Video data recorder with personal channels
A video data recordable having integrated channel guides allowing a user to control recording and storage of television signals into personal channels for later playback and viewing. In the described embodiment, the user may specify criteria for recording of shows from an input source such as a broadcast signal and shows are then selected based on the user specified criteria and recorded for later playback. Storage of the shows may be organized into personal channels in order to facilitate later playback, e.g., the user may specify a channel of action movies, a channel of nature programming, a channel for sports, etc. The shows to be recorded may also have a predefined format which may be used to ease playback of recorded programming by allowing the user to easily locate and playback sections of programming of interest.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a digital video data recorder, a representation of a criterion, wherein the criterion indicates future shows to record;
responsive to receiving the representation of the criterion, creating a personal channel on a recording medium for storage of the future shows, wherein a size of the personal channel is defined prior to the recording of any shows in the personal channel;
storing, by the digital video data recorder, the criterion in a criteria database, wherein the criteria database contains criteria for selecting whether to record shows on a plurality of channels;
determining, by the digital video data recorder, that a show appearing in a channel guide database meets the criterion stored in the criteria database, wherein the channel guide database contains information about shows on the plurality of channels; and
responsive to determining that the show meets the criterion, recording and storing, by the digital video data recorder, the show in the personal channel.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a name of the personal channel is based on a name of the show.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the size of the personal channel specifies a number of episodes of the show.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of channels includes multiple personal channels.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the digital video data recorder, that the personal channel is full; and
in response to determining that the personal channel is full, deleting, by the digital video data recorder an oldest recorded program from the personal channel.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing, by the digital video data recorder, a list of personal channels available on the recording medium, the personal channel included in the list of available personal channels; and
providing, by the digital video data recorder, a list of programming associated with the personal channel, the show included in the list of programming.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the criterion is selected from the group consisting of a rating, a description of the show, a name of an actor, a name of a director, and an award.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the criterion is specified by a user selecting a name of the show while viewing at least some of the channel guide database.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the show meets the criterion comprises determining that the show satisfies some, but not all, aspects of the criterion.
10. An article of manufacture, including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having program instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a digital video data recorder, a representation of a criterion, wherein the criterion indicates future shows to record;
responsive to receiving the representation of the criterion, creating a personal channel on a recording medium for storage of the future shows, wherein a size of the personal channel is defined prior to the recording of any shows in the personal channel;
storing, by the digital video data recorder, the criterion in a criteria database, wherein the criteria database contains criteria for selecting whether to record shows on a plurality of channels;
determining, by the digital video data recorder, that a show appearing in a channel guide database meets the criterion stored in the criteria database, wherein the channel guide database contains information about shows on the plurality of channels; and
responsive to determining that the show meets the criterion, recording and storing, by the digital video data recorder, the show in the personal channel.
11. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein a name of the personal channel is based on a name of the show.
12. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the size of the personal channel specifies a number of episodes of the show.
13. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the list of channels includes multiple personal channels.
14. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , the program instructions also causing the computing device to perform operations comprising:
determining that the personal channel is full; and
in response to determining that the personal channel is full, deleting an oldest recorded program from the personal channel.
15. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , the program instructions also causing the computing device to perform operations comprising:
providing a list of personal channels available on the recording medium, the personal channel included in the list of available personal channels; and
providing a list of programming associated with the personal channel, the show included in the list of programming.
16. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the criterion is specified by a user selecting a name of the show while viewing at least some of the channel guide database.
17. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein determining that the show meets the criterion comprises determining that the show satisfies some, but not all, aspects of the criterion.
18. A digital video data recorder comprising:
a recording medium;
an interface;
a channel guide database containing information about shows on a plurality of channels;
a criteria database containing criteria for selecting whether to record shows on the plurality of channels; and
a personal channel, wherein upon receiving a representation of a criterion that indicates future shows to record, the criteria database stores the criteria and a personal channel is created on a recording medium for storage of the future shows, wherein a size of the personal channel is defined prior to the recording of any shows in the personal channel, and wherein upon determining that a show appearing in the channel guide database meets the criterion stored in the criteria database, the recording medium recording and storing the show in the personal channel.