Patent ID: 8776160

Claim:
A method of handling requests for access to a downstream network connected to a digital home communication terminal (DHCT), the method comprising: receiving a request at the DHCT for access to a downstream network connected to the DHCT; determining whether the request for access is a user request; creating, in response to the request for access not being the user request, a request id for the request for access, the request id comprising a fastmode flag and a delay flag, wherein creating the request id comprises setting: the fastmode flag to false, and wherein the fastmode flag controls whether fast channel change is utilized; in response to the request of access not being the user request, determining whether the request for access is a DVR request; setting, in response to the request for access being the DVR request, the delay flag in the request id to random, wherein the delay flag controls the amount of delay between the request to channel acquisition and the actual channel change; and performing a channel change based on the request id; wherein performing the channel change, in response to the request for access being the DVR request, further comprising: determining a first resolution based on an available amount of DVR memory storage space, determining a second resolution based on an available bandwidth, determining a desired resolution to be a minimum of the first resolution and the second resolution, determining a requested resolution based on a requested channel's resolution, wherein determining the requested resolution comprises comparing the desired resolution to the request channel's resolution, and attempting to find an analogous channel when the desired resolution is different than the requested resolution, wherein attempting to find an analogous channel comprises selecting an appropriate server from multiple servers, the appropriate server being configured to deliver the desired resolution.