Video recording conflict management and user interface

In a entertainment system including a processor and system memory, the entertainment system also including a recording device configured to automatically record scheduled television programs and a plurality of tuners, a method implemented by the entertainment system for assisting a user in resolving multiple conflicts between desired recorded programs with coinciding broadcast times by presenting a full range of available recording options in an easily understandable user interface that gives the user more complete control over how conflicts are to be resolved, the method comprising:

• an act of receiving a request to record a program during a future time span;
• an act of identifying that a recording conflict exists, wherein there is a plurality of tuners, between the request to record the program and a first other program, and a third other program previously scheduled for recording at a coinciding broadcast time, based on the number of programs requested for recording exceeding the number of tuners in the plurality of tuners;
• identifying a first time span for which the recording conflict exists based on scheduled broadcast time information for the program, the first other program, and the third other program, the broadcast time of the first program confined to the first time span, a portion of broadcast time for the program and the third program extending chronologically after the first time span;
• identifying that a second recording conflict exists between the request to record the program and a second other program and the third other program scheduled for recording at a coinciding broadcast time, based on the number of programs requested for recording exceeding the number of tuners in the plurality of tuners;
• identifying a second time span, for which the second recording conflict exists based on scheduled broadcast time information for the program, the second other program, and the third other program, the second time span chronologically after the first time span, the broadcast time of the second program confined to the second time span, a portion of broadcast time for the program and the third program extending chronologically before the second time span;
• in response to identifying the first and second recording conflicts in the first and second identified time spans, a step for, in a user interface, presenting a user with a full range of available recording options that will resolve the recording conflicts in the first and second identified time spans, the available recording options including at least one recording option that selects for recording only a portion of at least one of the program, the first other program, the second other program, and the third other program;
• receiving manual user input deselecting the first other program for recording;
• in response to receiving, via the user interface, the manual user input deselecting the first other program for recording, automatically performing each of the following:
• deselecting the first other program for recording to resolve the first recording conflict;
• referring to a conflict resolution preference to determine that the second program is to be deselected for recording to resolve the second recording conflict, based on the deselecting of the first other program to resolve the first recording conflict;
• and
• deselecting the second other program for recording to resolve the second recording conflict in response to the determination such that both the first and second conflicts are resolved in response to the user input deselecting the first other program;
• and
• updating the full range of available recording options presented in the user interface to indicate, based on the manual user input deselecting the first other program, that the second program was automatically deselected, wherein, after the deselection of the first other program and the deselection of the second other program, the first other program and the second other program remain displayed for future reselection in the user interface.

A computer program product for use in a entertainment system that includes a recording device configured to automatically record scheduled television programs and a plurality of tuners, the computer program product for implementing a method of assisting a user in resolving multiple conflicts between desired recorded programs with coinciding broadcast times by presenting a full range of available recording options in an easily understandable user interface that gives the user more complete control over how conflicts are to be resolved, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the distributed computing system to perform the following:

• receive a request to record a program during a future time span;
• identify that a recording conflict exists, wherein there is a plurality of tuners, between the request to record the program and a first other program and a third other program previously scheduled for recording at a coinciding broadcast time, based on the number of programs requested for recording exceeding the number of tuners in the plurality of tuners;
• identify a first time span for which the recording conflict exists based on scheduled broadcast time information for the program the first other program, and the third other program, the broadcast time of the first program confined to the first time span, a portion of the broadcast time for the program and the third program extending chronologically after the first time span;
• identify that a second recording conflict exists between the request to record the program and a second other program and the third other program scheduled for recording at a coinciding broadcast time, based on the number of programs requested for recording exceeding the number of tuners in the plurality of tuners;
• identify a second time span, for which the second recording conflict exists based on scheduled broadcast time information for the program, the second other program, and the third other program, the second time span chronologically after the first time span, the broadcast time of the second program confined to the second time span, a portion of broadcast time for the program and the third program extending chronologically before the second time span;
• based on the identified first and second time spans, determine a full range of available recording options that will resolve the first and second recording conflicts, wherein the full range of available recording options includes at least one available recording option that selects for recording only a portion of at least one of the program, the first other program, the second other program, and the third other program;
• in response to identifying the first and second recording conflicts in the first and second identified time spans, display the full range of available recording options, which will resolve the first and second recording conflicts, in a user interface for allowing a user to select one or more desired programs to record, the available recording options including the at least one recording option that selects for recording only a portion of at least one of the program, the first other program, the second other program, and the third other program;
• receive manual user input deselecting the first other program for recording;
• and
• in response to receiving, via the user interface, the manual user input deselecting the first other program for recording, perform each of the following:
• deselect the first other program for recording to resolve the first recording conflict;
• refer to a conflict resolution preference to determine that the second program is to be deselected for recording to resolve the second recording conflict, based on the deselecting of the first other program to resolve the first recording conflict;
• deselect the second other program for recording to resolve the second recording conflict in response to the determination such that both the first and second conflicts are resolved in response to the user input deselecting the first other program;
• and
• update the display of the full range of available recording options in the user interface to indicate, based on the manual user input deselecting the first other program, that the second program was automatically deselected, wherein, after the deselection of the first other program and the deselection of the second other program, the first other program and the second other program remain displayed for future reselection in the user interface.