System and method for speculative tuning

1. A method implemented on a media server for distributing multimedia content to a plurality of multimedia nodes within a home media network, said media server comprising a plurality of tuners, the method comprising:

monitoring user input to said plurality of multimedia nodes within said home media network;

storing a plurality of histories of which channels are watched on each of the plurality of multimedia nodes, each history being associated with a respective user of a particular multimedia node;

identifying and grouping at said media server a set of channels independently of any current channel selected or display position, the set of channels being grouped based upon a probability that the user of the particular multimedia node included in the plurality of multimedia nodes is likely to switch between the set of channels based on a respective history of the user of the particular multimedia node;

in response to said user of said particular multimedia node navigating an electronic program guide, speculatively tuning to but not rendering a first channel from said grouped set of channels based on a position of a selection element within the electronic program guide, and speculatively tuning to but not rendering multimedia streams of the remaining non-selected channels from said grouped set, using tuners of said media server, prior to said user of said particular multimedia node selecting said remaining channels; and

transmitting content from a second channel to said particular multimedia node in response to said user of said particular multimedia node affirmatively selecting said second channel, wherein said second channel is one of said channels of said grouped set of remaining non-selected channels.

2. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising

rendering multimedia content from said second channel on a multimedia rendering device coupled to said second multimedia node responsive to said user of said first multimedia node affirmatively selecting said second channel.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein monitoring user input comprises monitoring a manner in which said user of said first multimedia node manipulates a selection element associated with a user interface, and

wherein said grouped set of channels is identified based on times of day that channels in said grouped set of channels are watched as stored in said history and said manner in which said user of said first multimedia node manipulates said selection element at said current time of day.

4. A media server for distributing multimedia content to a plurality of multimedia nodes within a home media network comprising:

a plurality of tuners to tune to broadcast channels received from a broadcast communication network;

channel grouping logic operable to identify a plurality of channel groups, each channel group comprising a plurality of channels amongst which a particular user selected from a plurality of users frequently switches based on usage history associated with the particular user, the channel grouping logic being further operable to associate the plurality of channels in a channel group with one another; and

speculative tuning logic to identify which of the plurality of channel groups a currently highlighted channel belongs to responsive to said particular user navigating an electronic program guide interface and prior to the particular user selecting the current channel to watch from one of said plurality of channel groups, to speculatively tune to but not render multimedia content on two or more channels from said identified channel group one of said speculatively tuned channels comprising the currently highlighted channel prior to the particular user affirmatively selecting the channel using the electronic program guide, using two or more of said plurality of tuners, prior to said particular user of said first multimedia node selecting a next channel.

5. The media server as in claim 4 , the media server further comprising:

a channel output selector to provide multimedia content from a channel to a multimedia rendering device within said home media network responsive to said user of said first multimedia node selecting said channel.

6. The media server as in claim 4 , wherein said channel grouping logic identifies said channel groups based on the times of day at which channels are watched as stored in a history and said user selecting said first channel to watch at a current time of day.

7. The media server as in claim 4 , wherein said channel grouping logic identifies said channel groups based on the times of day at which channels are watched as stored in a history and a manner in which said user of said first multimedia node manipulates a selection element associated with a user interface at a particular time of day.

8. A method implemented on a media server for distributing multimedia content to a plurality of multimedia nodes within a home media network, the media server comprising a plurality of tuners, the method comprising:

monitoring channel selection by a particular user of a first multimedia node within said home media network;

storing a history of which channels are watched by the particular user on said first multimedia node included in the plurality of multimedia nodes;

grouping a plurality of channels together based upon the stored history of channels watched on the first multimedia node, the grouping being performed independently of a current channel selected or a last channel selected;

in response to said particular user navigating an electronic program guide to select a channel to watch, determining whether a highlighted channel is in the grouped plurality of channels;

in response to determining that the highlighted channel is not in the grouped plurality of channels, speculatively tuning, using two of the plurality of tuners of said media server, to a second channel that is logically adjacent to said highlighted channel in the grouped plurality of channels and to a third channel that is logically adjacent to said highlighted channel in the grouped plurality of channels, said speculative tuning occurring without rendering multimedia content for said second channel or said third channel prior to selection of said second channel or said third channel by said particular user of said first multimedia node, and speculatively tuning using a third of the plurality of tuners to the highlighted channel without rendering multimedia content for said highlighted channel prior to selection of said highlighted channel by said particular user.

