US20230396832A1 - Moving content between set top box and end devices in home - Google Patents
Moving content between set top box and end devices in home Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20230396832A1 US20230396832A1 US18/205,051 US202318205051A US2023396832A1 US 20230396832 A1 US20230396832 A1 US 20230396832A1 US 202318205051 A US202318205051 A US 202318205051A US 2023396832 A1 US2023396832 A1 US 2023396832A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- content
- content items
- media content
- media
- media device
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 26
- 238000012217 deletion Methods 0.000 claims description 11
- 230000037430 deletion Effects 0.000 claims description 11
- 230000001667 episodic effect Effects 0.000 claims 3
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 claims 3
- 230000004224 protection Effects 0.000 abstract description 10
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 31
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 13
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 11
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 10
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 3
- 208000006930 Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Diseases 0.000 description 2
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229920000306 polymethylpentene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000006399 behavior Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004590 computer program Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000007774 longterm Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003550 marker Substances 0.000 description 1
- 108091028838 miR-2 stem-loop Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 230000006855 networking Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000750 progressive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012552 review Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000011664 signaling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
- H04N21/436—Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
- H04N21/43615—Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
- H04N21/4104—Peripherals receiving signals from specially adapted client devices
- H04N21/4126—The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
- H04N21/4104—Peripherals receiving signals from specially adapted client devices
- H04N21/4126—The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
- H04N21/41265—The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
- H04N21/414—Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
- H04N21/4147—PVR [Personal Video Recorder]
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
- H04N21/436—Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
- H04N21/4363—Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
- H04N21/44—Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
- H04N21/4402—Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
- H04N21/4508—Management of client data or end-user data
- H04N21/4516—Management of client data or end-user data involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
Definitions
- the invention relates to a content management device, and more particularly toward a management of a transcoding and storage device.
- Consumers receive content in various forms using several different devices.
- consumers may receive video content, e.g., television programs and movie, or audio content, e.g., music, through a set top box (STB) connected to a service provider network.
- the content may be stored on a digital video recoding (DVR) device at the request of the user, and retained on the DVR for an indefinite period of time, e.g., until deleted by the user.
- DVR digital video recoding
- the STB is typically connected to a television device which displays the video content or plays the audio content to the consumer.
- the typical television device is a non-portable stationary unit inside a household.
- the content may be converted (transcoding) the content from the format and coding on the DVR to the desired format of the consumer's mobile device.
- transcoding of this sort takes time, in fact, often almost as much time as it would take to play the content.
- Most consumers do not have the patience to wait, for example, nearly 90 minutes to get programs transferred to his/her mobile devices. It would be desirable for the consumer to be able to see the content choices available for transfer to their portable media player (PMP), including a mobile phone or smart phone, make a quick decision for transfer, quickly receive and be able to access the content without significant waiting periods.
- PMP portable media player
- an apparatus for moving content from a first user device to a second user device may comprise: a first device interface configured to receive content in a first format from the first user device; a device manager configured to identify characteristics of the first format of the candidate content, and to request the candidate content from the first device; a transcoder configured to transcode the candidate content by decoding the candidate content in the first format as decoded content and encoding the decoded content into a second format compatible with the second user device as transcoded content; a storage unit which stores the transcoded content; and a second device interface configured to provide transcoded content to the second device, wherein the candidate content is transcoded independent of a request for the candidate content by the second user device.
- the device manager reviews content at the first user device at predetermined intervals.
- the device manager may determine if the first user device has new content, and request the new content during recording of the new content at the first user device.
- the device manager receives a notification of an event at the first device, and the candidate content is received based on the event.
- the device manager may determine a format and resolution of the first format or the second format.
- the device manager may determine a format and resolution of the second format.
- the device manager may determine if the candidate content is protected, determine a protection scheme of the candidate content, and provide information related to the protection scheme to the second user device, enabling the second user device to access the content.
- the device manager may provide a list of available transcoded content to the second user device, and receives requests to provide content to the second user device based on selection from the list of available transcoded content.
- a method for moving content from a first user device to a second user device using a content moving device may comprise the steps of: the content moving device identifying content on the first user device in a first format as candidate content to be moved to the second user device; receiving the candidate content from the first device; transcoding the candidate content by decoding the candidate content in the first format as decoded content and encoding the decoded content into a second format compatible with the second user device as transcoded content; storing the transcoded content in a storage associated with the content moving device; providing the transcoded content to the second user device when requested by the second user device, wherein the candidate content is received from the first user device and transcoded independent of a request for the candidate content by the second user device.
- the step of identifying the content on the first user device includes reviewing content contained on the first user device at predetermined intervals.
- the step of identifying the content on the first user device determines if the first user device has new content, and request the new content during recording of the new content at the first user device.
- the step of identifying the content on the first user device may include receiving a notification of an event at the first user device, and receiving the content based on the event.
- the content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the first format.
- the content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the second format.
- the content moving device may determine if the candidate content is protected.
- the content moving device may determine a protection scheme of the candidate content, and provide information related to the protection scheme to the second user device, enabling the second user device to access the content.
- the content moving device may provide a list of available transcoded content to the second user device, and receive requests to provide content to the second user device based on selection from the list of available transcoded content.
- a non-transitory computer readable medium may contain a computer implementable instructions for moving content from a first user device to a second user device using a content moving device, comprising the steps of: the content moving device identifying content on the first user device in a first format as candidate content to be moved to the second user device; receiving the candidate content from the first device; transcoding the candidate content by decoding the candidate content in the first format as decoded content and encoding the decoded content into a second format compatible with the second user device as transcoded content; storing the transcoded content in a storage associated with the content moving device; providing the transcoded content to the second user device when requested by the second user device, wherein the candidate content is received from the first user device and transcoded independent of a request for the candidate content by the second user device.
- the step of identifying the content on the first user device includes reviewing content contained on the first user device at predetermined intervals.
- the step of identifying the content on the first user device determines if the first user device has new content, and request the new content during recording of the new content at the first user device.
- the step of identifying the content on the first user device includes receiving a notification of an event at the first user device, and receiving the content based on the event.
- the content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the first format.
- the content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the second format, The content moving device may determine if the candidate content is protected.
- the content moving device may determine a protection scheme of the candidate content, and provide information related to the protection scheme to the second user device, enabling the second user device to access the content.
- the content moving device may provide a list of available transcoded content to the second user device, and receive requests to provide content to the second user device based on selection from the list of available transcoded content.
- the content mover device enables a user to conveniently and efficiently move user recorded content from one user device (e.g., a DVR) to another user device (e.g., PMP).
- the content mover device performs the often time consuming and computationally intensive task of transcoding content stored on the first device in a first format into a second format usable by the second device.
- the transcoding operation may be performed automatically independent of a request for the content by the PMP.
- the transcoding operation may be performed at predetermined times during periods of inactivity or based on historical user interactions with the content mover device or DVR. In this manner user may not need to wait for desired content to be transcoded in order to move the content onto his/her PMP.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a content moving device in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate arrangement for a home network using a content mover device in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a host module 21 contained in STB 2 for interacting with content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a portable device in accordance with the principles of the invention
- FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for moving content from a DVR 2 to the content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a process for transferring content from the content mover device 7 to a PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary display on a PMP for content selection in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary display of content details on a PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a download queue on the PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a content moving device in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- the content moving device described herein may be an accessory that is placed between the consumer's DVR and his mobile devices, as illustrated in FIG. 1 . It transcodes, that is, converts, the format mismatches for video and audio and the transport packaging. In a preferred implementation, the mover performs this function with minimal disruption to the consumer.
- the content moving device may be connected to the DVR on a permanent basis, by Ethernet or some similar home network technology, such as a Media over Coax Alliance (MoCA) standard, e.g., MoCA MAC/PHY v1.0.
- MoCA Media over Coax Alliance
- the Content moving device storage may be viewed as a mirror of the DVR content, (e.g., being an exact duplicate of content stored if possible). If this is achieved, the consumer can check for available recordings, and then transfer them to the mobile device, with the transfer limited only by his home network. In this fashion, the consumer's intent can be supported.
- the Content moving device is an “invisible” device, with no direct user interaction required, and possibly not even any out-of-box set up at all.
- An Ethernet connected Content moving device typically requires no mandatory set up, while a WiFi connected Content moving device may require a Service Set identifier (SSID) and key.
- SSID Service Set identifier
- the moving device may provide for full automation of the content transcoding and transfer.
- the content moving device may check for new content recordings and new DVR deletions on a regular basis. Any change in the DVR may be mirrored in the Content moving device's own memory
- the Content moving device may handle all the details of copy management, and obey the digital rights associated with the DVR recording, such as obeying copy once restrictions of the original broadcast program, obeying copy once restrictions for example.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a content moving device in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- a user household 1 may include one or more STBs 2 with a DVR integrated therein or separately attached.
- An external storage device 3 may also be used with STB 2 to store additional content. While multiple STBs 2 are illustrated, only one may be present or only one may have a DVR while other STB may not include a DVR.
- the SIB receives communications over a communication carrier 1 , such as a coaxial cable, optical fiber or wireless communication carrier.
- the communications may include video, audio/video (e.g., television programs or movies), audio information, data, and STB control and signaling information.
- the communications may be a provider network, which may charge for providing communication and content services to the user.
- the communications may be bi-directional, e.g., downstream from the service provider and upstream from the STB.
- Typical provider networks include over the air free broadcasts, cable television networks (including optical fiber networks, hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, etc.), or satellite television networks.
- STB 2 preferably received content through the network and provides the content to television (not shown) for display to a user
- STB 3 may also record content selected by a user on its associated DVR.
- a modem 4 may also receive communications through communication carrier 1 .
- modem 4 may receive communications from a different network than STBs 2 .
