Predictive time-shift buffering for live television

A live television record control system associated with a television receiver, the system comprising:

• an object parser to receive a program listing identifying a plurality of live television programs scheduled as deliverable via the television receiver, and to output upcoming program data identifying the plurality of live television programs;
• a prediction engine coupled with the object parser automatically to identify a set of candidate programs from the upcoming program data, such that each candidate program identifies a corresponding one of the plurality of live television programs as likely to be viewed live via the television receiver, and each candidate program is not already scheduled to be recorded;
• and
• an automated time-shift buffer (ATSB) controller coupled with the prediction engine to, for each of the set of candidate programs:
• determine an automated time-shift buffering (ATSB) trigger time and an ATSB flush time in accordance with a program start time associated with the candidate program, the ATSB flush time being set to elapse prior to a program end time associated with the candidate program;
• determine whether the candidate program is being viewed live via the television receiver at the ATSB trigger time;
• direct a time-shift buffer to begin buffering the candidate program in accordance with the program start time automatically in response to determining that the candidate program is not being viewed live via the television receiver at the ATSB trigger time;
• and
• direct the time-shift buffer to cease buffering the candidate program and to flush as-yet-buffered data of the candidate program automatically in response to determining that the candidate program is still not being viewed live via the television receiver at the ATSB flush time.

A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions that cause one or more processors of a television receiver to:

• obtain upcoming program data identifying a plurality of live television programs;
• identify a candidate program automatically from the upcoming program data, such that the candidate program identifies one of the plurality of live television programs as likely to be viewed live via the television receiver, and each candidate program is not already scheduled to be recorded;
• determine an automated time-shift buffer (ATSB) trigger time and an ATSB flush time in accordance with a program start time associated with the candidate program, the ATSB flush time being set to elapse prior to a program end time associated with the candidate program;
• determine whether the candidate program is being viewed live via the television receiver at the ATSB trigger time;
• direct the time-shift buffer to begin buffering the candidate program in accordance with the program start time automatically in response to determining that the candidate program is not being viewed live via the television receiver at the ATSB trigger time;
• and
• direct the time-shift buffer to cease buffering the candidate program and to flush as-yet-buffered data of the candidate program automatically in response to determining that the candidate program is still not being viewed live via the television receiver at the ATSB flush time.