Client server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording
View Patent ↗An interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to select programs for recording on a remote media server. Programs may also be recorded on a local media server. The program guide provides users with VCR-like control over programs that are played back from the media servers and over real-time cached copies of the programs. The program guide also provides users with an opportunity to designate gift recipients for whom programs may be recorded.
1. A method for use in an interactive television program guide system in which program listings are available for broadcast television programs and programs recorded on a remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, comprising:
providing to the user a list of selectable program listings having at least one selectable program listing for a broadcast television program and at least one selectable program listing for a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server; and
providing to the user a broadcast television program or a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list;
wherein the selectable program listing for a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input is generated based on an entry from a user directory of programs recorded for the user, maintained by the remote server.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing to the user a program information screen in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list, wherein the program information screen includes information about the selected program listing.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remote server is located at a television distribution facility.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the list of selectable program listings further comprises:
providing in the list at least one selectable program listing for a recorded program stored on a local media server; and
providing to the user a broadcast television program, a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, or a recorded program stored on the local media server in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
providing information about when a program was recorded as part of a program listing for a recorded program.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the local media server is located in the user's home.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said broadcast television program is scheduled and said program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input is unscheduled.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of selectable program listings includes a plurality of selectable options, wherein at least one selectable option provides the user with an opportunity to access a scheduled broadcast television program, and wherein at least one selectable option provides the user with an opportunity to access an unscheduled program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, and wherein providing to the user a broadcast television program or a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server comprises providing to the user a scheduled broadcast television program or an unscheduled program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server in response to the user selecting an option from the plurality of selectable options provided.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the entry from the user directory includes a pointer to a storage device on which the program recorded on the remote server is stored.
10. An interactive television program guide system for providing program listings of both broadcast television programs and programs recorded on a remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, comprising:
user television equipment for implementing an interactive television program guide, wherein the interactive television program guide is configured to:
provide to the user a list of selectable program listings having at least one selectable program listing for a broadcast television program and at least one selectable program listing for a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server; and
provide to the user a broadcast television program or a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list;
wherein the selectable program listing for a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input is generated based on an entry from a user directory of programs recorded for the user, maintained by the remote server.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the interactive television program guide is further configured to provide to the user a program information screen in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list, wherein the program information screen includes information about the selected program listing.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the remote server is located at a television distribution facility.
13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the interactive television program guide is further configured to provide in the list at least one selectable program listing for a recorded program stored on a local media server, and wherein the interactive television program guide is further configured to provide to the user a broadcast television program, a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, or a recorded program stored on the local media server in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the interactive television program guide is further configured to provide information about when a program was recorded as part of a program listing for a recorded program.
15. The interactive television program guide system of claim 10 wherein said broadcast television program is scheduled and said program recorded on the remote server in response to user input is unscheduled.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the local media server is located in the user's home.
17. The interactive television program guide system of claim 10 wherein the list of selectable program listings includes a plurality of selectable options, wherein at least one selectable option provides the user with an opportunity to access a scheduled broadcast television program, and wherein at least one selectable option provides the user with an opportunity to access an unscheduled program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, and wherein the interactive television program guide is configured to:
provide to the user a scheduled broadcast television program or an unscheduled program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server in response to the user selecting an option from the plurality of selectable options provided.
18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the entry from the user directory includes a pointer to a storage device on which the program recorded on the remote server is stored.
19. A computer readable medium for providing program listings that are available for broadcast television programs and program listings for programs recorded on a remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, having machine program logic recorded thereon for:
providing to the user a list of selectable program listings having at least one selectable program listing for a broadcast television program and at least one selectable program listing for a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server; and
providing to the user a broadcast television program or a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list;
wherein the selectable program listing for a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input is generated based on an entry from a user directory of programs recorded for the user, maintained by the remote server.
20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 , further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for:
providing to the user a program information screen in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list, wherein the program information screen includes information about the selected program listing.
21. The computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the remote server is located at a television distribution facility.
22. The computer readable medium of claim 19 , further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for:
providing in the list at least one selectable program listing for a recorded program stored on a local media server; and
providing to the user a broadcast television program, a program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, or a recorded program stored on the local media server in response to the user selecting a program listing from the list.
23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 , further comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for:
providing information about when a program was recorded as part of a program listing for a recorded program.
24. The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the local media server is located in the user's home.
25. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein said broadcast television program is scheduled and said program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input is unscheduled.
26. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the list of selectable program listings includes a plurality of selectable options, wherein at least one selectable option provides the user with an opportunity to access a scheduled broadcast television program, and wherein at least one selectable option provides the user with an opportunity to access an unscheduled program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server, and further having machine program logic recorded thereon for:
providing to the user a scheduled broadcast television program or an unscheduled program recorded on the remote server in response to a user input and available on-demand from the remote server in response to the user selecting an option from the plurality of selectable options provided.
27. The computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the entry from the user directory includes a pointer to a storage device on which the program recorded on the remote server is stored.