Patent ID: 7721313

Claim:
A method, comprising: communicating a node status from television-based client devices that are each nodes of a multi-DVR system to other television-based client devices that are each nodes of the multi-DVR system, wherein: each node of the multi-DVR system is configured to communicate its node status to all other nodes of the multi-DVR system, node status comprises at least a media content identifier of media content being rendered at a television-based client device, each of the television-based client devices comprises recording capabilities for recording media content, each node of the multi-DVR system is configured to make decisions on behalf of other nodes of the multi-DVR system based on the node statuses which have been received from the other nodes, and a recording node generates a content reference and a virtual content reference in a content map for the multi-DVR system, wherein the content reference references media content recorded for a first television-based client device, and a virtual content reference references the same media content recorded for the first television-based client device responsive to a record request received from a second television-based client device; and receiving node status updates from each of the television-based client devices that are the nodes of the multi-DVR system such that the second television-based client device requests to playback the media content.