US 10,764,628 B2 · Network recorder buffer

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.

Claims42

Dependent claims

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.

5 more elements

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.

8 more elements

A system comprising:

a first computing device;
and
a network recording device,
wherein the first computing device is configured to:
receive, from a requesting computing device located remotely from the network recording device, a request to record content scheduled to be transmitted at a scheduled transmission time;
and
based on the request and at a time to record the content:
cause, via the network recording device, recording of a transmission of the content;
and
send, based on a determination that the requesting computing device is able to receive the transmission of the content at the scheduled transmission time, an instruction to the requesting computing device to receive at least a portion of the transmission of the content while the transmission of the content is being recorded by the network recording device, and
wherein the network recording device is configured to record the transmission of the content.

8 more elements

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 scheduled program;
and
based on the request and an occurrence of a scheduled transmission time of the scheduled program:
cause, via a storage unit of a networked digital video recorder (nDVR) computing device remote from the DVR, recording of the scheduled program;
and
instruct, based on a determination that a first portion of the scheduled program is available in a temporary buffer of the DVR and that a second portion of the scheduled program is missing from the temporary buffer of the DVR, the DVR to retrieve the second portion of the scheduled program via the storage unit of the nDVR computing device.

6 more elements

A system comprising:

a networked digital video recorder (nDVR) computing device comprising a storage unit;
and
a digital video recorder (DVR) remote from the nDVR computing device and comprising a temporary buffer,
wherein the nDVR computing device is configured to:
receive, from the DVR, a request to record a scheduled program;
and
based on the request and an occurrence of a scheduled transmission time of the scheduled program:
record, via the storage unit, the scheduled program;
and
send, based on a determination that a first portion of the scheduled program is available in the temporary buffer of the DVR and that a second portion of the scheduled program is missing from the temporary buffer of the DVR, an instruction to the DVR, and
wherein the DVR is configured to retrieve, based on the instruction, the second portion of the scheduled program via the storage unit of the nDVR computing device.

8 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, that, when executed, cause:

receiving, 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:
recording, via networked digital video recorder (nDVR) storage, the scheduled program, and
instructing, 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.

2 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, that, when executed, cause:

receiving, from a digital video recorder (DVR), a request to record a scheduled program;
and
based on the request and an occurrence of a scheduled transmission time of the scheduled program:
causing, via a storage unit of a networked digital video recorder (nDVR) computing device remote from the DVR, recording of the scheduled program;
and
instructing, based on a determination that a first portion of the scheduled program is available in a temporary buffer of the DVR and that a second portion of the scheduled program is missing from the temporary buffer of the DVR, the DVR to retrieve the second portion of the scheduled program via the storage unit of the nDVR computing device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Network recorder buffer

Life of this patent

Network recorder buffer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims42