scheduling information of the new event comprises:
extracting a start time from the event schedule information of the new event;
mapping, by the processor, the new event to the event based on matching event scheduling information of the new event with the EPG data for the event;
updating, by the processor, a recording of the event based upon the event schedule information of the mapped new event, wherein updating the recording of t

Assignees

• Accenture Global Services Ltd
• Accenture Global Service Ltd

Inventors

• Gordhan Sagar

Classifications

• H04N21/4334

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

• H04N21/26283 Primary

  for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic programme guide data · CPC title

• H04N21/47214

  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 title

• H04N21/254

  Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server {(arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53)} · CPC title

• H04N21/44008

  involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59) · CPC title