Apparatus, systems and methods for buffering of media content
AssigneeDISH Technologies L.L.C.
InventorGregory Greene
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Media content presentation systems and methods are operable to present media content received by a media device, wherein the media device comprises a plurality of tuner systems. An exemplary embodiment tunes the plurality of tuners to receive different broadcasting media content streams each comprising a streaming media content event; communicates the streaming media content events from the receiving tuner to a corresponding tuner buffer of the tuner system; and stores a portion of the streaming media content events into the corresponding tuner buffers. When a user selection is received for presentation of one of the streaming media content events, the selected one of the streaming media content events are presented to a user of the media device.
Claims15
A media device, comprising:
- a plurality of tuner systems, wherein each tuner system comprises:
- a tuner configured to receive a media content stream, wherein the media content stream includes at least a selected media content event of interest that the tuner is configured to receive;
- and
- a tuner buffer configured to store the selected media content event of interest, wherein the selected media content event of interest includes at least a video portion and an audio portion;
- a buffer manager configured to manage operation of each of the plurality of tuner systems;
- and
- a primary content buffer communicatively coupled to the plurality of tuner systems,
- wherein the buffer manager controls a selected one of the plurality of tuner systems to output its stored selected media content event of interest to the primary content buffer,
- wherein the primary content buffer stores the selected media content event of interest received from the selected one of the plurality of tuner systems, and
- wherein the video portion of the received selected media content event of interest stored in the primary content buffer is communicated from the primary content buffer to a display and is presentable on the display, and
- wherein the audio portion of the received selected media content event of interest stored in the primary content buffer is communicated from the primary content buffer to one or more speakers and is reproducible by the one or more speakers.
A method for presenting media content received by a media device, wherein the media device comprises a plurality of tuner systems that includes at least a first tuner system and a second tuner system, the method comprising:
- tuning a first tuner of the first tuner system to receive a first broadcasting media content stream comprising a streaming first media content event;
- communicating the streaming first media content event from the first tuner to a first tuner buffer of the first tuner system;
- storing a portion of the streaming first media content event into the first tuner buffer of the first tuner system;
- tuning a second tuner of the second tuner system to receive a second broadcasting stream comprising a streaming second media content event, wherein the streaming second media content event is different from the streaming first media content event;
- communicating the streaming second media content event from the second tuner to a second tuner buffer of the second tuner system;
- storing a portion of the streaming second media content event into the second tuner buffer of the second tuner system;
- and
- receiving a user selection for presentation of one of the streaming first media content event and the streaming second media content event,
- wherein the selected one of the streaming first media content event and the streaming second media content event is presented to a user of the media device
- wherein receiving the user selection for presentation of one of the streaming first media content event and the streaming second media content event comprises:
- initially receiving a first user selection for presentation of the streaming first media content event, wherein only the stored portion of the streaming first media content event is communicated from the first tuner buffer of the first tuner system to a primary content buffer in response to the user selection of the streaming first media content event;
- and
- continuing to receive at the second tuner the second broadcasting stream comprising the streaming second media content event while the streaming first media content event is presented to the user;
- continuing to communicate the streaming second media content event from the second tuner to the second tuner buffer of the second tuner system while the streaming first media content event is presented to the user;
- and
- continuing to store the received portion of the streaming second media content event into the second tuner buffer of the second tuner system while the streaming first media content event is presented to the user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.