KR20070099641A - Method of operating time shift buffers - Google Patents

Abstract

There is described an audiovisual data object storage device (200), said device (200) comprising a storage memory (100) with a part thereof designate for storing audiovisual data objects, said device (200) comprising: (a) an input for receiving audiovisual data at the device (200); (b) a buffer (30) for storing said audiovisual data received at the device (200); and (c) a table of contents (110) for user-presentation, said table (110) comprising references to data objects stored in the device (200), said table of contents (110) including identifiers relating to the data objects and indicative of whether the objects are stored in the buffer (20) or the storage memory (100).

Description

Method of operating time shift buffers

The present invention relates to a method of operating time shift buffers, for example to a television in which the buffers are used to temporarily store television program content, i.e. audiovisual data. Moreover, the present invention also relates to apparatus comprising such buffers and configured to operate according to such methods.

Television viewers use devices such as video recorders and DVD recorders for storing the program content for later viewing, ie for viewing at a different time than the program content is sent to the viewers. With the relatively limited user interface provided in such recorders, it is difficult to actually configure suitable schedules for actually recording certain programs, especially when some programs are recorded.

In published US patent application US2002 / 0168178, a system for receiving media content is described. The system uses a memory having logic, a tuner for receiving media content, a buffer for buffering the media content, a display for displaying the media content, and the system for receiving media content of a newly requested display channel. A processor configured with the logic to determine when it is not possible. In response to determining insufficient resources available within the system, the processor is further configured with logic to determine the lowest priority display channel using at least one user configurable rule. Moreover, the processor is also configured with the logic to stop receiving media content of the display channel designated as having the lowest priority among the plurality of receiving display channels.

The inventor will understand that such a system is difficult to actually use and therefore not favored by many users, in a manner similar to the video and DVD recorders described above, and such difficulty is a technical problem with respect to the user machine interface. In devising the present invention, the inventor is required to solve this technical problem.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of operating time shift buffers.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of processing audiovisual data in an apparatus, the audiovisual data comprising audiovisual data objects, the apparatus comprising a storage memory having a portion thereof designated for storing audiovisual data objects. The method includes the following steps.

(a) receiving audiovisual data at the device;

(b) storing the audiovisual data in a buffer of the device; And

(c) providing a table of contents to a user of the device, the table containing references to data objects stored on the device, the table of contents relating to the data objects, wherein the objects Identifiers indicating whether or not they are stored in a buffer or the storage memory.

The present invention is advantageous in that it can provide a more intuitive and simple to use user interface.

Optionally, the present invention includes an additional step of overwriting the data objects stored in the buffer if data objects are not transferred from the buffer to the storage memory in response to user commands. Such step enables the buffer to automatically remove audiovisual data to render a buffer that can continuously store newly received audiovisual data.

Optionally, the method is implemented such that the buffer is a circular buffer.

Optionally, in the method, the buffer and the storage memory are implemented together in the storage memory. More optionally, the buffer and the storage memory are implemented as a hard disk drive.

Optionally, the method further comprises the following additional steps, namely

(d) storing the audiovisual data objects in a buffer for a time limit after reception at the device of the data objects; And thereafter

(e) overwriting the data objects in a buffer if the device has not been instructed to copy or transfer the data objects from the buffer to the storage memory.

Such step enables the buffer to automatically remove program content to render a buffer that can continuously store newly received audiovisual data. Advantageously, the received audiovisual data is selectively stored for longer than the time limit, unless the buffer uses all available storage capacity for the device.

More optionally, in this method, the time limit is substantially 6 hours. Such a time limit makes for a satisfactory compromise between the cost of actually providing a fairly large storage capacity for the buffer and being able to store complete items of audiovisual data therein. However, other values for this time limit are also possible, for example, may be substantially 3 hours, 9 hours, and 24 hours.

Optionally, the method further comprises the following additional steps, namely

(f) automatically copying or transferring data objects from the buffer to the storage memory to the device in response to user viewing the data objects within the time limit after receipt of the data objects at the device. .

Optionally, the method further comprises the following additional steps, namely

(g) rendering at the device a table of user interactive content for enabling a user change of identifiers associated with data objects stored in at least one of the buffer and the storage memory.

