Client DVR with Remote Server Storage for Limited Tuners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Client devices with limited storage and concurrent stream access capabilities struggle to record broadcast or streamed content due to high storage requirements and tuner limitations, making it costly to meet content rules for broadcast and re-transmission.
Innovation Solution
A system where a client device detects content segments to record, records snippets locally, and sends these snippets to a content recording server for remote storage, allowing the server to handle concurrent recording of multiple streams without the need for extensive local storage or additional tuners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If local storage capacity is increased to record more content, then content recording capability is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the bulk storage function from the client device and relocates it to a remote server. The client device maintains only minimal local storage for buffering and metadata, while the server handles the majority of content storage requirements. This extraction resolves the contradiction by providing large storage capacity without requiring large local storage hardware in the client device, thus avoiding increased device cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a remote server as an intermediary between the client device and the content storage function. The server acts as a mediator that receives content from broadcasters, stores it remotely, and makes it available to client devices on demand. This intermediary approach allows clients to access large amounts of content without having large local storage, resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and device cost.
2Productivity
If number of tuners is increased to access more concurrent content streams, then content stream access capability is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the remote server a universal resource that serves multiple client devices simultaneously. Instead of each client device having multiple dedicated tuners, a single server with multiple tuning capabilities serves many clients. This multi-functionality allows the system to support concurrent content stream access for multiple users without requiring each device to have multiple tuners, thus avoiding increased device cost while improving overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the tuning and storage functions from individual client devices into a centralized server. Multiple client devices share the server's tuning resources and storage capacity. This combining approach enables concurrent content stream access across the system without requiring each device to have its own multiple tuners, resolving the contradiction between productivity and device cost.
3Ease of manufacture
If local storage is reduced to lower device cost, then device cost decreases, but ability to meet content rules for broadcast and re-transmission is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the storage burden from the client device and places it on a remote server. The server maintains full copies of content for compliance with broadcast and re-transmission rules, while client devices only store minimal buffering data. This extraction ensures content rule compliance is maintained through server-side storage without requiring large local storage at client devices, thus achieving low device cost while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote server acts as an intermediary that ensures content rule compliance. The server receives content from broadcasters, stores it according to retention and re-transmission rules, and manages the content lifecycle. This intermediary approach allows client devices to have minimal local storage while the server ensures all regulatory requirements are met, resolving the contradiction between device cost and content rule compliance.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods that facilitate employing a server based content recording component for recording content remotely for a client content video recording device that has limited storage and limited number of content streams to which it can access concurrently, while satisfying content rules for broadcast and re-transmission.