Set-Top Box Program Guide Grouping for Simultaneous Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional set-top boxes are limited by the number of RF tuners, allowing only simultaneous recording and viewing of up to two programs, leading to inefficiencies in content delivery and increased costs for content providers due to repeated broadcasts, especially in on-demand or premium content scenarios.
Innovation Solution
Implementing user interface menus that dynamically group programs based on historical recording data to optimize program-to-channel mappings, allowing multiple programs to be recorded or viewed simultaneously using existing tuners, and adjusting channel mappings to prioritize popular content types, thereby enhancing the probability of recording multiple desired programs from a single channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of RF tuners in STB is increased to enable simultaneous recording of more programs, then the number of programs that can be recorded simultaneously increases, but the device cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the program guide information into groups based on QAM channel mappings. Programs are organized into groups where multiple programs within the same group can be received from a single QAM channel. This segmentation allows the system to present recording opportunities for multiple programs (e.g., 4-8 programs) while actually requiring fewer tuner resources (1-2 tuners) to execute the recording, as programs are recorded from shared channel groups rather than individual dedicated channels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If repeated broadcasts are implemented to provide multiple recording opportunities, then customers can record desired content, but communications bandwidth efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary organization of programs into QAM channel groups before presenting recording options to users. By pre-grouping programs based on their channel mappings and calculating which groups can be simultaneously recorded with available tuners, the system prepares recording opportunities in advance. This allows the system to offer customers multiple recording choices from a single broadcast transmission, eliminating the need for repeated broadcasts while ensuring customers can record their desired content.
3Productivity
If program groups are displayed to users, then users can select multiple programs for recording, but the user interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of information detail in the user interface. The program guide displays simplified program groupings with basic information for general browsing, while providing more detailed QAM channel mapping information and simultaneous recording availability only when users interact with specific program groups or selection interfaces. This localized information provision keeps the overall interface simple while enabling advanced functionality when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A user recovers and records multiple programs communicated simultaneously using a communications channel, e.g., QAM communications channel. The simultaneous communication may be by communicating, e.g., an MPEG-2 transport stream including data corresponding to multiple programs through a corresponding to QAM communications channel. Thus a user device, e.g., a set top box, is able to receive and record programs corresponding to multiple simultaneously broadcast programs using a single tuner. This allows a device to receive and record or display more programs at any given time, than the number of QAM tuners and/or receivers in the user device. Novel user interface features which facilitate a user's ability to identify and record multiple programs corresponding to a QAM channel are also described. Methods and apparatus for determining program to communication channel mappings based on user program recordation information are also described.