IPTV Headend Recording for Time-Shifted Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Subscribers to IPTV face limitations in recording live television broadcasts due to the inability to simultaneously receive all channels, unlike over-the-air or cable television systems, making it cumbersome to use digital video recorders for time-shifting programming.
Innovation Solution
A television distribution system using IPTV technology that records broadcast programming on servers upstream from subscribers, enabling time-shifted delivery on demand, with features like automatic recording, storage management, and digital rights management for flexible viewing options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If subscribers use personal DVRs to record and time-shift television programs, then viewing flexibility is improved, but device complexity and setup difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the recording and time-shifting functionality from individual subscriber devices (DVRs) and relocates it to centralized servers in the headend. This eliminates the need for subscribers to own and configure personal DVR equipment, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining viewing flexibility through on-demand content delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized server infrastructure provides universal recording and time-shifting capabilities to all subscribers simultaneously. Instead of each subscriber needing their own DVR, a single server system serves multiple users, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining adaptability for individual viewing preferences.
2Adaptability or versatility
If IPTV systems record all channels for time-shifting, then viewing flexibility is improved, but storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary recording of television content on centralized servers before subscribers request it. By pre-recording content and making it available in the content library, the system enables time-shifting without requiring subscribers to have local recording capabilities, thus reducing their storage needs while maintaining viewing flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a centralized content library and server infrastructure as an intermediary between the broadcast signal and the subscriber. This intermediary handles the storage and management of recorded content, allowing subscribers to access time-shifted programming without directly managing storage resources, thereby reducing their individual storage requirements.
3Duration of action of moving object
If subscribers connect personal DVRs with television and set top box, then time-shifting capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the time-shifting functionality from the subscriber's equipment and relocates it to the service provider's infrastructure. Subscribers no longer need to connect and configure DVRs with their televisions and set-top boxes; instead, time-shifting is provided as a service through the content library, significantly improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables subscribers to access time-shifted content through automated processes where the server automatically manages recording, storage, and delivery of content based on subscriber requests. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual DVR configuration and operation, improving ease of use while maintaining time-shifting capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide methods and systems to record broadcast programming for at least one television channel for a period of time, wherein the recording is performed upstream from subscribers in a television distribution system, and further including after the period of time, keeping recorded programming by request from at least one subscriber. And further wherein the request is for at least one television program contained in the recorded programming or for a time window for a particular channel. According to another embodiment a subscriber requests that broadcast programming be saved for the subscriber upstream from the subscriber in a television distribution system, and wherein the subscriber may request the programming be saved for later viewing by the subscriber between the time the programming was broadcast and a later point in time.