Patent ID: 8438601
Filing Date: 2013-05-07
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for networking a plurality of clients in a personal video recording (“PVR”) system, said method comprising the steps of: receiving a plurality of television signals; tuning each of said television signals in one of a plurality of tuners; buffering said television signals on a storage medium in a PVR media server, wherein the buffered television signals are accessible from the storage medium based on a plurality of independent read taps, and wherein a plurality of clients are coupled, over a network, to said PVR media server; receiving a request from each of at least two clients for a service in said PVR system; allocating resources of said PVR system to said clients, as appropriate, to deliver said service to each of said clients, wherein: designating one of at least three states to a first tuner of the plurality of tuners based on allocation of the first tuner and usage of the plurality of clients, the at least three states comprising at least: a busy state, a maybe free state, and a totally free state; storing, in a memory, the designated state for the first tuner prior to a scheduled event based on said allocating; detecting a conflict for the first tuner among the requesting clients; resolving the conflict among the requesting clients based on the designated state of the first tuner stored in the memory, and the availability of the resources of the PVR system comprising the tuners and the plurality of independent read taps; and when a new PVR media server, not previously connected to the network, is coupled to the network, transmitting information identifying a service available from the new PVR media server over the network to the plurality of clients.