Patent ID: 8272015

Claim:
A method for acquiring scheduled broadcast content with coinciding program times using a digital recording device, comprising: (a) receiving a selection from a user of broadcast content to record from a user guide; (b) responsive to receiving the selection, determining that a conflict between two or more programs of scheduled broadcast content exists resulting in a conflict in acquiring the scheduled broadcast content; (c) identifying at least one broadcast television source and at least one or more alternate sources other than broadcast television that contain the scheduled broadcast content; (d) generating possible acquisition schedules for recording at least one instance of each of the two or more programs of the scheduled broadcast content, wherein the possible acquisition schedules each include recording one program from at least one alternate source identified in step (c), wherein generating possible acquisition schedules in step (d) is based in part on recording preferences set by the user that includes: a cost attribute; a quality attribute; and a source attribute; wherein generating possible acquisition schedules in step (d) comprises: combining the at least one or more alternate sources identified in step (c) into multiple possible acquisition schedules, wherein each possible acquisition schedule contains a different combination of the one or more alternate sources; and ranking the possible acquisition schedules; (e) displaying the possible acquisition schedules to the user in an order the possible acquisition schedules are ranked; (f) querying the user to choose one of the possible acquisition schedules displayed; (g) if the user selects one of the possible acquisition schedules displayed in step (e), setting a recording schedule of the digital recording device to the potential acquisition schedule selected by the user; (h) if the user does not select one of the possible acquisition schedules displayed in step (e), setting the recording schedule of the digital recording device to a highest ranked possible acquisition schedule; and (i) recording at least one program of scheduled broadcast content and obtaining at least one program of the scheduled broadcast content from an alternate source other than broadcast television based on one of the possible acquisition schedules generated in step (d).