Patent ID: 8719871

Claim:
A method comprising: generating a request for bandwidth for a future recording of a programming content to be delivered to a set-top box at a user premise; selectively receiving a response to the request indicating a dynamic bandwidth allocation for the future recording of the programming content; scheduling the future recording of the programming content based on the dynamic bandwidth allocation; when no bandwidth allocation for the future recording of the programming content can be made, determining one of a plurality of alternate transmissions of the programming content generating a subsequent request for bandwidth for the future recording of the one of the plurality of alternate transmissions of the programming content, and continuing generating subsequent requests for bandwidth until bandwidth allocation can be made for the one of the plurality of alternate transmissions; receiving an input from a user for canceling the future recording; determining whether the dynamic bandwidth allocation for the canceled future recording is shared with at least one other set-top box; maintaining the dynamic bandwidth allocation when the determination is that the dynamic bandwidth allocation for the canceled future recording is shared with at least one other set-top box; canceling the dynamic bandwidth allocation when the determination is that the dynamic bandwidth allocation for the canceled future recording is not shared with at least one other set-top box; and generating a notification at the set-top box about the canceled future recording, wherein the request for bandwidth is generated at a wireless mobile device running a recording manager and transmitted via a packet based network to a service provider that allocates the dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein, when the programming content is delivered, the programming content is recorded and stored at the set-top box and at the wireless mobile device.