Network PVR Centralized Storage Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal video recording (PVR) technologies integrated with commercial set-top boxes (STBs) have limited storage and management capabilities, making it difficult to efficiently manage and store recorded content for multiple users.
Innovation Solution
A network-based personal video recorder (nPVR) system that allows users to schedule and playback recordings without the need for physical storage on individual STBs, using a centralized system to manage recording requests, scheduling, and content storage, ensuring each user accesses only their requested content, and reducing storage and processing requirements by recording a single version of content for multiple users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If recorded content is stored on each individual user's STB, then users can playback recorded content on their television, but storage capacity is limited and management complexity increases with multiple users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates storage resources from individual STBs into a shared network storage system. Multiple users can store and access recorded content in a centralized repository, eliminating the need for each user to have separate storage capacity on their STB while reducing overall management complexity through unified control.
Solution Approach 2:
The network storage system serves multiple functions: it acts as storage for all users, provides centralized management, enables content sharing across users, and allows flexible access from any STB. This universal system replaces multiple individual storage systems with a single multi-functional platform.
2Loss of energy
If a centralized system manages recording requests for multiple users, then storage efficiency improves by recording a single version of content, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges duplicate content recordings into a single stored version that serves multiple users. When multiple users request recording of the same content, the system identifies the duplication and stores only one copy, significantly improving storage efficiency while reducing redundant processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating physical copies of content for each user, the system uses logical copying where multiple users reference the same stored content through metadata associations. This allows efficient content distribution without duplicating the actual video data, improving storage efficiency while maintaining user-specific access control.
3Ease of operation
If users can access recorded content from any device, then user convenience improves, but ensuring users only access their requested content becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where each content access request is validated against user-specific recording requests stored in metadata. The centralized system continuously monitors and controls access, ensuring that users can only playback content they have explicitly requested to record, while still allowing access from any authorized device in the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a centralized management system as an intermediary between users and recorded content. This mediator verifies user authorization and content eligibility for each access request, enabling convenient multi-device access while maintaining strict control over what content each user can view based on their recording requests.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of managing personal video recordings are disclosed for providing a network personal video recorder (nPVR) that manages PVR recordings for a plurality of users. Recording scheduling information from a recording request received at the nPVR is checked against existing scheduled recordings and a new recording is scheduled in accordance with the received recording scheduling information if an existing scheduled recording does not already exist. The recording scheduling information received in respective recording requests are associated with respective users to facilitate playback of recorded content and digital rights management.