Optionally, the method further comprises displaying a buffer screen associated with the data objects comprehensively stored in said buffer and said storage memory.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audiovisual data object storage device, the device comprising a storage memory having a portion thereof designated for storing audiovisual data objects, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an input unit for receiving audiovisual data in the device;

(b) a buffer for storing the audiovisual data received at the device; And

(c) a table of contents for user-indication, the table containing references to data objects stored in the device, the table of contents being for the data objects such that the objects are in the buffer or And identifiers indicating whether the memory is stored in the storage memory.

Optionally, the device is implemented to be a retrofit to the television.

Optionally, the apparatus is coupleable to the television to provide a combined television-recorder.

Optionally, the apparatus is operable to function as an audio system for storing and playing audiovisual data, such as program content.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided software for execution in a processor of an apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention for implementing a method according to the first aspect of the invention.

According to a fourth aspect according to the present invention, there is provided a table of contents comprising at least one title corresponding to recorded audiovisual data objects, wherein the at least one title includes the data objects in a temporary buffer or memory storage device. An associated identifier is provided that indicates whether it is stored.

It will be appreciated that the features of the present invention may be combined in any combination without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the following diagrams.

1 is a schematic illustration of a conventional program-content recording device, similar to, for example, a peripheral Phipips HDRW 720 recording device including a Time Shift Buffer.

2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a program-content recording apparatus according to the present invention;

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional recording device, such as the peripheral Philips HDRW 720, generally represented by 10, includes a buffer known as a “Time Shift Buffer” 20, abbreviated as the abbreviation TSB BUF 20. do. Such a buffer 20 is advantageously implemented using hard disk memory. Apparatus 10 is operable to receive program content, i.e., audiovisual data, from one or more television broadcast channels 30, for example via an optical fiber link, via a satellite link and / or by wireless transmission. Moreover, the device 10 is also operable to display the program content of these one or more television broadcast channels 30 on a remote display device, such as the display screen 40, in response to the user 50 selection. Optionally, display screen 40 is integrated into device 10. The buffer 20 can be configured to record automatic TV viewing occurring in a time period up to six hours ahead of a given time. Optionally, this time period is longer than six hours when the memory device in device 10 has not yet been filled with data. In order to provide to the device 10 to be user configurable, the device 10 sends the user 50 a set of graphical symbols 60, eg icons or word labels, on the display screen 40 described above. Is operable to display. A control device 70 such as a remote portable television control for the user 50 to select among the graphic symbols 60 to carry out a desired selection of program content, ie an audiovisual data, from the one or more channels 30. ) Can be used. These graphic symbols 60 are conveniently implemented as a TSB horizontal bar 80 configured within a TSB screen (TSB SCR) 90. Graphic symbols 60 may represent various functions of retrieving a title or entry, for example, from TSB screen 90 to hard disk memory device (HDD) 100 that is also included as part of device 10. . The program content stored on the hard disk device (HDD) 100 in response to a user selection made within the TSB screen 90 is subsequently stored in a table of contents (TOC) 110, i. A list of files recorded in 100) is shown. The recorded files are optionally identified by the contents list 120 including one or more titles or entries. In device 10, TSB screen 90 is associated with the contents of TSB BUF 20, while TOC 110 is associated with file entries stored in HDD 100 and corresponding to program content. . Optionally, the TSB BUF 20 and the HDD 100 are one and the same storage memory.

The inventor, although the TSB BUF 20 described above with its associated user interface implemented as the graphic symbols 60 described above, provides the user 50 with useful functions, the TSB BUF 20 and its associated user. It will be appreciated that interfaces 60, 80, 90 are found to indicate features that the user 50 needs to be familiar with. These features may result in a user interface having a problem with the device 10.

Accordingly, the inventors have devised the present invention which represents, in one embodiment, a significant modification of the apparatus 10 shown in FIG. An embodiment of the present invention is provided as an apparatus, generally indicated at 200 in FIG. In device 200, TSB functionality is provided without requiring the user 50 to show TSB screen 90 and associated graphic symbols 60.

