Patent ID: 11962863
Assignee: DISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A channel surfing method implemented in a media device having at least a first tuner and a second tuner, wherein the first tuner is tuned to a first program channel that is associated with a first program channel identifier, the method comprising:
receiving a predefined second program channel identifier based on a historical channel surfing pattern between the first program channel and the second program channel,
wherein the predefined second program channel identifier controls tuning of the second tuner when the first tuner is tuned to the first program channel, and
wherein the predefined second program channel identifier is received before detecting an initiation of a channel surfing activity during presentation of a first content stream associated with the first program channel identifier being broadcast to the media device;

storing the predefined second program channel identifier in a memory;
operating, after receiving and storing the predefined second program channel identifier, the first tuner to become tuned to the first content stream;
presenting the first content stream on a display;
retrieving the predefined second program channel identifier from the memory subsequent to the presenting the first content stream on the display;
operating the second tuner to become tuned to a second content stream being broadcast to the media device in response to retrieving the predefined second program channel identifier from the memory, wherein the second content stream is associated with a second program channel identified by the predefined second program channel identifier;
receiving the second content stream associated with the second program channel at the second tuner;
detecting, after the second tuner has become tuned to the second content stream, the initiation of the channel surfing activity; and

presenting on the display, concurrently with a first video portion of the first content stream, at least a second video portion of the second content stream associated with the second channel that is received at the second tuner in response to detecting the initiation of the channel surfing activity.