U.S. patent application number 11/910299 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-14 for method and configuration for storing and playing back tv transmissions.
This patent application is currently assigned to NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKS GMBH & CO. KG. Invention is credited to Christopher B. Coles, Christoph Hielscher, Stefan Jenzowsky, Axel Scheuer, Harald Schweickhardt, Rudolf Stelzl.
Application Number | 20100011390 11/910299 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36499386 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100011390 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Coles; Christopher B. ; et
al. |
January 14, 2010 |
Method and Configuration for Storing and Playing Back TV
Transmissions
Abstract
An improved method and configuration for operating a network
containing a personal video recorder server having measures for
receiving several digitally encoded TV channels, for feeding
several terminals and for recording storable TV programs. The
terminals have measures for selecting storable TV programs and
measures for transmitting the choice to the PVR server. The
configuration contains a first database in which the index of TV
programs stored by the PVR in response to the selection produced by
the terminal is recorded. The first database controls authorization
or refusal to play back the stored programs on the terminal. A
second database stores, for the first terminal, the other terminals
authorized to play back the TV programs selected by the user of the
first terminal or all TV programs associated therewith by the first
data base index. Terminals that are not contained in the second
database are not authorized.
Inventors: |
Coles; Christopher B.;
(Littleton, CO) ; Hielscher; Christoph; (Munchen,
DE) ; Jenzowsky; Stefan; (Grafelfing, DE) ;
Scheuer; Axel; (Munchen, DE) ; Schweickhardt;
Harald; (Munchen, DE) ; Stelzl; Rudolf;
(Dachau, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LERNER GREENBERG STEMER LLP
P O BOX 2480
HOLLYWOOD
FL
33022-2480
US
|
Assignee: |
NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKS GMBH &
CO. KG
Munchen
DE
|
Family ID: |
36499386 |
Appl. No.: |
11/910299 |
Filed: |
March 28, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
March 28, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP06/61078 |
371 Date: |
January 6, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60666392 |
Mar 30, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/25 ; 386/200;
386/326; 386/353; 725/153 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/4147 20130101;
H04N 7/163 20130101; H04N 21/4331 20130101; H04N 5/775 20130101;
H04N 21/2747 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/25 ; 386/94;
725/153 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/16 20060101
H04N007/16 |
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. A configuration for storing and playing back TV transmissions,
the configuration comprising: a plurality of user terminals; a
personal video recorder server connected to said user terminals,
said PVR server having means for receiving a plurality of digitally
coded TV channels, means for feeding said user terminals and
recording means for recording the TV transmissions to be stored; at
least one of said user terminals having selecting means for
selecting the TV transmissions to be stored and transferring means
for transferring a selection to said PVR server; a first database
coupled to said PVR server, said first database storing for each of
said user terminals an index of the TV transmissions stored by said
PVR server in response to a selection made at said one user
terminal, said first database controlling a granting or denial of
permission to play back stored transmissions on said plurality of
user terminals; and a second database coupled to said PVR server,
said second database storing for a first user terminal of said user
terminals identification of further ones of said user terminals
authorized to play back the TV transmissions selected by a user of
said first user terminal or all the TV transmissions associated
with said first user terminal through said index of said first
database, said user terminals not stored in said second database do
not have this authorization.
14. The configuration according to claim 13, wherein entries in
said second database concerning said first user terminal can be
edited by the user of said first user terminal.
15. The configuration according to claim 13, wherein said first
database and said second database are combined in a shared user
database.
16. The configuration according to claim 13, further comprising a
memory coupled to said one user terminal functioning as a selecting
user terminal; further comprising a mass storage coupled to said
PVR server; and wherein said recording means of said PVR server is
configured such that a first part of data to be stored with regard
to a recording is sent to said memory of said selecting user
terminal and a second part of the data to be stored is stored in
said mass storage device.
17. The configuration according to claim 16, further comprising
means for transferring a part of the data for a TV transmission
stored in said first user terminal to an authorized one of said
further user terminals, thereby enabling a playback of the TV
transmission by said authorized further user terminals.
18. The configuration according to claim 16, wherein said user
terminals have copying means for copying a part of the data for a
TV transmission stored in said first user terminal to a data medium
which can be read in by said further user terminals, thereby
enabling the playback of the TV transmission by said further user
terminals, a number of copies created using said copying means is
noted and restricted by said second database in addition to or
instead of the authorizations for playing back TV
transmissions.