In contrast to device 10, device 200 uses only TOC 110 to provide temporarily stored program content in a temporary manner in TSB BUF 20 as well as in a more permanent way within HDD 100. . In the TOC 110 of FIG. 2, the entries in the content list 120 have associated markers 210 indicating how temporarily the associated program content is stored. The white circular symbol of the content list 120 entry is used to indicate to the user 50, for example, whether the program content associated with the circular symbol is permanent, ie permanently stored on the HDD 100. Moreover, a white square symbol in the content list 120 may be included in the device 200 if, for example, the user 50 does not instruct the device 200 to resave the program content on the HDD 100. The processor represents associated program content stored on HDD 100 that is deleted from HDD 100. If HDD 100 is filled, which almost always belongs after extensive use of device 10, the oldest recordings stored on HDD 100 will be automatically deleted when new content is added to HDD 100. Moreover, the test square in the content list 120 represents a program content entry stored in a temporary manner, for example in the time buffer store (TSB BUF 20), which program content is delivered by the user, and thus the HDD ( If steps are not taken to store the program content in a permanent manner in 100), it will be automatically deleted at the end of the aforementioned six time period by the above-described processor. Finally, the black circles of the content list 120 represent the program content currently received via the channels 30 and recorded in the TSB buffer 20, for example. By adopting such an approach, the user 50 is provided to the memory of the device 200, either temporary or permanent, and features for the extent of temporary storage in the TSB BUF 20 and the hard disk drive (HDD) 100 are provided. Described as a single TOC 110 provided to the user as associated temporary storage indication markers 210. Such a manner of describing the internal operation of the device 200 to the user 50 will be more easily and intuitively understood by the user 50 compared to the TOC 110 and TSB SCR 90 of the device 10, This will result in a more manageable interface for the user 50.

Therefore, in device 10, the contents of TSB BUF 20 are provided to user 50 as TSB SCR 90 as symbols 60. The directory of recorded program content stored on HDD 100 is provided to user 50 via TOC 110 as catalog entries 120. However, in device 200, entries 120 are distinguished from those of FIG. 1 in that they are displayed on display screen 40 with associated markers 210 representing various degrees of data variability.

Optionally, the entries in the TOC 110 of the device 200, ie the titles of the program content, may have different degrees of persistence from one another. Titles may be protected from deletion, or alternatively not protected, such as, for example, "locked" to prevent sudden deletion. Alternatively, a minimum, e.g., 6 hour storage period portion of HDD 100 is reserved for TSB 20 entries, i.e. titles. The processor of the device 200 is configured such that if the user 50 watches the program content coming from the channels 30, the program content is buffered in the TSB BUF 20 and automatically recorded to the HDD 100 therefrom. Can be. If user 50 wants to watch a TSB title, either temporarily recorded on TSB BUF 20 or stored on HDD 100, user 50 may select a title from TOC 110. In addition, if the user 50 wants to be prevented from being deleted by the processor, the program content entity provided to the title, i.e., the TOC 110, the user 50 may, for example, have a temporary memory, i.e. TSB BUF 20 Control device 70 can be used to change the fluctuation characteristics of a given title, from what is stored in < RTI ID = 0.0 >

If desired, the TSB BUF 20 may at least partially use the storage space available to the HDD 100 that is organized such that those portions of the HDD 100 are configured to function in a volatile random access manner. The TSB BUF 20 is advantageously configured such that a newly received TSB title is automatically written over the oldest TSB title. Optionally, if the memory capacity of the TSB BUF 20 memory devices and / or the HDD 100 is not exceeded, the device 200 may store TSB titles for at least six hours as described above.

The apparatus 200 may be implemented as a stand-alone unit, which may be connected to existing display screens 40 as an add-on unit to, for example, existing televisions. Alternatively, display screen 40 and device 200 may be combined within a single housing to provide the television with improved recording capabilities that are simple and intuitive for users to invoke. Such implementation thereby provides a combined television-recorder. The display screen 40 is in several different ways, for example as a wide screen cathode ray tube, as a plasma display, as a liquid crystal pixel display, as a liquid crystal pixel scanning display, and with a type of poly-LED display or any other existing pixel display. It can be implemented in several different ways such as.

