Broadcast data apparatus and method
AssigneePace Incorporated
InventorSteven Corby
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to apparatus and a method for the selective storage of portions of data which are to be used in the subsequent generation of at least first and second programmes from the data. If it is identified that the first and second programmes which are to be stored are shown in sequence on the same channel a decision is made not to store a portion of data which includes data common to that which would be required to be stored for both programmes. This allows the same tuner to be used to obtain the data for both programmes and thereby save on required storage space and reduce the tuner capacity required.
Claims15
A broadcast data receiving apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one tuner and at least one storage means and data processing means to allow received data for a selected programme to be selectively retrieved, viewed and/or listened to as a programme via display means and/or speakers connected to the apparatus, and/or stored in the storage means in response to instructions received from at least one user interacting with the apparatus and wherein when stored, the data for the selected programme is stored as a series of data portions including a first portion of data representing at least part of a start guard interval for the programme, a second portion of data representing all or part of an end guard interval for the programme and at least one further portion of data representing all or part of the programme itself and including data intermediate said first and second portions of data.
A method for storing broadcast data relating to one or a plurality of television and/or radio programmes which can be generated from said data, said method comprising the steps of
- storing the data for a first programme as a plurality of successive portions, storing the data for a second programme as a plurality of successive portions, identifying the channel on which the said first and second programmes are located and, if the said first and second programmes are generated one after the other on the same channel, selecting to store only one of a portion, or set of successive portions, which contains data for forming an end guard interval of the first programme and a portion, or set of successive portions, which contains data for forming a start guard interval of the second programme and referring to the data of the selected stored portion, or set of successive portions, when generating both the first and second programmes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.