Scalable programmable video recorder

A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored computer-executable instructions for implementing a method in a computing system wherein streamed data is received and processed to create a backing store from which the streamed data can be accessed for subsequent utilization, and wherein one or more reader applications are capable of accessing the streamed data contained in the backing store, the method for separating the process of data capture when creating the backing store from the process of reading the backing store, and for enabling one or more reader applications to access the backing store, wherein the method includes the acts of:

• receiving the streamed data from a streamed data source, the streamed data including a plurality of data samples;
• upon receiving the streamed data, using a writer API that is comprised of a first set of primitive operations that are invoked when writing streamed data to the backing store to perform acts of:
• defining each data sample as it is received;
• creating at least one file in the backing store to store each of the data samples;
• creating a shared memory data section containing state information corresponding to the at least one file that can be accessed by the one or more reader applications;
• writing each data sample to the at least one file in the backing store;
• and
• updating the shared memory data section to indicate changes to the at least one file;
• and
• upon receiving a request from one or more reader applications to access the streamed data as stored, and through the reader API, performing acts of:
• accessing the state information for the streamed data as stored;
• and
• permitting the one or more reader applications to access, independent of one another, the streamed data stored in the backing store, consistent with the state information obtained by a given reader application, and without having the first set of primitive operations of the writer API imposed when reading the streamed data from the backing store.

A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored computer-executable instructions for implementing a method in a computing system wherein streamed data is received and processed to create a backing store from which the streamed data can be accessed for subsequent utilization, and wherein one or more reader applications are capable of accessing the streamed data contained in the backing store, the method for separating the process of data capture when creating the backing store from the process of reading the backing store, and for enabling one or more reader applications to access the backing store, wherein the method includes:

• an act of providing a reader API, wherein the reader API is comprised of a first set of primitive operations that are invoked when reading the streamed data from the backing store, wherein the streamed data is written to at least one file in the backing store, and wherein a shared memory data section contains state information corresponding to the at least one file;
• and
• using the reader API to perform acts comprising:
• receiving a request from one or more reader applications to access the streamed data as stored;
• permitting the one or more reader applications to access the state information for the streamed data as stored;
• and
• permitting the one or more reader applications to access the streamed data as stored from the at least one file, consistent with the state information, and without having a first set of primitive operations of a writer API imposed when reading the streamed data from the backing store.

A computing system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• system memory storing computer-executable instructions for implementing a method in which streamed data is received and processed by the computing system to create a backing store from which the streamed data can be accessed for subsequent utilization, and wherein one or more reader applications in communication with the computing system are enabled to access the streamed data contained in the backing store, the method further including:
• a step for writing streamed data in the backing store through a writer API that is comprised of a first set of primitive operations that are invoked when writing the streamed data to the backing store;
• acts of defining and storing in the backing store state information for the streamed data as stored;
• an act of permitting one or more reader applications to access the state information for the streamed data as stored;
• and
• an act of permitting the one or more reader applications to access, independent of one another, and through a reader API that is comprised of a second set of primitive operations, the streamed data stored in the backing store, consistent with the state information obtained by a given reader application, and without having the first set of primitive operations of the writer API imposed when reading the streamed data from the backing store.

A computing system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• system memory storing computer-executable instructions for implementing a method in which streamed data is received and processed by the computing system to create a backing store from which the streamed data can be accessed for subsequent utilization, and wherein one or more reader applications in communication with the computing system are enabled to access the streamed data contained in the backing store, the method further including:
• receiving the streamed data from a streamed data source;
• upon receiving the streamed data, using a writer API that is comprised of a first set of primitive operations that are invoked when writing streamed data to the backing store to perform acts of:
• defining the streamed data as it is received;
• writing the streamed data to at least one file in the backing store;
• and
• updating a shared memory data section that can be accessed by the one or more reader applications, the shared memory data section containing state information corresponding to the at least one file,
• wherein the first set of primitive operations are performed independent of any primitive operations associated with one or more reader applications that read the streamed data as stored;
• upon receiving a request from the one or more reader applications to access the streamed data as stored, and through the reader API, performing acts of:
• accessing the state information for the streamed data as stored;
• and
• permitting the one or more reader applications to access, independent of one another, the streamed data stored in the backing store, consistent with the state information obtained by a given reader application, and without having the first set of primitive operations of the writer API imposed when reading the streamed data from the backing store.