Patent ID: 8776157

Claim:
A method of providing a pause-live television (PLTV) service to a user of a video distribution system comprising the steps of: receiving at the video distribution system a first message sent from a set top box associated with the user, wherein said first message does not comprise an asset identifier but does comprise a set top box identifier, a channel identifier, and a first trick function identifier indicating a pause function, wherein when the user invokes the pause function the set top box does not consult with a program guide to identify the asset identifier associated with a presently tuned channel but the set top box indicates in the first message the channel identifier of the channel presently viewed by the user; processing the first trick function to determine whether a trick function can be performed; determining, at the video distribution system, a current time upon receiving the pause function; identifying a channel asset identification table associated with the channel identifier at the current time; creating an entry in a memory associated with said set top box identifier indicating that the pause function has been invoked; determining a pointer associated with said set top box based on the current time, wherein said pointer indicates a location within a buffer dedicated for real-time sequential storage of broadcast assets associated with the channel identifier, wherein the buffer is associated with the channel identifier and the channel asset identification table, wherein the buffer is associated with the PLTV service and not required for currently broadcasted program distribution by the video distribution system, and wherein the broadcast assets stored in the buffer are only used if the user invokes a trick function comprising the pause function, a play function, a rewind function, and a fast forward function, and wherein the pointer is determined based on the current time and a beginning of the buffer; storing said pointer in the memory associated with said set top box identifier; receiving at the video distribution system a second message sent from said set top box after said first message wherein said second message comprises said set top box identifier, said channel identifier, and a second trick function identifier indicating the play function; retrieving said pointer from said memory by a processor using said set top box identifier, said processor using said pointer to cause a portion of at least one of the broadcast assets in said buffer to be transmitted to said set top box beginning at said location identified by said pointer; and transmitting said portion of the at least one of the broadcast assets to said set top box over the video distribution network.