19. A method for storing and playing back TV transmissions, which
comprises the steps of: receiving a plurality of digitally coded TV
channels by a personal video recorder server, the PVR server
feeding a plurality of user terminals and recording the TV
transmissions to be stored; selecting the TV transmissions to be
stored via a selecting user terminal of the user terminals and
transferring a selection to the PVR server; storing in a first
database an index, for each of the user terminals, of the TV
transmissions stored by the PVR server in response to the selection
made at the selecting user terminal, the first database controlling
a granting or denial of permission to play back stored
transmissions on the user terminals; and storing in a second
database, identifications of further user terminals for a first
user terminal of the user terminals, the further user terminals are
authorized to play back the TV transmissions selected by a user of
the first user terminal or all the TV transmissions associated with
the first user terminal through the index of the first database and
the user terminals not noted in the second database do not have
this authorization.
20. The method according to claim 19, which further comprises
editing entries in the second database concerning a user terminal
by a user of the first user terminal.
21. The method according to claim 19, which further comprises
combining the first database and the second database in a shared
user database.
22. The method according to claim 19, which further comprises with
regard to a recording by the PVR server, sending a first part of
data to be stored with regard to the recording to a memory of the
selecting user terminal and storing a second part of the data to be
stored in a mass storage device coupled to the PVR server.
23. The method according to claim 22, which further comprises
transferring a part of the data for the TV transmission stored in
the first user terminal to the authorized further user terminals,
thereby enabling a playback of the TV transmission by the
authorized further user terminals.
24. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises
creating copies of a part of the data for the TV transmission
stored in the first user terminal on a data medium by the user
terminals, whereby the data medium can be read in by the further
user terminals, thereby enabling the playback of the TV
transmission by the further user terminals, whereby a number of
copies created using a copying means is noted and restricted by the
second database in addition to or instead of the authorizations for
playing back TV transmissions.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a
configuration for storing and playing back TV transmissions. In
particular, the present invention provides an improved method and
an improved configuration for operating a network PVR.
[0002] After tape-based analog video recording devices have for
decades represented the only possible way for home users of
recording and conveniently preserving transmissions broadcast by
way of antenna, cable or satellite television, since fast and at
the same time inexpensive video processors and powerful video
codecs such as MPEG2 (1994) and MPEG4 (1998) have become available
there has existed for several years a series of largely hard-disk
based digital devices which offer a series of convenience functions
alongside pure video recording.
[0003] This new generation of devices is often referred to as
personal video recorder (PVR), sometimes also as digital video
recorder (DVR). While these modern devices can naturally also be
used as classic devices for the simple recording and subsequent
playback of transmissions, their capabilities extend far beyond
that level. A frequently used feature of a PVR is for example
so-called time-shifted television, in which the user actually
begins to play back a transmission while the recording is still
running. Thanks to the powerful hardware of a modern PVR, the
picture quality achieved in this situation is better than that of a
conventional VHS or SVHS tape device.
[0004] Time-shifted television also enables the user to "pause" a
transmission viewed live initially, to take a telephone call
perhaps, and to continue the playback later, whereby it would
appear to the user as if he had actually paused the live broadcast
and continued it later. In the background, however, the user
pressing the "Pause" button has caused his PVR to record the
running transmission, and pressing the "Pause" button again results
in the recorded transmission on the one hand continuing to be
recorded and on the other already being played back.
[0005] The capability of a PVR which allows the user to skip large
sections in a recording with minimum delay also enjoys great
popularity. This is frequently used during playback to skip blocks
of advertising contained in the recording. A series of services has
established itself around this capability which facilitate the
location of the limits of the advertising blocks, for instance by
storing the beginning and the end of an advertising block as points
in time relative to the beginning of a transmission as an index for
the recording and thus enabling the advertising to be skipped
automatically during the playback.
[0006] In addition to specially adapted consumer electronics
devices, multimedia PCs with suitable software (known as home
theater PC, HTPC) are also increasingly being used as PVRs.
Technically, there is little difference between a special PVR and a
PCPVR; both have a large (hard-disk) storage facility, adequate
processor power and suitable video codecs.