- Modem 4 may be connected to a in home router 5 , such as via Ethernet port connections, wireless connection or other suitable connection.
- Router 5 may be connected to a content mover device 7 via an Ethernet connection, a wireless (WiFi), USB data, or other suitable type of connection.
- the router 5 may communicate with STB 2 via an Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus USB, wireless (WiFi) or other suitable type of connection,
- the router 5 maybe directly connected to SIB 2 or via another device, such as a MoCA bridge (not shown) which may connect to the STB via communication carrier 1 .
- Router 5 may communicate directly with STB 2 via an Ethernet connection, connecting a plurality of STBs to each other, which may also serve as the communication carrier 1 .
- Router 5 may provide a hardwired or wireless connection (e.g., a WiFi connection) to a portable device 6 , such as a mobile phone, portable media player, laptop, PC, tablet, etc.
- a portable device 6 such as a mobile phone, portable media player, laptop, PC, tablet, etc.
- FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate arrangement for a home network using a content mover device in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 2 is similar to the arrangement in FIG. 1 , with similar components bearing the same reference number.
- content mover device 7 is connected directly to STB 2 rather than connected through router 5 .
- Content mover device 7 may be connected via an Ethernet, USB, wireless (WiFi or Bluetooth) connection, or any suitable connection.
- Router 5 may be connected to the content mover device 7 via an Ethernet connection, a wireless (WiFi), USB data, or other suitable type of connection.
- FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- content mover device 7 may include a media server 71 with a transcoder module 72 .
- a device manager 73 may be included to control the operations of content mover device 7 .
- a portable device interface unit 74 may be provided to communicate with a desired portable device.
- the portable device interface unit 74 may include modules for controlling file access, such as XII or a file allocation table (FAT), SD card access control.
- FAT file allocation table
- Wireless interfaces e.g., Bluetooth including FTP and CPP modules may be used, as well as a WiFi module with Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)/Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) Content Directory Service (CDS), TCP/IP and HTTP protocols.
- a host interface module 75 may include a USB slave, CDC, TCP/IP, HTTP server, and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) interface modules.
- a storage controller 76 may be included to control access to attached or internal storage.
- An external storage can also be attached to content moving device via, for example, USB or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) or SD Card interface.
- SATA Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
- This storage device may be shared with Set Top Box or other devices on the network.
- Mover can also access the storage media, internal or external to other devices, like DVR. It can use those to store back the transcoded content. This can be done in addition to or in place of the storage internal to content moving device.
- the external storage can also be used as an extended storage size or to do long term archiving of the content.
- FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a host module 21 contained in STB 2 for interacting with content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- the host module 21 may include a host application controller 22 , a mover module 23 containing a platform for controlling SOAP, TCP/IP, CDC, and USB Slave modules.
- a PIP module 24 with a USB host interface controller may also be included.
- FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a portable device in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- portable device 6 may include a media player controller 61 , a mover/STB interface module 62 , a FAT SD card module 63 for controlling file access, such as a file allocation table (FAT), SD card access control.
- Wireless interface modules 64 e.g., Bluetooth including FTP and CPP modules may be used, as well as a WiFi module 65 with UPnP CDS, TCP/IP, HTTP, DLNA, IPRM and DCPT protocols.
- a host interface module 66 may include a USB slave and PTP modules.
- Table 1 provides an overview of exemplary system configurations for content mover device 7 .
- a indicated, video, audio and packaging (container) formats may be changed on an input stream to a different formats on the output stream. Categories for changing may include: video format, resolution, bit rate, and frame rate; audio format, bit rate, and channels; and container formats.
- the content moving device may check for not only new content recordings on a regular basis but also any DVR deletions as well. Any change, e.g., deletion of content, in the DVR may be mirrored in the content moving device's own storage/memory.
- the content moving device may handle all the issues relating to copy management, and obey the digital rights associated with the DVR recording, such as obeying copy once restrictions of the original broadcast program.
- an advanced user may want to have more control on managing how and which content is transcoded, stored and deleted on Mover.
- an option is provided to prioritize which content is more important, which one is deleted as the memory in the content moving device gets filled up. For example, he can set the priority based on episode, series or genre etc. Content can also be selected individually and provided the desired priority by the user.
- An option is provided for a user go to deeper layer of interaction to personalize the behavior of Mover to his liking. This personalization can be done via the interface on the mobile device, a PC or similar device connected on the network with access to content moving device or through Set Top box and TV.
- default setting may be that the content that is oldest among those DVRs is deleted first.
- Mover can either ping-pong between those DVRs or select the transcoding order from the most recent to the last stored content among those DVRs.
- a user can also modify the default setting by either giving some content higher priority over others. This can be done by either setting the priority a-priori or setting it dynamically by the user by requesting from the end device the content that needs to be transferred.
- the communication between the content mover device, PMP and DVR on the user's home network may be established through a discovery process, such as using UPnP.
- UPnP UPnP
- the content mover device and/or PMP may use UPnP to discover any DVR on the local home network.
- the content mover device and/or PMP may identify server devices (i.e., DMS) and selects the DVR(s). If there are other source devices such as PCs, the content moving device/PMP may exclude them from future content discovery.
- the content mover device 7 transcodes content and stores the transcoded content on a storage associated with the content mover device 7 .
- the DVR is preferably connected to the mover or home network to share content with content mover device, the content mover device is connected to the home network and is turned on, and the content mover device has been configured with the DVR.
- the content mover device and the user's PMP are also preferably configured accordingly (e.g., default content resolution and format).
- the mover device may be suited to operate with multiple PMP devices as well as multiple DVRs.
- the mover device 7 may include a device profile database which identifies desired content characteristics of a particular PMP, for example.
- the mover device 7 may determine the identity of a PMP requesting content, and provide transcoded content to the PMP according to the characteristics in the device profile database.
- FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for moving content from a DVR 2 to the content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- the content mover device manager 73 may check for new content on the DVR 2 , step S 1 , such as by requesting a list of recordings from the DVR host application 22 .
- the mover device may check for new content on the DVR at predetermined time periods, e.g., periodically every 5 minutes, every hour, once a day, etc., the length of time in the periods may be preset in the mover device, programmable by a remote network, or set by a user.
- the mover may also or alternatively check for content based on an event at the DVR or STB associated with the DRV. For example, the DVR.
- the content mover device manager 73 may provide a notification to the mover device when a recording is started, a deletion occurs or a recording or deletion event has been scheduled.
- the content mover device manager 73 may compare the list with a list of already transcoded content on the content mover device 7 .
- the content mover device manager 73 may select one content item from the DVR, step S 3 and requests the selected content for transfer.
- the selection of the content may be based on a user selection, or based on a preconfigured algorithm as a candidate for transcoding.
- the content may be provided to mover device 7 while it is being recorded on the DVR.
- the mover device may transcode the content simultaneously with the recording of the content.
- the DVR may push the content to the mover device 7 when a recording is initiated.
- the mover device 7 may request the content (e.g., pull) content during a DVR recording.
- a time marker within the content e.g., a presentation time stamp provided by the content provider, may be used to prevent mover device from catching up to the real time presentation of the content, e.g., to maintain a delay between receipt of the data from the STB and transcoding of the data on the mover device 7 .
- the mover device 7 may send a request to the DVR/STB relating to new content being recorded by the DVR.
- the STB/DVR may respond with information associated with the requested content along with the requested content (e.g., meta data) or separated from the content.
- the meta data may include the duration of the content already recorded on the DVR and a flag indicating if the content is live and being recorded.
- the mover device 7 may detect a start indicator of the content, e.g., a start presentation time stamp (PTS).
- PTS start presentation time stamp
- the mover device 7 may attempt to complete transcoding of the new content to be finished close to the end of the recoding of the new content on the DVR.
- the mover device 7 may increase its transcoding rate to transcode the content until it reaches close to a real time presentation of the content according to the PTS indicator. At such point, the transcoder may switch to a lower speed transcoding rate, e.g., a real time transcode mode, until the end of the content is reached. In this manner, the transcoded content may be available to the user shortly after the DVR recording is completed, and shortly after the content is provided to the STB/DVR.
- Tcurrent_pts is the most recent video frame's PTS timestamp
- Tstart_pts is the start video frame's PTS timestamp
- Tnow is the current system time
- Tstart_system_time is the system time when Mover starts the transcoding
- Tduration is the duration time for the live content obtained from meta data
- Tguard_Interval is the guarding time interval.
- the guarding time interval may be set to any suitable value such as 1-2 minutes.
- the content stored on the MIR 2 may have certain protections such as DRM restrictions, accordingly, content mover device manager 73 determines whether and how the content is protected, step S 7 . If the content is protected, the content mover device uses the content protection technology specified in the CDS to obtain decryption keys and content rights from the DVR. Content mover device manager 73 determines the format and resolution on the incoming content and selects the format and resolution for the transcoded content based on the PMP(s) that have been configured on the content moving device, step S 7 . For example, with reference to table 1, content with an audio format of AC3 may be transcoded to an MP3 format. Content moving device 7 transcodes the content from the DVR 2 into the identified formats and resolution, step S 9 . The transcoding process may include decoding at transcoder 72 the incoming content in its existing format and re-encoding the content in a desired format.
- the content mover device manager 73 determines encryption keys and resulting rights for the transcoded content, step S 11 . If the content is encrypted on the DVR, after requesting content from the DVR, the content mover device 7 decrypts portion of the content, transcodes portion of the content, and encrypts the transcoded portion of the content. The transcoded encrypted content and non-encrypted content is stored in a local storage associated with the content mover device 7 via storage manager 76 , step S 13 .
