Program Content Recovery for Multimedia Devices and Digital Video Recorder Set-Top Boxes

A method of recovering content in a multimedia device, the method comprising:

• storing information pertaining to recorded content in a data store;
• if at least some of the recorded content is subsequently lost or damaged, accessing the information in the data store pertaining to the lost or damaged recorded content;
• continually searching at least one content source until program information matching the accessed information is found;
• once the program information is found, scheduling a re-recording of the lost or damaged recorded content at a determined time designated by the content source;
• and
• restoring the lost or damaged recorded content by saving the re-recorded content on the same or other multimedia device.

A method of preserving settings in a multimedia device, the method comprising:

• storing at least one setting associated with a multimedia device in an external data store;
• if the multimedia device subsequently fails requiring a replacement device, retrieving the stored settings from the external data store;
• and
• automatically implementing the stored settings into the replacement device.