Although the use of a hard disk drive (HDD) for persistent data storage in device 200 has been described, for example, optical data storage, such as small format optical discs (SFFO) data storage, or It will be appreciated that alternative types of data storage, such as solid state FLASH ROM, may be used.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention described above may be changed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with regard to television program content, the present invention is equally applicable to audio, for example personal MP-3 audio players equipped with time shift buffers (TSB). Such players are advantageously provided with miniature display liquid crystal displays (LCDs) similar to those included in mobile telephones of mobile telephones as well as miniature displays, for example audio transducers. The miniature display can be used to provide a table of contents (TOC) 110 in the manner described above.

In the appended claims, the numbers and other symbols included in parentheses are included to aid in the understanding of the claims and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

Expressions such as “comprise, include, incorporate, contain”, “to”, and “have” are interpreted in a non-exclusive manner when interpreting the description and its associated claims, that is to say, to be provided explicitly also. It is to be interpreted to allow components or other items that are not. References to the singular may also be interpreted as references to the plural, and vice versa.

Claims (16)

As a method of processing audiovisual data in the device 200, Wherein the audiovisual data includes audiovisual data objects, and the apparatus 200 includes a storage memory 100 having a portion designated to store the audiovisual data objects. (a) receiving audiovisual data at the apparatus 200; (b) storing the audiovisual data in a buffer (20) of the device (200); And (c) providing a table of contents 110 to a user 50 of the device 200, the table 110 comprising references to data objects stored in the device 200, The table of contents 110 includes a step of providing a table of contents, including identifiers indicating whether the objects are stored in the buffer 20 or the storage memory 100, relating to the data objects. , Audiovisual data processing methods. The method of claim 1, If the data objects are not transferred from the buffer (20) to the storage memory (100) in response to user commands, further comprising overwriting the data objects stored in the buffer (20). The method of claim 1, Wherein said buffer (20) is a circular buffer. The method of claim 1, The buffer (20) and the storage memory (100) are implemented in one and the same physical memory module. The method of claim 4, wherein And the physical memory is implemented as a hard disk drive. The method of claim 1, (d) storing audiovisual data objects (30) in the buffer (20) for a time limit after reception of the data objects (30) in the apparatus (200); And thereafter (e) Unless the device 200 is instructed to copy or transfer the data objects from the buffer 20 to the storage memory 100, the data objects 30 are overlaid on the buffer 20. And further including a writing step. The method of claim 6, Wherein said time limit is substantially six hours. The method of claim 6, (f) the data objects from the buffer 20 to the storage memory 100 in response to a user viewing of the data objects within the time limit after receipt of the data objects in the device 200. Automatically copying or forwarding the objects to the apparatus (200) for the audiovisual data processing method. The method of claim 1, (g) rendering on the device 200 a table 110 of user-interactive content that enables a user change of identifiers associated with data objects stored in at least one of the buffer 20 and the storage memory 100. Further comprising the step of: processing audiovisual data. The method of claim 1, And displaying a buffer screen associated with the buffer and data objects comprehensively stored in the storage memory. An audiovisual data object storage device 200, In the audiovisual data object storage device 200, the apparatus 200 includes a storage memory 100 having a portion designated to store the audiovisual data objects. (a) an input unit for receiving audiovisual data from the apparatus 200; (b) a buffer (30) for storing the audiovisual data received by the apparatus (200); And (c) a table of contents 110 for user-indication, the table 110 comprising a reference to data objects stored in the device 200, the table of contents 110 being the data object And a table of contents, the identifiers indicating whether the objects are stored in the buffer (20) or the storage memory (100). The method of claim 11, The device (200) is implemented to be an update to a television (40). The method of claim 11, The apparatus (200) is capable of combining with a television to provide a combined television-recorder. The method of claim 11, The apparatus (200) is operable to function as an audio system for storing and playing audio program content. Software for execution in a processor of the apparatus (200) claimed in claim 11 for implementing the method claimed in claim 1. A table of contents 110 comprising at least one title 120 corresponding to recorded audiovisual data objects, wherein the at least one title 120 indicates whether the data objects have been stored in a temporary buffer or memory store. A table of contents is provided with an associated identifier 210.

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