- Protected content may be limited by copy protection constraints: a. encrypted “copy-free” content with restrictions (e ,g., ENR, RCT, CGMS-A) may be copied to the content moving device, b.
- copy-once content i.e., marked as “copy-no-more” on the DVR
- Unprotected copy-free content may be copied to the content mover device within proximity.
- the DVR content may be provided to the content mover device 7 and processed by the content moving device as an entire content file or in discrete portions or segments of content. For example, a segment of video may be decoded, re-encoded and stored prior to the next segment. Process may repeat to receive segments until entire file has been transferred, transcoded and stored on the storage associated with the content mover device.
- the content mover device 7 may repeat steps S 1 -S 13 for each content of interest on the DVR until the list of candidates is empty or the content mover device 7 associated local storage is full.
- the content mover device 7 may be configured to request content from DVR 2 at set predetermined times of day.
- the set predetermined times may be chosen by the user, set within the content mover device 7 at the time of manufacture, or determined by the content mover device 7 in connection with historical time periods of a user for requesting content from the content mover device 7 , as periods of low activity on the DVR.
- the content mover device 7 may set a local timer to wake up and check for new recorded content on the DVR.
- the content mover device may transcode virtually all of the content stored on the DVR, so as to effectively create a mirror image of the DVR stored content.
- the content mover device 7 may also receive content from a portable media player (PMP).
- PMP portable media player
- Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the PMP and content mover device are configured to communicate with each other and the PMP is provisioned to the user's home network.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a process for transferring content from the content mover device 7 to a PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- a transfer request may be made by the PMP and received by the content mover device, step S 20 .
- a user may activate a “DVR Sync” application running on the PMP to initiate the process.
- a list of transcoded content stored by the content mover device may be made available to the PMP for selection, step S 22 , to enable the PMP to discover a list of transcoded content items on the content mover device.
- FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary display on a PMP for content selection.
- PMP 6 preferably includes a display which displays the transcoded content available for download 62 on to the PMP 6 from the content mover device. Once content is selected for download, an icon may be shown indicating the download status 61 .
- This list may optionally include DVR content that has not been transcoded (e.g., due to limited content moving device local storage space).
- the non-transcoded list my be a list constructed in real-time by getting a fresh list from the DVR or it may be a snapshot from the last time the content moving device requested the list from the DVR.
- the PMP may compare the list with a list of already transferred content in local storage and select one content item from the content mover device based on a preconfigured algorithm as a candidate for transfer, and provide the selection to the content mover device, step S 24 .
- the PMP may be provided with the decryption keys and any DRM rules associated with the content, step S 26 . If IPRM is used, this may require the PMP to request a ticket from the content mover device or the DVR prior to accessing the content.
- the PMP may create a local DRM license with the decryption key and rights. For example, if the DVR content was originally restricted as “copy once” and, therefore, marked as “copy no more” after transcoding on the content mover device , the transfer to the PMP may be a “move” rather than a “copy”.
- FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary display of content details on a PMP.
- additional details related to the content may also be displayed with the content on PMP 6 .
- Additional details 63 may be carried in meta data associated with the content.
- the additional details may include a description of the content, a rating, run time, channel name and number, file size, actors in the content, etc.
- a download selection button 65 may be provided to enable a user to request transfer of the content from the mover device.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a down load queue on the PMP 6 .
- Multiple items of content 68 may be selected for download at one time, and a download queue may be established.
- a download status indicator bar 66 may be displayed to indicate the progress of the download operation.
- step S 28 the content mover device provides the requested content to the PMP.
- the PMP may decrypt the content.
- the PMP may encrypt and store the received transcoded content in a local storage associated with the PMP.
- the steps in FIG. 7 may be repeated for each requested content. In the above manner, PMP may have all (or a subset) of the content mover device's transcoded content items in its local storage ready to be watched locally on the PMP.
- the PMP may play the content without being connected to the user's home network, The user may play the content by starting a “DVR to go” application.
- the PMP may list all content items transferred from the MOVER, for user selection. Once the selection is made, the PMP determines DRI rules and the content decryption key if the content is encrypted. The PMP decrypts, decodes and renders the content for consumption by the user, and may update any metadata associated with the content. Once the user finishes watching the content, the PMP may mark the content as “watched”. The watched content may be a candidate for deletion if there is not enough space to transfer more content later.
- the content mover device 7 may need to delete stored transcoded content to free up storage space for new content.
- content moving device's memory is full or close to getting full, e.g., 95% full, it needs to delete some of the transcoded content. It can be done based on the rules set by the user or the service provider or the default setting.
- An example of default setting is that the content corresponding to the oldest one stored on DVR is deleted from the content moving device's memory first.
- Another example is that the content that is allowed to be copied freely and transferred to an end device is deleted first. Between HD and SD content, the HD content may be given higher priority by the user or the service provider.
- the content mover device may have a user interface, such as a display (e.g., touch screen display) and input device (e.g., keypad or pointer) which allows the user to select content for deletion.
- the content mover device may use an attached television as the display.
- the content mover device may not have a user interface in which a user may select the content to be deleted.
- the content mover device may use certain parameters to decide which content to delete when new content needs to be transferred from the DVR. This process may include decision attributes such as:
- the PMP may also perform content deletion operations to make more storage space available for newly transcoded content to be transferred from the content mover device. This could be done automatically based on the user preferences or explicitly by the user via the user interface.
- the content moving device may ignore that fact and keep the transcoded copy available for further copying to PMPs.
- the copy on the content mover device may be removed using a regular storage cleanup approach as discussed above.
- the content moving device may try to represent a mirror image of the DVR recordings, e.g., the content moving device may delete the content as well.
- Content to be deleted may be determined by comparing the latest list of content from the DVR with the list of content on the content moving device. Any content item found in the content moving device and not in the DVR's list may be deleted.
- the content moving device is not only capable to take the content out of a Set Top Box for consumption on other devices, it can also take the content from other devices for consumption by a set top box, TV or other devices connected to Set Top Box or content moving device via Internet.
- it can accept and video captured by a video camera of a digital camcorder or a mobile phone, convert it to the format decodabie and playable by Set Top box for display on a TV, or decodable and playable by a portable device connected to content moving device by in-home network or Internet. It can also adjust the resolution and bit rate of the video to lower the bandwidth required to send the content on the internet. That content can be consumed by other users far away or loaded on social networking web sites.
- FIGS. 6 and 7 may be contained as a utility, program, or subprogram, in any desired computer readable storage medium, which may be a non-transitory medium.
- the operations may be embodied by computer programs, which can exist in a variety of forms both active and inactive.
- they may exist as software program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code, object code, executable code or other formats. Any of the above may be embodied on a computer readable storage medium, which include storage devices.
- Exemplary computer readable storage media include conventional computer system RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic or optical disks or tapes. Concrete examples of the foregoing include distribution of the programs on a CD ROM or via Internet download. It is therefore to be understood that any electronic device capable of executing the above-described functions may perform those functions enumerated above.
- the content mover device enables a user to conveniently and efficiently move user recorded content from one user device (e.g., a DVR) to another user device (e.g., PMP).
- the content mover device performs the often time consuming and computationally intensive task of transcoding content stored on the first device in a first format into a second format usable by the second device.
- the transcoding operation may be performed automatically independent of a request for the content by the PMP.
- the transcoding operation may be performed at predetermined times during periods of inactivity or based on historical user interactions with the content mover device or DVR. In this manner user may not need to wait for desired content to be transcoded in order to move the content onto his/her PMP.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
- Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)
- Television Signal Processing For Recording (AREA)
- Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
- Signal Processing For Digital Recording And Reproducing (AREA)
Abstract
A content moving device which enables providing content stored on a first user device, such as a DVR, in a first format and resolution to be provided to a second user device, such as a portable media player (PMP) in a second format and resolution. The content moving device identifies content on the first user device as candidate content which may be desired by the PMP and receives the candidate content from the DVR. The content moving device transcodes the candidate content at times independent of a request from the PMP for the content. The content moving device may provide a list of available transcoded content to the PMP for selection, and provide selected content to the PMP. The content moving device may also provide information relating to any protection schemes of the content provided to the PMP, such as DRM rights and decryption keys. The content moving device performs the often computationally intense and time consuming transcoding of user content to enable the user to move content between different user devices in a convenient manner.
Description
- This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/492,876, filed Oct. 4, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/812,737, filed Mar. 9, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/160,660, filed Oct. 15, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/811,296, filed Nov. 13, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/425,678, filed Feb. 6, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/816,918, filed Aug. 3, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/071,233, filed Mar. 24, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/317,262, filed Mar. 24, 2010. and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/317,264, filed Mar. 24, 2010, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
- The invention relates to a content management device, and more particularly toward a management of a transcoding and storage device.
- Consumers receive content in various forms using several different devices. For example, consumers may receive video content, e.g., television programs and movie, or audio content, e.g., music, through a set top box (STB) connected to a service provider network. The content may be stored on a digital video recoding (DVR) device at the request of the user, and retained on the DVR for an indefinite period of time, e.g., until deleted by the user. The STB is typically connected to a television device which displays the video content or plays the audio content to the consumer. The typical television device is a non-portable stationary unit inside a household.
- Many consumers wish to view his/her content stored on their home DVR on the go, on his/her mobile device, whenever he wishes. Unfortunately, most mobile devices cannot process content that is high definition (HD, e.g., 720p, 1080i, 1080p) or even standard definition (SD, e.g., 480i) resolution, which is the common resolution for the DVR. Further, DVR content is often received and stored as MPEG2 (Motion Picture Experts Group) transport streams, while most mobile devices are configured to pay MPEG4 (AVC/H.264) file oriented content. Most DVR audio is coded as Audio Codec 3 (AC-3) format, while most mobile devices play the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format. Somehow, the consumer's intention must be met, despite these mismatches.
