DVR Transcoding via Intermediary Computer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital video recorders (DVRs) are limited in the amount of Internet-available content they can receive due to their inability to decode content encoded in formats other than those they are configured for, such as MPEG-2, restricting the variety of content that can be accessed.
Innovation Solution
A system where a computer connected to the same local area network as the DVR automatically transcodes content from various encoding formats into a format that the DVR can decode, allowing the DVR to receive and store a broader range of Internet content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a DVR is configured to decode only content in a specified encoding format (e.g., MPEG-2), then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to receive Internet-available content in various encoding formats deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A personal computer acts as an intermediary device between the Internet and the DVR. The PC receives content in various encoding formats from the Internet, transcodes it to the DVR-compatible format (e.g., MPEG-2), and transfers it to the DVR. This intermediary approach allows the DVR to maintain its simple, fixed decoding configuration while still accessing diverse Internet content through the PC's transcoding capability.
2Device complexity
If a DVR is configured to decode only content in a specified encoding format, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to receive Internet-available content deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The personal computer serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of multiple encoding format support. The DVR itself remains simple with fixed decoding capabilities, while the PC performs the complex transcoding operations. This distributes the complexity burden from the DVR to the PC, allowing the DVR to stay simple while the system as a gainst adaptability.
3Quantity of substance
If the DVR stores content in a specified encoding format, then the storage space utilization is optimized, but the quantity of Internet-available content that can be received is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The personal computer acts as an intermediary that receives content in various encoding formats from the Internet, transcodes it to the DVR-compatible format, and then transfers it to the DVR. This process expands the quantity of receivable content by converting diverse Internet content into the single format the DVR can store and play back.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for making content available to a DVR are described. Content encoded in any encoding format may be automatically transcoded, on a computer, into an encoding format that a DVR is configured to decode. The transcoded content is automatically sent over a LAN from the computer to the DVR. The DVR receives the transcoded content, stores the transcoded content, and indicates, through a user interface, that the content is available for viewing. A transcoding agent executing on the computer may automatically and periodically transcode, into an encoding format that the DVR is configured to decode, content that is contained in one folder, and move the transcoded content from that folder into another folder. The computer may send, to the DVR, instructions which cause the DVR to request transcoded content that is in the latter folder. The computer sends transcoded content to the DVR in response to such a request.