[0007] Thanks to configurable software or firmware, both platform
variants are in a position to offer the user further functions,
such as searching for transmissions which fit thematically with his
favorite transmissions. Common to both platform variants is the
fact that the recording takes place locally with respect to the
user and the quantity of transmissions that can be recorded is
limited by the local disk storage unit. It is therefore often
possible to transfer recorded transmissions from the internal
memory of the device onto writable media such as (re-)writable CDs
or DVDs. There is some effort involved in this however and, not
least, the price of a PVR is also considerable. Furthermore, PVRs
also suffer from the problem that a plurality of PVRs are
additionally required in order to allow parallel recording of
multiple transmissions. Expensive multituner devices only solve
this problem to a limited extent because it will always be the case
that fewer tuners are present than TV stations and moreover that
the hardware of the PVR--sufficiently powerful for one channel--is
reaching its limits with regard to the parallel recording of
multiple channels.
[0008] In order to be able to offer users all the advantages of a
PVR without them needing to invest in a PVR, a network PVR was
proposed in the white paper "Network PVR: Everything an Demand",
Jay Schiller, nCube Corporation, available on the Internet at
http://www.ncube.com/pressroom/downloads/nvpr-whitepaper.pdf, in
which memory, coding logic and codecs are made available by a
provider on the cable network. The user receives a device which
allows him to select transmissions to store and to retrieve stored
transmissions which are then transferred by means of a wideband
connection in real time to the user. When compared with a PVR or an
HTPC, such a device can be considerably less powerful. At the same
time, the user can lease storage space practically without limit on
the central PVR server while the operator of the PVR server only
needs to provide one copy of each transmission which is then
distributed when required to those users who have placed this
transmission in their (virtual) memory.
[0009] In a development, such a network PVR can be implemented such
that "programming" of the network PVR by the user is not required
and the user instead has access to all the transmissions in his
program assortment from approximately the most recent 4 weeks.
[0010] With regard to solutions which require a programming
operation, perhaps because rights owners have not agreed to the
blanket storage of the entire program for all users, it is however
disadvantageous that only users who have programmed a transmission
can subsequently also retrieve and play this back. The exchange of
transmissions, realized in the case of tape devices by swapping
cassettes and in the case of the expensive hard-disk PVR by
swapping CDs or DVDs, is not possible with the network PVR because
the user's content is stored on the network.
[0011] An object of the invention is therefore to set down a method
and a configuration for storing and playing back TV transmissions,
which avoids this disadvantage.
[0012] This object is achieved by a configuration for storing and
playing back TV transmissions, which comprises the following:
[0013] a PVR server with means for receiving a plurality of
digitally coded TV channels, means for feeding a plurality of
terminals and means for recording TV transmissions to be stored;
[0014] at least one terminal with means for selecting TV
transmissions to be stored and means for transferring the selection
to the PVR server; whereby the following are additionally provided:
[0015] a first database in which is stored for each terminal an
index of the TV transmissions stored by the PVR server in response
to a selection made at this terminal, whereby the first database
controls the granting or denial of permission to play back stored
transmissions on the terminals; and [0016] a second database in
which are noted for a first terminal further terminals which are
authorized to play back TV transmissions selected by a user of the
first terminal or all TV transmissions associated with the first
terminal through the index of the first database, whereby terminals
not noted in the second database do not have this
authorization.
[0017] The invention also relates to a method for storing and
playing back TV transmissions, comprising the following steps:
[0018] reception of a plurality of digitally coded TV channels by a
PVR server which feeds a plurality of terminals and records TV
transmissions to be stored; [0019] selection of TV transmissions to
be stored by a terminal and transfer of the selection to the PVR
server; [0020] storage in a first database of an index for each
terminal of the TV transmissions stored by the PVR server in
response to a selection made at this terminal, whereby the first
database controls the granting or denial of permission to play back
stored transmissions on the terminals; and [0021] noting of further
terminals for a first terminal in a second database, whereby the
further terminals are authorized to play back TV transmissions
selected by a user of the first terminal or all TV transmissions
associated with the first terminal through the index of the first
database and whereby terminals not noted in the second database do
not have this authorization.
[0022] Said problem is advantageously solved by the invention in
that in addition to a first database, which manages the storage
area assigned to a user of the network PVR, a second database is
provided which for each terminal manages a list of further
terminals that are authorized to play back transmissions which have
been recorded on the first terminal at the request of a user. Any
terminals not included in this list do not have this
authorization.
[0023] Provision can advantageously be made to enable a user of the
first terminal to edit the entries in the second database
concerning a terminal. A user can thus for instance create a list
of family members or friends who are permitted to access his
content stored on the network PVR. In this situation, the maximum
number of family members and friends that can be defined by a user
can be restricted in accordance with copyright provisions, to 7 for
instance. Provision can also be made to enable these family members
and friends to only play back the content/TV transmissions but not
to archive same.