- The content may be converted (transcoding) the content from the format and coding on the DVR to the desired format of the consumer's mobile device. However, transcoding of this sort takes time, in fact, often almost as much time as it would take to play the content. Most consumers do not have the patience to wait, for example, nearly 90 minutes to get programs transferred to his/her mobile devices. It would be desirable for the consumer to be able to see the content choices available for transfer to their portable media player (PMP), including a mobile phone or smart phone, make a quick decision for transfer, quickly receive and be able to access the content without significant waiting periods.
- In accordance with the principles of the invention, an apparatus for moving content from a first user device to a second user device, may comprise: a first device interface configured to receive content in a first format from the first user device; a device manager configured to identify characteristics of the first format of the candidate content, and to request the candidate content from the first device; a transcoder configured to transcode the candidate content by decoding the candidate content in the first format as decoded content and encoding the decoded content into a second format compatible with the second user device as transcoded content; a storage unit which stores the transcoded content; and a second device interface configured to provide transcoded content to the second device, wherein the candidate content is transcoded independent of a request for the candidate content by the second user device.
- In the apparatus the device manager reviews content at the first user device at predetermined intervals. The device manager may determine if the first user device has new content, and request the new content during recording of the new content at the first user device. The device manager receives a notification of an event at the first device, and the candidate content is received based on the event. The device manager may determine a format and resolution of the first format or the second format. The device manager may determine a format and resolution of the second format. The device manager may determine if the candidate content is protected, determine a protection scheme of the candidate content, and provide information related to the protection scheme to the second user device, enabling the second user device to access the content. The device manager may provide a list of available transcoded content to the second user device, and receives requests to provide content to the second user device based on selection from the list of available transcoded content.
- In accordance with the principles of the invention a method for moving content from a first user device to a second user device using a content moving device, may comprise the steps of: the content moving device identifying content on the first user device in a first format as candidate content to be moved to the second user device; receiving the candidate content from the first device; transcoding the candidate content by decoding the candidate content in the first format as decoded content and encoding the decoded content into a second format compatible with the second user device as transcoded content; storing the transcoded content in a storage associated with the content moving device; providing the transcoded content to the second user device when requested by the second user device, wherein the candidate content is received from the first user device and transcoded independent of a request for the candidate content by the second user device.
- In the method, the step of identifying the content on the first user device includes reviewing content contained on the first user device at predetermined intervals. The step of identifying the content on the first user device determines if the first user device has new content, and request the new content during recording of the new content at the first user device. The step of identifying the content on the first user device may include receiving a notification of an event at the first user device, and receiving the content based on the event. The content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the first format. The content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the second format. The content moving device may determine if the candidate content is protected. The content moving device may determine a protection scheme of the candidate content, and provide information related to the protection scheme to the second user device, enabling the second user device to access the content. The content moving device may provide a list of available transcoded content to the second user device, and receive requests to provide content to the second user device based on selection from the list of available transcoded content.
- In accordance with the principles of the invention, a non-transitory computer readable medium may contain a computer implementable instructions for moving content from a first user device to a second user device using a content moving device, comprising the steps of: the content moving device identifying content on the first user device in a first format as candidate content to be moved to the second user device; receiving the candidate content from the first device; transcoding the candidate content by decoding the candidate content in the first format as decoded content and encoding the decoded content into a second format compatible with the second user device as transcoded content; storing the transcoded content in a storage associated with the content moving device; providing the transcoded content to the second user device when requested by the second user device, wherein the candidate content is received from the first user device and transcoded independent of a request for the candidate content by the second user device.
- In the instructions on the computer readable medium, the step of identifying the content on the first user device includes reviewing content contained on the first user device at predetermined intervals. The step of identifying the content on the first user device determines if the first user device has new content, and request the new content during recording of the new content at the first user device. The step of identifying the content on the first user device includes receiving a notification of an event at the first user device, and receiving the content based on the event. The content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the first format. The content moving device may determine a format and resolution of the second format, The content moving device may determine if the candidate content is protected. The content moving device may determine a protection scheme of the candidate content, and provide information related to the protection scheme to the second user device, enabling the second user device to access the content. The content moving device may provide a list of available transcoded content to the second user device, and receive requests to provide content to the second user device based on selection from the list of available transcoded content.
- The content mover device enables a user to conveniently and efficiently move user recorded content from one user device (e.g., a DVR) to another user device (e.g., PMP). The content mover device performs the often time consuming and computationally intensive task of transcoding content stored on the first device in a first format into a second format usable by the second device. The transcoding operation may be performed automatically independent of a request for the content by the PMP. The transcoding operation may be performed at predetermined times during periods of inactivity or based on historical user interactions with the content mover device or DVR. In this manner user may not need to wait for desired content to be transcoded in order to move the content onto his/her PMP.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a content moving device in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate arrangement for a home network using a content mover device in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary architecture of acontent mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture for ahost module 21 contained inSTB 2 for interacting withcontent mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a portable device in accordance with the principles of the invention, -
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for moving content from aDVR 2 to thecontent mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 7 illustrates a process for transferring content from thecontent mover device 7 to a PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary display on a PMP for content selection in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary display of content details on a PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention. -
FIG. 10 illustrates a download queue on the PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention. - For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present invention is described by referring mainly to exemplary embodiments thereof. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, well known methods and structures have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily Obscuring the present invention.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a content moving device in accordance with the principles of the invention. The content moving device described herein may be an accessory that is placed between the consumer's DVR and his mobile devices, as illustrated inFIG. 1 . It transcodes, that is, converts, the format mismatches for video and audio and the transport packaging. In a preferred implementation, the mover performs this function with minimal disruption to the consumer. - The content moving device may be connected to the DVR on a permanent basis, by Ethernet or some similar home network technology, such as a Media over Coax Alliance (MoCA) standard, e.g., MoCA MAC/PHY v1.0. Thus the content moving device can do what the mobile device cannot—always be present and connected. Thus the Content moving device can transcode at its somewhat slow pace in the background, building a store of program files compatible to the mobile devices. The Content moving device storage may be viewed as a mirror of the DVR content, (e.g., being an exact duplicate of content stored if possible). If this is achieved, the consumer can check for available recordings, and then transfer them to the mobile device, with the transfer limited only by his home network. In this fashion, the consumer's intent can be supported. Ideally, the Content moving device is an “invisible” device, with no direct user interaction required, and possibly not even any out-of-box set up at all. An Ethernet connected Content moving device typically requires no mandatory set up, while a WiFi connected Content moving device may require a Service Set identifier (SSID) and key. The moving device may provide for full automation of the content transcoding and transfer.
- The consumer already has learned how to interact with his DVR to schedule recordings and view content, and he has also learned to use his portable device. Learning another mandatory User Interface on the content mover device may not be highly desirable for some users. For that user it is optimal to have him interact solely through the end device and perhaps the DVR, to accomplish his on-the-road needs for content.
- The content moving device may check for new content recordings and new DVR deletions on a regular basis. Any change in the DVR may be mirrored in the Content moving device's own memory The Content moving device may handle all the details of copy management, and obey the digital rights associated with the DVR recording, such as obeying copy once restrictions of the original broadcast program, obeying copy once restrictions for example.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a content moving device in accordance with the principles of the invention. As shown inFIG. 1 , auser household 1 may include one ormore STBs 2 with a DVR integrated therein or separately attached. Anexternal storage device 3 may also be used withSTB 2 to store additional content. Whilemultiple STBs 2 are illustrated, only one may be present or only one may have a DVR while other STB may not include a DVR. The SIB receives communications over acommunication carrier 1, such as a coaxial cable, optical fiber or wireless communication carrier. - The communications may include video, audio/video (e.g., television programs or movies), audio information, data, and STB control and signaling information. The communications may be a provider network, which may charge for providing communication and content services to the user. The communications may be bi-directional, e.g., downstream from the service provider and upstream from the STB. Typical provider networks include over the air free broadcasts, cable television networks (including optical fiber networks, hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, etc.), or satellite television networks.
STB 2 preferably received content through the network and provides the content to television (not shown) for display to a user,STB 3 may also record content selected by a user on its associated DVR. - In an exemplary arrangement as illustrated in
FIG. 1 , amodem 4 may also receive communications throughcommunication carrier 1. Alternatively,modem 4 may receive communications from a different network thanSTBs 2.Modem 4 may be connected to a inhome router 5, such as via Ethernet port connections, wireless connection or other suitable connection.Router 5 may be connected to acontent mover device 7 via an Ethernet connection, a wireless (WiFi), USB data, or other suitable type of connection. - The
router 5 may communicate withSTB 2 via an Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus USB, wireless (WiFi) or other suitable type of connection, Therouter 5 maybe directly connected toSIB 2 or via another device, such as a MoCA bridge (not shown) which may connect to the STB viacommunication carrier 1.Router 5 may communicate directly withSTB 2 via an Ethernet connection, connecting a plurality of STBs to each other, which may also serve as thecommunication carrier 1.Router 5 may provide a hardwired or wireless connection (e.g., a WiFi connection) to aportable device 6, such as a mobile phone, portable media player, laptop, PC, tablet, etc. -
FIG. 2 . illustrates an alternate arrangement for a home network using a content mover device in accordance with the principles of the invention.FIG. 2 is similar to the arrangement inFIG. 1 , with similar components bearing the same reference number. However, inFIG. 2 content mover device 7 is connected directly toSTB 2 rather than connected throughrouter 5.Content mover device 7 may be connected via an Ethernet, USB, wireless (WiFi or Bluetooth) connection, or any suitable connection.Router 5 may be connected to thecontent mover device 7 via an Ethernet connection, a wireless (WiFi), USB data, or other suitable type of connection. -
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary architecture of acontent mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention. As illustrated inFIG. 3 ,content mover device 7 may include amedia server 71 with atranscoder module 72. Adevice manager 73 may be included to control the operations ofcontent mover device 7. A portabledevice interface unit 74 may be provided to communicate with a desired portable device. The portabledevice interface unit 74 may include modules for controlling file access, such as XII or a file allocation table (FAT), SD card access control. Wireless interfaces, e.g., Bluetooth including FTP and CPP modules may be used, as well as a WiFi module with Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)/Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) Content Directory Service (CDS), TCP/IP and HTTP protocols. Ahost interface module 75 may include a USB slave, CDC, TCP/IP, HTTP server, and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) interface modules. Astorage controller 76 may be included to control access to attached or internal storage. - An external storage can also be attached to content moving device via, for example, USB or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) or SD Card interface. This storage device may be shared with Set Top Box or other devices on the network.
