Patent ID: 8276179

Claim:
A local video device, comprising: a local memory; a communications element for communicating with the local memory, the local memory storing an electronic programming guide application and an electronic programming guide, a processing element for determining when the local memory lacks capacity to download additional time of the electronic programming guide, upon the local memory lacking capacity to download additional time of the electronic programming guide, the processing element causing the communications element to communicate with another device to transmit a resource request to the another device to download the additional time of the electronic programming guide to storage in the another device; the processing element processing for display monitoring data that indicates remaining storage space in the storage of the another device; the processing element querying the another device to determine what programming is being viewed; and the processing element processing controls included in the electronic programming guide application that enable access to the storage of the another device to interact with the electronic programming guide stored on the another device through the processing element to schedule recording of a broadcast program at the local memory; wherein the processing element communicates with a remote personal computer to establish password protection of permissible channels to be received and the communication element communicates with the remote personal computer to generate messages to a recipient through the remote personal computer, the messages including video content from the local memory.