US 8,577,205 B2 · Digital video recording system

Abstract

A digital video recorder (DVR) system with an integrated DVD recording device accepts TV input streams in a multitude of forms. Analog TV streams are converted to an MPEG formatted stream for internal transfer and manipulation, while pre-formatted MPEG streams are extracted from the digital TV signal and presented in a similar format. Indexes within the MPEG stream are determined and saved at predefined intervals and are stored on a hard disk along with the MPEG program material and used to create navigation packets when writing to a DVD inserted in an integrated DVD player/recorder. When a program is requested for display from the hard disk or the integrated DVD player/recorder, the program material are extracted from the appropriate source and reassembled into an MPEG stream which is sent to a decoder. The decoder converts the MPEG stream into TV output signals and delivers the TV output signals to a TV monitor. User control commands are accepted which affect the flow of the MPEG stream allowing the user to view stored programs with special functions: reverse, fast forward, play, pause, index, fast/slow reverse play, and fast/slow play. The user can select program material stored on the hard disk to be written to a DVD and can also select program material stored on a DVD to be transferred to the hard disk.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims33

Dependent claims

A method for the simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

producing from television signals an MPEG formatted stream that includes video and audio components;
buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components in a memory;
associating stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components
storing by the media switch the buffered video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;
sending by the media switch a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;
decoding the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals with the one or more decoders;
receiving a control command;
processing with at least a CPU the received control command and the associated stream information to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders;
and
mediating, by the media switch, between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory, the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.

7 more elements

A method for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

accepting multimedia data including video and audio data from at least one tuner;
requesting, by a source object, a buffer and filling, by the source object, the buffer with the video and audio data;
transferring, by a transform object, the video and audio data from the buffer to a storage device, the storage device is separate from the buffer;
storing the video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;
controlling automatically, by the transform object, flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;
placing, by the transform object, a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;
requesting, by a sink object to the transform object, for the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;
supplying, by the transform object to the sink object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;
outputting the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers to a decoder by the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;
converting with the decoder the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;
sending the display signals for display;
receiving control commands with a control object;
and
sending by the control object, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.

11 more elements

An apparatus for the simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

a stream formatter that produces from television signals an MPEG formatted stream that includes video and audio components;
a stream information associate that associates stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components;
a memory for buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components;
one or more storage devices where the media switch stores the buffered video and audio components from the memory and which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;
one or more decoders that receive a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory from the media switch essentially simultaneously with the media switch storing the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;
wherein the one or more decoders decode the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals;
a control command receiver that receives a control command;
a CPU that processes the received control command and the associated stream information to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders;
and
wherein the media switch mediates between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory and wherein the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.

7 more elements

An apparatus for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:

at least one tuner that accepts multimedia data including video and audio data;
a buffer granted upon a request by a source object and filled with the video and audio data by the source object;
a storage device that is separate from the buffer and receives from a transform object the video and audio data from the buffer;
wherein the transform object automatically controls flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;
wherein the storage device stores the video and audio data from the buffer;
wherein the transform object places a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storage device storing the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer;
a sink object that requests and receives from the transform object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;
a decoder that receives the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers from the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;
wherein the decoder converts the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;
wherein the display signals are sent for display;
a control object that receives control commands;
and
wherein the control object sends, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.

10 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

accepting multimedia data including video and audio data from at least one tuner;
requesting, by a source object, a buffer and filling, by the source object, the buffer with the video and audio data;
transferring, by a transform object, the video and audio data from the buffer to a storage device, the storage device is separate from the buffer;
controlling automatically, by the transform object, flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;
storing the video and audio data from the buffer in the storage device;
placing, by the transform object, a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;
requesting, by a sink object to the transform object, for the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;
supplying, by the transform object to the sink object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;
outputting the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers to a decoder by the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;
converting with the decoder the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;
sending the display signals for display;
receiving control commands with a control object;
and
sending by the control object, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.

11 more elements

producing from television signals an MPEG formatted stream that includes video and audio components;
buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components in a memory;
associating stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components
storing by the media switch the buffered video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;
sending by the media switch a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;
decoding the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals with the one or more decoders;
receiving a control command;
processing with at least a CPU the received control command and the associated stream information to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders;
and
mediating, by the media switch, between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory, the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description9,229 words

Summary1,410 words

#1. Technical Field

#The invention relates to the time shifting of television broadcast signals. More particularly, the invention relates to the real time capture, storage, and display of television broadcast signals and the transfer and playback of said television broadcast signals from a DVD player/recorder.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

Brief description of the drawings17 figures

#FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of a high level view of a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a block schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the invention using multiple input and output modules according to the invention;

#FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) data stream and its video and audio components according to the invention;

Detailed description7,429 words

#The invention is embodied in a digital video recorder system with an integrated DVD recording device. A system according to the invention gives a user the ability to record and play back TV broadcast programs and digital video in a set-top box. The invention additionally integrates a recordable DVD into the set-top box for backing up, transferring, and playing recorded program material.

#Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the invention has an Input Section 101, Media Switch 102, and an Output Section 103. The Input Section 101 takes television (TV) input streams in a multitude of forms, for example, National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) or PAL broadcast, and digital forms such as Digital Satellite System (DSS), Digital Broadcast Services (DBS), or Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC). DBS, DSS and ATSC are based on standards called Moving Pictures Experts Group 2 (MPEG2) and MPEG2 Transport. MPEG2 Transport is a standard for formatting the digital data stream from the TV source transmitter so that a TV receiver can disassemble the input stream to find programs in the multiplexed signal. The Input Section 101 produces MPEG streams. An MPEG2 transport multiplex supports multiple programs in the same broadcast channel, with multiple video and audio feeds and private data. The Input Section 101 tunes the channel to a particular program, extracts a specific MPEG program out of it, and feeds it to the rest of the system. Analog TV signals are encoded into a similar MPEG format using separate video and audio encoders, such that the remainder of the system is unaware of how the signal was obtained. Information may be modulated into the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) of the analog TV signal in a number of standard ways; for example, the North American Broadcast Teletext Standard (NABTS) may be used to modulate information onto lines 10 through 20 of an NTSC signal, while the FCC mandates the use of line 21 for Closed Caption (CC) and Extended Data Services (EDS). Such signals are decoded by the input section and passed to the other sections as if they were delivered via an MPEG2 private data channel.

#The Media Switch 102 mediates between a microprocessor CPU 106, hard disk or storage device 105, DVD player/recorder 107, and memory 104. Input streams are converted to an MPEG stream and sent to the Media Switch 102. The Media Switch 102 buffers the MPEG stream into memory. It then performs two operations if the user is watching real time TV: the stream is sent to the Output Section 103 and it is written simultaneously to the hard disk or storage device 105.

Facts

Application

10/418,646Filed 18 Apr 2003 · continuation in part

Priority

30 Jul 1998

Published

US 2004/0013406 A122 Jan 2004

Granted

5 Nov 2013

Term ended

10 Dec 2023

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 1,959 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification51 codes

H04N 9/8081
Involving pulse code modulation of the composite colour video-signal: involving data reduction
G11B 20/10527
Digital recording or reproducing: audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements
G11B 27/031
Editing, e.g. varying the order of information signals recorded on, or reproduced from, record carriers: electronic editing of digitised analogue…
G11B 27/034
Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals: on discs

Family

Application09/126,071Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jul 1998

Application09/827,029Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Apr 2001

US 6,233,389 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 15 May 2001

Application60/374,101Us provisional application · filed 19 Apr 2002

US 2004/0013406 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Jan 2004

Application09/827,029Parent of this continuation

US 2001/0019658 A1Published application

US 8,577,205 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

30 Jul 1998Priority claimedParent application 09/126,071
18 Apr 2003Application filedUS 10/418,646
11 Aug 2003Assigned to Tivo, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
22 Jan 2004PublishedUS 2004/0013406 A1
8 Feb 2007Assigned to Citygroup Global Markets Realty Corp.security agreement
12 Feb 2007Assigned to Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.corrective assignment to correct the name of receiving party previously recorded on reel 018866 frame 0510. assignor(s) hereby confirms the security agreement.
10 May 2011Assigned to Tivo Inc.release of security interest
5 Nov 2013GrantedUS 8,577,205 B2
7 Dec 2016Assigned to Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., AS Collateral Agentsecurity interest
14 Feb 2017Assigned to Tivo Solutions Inc.change of name
22 Nov 2019Assigned to Hps Investment Partners, LLC, AS Collateral Agentsecurity interest
25 Nov 2019Assigned to Tivo Solutions Inc.release of security interest in patent rights
25 Nov 2019Assigned to Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., AS Collateral Agentpatent security agreement
1 Jun 2020Assigned to Bank of America, N.A.security interest
5 Jun 2020Assigned to Rovi Solutions Corporation, Rovi Technologies Corporation, Rovi Guides, Inc., Tivo Solutions, Inc., Veveo, Inc.release of security interest
5 Jun 2020Assigned to Rovi Solutions Corporation, Rovi Technologies Corporation, Rovi Guides, Inc., Tivo Solutions, Inc., Veveo, Inc.release of security interest
10 Dec 2023Term endedEstimated, includes 1,959 days of adjustment

Digital video recording system

Life of this patent

Digital video recording system

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims33

Description9,229 words

Drawings

Classification51 codes

Life of this patent

Description9,229 words