- Mover can also access the storage media, internal or external to other devices, like DVR. It can use those to store back the transcoded content. This can be done in addition to or in place of the storage internal to content moving device. The external storage can also be used as an extended storage size or to do long term archiving of the content.
-
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture for ahost module 21 contained inSTB 2 for interacting withcontent mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention. As illustrated, thehost module 21 may include ahost application controller 22, amover module 23 containing a platform for controlling SOAP, TCP/IP, CDC, and USB Slave modules. APIP module 24 with a USB host interface controller may also be included. -
FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a portable device in accordance with the principles of the invention. A illustrated,portable device 6 may include amedia player controller 61, a mover/STB interface module 62, a FATSD card module 63 for controlling file access, such as a file allocation table (FAT), SD card access control.Wireless interface modules 64, e.g., Bluetooth including FTP and CPP modules may be used, as well as aWiFi module 65 with UPnP CDS, TCP/IP, HTTP, DLNA, IPRM and DCPT protocols. Ahost interface module 66 may include a USB slave and PTP modules. - Table 1 provides an overview of exemplary system configurations for
content mover device 7. A indicated, video, audio and packaging (container) formats may be changed on an input stream to a different formats on the output stream. Categories for changing may include: video format, resolution, bit rate, and frame rate; audio format, bit rate, and channels; and container formats. -
TABLE 1 overview of system configurations Media Category Input Output Video Format AVC/H.264 Main, AVC/H.264 Main, High High & Baseline & Baseline Profile, Profile MPEG-2 MPEG-2 AVC/H.264 Baseline, Main & High Profile, MPEG-2 Resolution HD (1080 p, 1080 i, HD, ED/SD, 1/2 VGA, 720 p) HVGA, QVGA, CIF, HCIF, QCIF ED/SD/WVGA (480 i, ED/SD, 1/2 VGA, 480 p, 576 i, 576 p) HVGA, QVGA, CIF, HCIF, QCIF Bit Rate up to 20 Mbps 20 Mbps down to 64 Kbps Frame Interlaced: 30, 25 fps Can be lower than input Rate Progressive: 60, 30, (if desired, as may be 50, 25, 24 fps (can not the case for some support 1080 p60) mobile phones) Audio Format AC3, MPEG-2 Audio MP3, AAC-LC, AAC- HE Bit Rate up to 320 Kbps up to 320 Kbps Channels 5.1 5.1, 2.0 2.0 2.0 Container Format MPEG-2 TS, MP4 MPEG-2 TS. MP4 - The content moving device may check for not only new content recordings on a regular basis but also any DVR deletions as well. Any change, e.g., deletion of content, in the DVR may be mirrored in the content moving device's own storage/memory. The content moving device may handle all the issues relating to copy management, and obey the digital rights associated with the DVR recording, such as obeying copy once restrictions of the original broadcast program.
- However, an advanced user may want to have more control on managing how and which content is transcoded, stored and deleted on Mover. For such user an option is provided to prioritize which content is more important, which one is deleted as the memory in the content moving device gets filled up. For example, he can set the priority based on episode, series or genre etc. Content can also be selected individually and provided the desired priority by the user. An option is provided for a user go to deeper layer of interaction to personalize the behavior of Mover to his liking. This personalization can be done via the interface on the mobile device, a PC or similar device connected on the network with access to content moving device or through Set Top box and TV.
- If the network consists of multiple DVRs, then default setting may be that the content that is oldest among those DVRs is deleted first. For mirroring operation, Mover can either ping-pong between those DVRs or select the transcoding order from the most recent to the last stored content among those DVRs. A user can also modify the default setting by either giving some content higher priority over others. This can be done by either setting the priority a-priori or setting it dynamically by the user by requesting from the end device the content that needs to be transferred.
- The communication between the content mover device, PMP and DVR on the user's home network may be established through a discovery process, such as using UPnP. For example, the content mover device and/or PMP may use UPnP to discover any DVR on the local home network. The content mover device and/or PMP may identify server devices (i.e., DMS) and selects the DVR(s). If there are other source devices such as PCs, the content moving device/PMP may exclude them from future content discovery.
- In a preferred implementation, the
content mover device 7 transcodes content and stores the transcoded content on a storage associated with thecontent mover device 7. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the DVR is preferably connected to the mover or home network to share content with content mover device, the content mover device is connected to the home network and is turned on, and the content mover device has been configured with the DVR. The content mover device and the user's PMP are also preferably configured accordingly (e.g., default content resolution and format). - The mover device may be suited to operate with multiple PMP devices as well as multiple DVRs. The
mover device 7 may include a device profile database which identifies desired content characteristics of a particular PMP, for example. Themover device 7 may determine the identity of a PMP requesting content, and provide transcoded content to the PMP according to the characteristics in the device profile database. -
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for moving content from aDVR 2 to thecontent mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of the invention. The contentmover device manager 73 may check for new content on theDVR 2, step S1, such as by requesting a list of recordings from theDVR host application 22. The mover device may check for new content on the DVR at predetermined time periods, e.g., periodically every 5 minutes, every hour, once a day, etc., the length of time in the periods may be preset in the mover device, programmable by a remote network, or set by a user. The mover may also or alternatively check for content based on an event at the DVR or STB associated with the DRV. For example, the DVR. may provide a notification to the mover device when a recording is started, a deletion occurs or a recording or deletion event has been scheduled. The contentmover device manager 73 may compare the list with a list of already transcoded content on thecontent mover device 7. The contentmover device manager 73 may select one content item from the DVR, step S3 and requests the selected content for transfer. The selection of the content may be based on a user selection, or based on a preconfigured algorithm as a candidate for transcoding. - The content may be provided to
mover device 7 while it is being recorded on the DVR. For example, the mover device may transcode the content simultaneously with the recording of the content. The DVR may push the content to themover device 7 when a recording is initiated. Alternatively, themover device 7 may request the content (e.g., pull) content during a DVR recording. A time marker within the content, e.g., a presentation time stamp provided by the content provider, may be used to prevent mover device from catching up to the real time presentation of the content, e.g., to maintain a delay between receipt of the data from the STB and transcoding of the data on themover device 7. - In a semi-push mode of operation, the
mover device 7 may send a request to the DVR/STB relating to new content being recorded by the DVR. The STB/DVR may respond with information associated with the requested content along with the requested content (e.g., meta data) or separated from the content. The meta data may include the duration of the content already recorded on the DVR and a flag indicating if the content is live and being recorded. Themover device 7 may detect a start indicator of the content, e.g., a start presentation time stamp (PTS). Themover device 7 may attempt to complete transcoding of the new content to be finished close to the end of the recoding of the new content on the DVR. Themover device 7 may increase its transcoding rate to transcode the content until it reaches close to a real time presentation of the content according to the PTS indicator. At such point, the transcoder may switch to a lower speed transcoding rate, e.g., a real time transcode mode, until the end of the content is reached. In this manner, the transcoded content may be available to the user shortly after the DVR recording is completed, and shortly after the content is provided to the STB/DVR. The transcoding speeds may be adjusted according to the following equation: Mode=Fast_Mode if (Tcurrent_pts−Tstart_pts)<(Tnow−Tstart_system_time)+Tduration−Tguard_interval, Mode=Realtime_Mode otherwise. Where, Tcurrent_pts is the most recent video frame's PTS timestamp; Tstart_pts is the start video frame's PTS timestamp; Tnow is the current system time; and Tstart_system_time is the system time when Mover starts the transcoding; Tduration is the duration time for the live content obtained from meta data; and Tguard_Interval is the guarding time interval. The guarding time interval may be set to any suitable value such as 1-2 minutes. - The content stored on the
MIR 2 may have certain protections such as DRM restrictions, accordingly, contentmover device manager 73 determines whether and how the content is protected, step S7. If the content is protected, the content mover device uses the content protection technology specified in the CDS to obtain decryption keys and content rights from the DVR. Contentmover device manager 73 determines the format and resolution on the incoming content and selects the format and resolution for the transcoded content based on the PMP(s) that have been configured on the content moving device, step S7. For example, with reference to table 1, content with an audio format of AC3 may be transcoded to an MP3 format.Content moving device 7 transcodes the content from theDVR 2 into the identified formats and resolution, step S9. The transcoding process may include decoding attranscoder 72 the incoming content in its existing format and re-encoding the content in a desired format. - If the content is to be further protected after transcoding, the content
mover device manager 73 determines encryption keys and resulting rights for the transcoded content, step S11. If the content is encrypted on the DVR, after requesting content from the DVR, thecontent mover device 7 decrypts portion of the content, transcodes portion of the content, and encrypts the transcoded portion of the content. The transcoded encrypted content and non-encrypted content is stored in a local storage associated with thecontent mover device 7 viastorage manager 76, step S13. Protected content may be limited by copy protection constraints: a. encrypted “copy-free” content with restrictions (e ,g., ENR, RCT, CGMS-A) may be copied to the content moving device, b. “copy-once” content (i.e., marked as “copy-no-more” on the DVR) can only be “moved” (instead of copied) to the content moving device. Unprotected copy-free content may be copied to the content mover device within proximity. - The DVR content may be provided to the
content mover device 7 and processed by the content moving device as an entire content file or in discrete portions or segments of content. For example, a segment of video may be decoded, re-encoded and stored prior to the next segment. Process may repeat to receive segments until entire file has been transferred, transcoded and stored on the storage associated with the content mover device. - The
content mover device 7 may repeat steps S1-S13 for each content of interest on the DVR until the list of candidates is empty or thecontent mover device 7 associated local storage is full. - In some implementations, the
content mover device 7 may be configured to request content fromDVR 2 at set predetermined times of day. The set predetermined times may be chosen by the user, set within thecontent mover device 7 at the time of manufacture, or determined by thecontent mover device 7 in connection with historical time periods of a user for requesting content from thecontent mover device 7, as periods of low activity on the DVR. Thecontent mover device 7 may set a local timer to wake up and check for new recorded content on the DVR. - In some implementations, the content mover device may transcode virtually all of the content stored on the DVR, so as to effectively create a mirror image of the DVR stored content.
