Patent ID: 6901207
Filing Date: 2005-05-31
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A device for receiving and playing back audio/visual (A/V) content selected from one of a plurality of different simultaneously and continuously supplied sources of A/V content, comprising: a receiver connected to receive the A/V content from each of the different A/V content sources and including at least one A/V signal convert to convert the A/V content received from each of the A/V content sources into corresponding digital A/V signals, the digital A/V signals including an audio portion and a video portion; a display circuit coupled to each receiver to receive the digital A/V signals, the display circuit including video encoding circuitry for converting the video portion of the received digital A/V signal into a video display signal, the display circuit including audio encoding circuitry for converting the audio portion of the received digital A/V signal into an audio display signal, the display circuit supplying the video and audio display signals for use in creating an A/V display of the A/V content of each digital A/V signal; a content capture unit coupled to each receiver to receive and capture a portion of the digital A/V signals corresponding to the A/V content from all of the A/V sources, the content capture unit comprising at least one of a close caption (CC) data slicer or a digitizing audio capture unit or a video still image capture unit, the CC data slicer extracting CC content from the digital A/V signals from each of the A/V sources as the captured portion of the A/V contents, the digitized audio capturing unit extracting audio content from the digital A/V signals from each of the A/V sources as the captured portion of the A/V content, and the video still image capture unit extracting a still image from the digital A/V signals from each of the A/V sources as the captured portion of the A/V content; storage memory coupled to the content capture unit to receive and store the captured portions of the digital A/V signals in a captured content segment of the storage memory, the storage memory also selectively coupled to the receivers to selectively receive and store the digital A/V signals in a full content segment of the storage memory, the storage memory further including an instruction segment for recording operating instructions; a processor connected to the storage memory and each receiver; and a user input device connected to the processor and the storage memory by which to supply user-selected search criteria and user-selected response criteria to the storage memory and the processor; the processor responding to the operating instructions recorded in the instruction segment of the storage memory and the search and response criteria to operatively;