[0024] The first database and the second database can
advantageously be combined in a shared user database.
[0025] The present invention can advantageously also be used at a
time when for legal or technical reasons the data occurring in the
case of a recording is not stored in its entirety in a memory
assigned to the network PVR but one part of the data to be stored
with regard to the recording is sent to a memory of the selecting
terminal. This can be necessary if an intro function without a
network connection is to be enabled for the user, or if rights
owners do not permit the creation of independently useable copies
by operators of network PVRs. In the latter case the division of
the data is performed in such a way that a small part of the data
is stored in the terminal and the remaining, main part of the data,
which is stored in the memory of the network PVR, does not actually
result in any decodable content (picture and/or sound).
[0026] In order to enable users to exchange their recorded
transmissions in this case as well, the local data assigned to a
recording can be exchanged between the users either by way of the
network or by means of data media. If data media are permitted, the
second database then performs the function by way of example of
monitoring and restricting the total number of copies produced.
[0027] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be
described in detail in the following with reference to a
drawing.
[0028] The single FIGURE shows a configuration 100 with a network
PVR or PVR server 102 and terminals 104A . . . 104N fed by the
latter. The PVR server 102 receives digitally coded TV channels
from an encoder 120. The encoder in turn receives the TV channels
from a receiver 122 which receives suitable TV signals by way of a
terrestrial antenna 124 and/or satellite antenna 126 and/or TV
cable 128. In this situation, the encoder 120 and the receiver 122
can be constructed as one device. The encoder 120 utilizes a codec
such as MPEG2 or MPEG4 for example or codecs derived from these in
order to convey the TV signals which are initially present in
analog form into an efficient digital data format. If a TV channel
is already available as a digital data stream, for example as a
digital video broadcast DVB (received terrestrially as DVB-T, via
cable as DVB-C or via satellite as DVB-S), the encoder 120 can
forward this data stream unmodified to the PVR server 102 or modify
it before forwarding, for example by matching the bandwidth of the
data stream to the bandwidth of the link to the terminals 104.
[0029] The PVR server is coupled to a mass storage device 108, for
example to a hard disk drive array (HDD array). Numerous methods
are known in the art for building redundant mass storage device
arrays from hard disks, which are nevertheless still able to
deliver the stored data in its entirety in the event of failure of
individual hard disks. The use of such a redundant array, for
example a redundant array comprising independent hard disks (RAID),
is advantageous in conjunction with the present invention because a
PVR server 102 and the attached mass storage device 108 stores all
or at least a major part of the data for the TV recordings of
numerous users.
[0030] The user terminals 104 are connected to the PVR server 102
for example by way of the TV cable network or a DSL link. Modern
codecs permit an acceptable video quality with transfer rates
upwards of a few hundred kbit/s. With the bandwidths of several
Mbit/s that are technically possible over DSL links, two or more
parallel video streams (for different playback devices in the
user's household) or a single high-quality video stream are
conceivable.
[0031] The terminals 104 are equipped with or coupled to local
memory 110 which for example can be implemented as conventional
hard disk and/or as flash memory and/or as RAM. Special forms such
as mini hard drives available in flash memory card format are
naturally also conceivable. In this situation, flash memory has the
advantage that storage of data is possible independent of the
presence of a supply voltage and at the same time particularly
quiet terminals 104 are made possible because flash memory has no
rotating or other mechanical parts.
[0032] In this situation, the memory 110 can be permanently coupled
to the terminal 104 or can be configured as exchangeable. Lesser
demands apply to the memory 110 of the terminals 104 than to the
mass storage device 108 in respect of redundancy and failsafe
behavior. Provision can be made as a convenience feature for the
user which enables him to produce backup copies of the parts of the
recordings stored in a case by case basis in his memory, for
instance on a data medium (writable CD or DVD, external hard disk)
not permanently situated in the terminal 104, using a network
connection on a PC or also in a separate storage area offered by
the PVR service provider (not shown). Furthermore, provision can be
made to enable the user, in addition to these backup copies, to
also create copies in order to forward the parts of the recordings
stored on a case by case basis in his memory to other users, to
friends for example.
[0033] With regard to the terminal or CPE 104, this can be a
set-top box which is connected to a picture playback device 116.
Alternatively, the terminal 104 can be integrated into the picture
playback device 116. The picture playback device 116 can be a
conventional television. Alternatively, it can also be a monitor
which does not itself have a TV tuner. The terminal 104 has a user
interface 106 which the user can use for example in order to manage
his archive of recorded TV transmissions, manage the list of users
that have access to his archive, etc. This user interface can, as
is normal in the realm of set-top boxes, be implemented such that
the user makes inputs using a remote control and sees outputs
displayed on the picture playback device 116.