- The
content mover device 7 may also receive content from a portable media player (PMP). Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the PMP and content mover device are configured to communicate with each other and the PMP is provisioned to the user's home network. -
FIG. 7 illustrates a process for transferring content from thecontent mover device 7 to a PMP in accordance with the principles of the invention. As illustrated, a transfer request may be made by the PMP and received by the content mover device, step S20, For example, a user may activate a “DVR Sync” application running on the PMP to initiate the process. A list of transcoded content stored by the content mover device may be made available to the PMP for selection, step S22, to enable the PMP to discover a list of transcoded content items on the content mover device. -
FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary display on a PMP for content selection. As illustrated,PMP 6 preferably includes a display which displays the transcoded content available fordownload 62 on to thePMP 6 from the content mover device. Once content is selected for download, an icon may be shown indicating thedownload status 61. - This list may optionally include DVR content that has not been transcoded (e.g., due to limited content moving device local storage space). The non-transcoded list my be a list constructed in real-time by getting a fresh list from the DVR or it may be a snapshot from the last time the content moving device requested the list from the DVR. The PMP may compare the list with a list of already transferred content in local storage and select one content item from the content mover device based on a preconfigured algorithm as a candidate for transfer, and provide the selection to the content mover device, step S24.
- If the content is protected, e.g., with encryption, the PMP may be provided with the decryption keys and any DRM rules associated with the content, step S26. If IPRM is used, this may require the PMP to request a ticket from the content mover device or the DVR prior to accessing the content. The PMP may create a local DRM license with the decryption key and rights. For example, if the DVR content was originally restricted as “copy once” and, therefore, marked as “copy no more” after transcoding on the content mover device , the transfer to the PMP may be a “move” rather than a “copy”.
-
FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary display of content details on a PMP. As illustrated inFIG. 9 , additional details related to the content may also be displayed with the content onPMP 6.Additional details 63, may be carried in meta data associated with the content. The additional details may include a description of the content, a rating, run time, channel name and number, file size, actors in the content, etc. Adownload selection button 65 may be provided to enable a user to request transfer of the content from the mover device. -
FIG. 10 illustrates a down load queue on thePMP 6. Multiple items ofcontent 68 may be selected for download at one time, and a download queue may be established. A downloadstatus indicator bar 66 may be displayed to indicate the progress of the download operation. - In step S28, the content mover device provides the requested content to the PMP. If DTCP-IP is used, the PMP may decrypt the content. The PMP may encrypt and store the received transcoded content in a local storage associated with the PMP. The steps in
FIG. 7 may be repeated for each requested content. In the above manner, PMP may have all (or a subset) of the content mover device's transcoded content items in its local storage ready to be watched locally on the PMP. - Once the PMP has the content, it may play the content without being connected to the user's home network, The user may play the content by starting a “DVR to go” application. In on implementation, the PMP may list all content items transferred from the MOVER, for user selection. Once the selection is made, the PMP determines DRI rules and the content decryption key if the content is encrypted. The PMP decrypts, decodes and renders the content for consumption by the user, and may update any metadata associated with the content. Once the user finishes watching the content, the PMP may mark the content as “watched”. The watched content may be a candidate for deletion if there is not enough space to transfer more content later.
- The
content mover device 7 may need to delete stored transcoded content to free up storage space for new content. When content moving device's memory is full or close to getting full, e.g., 95% full, it needs to delete some of the transcoded content. It can be done based on the rules set by the user or the service provider or the default setting. An example of default setting is that the content corresponding to the oldest one stored on DVR is deleted from the content moving device's memory first. Another example is that the content that is allowed to be copied freely and transferred to an end device is deleted first. Between HD and SD content, the HD content may be given higher priority by the user or the service provider. - In one implementation, the content mover device may have a user interface, such as a display (e.g., touch screen display) and input device (e.g., keypad or pointer) which allows the user to select content for deletion. Alternatively, the content mover device may use an attached television as the display. In one implementation, the content mover device may not have a user interface in which a user may select the content to be deleted. The content mover device may use certain parameters to decide which content to delete when new content needs to be transferred from the DVR. This process may include decision attributes such as:
-
- 1. oldest content is deleted first;
- 2. content deleted from the DVR may be deleted from the content moving device as well;
- 3. content already transferred to the PMP may be deleted (this may not work well if multiple PMPs are present in the home);
- 4. SD content may be deleted before HD content (due to speed of transcoding FED content); and/or
- 5. keep only last 3 episodes of any series
- The PMP may also perform content deletion operations to make more storage space available for newly transcoded content to be transferred from the content mover device. This could be done automatically based on the user preferences or explicitly by the user via the user interface.
- When a particular recording is deleted on the DVR, the content moving device may ignore that fact and keep the transcoded copy available for further copying to PMPs. The copy on the content mover device may be removed using a regular storage cleanup approach as discussed above. Alternatively, the content moving device may try to represent a mirror image of the DVR recordings, e.g., the content moving device may delete the content as well. Content to be deleted may be determined by comparing the latest list of content from the DVR with the list of content on the content moving device. Any content item found in the content moving device and not in the DVR's list may be deleted.
- The content moving device is not only capable to take the content out of a Set Top Box for consumption on other devices, it can also take the content from other devices for consumption by a set top box, TV or other devices connected to Set Top Box or content moving device via Internet. For example, it can accept and video captured by a video camera of a digital camcorder or a mobile phone, convert it to the format decodabie and playable by Set Top box for display on a TV, or decodable and playable by a portable device connected to content moving device by in-home network or Internet. It can also adjust the resolution and bit rate of the video to lower the bandwidth required to send the content on the internet. That content can be consumed by other users far away or loaded on social networking web sites.
- Some or all of the operations set forth in
FIGS. 6 and 7 may be contained as a utility, program, or subprogram, in any desired computer readable storage medium, which may be a non-transitory medium. In addition, the operations may be embodied by computer programs, which can exist in a variety of forms both active and inactive. For example, they may exist as software program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code, object code, executable code or other formats. Any of the above may be embodied on a computer readable storage medium, which include storage devices. - Exemplary computer readable storage media include conventional computer system RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic or optical disks or tapes. Concrete examples of the foregoing include distribution of the programs on a CD ROM or via Internet download. It is therefore to be understood that any electronic device capable of executing the above-described functions may perform those functions enumerated above.
- What has been described and illustrated herein are embodiments of the invention along with some of their variations. The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the invention.
- The content mover device enables a user to conveniently and efficiently move user recorded content from one user device (e.g., a DVR) to another user device (e.g., PMP). The content mover device performs the often time consuming and computationally intensive task of transcoding content stored on the first device in a first format into a second format usable by the second device. The transcoding operation may be performed automatically independent of a request for the content by the PMP. The transcoding operation may be performed at predetermined times during periods of inactivity or based on historical user interactions with the content mover device or DVR. In this manner user may not need to wait for desired content to be transcoded in order to move the content onto his/her PMP.
- Although described specifically throughout the entirety of the instant disclosure, representative embodiments of the present invention have utility over a wide range of applications, and the above discussion is not intended and should not be construed to be limiting, but is offered as an illustrative discussion of aspects of the invention.
Claims (19)
1. (canceled)
2. A system for transferring content between devices, the system comprising:
a hardware processor of a first media device that:
determines media content items that are selectable for retrieval by a second media device, wherein the media content items are in a first format corresponding to the first media device;
determines a second format corresponding to the second media device for receiving at least one of the media content items based on a capability of the second media device;
in response to receiving a request for a transcoded media content item from the transcoded media content items, generates transcoded media content items by transcoding the media content items from the first format to the second format; and
transmits the transcoded media content items to the second media device.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the request for the transcoded media content item is received via a user interface presented on the second media device.
4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the hardware processor further:
determines that more than a predetermined threshold of memory of the first media device used to store media content items has been filed; and
selects a subset of the media content items for deletion from the memory of the first media device used to store the media content items.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the subset of the media content items are selected based on user configuration settings that indicate episodic content that is to be deleted.
6. The system of claim 2 , wherein determining the second format comprises selecting a resolution based on a bandwidth of a network connection between the first media device and the second media device.
7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the hardware processor further presents a list of second media content items that indicates that the transcoded media content items have been transmitted to the second media device and that indicates a remaining portion of the second media content items that have not been transmitted to the second media device.
