Program guide with a digital storage device
View Patent ↗An interactive television program guide system with digital storage is provided. The program guide gives users the ability to store information associated with recorded programs in a directory in the digital storage device thereby providing easy access to program information. The program guide may also provide a global media library for indicating the programs stored on removable storage media used with the program guide. The guide may also allow the user to manage and maintain a user media library to do the same. Non-time-sensitive data associated with recorded programs may be stored in a way that allows the user to interact with the data on playback as if the program were being originally aired. The program guide also allows the user to define “super-programs” for playback of a sequence of stored programs or program segments.
1. A method comprising:
receiving a user selection of one of a plurality of programs;
in response to receiving a user request to digitally store the selected program:
storing the program on a digital storage device; and
storing metadata associated with the program on the digital storage device prior to receiving a user request to play back the program;
in response to playing back the program from the digital storage device, updating the metadata associated with the program; and
utilizing the updated metadata.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein utilizing the updated metadata comprises:
presenting a program listing associated with the program, wherein the program listing indicates whether the program has been viewed.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein utilizing the updated metadata comprises:
automatically deleting the program from the digital storage device.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein deleting comprises:
deleting the metadata stored on the digital storage device.
5. A system comprising:
a digital storage device; and
circuitry configured to:
receive a user selection of one of a plurality of programs;
in response to receiving a user request to digitally store the selected program:
store the program on the digital storage device; and
store metadata associated with the program on the digital storage device prior to receiving a user request to play back the program;
update the metadata associated with the program in response to playing back the program from the digital storage device; and
utilize the updated metadata.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to present a program listing associated with the program, wherein the program listing indicates whether the program has been viewed.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to automatically delete the program from the digital storage device.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to delete the metadata stored on the digital storage device.