[0034] When the user of a first terminal 104A has selected a TV
transmission, a data record identifying a TV transmission to be
recorded is sent to the network-based PVR 102 (step 1) which uses a
scheduler to make the TV transmission available for recording. A
first database 130, a user database for example, manages the
transmissions allotted for recording by a user and checks the
user's authorizations, for instance as to whether the user has
subscribed to the corresponding TV channel (step 2).
[0035] When a TV transmission is broadcast, in collaboration with
the database 130 the PVR server 102 checks whether a user (a single
user is sufficient) has allotted this transmission for recording
(step 3). If this is the case, the recording is carried out (step
4). In this situation, the data occurring during the recording can
be stored in its entirety in the memory 108 of the PVR server or
divided into a local and a central part and stored accordingly in
the memory 110 of the terminal 104 or in the mass storage device
108. If the transmission has been programmed for recording on a
plurality of terminals 104 either a shared copy can be provided,
which is stored completely or whose central part is stored in the
memory 108 of the PVR server 102, or a separate copy is created for
each terminal. Information for addressing the shared or the
separate copy, a file name or other index information for instance,
is subsequently stored in the first database 130 for each terminal
which had the transmission allotted for recording. Such a
user-related entry can contain further information in the form of
metadata relating to the transmission, for instance an expiry date
or the positions of possible advertising blocks, so as to allow the
latter to be skipped.
[0036] If a division into central and local recording data occurs,
the local data is accordingly sent to all the terminals 104 at
which the transmission has been programmed for recording. In this
situation, the division of the data can be performed such that at
least the central data stream for its part no longer delivers a
decodable video signal (picture and sound). Only when both data
sets (from the memory 110 of a terminal 104 and from the mass
storage device 108) are combined can the transmission be played
back in its entirety.
[0037] A playback takes place when a user employs the user
interface 106 at the terminal 104 to request the archive of
available transmissions, which is sent from the database 130 to the
terminal 104 for display by means of the user interface, for
example on the screen 116. The user can select a recording from the
archive and start the playback by means of an appropriate input.
The terminal sends this request to the PVR server which uses the
database 130 to locate the corresponding data in the memory 108 and
send it as a video stream to the appropriate terminal 104.
[0038] If a division into central and local recording data has
taken place, the parts of the recording stored in the memory 110 of
the selecting terminal 104 and the parts stored in the mass storage
device 108 can be combined in the PVR server 102. To this end, the
data stored in the terminal is first transferred to the PVR server,
where it is combined. The complete video data is then sent to the
terminal 104 as a realtime data stream for playback.
[0039] Alternatively, the parts of the recording stored in the
memory 110 of the selecting terminal 104 and the parts stored in
the mass storage device 108 can be combined in real time in the
terminal 104. In response to a user input the incomplete video data
is sent by means of the PVR server 102 from the mass storage device
108 as a near-realtime data stream to the terminal 104, where it is
supplemented by the data stored in the terminal 104 and played
back. In this situation, near-realtime data stream means that
depending on the type of division of data selected between local
memory 110 and mass storage device 108 it is also possible for
larger data sets to be situated in the local memory, intro
sequences for instance, which are first played back before the data
which may have been buffered until then is prepared for playback
from the mass storage device 108.
[0040] A second database 132, which can also be implemented in a
unified database jointly with the first database 130, stores for
each user a list of further users who may either generally play
back all transmissions recorded by this user or specifically those
transmissions released by the user in question. To this end, a list
containing authorized terminals 104B is maintained in the second
database for each terminal 104A. Provided that an allocation of
playback rights is also provided on the basis of individual
transmissions, a data field to be filled by the user by means of
the user interface 106 can be provided in the first database 130
for each transmission. With this data field it is possible to
implement a positive list, in other words only transmissions with a
corresponding entry in this data field are also made available to
other users, or a negative list can be provided, in other words
transmissions with a corresponding entry in this data field are not
made available to other users. In this situation, provision can
furthermore be made to make available a positive or negative list
per entered authorized user so as to selectively make transmission
accessible or not accessible only to individual users from the
users noted in the list as being authorized in principle, in other
words to also make available different transmissions from the
user's archive to the different friends or family members.