8. A method for transferring content between devices, the method comprising:
determining media content items that are selectable for retrieval by a second media device, wherein the media content items are in a first format corresponding to the first media device;
determining a second format corresponding to the second media device for receiving at least one of the media content items based on a capability of the second media device;
in response to receiving a request for a transcoded media content item from the transcoded media content items, generating transcoded media content items by transcoding the media content items from the first format to the second format; and
transmitting the transcoded media content items to the second media device.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the request for the transcoded media content item is received via a user interface presented on the second media device.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining that more than a predetermined threshold of memory of the first media device used to store media content items has been filed; and
selecting a subset of the media content items for deletion from the memory of the first media device used to store the media content items.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the subset of the media content items are selected based on user configuration settings that indicate episodic content that is to be deleted.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the second format comprises selecting a resolution based on a bandwidth of a network connection between the first media device and the second media device.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises presenting a list of second media content items that indicates that the transcoded media content items have been transmitted to the second media device and that indicates a remaining portion of the second media content items that have not been transmitted to the second media device.
14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method for transferring content between devices, the method comprising:
determining media content items that are selectable for retrieval by a second media device, wherein the media content items are in a first format corresponding to the first media device;
determining a second format corresponding to the second media device for receiving at least one of the media content items based on a capability of the second media device;
in response to receiving a request for a transcoded media content item from the transcoded media content items, generating transcoded media content items by transcoding the media content items from the first format to the second format; and
transmitting the transcoded media content items to the second media device.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the request for the transcoded media content item is received via a user interface presented on the second media device.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining that more than a predetermined threshold of memory of the first media device used to store media content items has been filed; and
selecting a subset of the media content items for deletion from the memory of the first media device used to store the media content items.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the subset of the media content items are selected based on user configuration settings that indicate episodic content that is to be deleted.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein determining the second format comprises selecting a resolution based on a bandwidth of a network connection between the first media device and the second media device.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises presenting a list of second media content items that indicates that the transcoded media content items have been transmitted to the second media device and that indicates a remaining portion of the second media content items that have not been transmitted to the second media device.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US18/205,051 US20230396832A1 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2023-06-02 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
Applications Claiming Priority (10)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US31726410P | 2010-03-24 | 2010-03-24 | |
US31726210P | 2010-03-24 | 2010-03-24 | |
US13/071,233 US9100689B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2011-03-24 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US14/816,918 US9565468B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2015-08-03 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US15/425,678 US9819994B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2017-02-06 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US15/811,296 US10104424B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2017-11-13 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US16/160,660 US10587914B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2018-10-15 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US16/812,737 US11140437B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2020-03-09 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US17/492,876 US11671649B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2021-10-04 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US18/205,051 US20230396832A1 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2023-06-02 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US17/492,876 Continuation US11671649B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2021-10-04 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20230396832A1 true US20230396832A1 (en) | 2023-12-07 |
Family
ID=44656596
Family Applications (9)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/071,233 Active 2031-12-07 US9100689B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2011-03-24 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US13/071,337 Abandoned US20120079054A1 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2011-03-24 | Automatic Memory Management for a Home Transcoding Device |
US14/816,918 Active US9565468B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2015-08-03 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US15/425,678 Active US9819994B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2017-02-06 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US15/811,296 Active US10104424B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2017-11-13 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US16/160,660 Active US10587914B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2018-10-15 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US16/812,737 Active US11140437B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2020-03-09 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US17/492,876 Active US11671649B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2021-10-04 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US18/205,051 Pending US20230396832A1 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2023-06-02 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
Family Applications Before (8)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/071,233 Active 2031-12-07 US9100689B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2011-03-24 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US13/071,337 Abandoned US20120079054A1 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2011-03-24 | Automatic Memory Management for a Home Transcoding Device |
US14/816,918 Active US9565468B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2015-08-03 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US15/425,678 Active US9819994B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2017-02-06 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US15/811,296 Active US10104424B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2017-11-13 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US16/160,660 Active US10587914B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2018-10-15 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US16/812,737 Active US11140437B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2020-03-09 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US17/492,876 Active US11671649B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2021-10-04 | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (9) | US9100689B2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (41)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9819984B1 (en) | 2007-03-26 | 2017-11-14 | CSC Holdings, LLC | Digital video recording with remote storage |
US9098432B1 (en) * | 2008-04-08 | 2015-08-04 | Emc Corporation | System and method for data deduplication of backup images |
US9100689B2 (en) | 2010-03-24 | 2015-08-04 | Google Technology Holdings LLC | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
JP2012023685A (en) * | 2010-07-16 | 2012-02-02 | Toshiba Corp | Recording control device and recording control method |
US20130204969A1 (en) * | 2010-08-27 | 2013-08-08 | Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. | Contents conversion apparatus, contents conversion method, contents conversion program and contents delivery system |
US20120079523A1 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2012-03-29 | Verizon Patent And Licensing, Inc. | Unified video provisioning within a heterogeneous network environment |
US8880795B2 (en) * | 2011-04-29 | 2014-11-04 | Comcast Cable Communications, LLC. | Intelligent partitioning of external memory devices |
US8855197B2 (en) * | 2011-08-15 | 2014-10-07 | Rgb Networks, Inc. | Method and apparatus for aligning IDR frames in transcoded multi-bitrate video streams |
US9241167B2 (en) * | 2012-02-17 | 2016-01-19 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Metadata assisted video decoding |
KR101894396B1 (en) * | 2012-04-03 | 2018-10-05 | 삼성전자주식회사 | System and method for sharing content by using plurality of storages |
US9710307B1 (en) | 2012-05-07 | 2017-07-18 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Extensible workflows for processing content |
US9483785B1 (en) | 2012-05-07 | 2016-11-01 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Utilizing excess resource capacity for transcoding media |
US9510033B1 (en) | 2012-05-07 | 2016-11-29 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Controlling dynamic media transcoding |
US11989585B1 (en) | 2012-05-07 | 2024-05-21 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Optimizing media transcoding based on licensing models |
US10191954B1 (en) * | 2012-05-07 | 2019-01-29 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Prioritized transcoding of media content |
US20140019565A1 (en) * | 2012-07-13 | 2014-01-16 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Apparatus and method for selecting multiple files in an electronic device |
US9363494B2 (en) | 2012-12-05 | 2016-06-07 | At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. | Digital video recorder that enables recording at a selected resolution |
US9538232B2 (en) * | 2013-03-14 | 2017-01-03 | Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. | Chapterized streaming of video content |
CN103281183B (en) * | 2013-04-27 | 2016-04-13 | 天地融科技股份有限公司 | Conversion equipment and display system |
KR101838206B1 (en) * | 2014-02-11 | 2018-04-26 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Broadcast reception device and operating method thereof |
US10701430B2 (en) * | 2014-04-30 | 2020-06-30 | Sling Media L.L.C. | Automated optimization of synchronized video content |
US9800904B2 (en) * | 2014-05-13 | 2017-10-24 | Piksel, Inc. | Media asset duplication |
JP2016015714A (en) * | 2014-06-10 | 2016-01-28 | パナソニックIpマネジメント株式会社 | Information supply system and information supply method |
US9716692B2 (en) * | 2015-01-01 | 2017-07-25 | Bank Of America Corporation | Technology-agnostic application for high confidence exchange of data between an enterprise and third parties |
