METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTING THE RECORDING OF A MEDIA ITEM

1 . A method for recording a media item, comprising:

receiving, on a first media controller, a first portion of a media item, wherein the media item comprises digital content;

storing the first portion;

directing a second media controller to record a second portion of the media item; and

coupling the first portion to the second portion.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first media controller continues to receive the first portion of the media item and store the first portion of the media item for a period of time after directing the second media controller to record the second portion of the media item.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the first portion to the second portion further comprises:

receiving the second portion from the second media controller; and

storing the first portion and the second portion in association with one another in a file on the first media controller.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein receiving the second portion from the second media controller further comprises receiving the second portion from the second media controller substantially concurrently as the second media controller receives the second portion from a content provider.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein storing the first portion and the second portion in association with one another in the file further comprises:

determining an end location of the first portion;

determining a begin location of the second portion; and

storing the begin location of the second portion adjacent the end location of the first portion in the file, wherein the begin location and the end location comprise locations in the media item that are temporally substantially adjacent one another.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein determining the end location of the first portion and determining the begin location of the second portion further comprises:

receiving an initial segment of the second portion from the second media controller;

identifying a first data location in the initial segment and a second data location in the first portion wherein digital content at the first data location is temporally substantially adjacent digital content at the second data location;

setting the begin location at the first data location; and

setting the end location at the second data location.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the first portion of the media item further comprises receiving the first portion of the media item on a first channel, further comprising:

receiving input from a user to view a second media item on a second channel; and

wherein directing the second media controller to record the second portion of the media item is in response to the input from the user.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising causing the presentation of the second media item on the second channel to the user, while the second media controller is recording the second portion of the media item.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the first portion is in a first format;

determining that the second portion is in a second format that is different from the first format; and

converting the first portion into the second format.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the first portion is in a first format;

determining that the second portion is in a second format that is different from the first format; and

converting the second portion into the first format.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the first portion to the second portion further comprises:

storing, in association with the first portion on the first media controller, a reference to the second portion on the second media controller.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving input from a user to view the media item; and

causing the presentation of at least a portion of the first portion and at least a portion of the second portion to the user.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein causing the presentation of the at least the portion of the first portion and the at least the portion of the second portion to the user further comprises:

determining an end of the first portion;

accessing the reference to the second portion;

obtaining the at least the portion of the second portion from the second media controller; and

causing the presentation of the at least the portion of the second portion to the user.

14 . A media controller comprising:

a communications interface adapted to communicate with a network; and

a control system comprising a processor, the control system coupled to the communications interface and adapted to:

receive a first portion of a media item, wherein the media item comprises digital content;

store the first portion;

direct a second media controller to record a second portion of the media item; and

couple the first portion to the second portion.

15 . The media controller of claim 14 , wherein to couple the first portion to the second portion the control system is further adapted to:

receive the second portion from the second media controller; and

store the first portion and the second portion in association with one another in a file on the media controller.

16 . The media controller of claim 15 , wherein to store the first portion and the second portion in association with one another in the file the control system is further adapted to:

determine an end location of the first portion;

determine a begin location of the second portion; and

store the begin location of the second portion adjacent the end location of the first portion in the file, wherein the begin location and the end location comprise locations in the media item that are temporally substantially adjacent one another.

17 . The media controller of claim 14 , wherein the control system is further adapted to:

determine that the first portion is in a first format;

determine that the second portion is in a second format that is different from the first format; and

convert the first portion into the second format.

18 . A computer program product, comprising a computer-usable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed on a processor to implement a method for recording a media item, the method comprising:

receiving, on a first media controller, a first portion of a media item, wherein the media item comprises digital content;

storing the first portion;

directing a second media controller to record a second portion of the media item; and

coupling the first portion to the second portion.

19 . The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the second portion from the second media controller; and

storing the first portion and the second portion in association with one another in a file on the first media controller.

20 . The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein storing the first portion and the second portion in association with one another in the file further comprises:

determining an end location of the first portion;

determining a begin location of the second portion; and

storing the begin location of the second portion adjacent the end location of the first portion in the file, wherein the begin location and the end location comprise locations in the media item that are temporally substantially adjacent one another.