[0041] If a user of a first terminal 104A has included a user of a
second terminal 104B in the group of authorized users, for instance
by means of corresponding inputs through his user interface 106A,
provision can be made for the transmissions in the archive of the
first user to also appear automatically in the archive of the
second user, unless this has been excluded for individual
transmissions in the case of allocation of playback rights on the
basis of individual transmissions. In this situation, an
identification marking can be provided, for example by means of
color or menu design, which shows the second user that
transmissions from the archive of the first user are involved.
Alternatively, provision can be made whereby the first user must
"send" a special transmission to the second user before it appears
in the latter's archive. If a transmission appears in the archive
of the second user, this can be played back by means of terminal
104B as if the transmission had been provided for recording by the
second user (represented in summary by step 5).
[0042] If a division into central and local recording data has
taken place, the parts of the recording stored in the memory 110A
of the first user's terminal 104A originally selecting the
transmission for recording and the parts stored in the mass storage
device 108 can be combined in the PVR server 102. To this end, the
data stored in the terminal 104A of the first user is first
transferred to the PVR server 102, where it is combined. The
complete video data is then sent to the playback terminal 104B of
the second user as a realtime data stream for playback.
[0043] Alternatively, the parts of the recording stored in the
memory 110A of the terminal 104A of the first user and the parts
stored in the mass storage device 108 can be combined in real time
in the playback terminal 104B of the second user. To this end, the
local data concerning the transmission is transferred from the
memory 110A to the memory 110B, and this is done either by means of
the PVR server under the control of the databases 130 and 132, or
by the first user passing a data medium containing this data to the
second user.
[0044] The incomplete video data is then sent by means of the PVR
server 102 from the mass storage device 108 as a near-realtime data
stream to the 104B, where it is supplemented by the data now stored
in the terminal 104B and played back.
[0045] In this situation, the database 132 can designed such that
all the terminals 104N not flagged in the database 132 as
authorized are not permitted to play back the recordings of a user
in question. This can for example be implemented such that the
transmissions of the terminal 104A are not contained in the archive
data for the terminal 104N delivered from the database 130 in
collaboration with the database 132.
[0046] As represented by the dashed line 140 a user group
comprising the terminals 104A and 104B is formed in the manner
described, whereby initially only the terminal 104B is authorized
to access the transmissions of the terminal 104A, but not vice
versa. Provision can be made to limit the number of users with whom
any user is able to exchange transmissions, for instance in order
to satisfy copyright requirements. For example, it is possible to
specify that each user may make his transmissions available to a
total of only seven further users who in turn are only permitted to
view the transmissions of this user, whereby other uses are
excluded, for instance copying to data media or storage in a
permanent central archive.
[0047] If in the case of locally stored portions of the recording
data the forwarding of said data is enabled, provision can be made
for controlling the number and the type of copies that can be
produced of these locally stored portions by way of the second
database 132. For example, provision can be made whereby only seven
copies to data media are permissible which can be used with a
different terminal than the terminal used to produce the copies.
The user can be forced by the action of the database 132 to
precisely specify the terminals for which a special copy is to be
useable, whereby use of the copy on other terminals remains
unsuccessful.
[0048] This manner of forwarding transmissions can be combined with
the described network-based forwarding of copies in that each
forwarding of a transmission to a user in the user group decrements
the number of copies that can be produced. The other way round,
each copy produced can also prevent the forwarding to users in the
user group, which can preferably be controlled by means of the
positive list, in which no further entry can be created for a
transmission which has already been forwarded as often as permitted
using a data medium.
[0049] Alternatively, it is possible to provide only one of the two
forwarding capabilities, in other words network-supported or using
a data medium. In this situation, forwarding by means of a data
medium is the more involved method for the user but it is
functionally equivalent to what can be practiced with the
recordings made by analog tape devices and is thus where necessary
more consistent with the relevant applicable law. Network-supported
forwarding on the other hand is an additional benefit for the user
which, as a service feature, can on the one hand improve the
competitive position of an operator of a network PVR and on the
other hand can justify the imposition of special fees by the
operator.
[0050] In a further alternative, provision can be made, for
example, to send an e-mail from the first user to the second user,
containing information, for instance in the form of a link which
can be used at the terminal of the second user in order to play
back a transmission referenced by this information. If the
recording is present in its entirety in the memory 108 of the PVR
server 102, the playback of the referenced transmission can take
place immediately. If part of the data is stored in the terminal
memory 110A of the first user however, this part of the data will
either be embedded into the e-mail or retrieved from the terminal
memory 110A of the first user before playback commences.
* * * * *
References