TWI572198B (en) * | 2015-11-11 | 2017-02-21 | 瑞軒科技股份有限公司 | File management method and file management device adaptive to television device |
US10348849B2 (en) * | 2016-02-22 | 2019-07-09 | At&T Mobility Ii Llc | Automatic delivery of media content to a device |
WO2018126006A1 (en) * | 2016-12-30 | 2018-07-05 | Sling Media Inc. | Automated optimization of synchronized video content |
US10904329B1 (en) * | 2016-12-30 | 2021-01-26 | CSC Holdings, LLC | Virtualized transcoder |
US10097594B1 (en) * | 2017-08-31 | 2018-10-09 | T-Mobile Usa, Inc. | Resource-managed codec selection |
US10764169B2 (en) | 2017-10-09 | 2020-09-01 | Keysight Technologies, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer readable media for testing virtual network components deployed in virtual private clouds (VPCs) |
US20190200070A1 (en) * | 2017-12-21 | 2019-06-27 | Sling Media Pvt Ltd | Streaming methods and systems using tuner buffers |
US11038770B2 (en) * | 2018-02-01 | 2021-06-15 | Keysight Technologies, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer readable media for managing deployment and maintenance of network tools |
US10812349B2 (en) | 2018-02-17 | 2020-10-20 | Keysight Technologies, Inc. | Methods, systems and computer readable media for triggering on-demand dynamic activation of cloud-based network visibility tools |
KR102464757B1 (en) * | 2018-03-29 | 2022-11-09 | 삼성전자주식회사 | A system and a method for streaming video data |
US11366823B2 (en) * | 2019-03-15 | 2022-06-21 | Unity Technologies Sf | Method and system for transforming and delivering digital assets over a network |
CN110113656B (en) * | 2019-04-29 | 2021-11-16 | 烽火通信科技股份有限公司 | IPTV (Internet protocol television) server access method, terminal equipment and IPTV system |
US10951509B1 (en) | 2019-06-07 | 2021-03-16 | Keysight Technologies, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing intent-driven microapps for execution on communications network testing devices |
US11489745B2 (en) | 2019-10-15 | 2022-11-01 | Keysight Technologies, Inc. | Methods, systems and computer readable media for providing a declarative network monitoring environment |
CN111131868B (en) * | 2019-12-27 | 2022-01-14 | 国微集团(深圳)有限公司 | Video recording method and device based on player |
US11561918B1 (en) * | 2020-05-15 | 2023-01-24 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Communication bus recovery based on maximum allowable transaction duration |
US11284165B1 (en) | 2021-02-26 | 2022-03-22 | CSC Holdings, LLC | Copyright compliant trick playback modes in a service provider network |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20090083362A1 (en) * | 2006-07-11 | 2009-03-26 | Concert Technology Corporation | Maintaining a minimum level of real time media recommendations in the absence of online friends |
US7631323B1 (en) * | 2005-12-07 | 2009-12-08 | Netflix, Inc. | Method of sharing an item rental account |
US20110289139A1 (en) * | 2009-12-02 | 2011-11-24 | Redux, Inc. | Prioritization in a continuous video playback experience |
US20120131218A1 (en) * | 2004-09-23 | 2012-05-24 | Rovi Solutions Corporation | Methods and apparatus for integrating disparate media formats in a networked media system |
US8321906B2 (en) * | 2008-09-11 | 2012-11-27 | At&T Intellectual Property I, Lp | Method and system for a transcoder |
US20170041685A1 (en) * | 2014-04-10 | 2017-02-09 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Server, image providing apparatus, and image providing system comprising same |
US20190020910A1 (en) * | 2017-07-12 | 2019-01-17 | Arris Enterprises Llc | Dynamic video delivery for in-home applications |
Family Cites Families (28)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1010442A (en) | 1911-04-04 | 1911-12-05 | Joseph R W Menger | Cigarette-box. |
US8601519B1 (en) * | 2000-12-28 | 2013-12-03 | At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. | Digital residential entertainment system |
US7634795B2 (en) * | 2002-01-11 | 2009-12-15 | Opentv, Inc. | Next generation television receiver |
US20050114445A1 (en) * | 2002-07-25 | 2005-05-26 | Kenneth Tracton | Dynamic content customization in a clientserver environment |
US20060031889A1 (en) * | 2002-12-11 | 2006-02-09 | Bennett James D | Video processing system with simultaneous multiple outputs each with unique formats |
US7296295B2 (en) * | 2002-12-11 | 2007-11-13 | Broadcom Corporation | Media processing system supporting different media formats via server-based transcoding |
US8752115B2 (en) * | 2003-03-24 | 2014-06-10 | The Directv Group, Inc. | System and method for aggregating commercial navigation information |
US20050132264A1 (en) * | 2003-12-15 | 2005-06-16 | Joshi Ajit P. | System and method for intelligent transcoding |
US7676590B2 (en) * | 2004-05-03 | 2010-03-09 | Microsoft Corporation | Background transcoding |
FR2872986A1 (en) * | 2004-07-06 | 2006-01-13 | Thomson Licensing Sa | METHOD FOR CODING AND REPRODUCING AUDIOVISUAL OR RADIO DOCUMENTS AND DEVICE IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD |
JP2006109007A (en) * | 2004-10-04 | 2006-04-20 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Information distribution device, information distribution method, and information receiving method |
US8724969B2 (en) * | 2005-05-23 | 2014-05-13 | Open Text S.A. | Method, system and computer program product for editing movies in distributed scalable media environment |
ATE465605T1 (en) | 2005-10-13 | 2010-05-15 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | METHOD FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A MOBILE TERMINAL HANDOVER PROCEDURE NEEDS TO BE PERFORMED |
EP1967957B1 (en) * | 2005-12-27 | 2013-07-17 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | Transcoder |
US7840977B2 (en) * | 2005-12-29 | 2010-11-23 | United Video Properties, Inc. | Interactive media guidance system having multiple devices |
US20080005204A1 (en) * | 2006-06-30 | 2008-01-03 | Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. | Systems and Methods for Applying Retention Rules |
US20080155230A1 (en) * | 2006-12-21 | 2008-06-26 | General Instrument Corporation | Method and System for Providing Simultaneous Transcoding of Multi-Media Data |
US20090019492A1 (en) * | 2007-07-11 | 2009-01-15 | United Video Properties, Inc. | Systems and methods for mirroring and transcoding media content |
US8028094B2 (en) * | 2007-12-04 | 2011-09-27 | Vixs Systems, Inc. | USB video card and dongle device with video encoding and methods for use therewith |
ES2543731T3 (en) | 2008-08-21 | 2015-08-21 | Nec Europe Ltd. | Procedure for network-based mobility support for a mobile terminal in an IMS architecture (IP multimedia subsystem) |
EP2356576A4 (en) * | 2008-11-07 | 2012-05-30 | Opanga Networks Inc | Portable data storage devices that initiate data transfers utilizing host devices |
US10063812B2 (en) * | 2009-10-07 | 2018-08-28 | DISH Technologies L.L.C. | Systems and methods for media format transcoding |
US9100689B2 (en) * | 2010-03-24 | 2015-08-04 | Google Technology Holdings LLC | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home |
US9462328B2 (en) * | 2011-12-15 | 2016-10-04 | Google Technology Holdings LLC | Systems and methods for in-home and on-the-go targeted content delivery |
CN103220550B (en) * | 2012-01-19 | 2016-12-07 | 华为技术有限公司 | The method and device of video conversion |
US8989377B2 (en) * | 2012-12-31 | 2015-03-24 | Futurewei Technologies, Inc. | Secure video transcoding with applications to adaptive streaming |
US10178437B2 (en) * | 2016-02-24 | 2019-01-08 | Gvbb Holdings S.A.R.L. | Pre-pitched method and system for video on demand |
US11019349B2 (en) * | 2017-01-20 | 2021-05-25 | Snap Inc. | Content-based client side video transcoding |
-
2011
- 2011-03-24 US US13/071,233 patent/US9100689B2/en active Active
- 2011-03-24 US US13/071,337 patent/US20120079054A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2015
- 2015-08-03 US US14/816,918 patent/US9565468B2/en active Active
-
2017
- 2017-02-06 US US15/425,678 patent/US9819994B2/en active Active
- 2017-11-13 US US15/811,296 patent/US10104424B2/en active Active
-
2018
- 2018-10-15 US US16/160,660 patent/US10587914B2/en active Active
-
2020
- 2020-03-09 US US16/812,737 patent/US11140437B2/en active Active
-
2021
- 2021-10-04 US US17/492,876 patent/US11671649B2/en active Active
-
2023
- 2023-06-02 US US18/205,051 patent/US20230396832A1/en active Pending
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120131218A1 (en) * | 2004-09-23 | 2012-05-24 | Rovi Solutions Corporation | Methods and apparatus for integrating disparate media formats in a networked media system |
US7631323B1 (en) * | 2005-12-07 | 2009-12-08 | Netflix, Inc. | Method of sharing an item rental account |
US20090083362A1 (en) * | 2006-07-11 | 2009-03-26 | Concert Technology Corporation | Maintaining a minimum level of real time media recommendations in the absence of online friends |
US8321906B2 (en) * | 2008-09-11 | 2012-11-27 | At&T Intellectual Property I, Lp | Method and system for a transcoder |
US20110289139A1 (en) * | 2009-12-02 | 2011-11-24 | Redux, Inc. | Prioritization in a continuous video playback experience |
US20170041685A1 (en) * | 2014-04-10 | 2017-02-09 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Server, image providing apparatus, and image providing system comprising same |
US20190020910A1 (en) * | 2017-07-12 | 2019-01-17 | Arris Enterprises Llc | Dynamic video delivery for in-home applications |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US11671649B2 (en) | 2023-06-06 |
US20180131994A1 (en) | 2018-05-10 |
US20220103893A1 (en) | 2022-03-31 |
US10104424B2 (en) | 2018-10-16 |
US20110235991A1 (en) | 2011-09-29 |
US20200280762A1 (en) | 2020-09-03 |
US20170155951A1 (en) | 2017-06-01 |
US9565468B2 (en) | 2017-02-07 |
US20150341687A1 (en) | 2015-11-26 |
US11140437B2 (en) | 2021-10-05 |
US20190052927A1 (en) | 2019-02-14 |
US10587914B2 (en) | 2020-03-10 |
US20120079054A1 (en) | 2012-03-29 |
US9819994B2 (en) | 2017-11-14 |
US9100689B2 (en) | 2015-08-04 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US11671649B2 (en) | Moving content between set top box and end devices in home | |
US10880408B2 (en) | Streaming policy management system and method | |
US10652607B2 (en) | Media bridge apparatus and methods | |
CA2813737C (en) | Apparatus and methods for enforcing content protection rules during data transfer between devices | |
JP2017229099A (en) | Radio media stream distribution system | |
US20160105698A1 (en) | Channel-based live tv conversion | |
US9571882B2 (en) | Methods and apparatus for DVR and network storage of locally recorded content | |
US20100031299A1 (en) | Systems and methods for device dependent media content delivery in a local area network | |
JPWO2008153067A1 (en) | Content distribution apparatus, content distribution method, program, and content distribution system. | |
CA2691719A1 (en) | Systems and methods for mirroring and transcoding media content | |
KR20140091021A (en) | Control method and device using same | |
CN110543747A (en) | Multimedia pipeline architecture | |
WO2009093694A1 (en) | Transmitter, receiver, indicator, communication system, transmission method, reception method, indicating method, program, and recording medium | |
JP2011119859A (en) | Content reproduction system, content reproduction method, program, and recording medium | |
KR20120094422A (en) | Method for providing contents management list and apparatus for performing the same | |
EP2890119B1 (en) | Content recording method, recording appartus, and recording system | |
JP6283586B2 (en) | Content recording method, recording apparatus, and recording system |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: DOCKETED NEW CASE - READY FOR EXAMINATION |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: NON FINAL ACTION MAILED |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: RESPONSE TO NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION ENTERED AND FORWARDED TO EXAMINER |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: FINAL REJECTION MAILED |