Adapting digital video recording based upon feedback

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9826191-B2
Application number	US-201514797942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2015
Priority date	Nov 28, 2011
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments related to the use of feedback to adapt digital video recording are disclosed. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides, on a computing device, a method of adapting an identification and scheduling of video items for recording based on usage. The method comprises detecting a trigger to perform a series update, and determining one or more video items to record as a part of a series by providing input to a series update module that returns candidate video items for inclusion in the series. The method further comprises scheduling zero or more of the candidate video items for recording, receiving feedback related to video item playback of one or more video items that were recorded based upon the scheduling, and based upon the feedback, adapting the input provided to the series update module for a later series update.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. On a digital video recording service, a method of assigning scores to series update modules configured to identify candidate video items for recording as a part of a corresponding plurality of video content series, each series being of a series type selected from a plurality of series types and each series type utilizing a corresponding series update module, the method comprising:
for each series,
generating a list of video items for recording as a part of the series by executing the corresponding series update module and then scheduling recordings of zero or more candidate video items returned by the series update module, and
tracking feedback regarding playback of one or more video items for which recording was scheduled;
receiving a request for a list of available series; and
providing the list of the available series and reputation scores for the corresponding update modules for the series, the reputation scores being based upon the feedback.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list is generated locally on a client DVR device, and further comprising sending the feedback to a remote multi-user DVR service, and then receiving the reputation scores from the remote DVR service.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list is generated on a multi-user DVR service, and further comprising sending the list to a plurality of client digital video recording devices, receiving the feedback from the devices, and assigning a reputation score to each series update module.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feedback comprises one or more of information regarding whether recorded video items are played, information regarding whether video items played receive positive and/or negative user feedback, and information regarding an amount of usage of the series update module.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a personal reputation factor based upon a correlation of playback statistics of a user with playback statistics of one or more other users.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein executing the corresponding update module comprises providing an input to the update module, and wherein the method further comprises adapting the input based upon the feedback.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the series update module comprises a trend group series update module with which manual scheduling of a selected video item for recording by a weighted threshold number of members of a trend group triggers an automatic scheduling of the selected video item for recording by one or more other members of the trend group;
wherein the input comprises weighted user count values; and
wherein adapting the input comprises modifying a weighting factor of the weighted user count value for a trend group member that manually scheduled the selected video item for recording before the weighted threshold number of members was reached.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the input comprises a priority value assigned based upon a comparison between a number of viewers that watch a particular video item and a number of viewers that recorded the particular video item, and wherein adapting the input comprises modifying the priority value based upon the comparison.

9. A computing device, comprising:
a logic subsystem; and
a data-holding subsystem comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the logic subsystem to assign scores to series update modules configured to identify candidate video items for recording as a part of a corresponding plurality of video content series, each series being of a series type selected from a plurality of series types and each series type utilizing a corresponding series update module by:
for each series,
generate a list of video items for recording as a part of the series by executing the corresponding series update module and then scheduling recordings of zero or more candidate video items returned by the series update module, and
track feedback regarding playback of one or more video items for which recording was scheduled,
receive a request for a list of available series, and
provide the list of the available series and reputation scores for the corresponding update modules for the series, the reputation scores being based upon the feedback.

10. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein the list is generated locally on a client DVR device, and wherein the instructions are further executable to send the feedback to a remote multi-user DVR service, and then receive the reputation scores from the remote DVR service.

11. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein the list is generated on a multi-user DVR service, and wherein the instructions are further executable to send the list to a plurality of client digital video recording devices, receive the feedback from the devices, and assign a reputation score to each series update module.

12. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein executing the corresponding update module comprises providing an input to the update module, and wherein the method further comprises adapting the input based upon the feedback.

13. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein the feedback comprises one or more of information regarding whether recorded video items are played, information regarding whether video items played receive positive and/or negative user feedback, and information regarding an amount of usage of the series update module.

14. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a personal reputation factor based upon a correlation of playback statistics of a user with playback statistics of one or more other users.

15. The computing device of claim 14 , wherein
the series update module comprises a trend group series update module with which manual scheduling of a selected video item for recording by a weighted threshold number of members of a trend group triggers an automatic scheduling of the selected video item for recording by one or more other members of the trend group;
wherein the input comprises weighted user count values; and
wherein instructions executable to adapt the input comprises instructions executable to modify a weighting factor of the weighted user count value for a trend group member that manually scheduled the selected video item for recording before the weighted threshold number of members was reached.

16. The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the input comprises a priority value assigned based upon a comparison between a number of viewers that watch a particular video item and a number of viewers that recorded the particular video item, and wherein instructions executable to adapt the input comprises instructions executable to modify the priority value based upon the comparison.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Fontan Antonio
• Herby Tim
• Habliston Christopher
• Merzon Alan

Classifications

• H04N5/76 Primary

  Television signal recording · CPC title

• H04N21/4668

  for recommending content, e.g. movies · CPC title

• H04N21/4532

  involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/4666

  using neural networks, e.g. processing the feedback provided by the user · CPC title

• H04N21/6543

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