9. The method as in claim 8 , further comprising:

rendering multimedia content from said second channel on a multimedia rendering device responsive to selection of said second channel by said particular user of said first multimedia node; and

rendering multimedia content from said third channel on said multimedia rendering device responsive to selection of said third channel by said particular user of said first multimedia node.

10. The method as in claim 8 , wherein monitoring comprises determining a channel which said particular user of said first multimedia node has selected for viewing.

11. A system for distributing multimedia content to a plurality of multimedia nodes within a home media network, the system comprising:

a media server for distributing multimedia content to a plurality of multimedia nodes within the home media network;

a plurality of tuners to tune to broadcast channels coupled to said media server; and

speculative tuning logic coupled to said media server, operable to group a plurality of channels together responsive to user history and independent of a current or last channel selected, and in response to a particular user from a plurality of users of a first multimedia node navigating an electronic program guide, determine whether a highlighted channel is within the grouped plurality of channels, speculatively tune to a subset of said grouped plurality of channels comprising the highlighted channel and two or more channels that are logically adjacent to said highlighted channel in the grouped plurality of channels using two of said plurality of tuners, said speculative tuning occurring without rendering multimedia content associated with the subset of said grouped plurality of channels prior to receiving an affirmative channel change request.

12. The system as in claim 11 , further comprising:

a channel output selector providing multimedia content from a channel to a multimedia rendering device within the home media network responsive to said user of said first multimedia node selecting said channel.

13. A method implemented on a media server for distributing multimedia content to a plurality of multimedia nodes within a home media network, said media server comprising a plurality of tuners, the method comprising:

monitoring user input to said plurality of multimedia nodes within said home media network, the plurality of multimedia nodes including a first multimedia node;

identifying and grouping at said media server a set of channels which a particular user from a plurality of users of said first multimedia node is likely to switch between prior to the user changing to any of the channels in the grouped set of channels;

in response to said particular user of said first multimedia node navigating an electronic program guide, speculatively tuning to but not rendering a multimedia stream on two or more channels from said set of channels based upon a current position of a selection tool within the electronic program guide, using two or more tuners of said media server, prior to said particular user of said first multimedia node affirmatively selecting a channel using the electronic program guide; and

transmitting content from a second channel to said first multimedia node in response to said particular user of said first multimedia node affirmatively selecting said second channel, wherein said second channel is one of said two or more channels of said set.

14. The method as in claim 8 , wherein whether said second channel and said third channel are considered logically adjacent is based on said second channel being selectable by said user providing one of a “channel up” or a “channel down” command to said first multimedia node and based on said third channel being selectable by said particular user providing the other of said “channel up” or said “channel down” command to said first multimedia node.

15. The method as in claim 8 , wherein whether said second channel and said third channel are considered logically adjacent is based on said second channel and said third channel being a next or a previous channel in a numerical sequence with respect to said first channel.

16. The method as in claim 8 , wherein whether said second channel and said third channel are considered logically adjacent is based on said second channel and said third channel being a next or a previous channel in alphabetical sequence with respect to said first channel.

17. The system as in claim 11 , wherein whether said second channel and said third channel are considered logically adjacent is based on said second channel being selectable by said user providing one of a “channel up” or a “channel down” command to said first multimedia node and based on said third channel being selectable by said user providing the other of said “channel up” or said “channel down” command to said first multimedia node.

18. The system as in claim 11 , wherein whether said second channel and said third channel are considered logically adjacent is based on said second channel and said third channel being a next or a previous channel in a numerical sequence with respect to said first channel.

19. The system as in claim 11 , wherein whether said second channel and said third channel are considered logically adjacent is based on said second channel and said third channel being a next or a previous channel in alphabetical sequence with respect to said first channel.